How to Talk About Regional Brazilian Portuguese: Useful Learner Phrases
Ask how people use a word in their region, explain which Portuguese resources you need, and talk about unfamiliar accents without ranking them.
Real Life Portuguese · 6 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
When choosing a course, dictionary, or listening resource, use Brazilian Portuguese (português brasileiro) to make the variety clear. The label helps you find examples and pronunciation practice aimed at Portuguese spoken in Brazil. A resource label does not mean every Brazilian speaker uses the same accent or vocabulary.
Name the variety when you choose learning materials
You can also tell a conversation partner why you are learning. That gives them a useful frame for the expressions and listening examples you want to practice.
Estou procurando um curso de português brasileiro.
I’m looking for a Brazilian Portuguese course.
Quero praticar para conversar com meus amigos no Brasil.
I want to practice so I can talk with my friends in Brazil.
Tenho estudado português, mas quero ouvir mais sotaques do Brasil.
I’ve been studying Portuguese, but I want to hear more accents from Brazil.
Ask where a word or expression is used
A word can be familiar in one place and less common somewhere else. Instead of asking whether an expression is “the Brazilian word,” ask your conversation partner where they have heard it and what they would say in that situation. One speaker can tell you about their own experience, not every region in Brazil.
When you do not know the location, say região or por aqui (around here). A follow-up about a city or state is more precise if the speaker has named one.
Como vocês chamam isso por aqui?
What do you call this around here?
Essa expressão é comum nesta região?
Is this expression common in this region?
Você ouviu essa palavra em outras cidades também?
Have you heard this word in other cities too?
Describe an accent without calling it wrong
An unfamiliar pronunciation can slow down comprehension even when you know the words. Say which part you need help with, then ask for repetition. Avoid saying an accent is incorrect just because it differs from the one in your course; regional speech has patterns worth learning.
The I Speak Portuguese article on what to call Portuguese in Brazil explains the language and variety labels. This Real Life Portuguese guide focuses on the next conversation: finding the words to ask where an expression is used and how to understand a speaker more clearly.
Ainda estou me acostumando com esse sotaque.
I’m still getting used to this accent.
Pode repetir a última frase, por favor?
Could you repeat the last sentence, please?
Qual é o jeito mais natural de falar isso por aqui?
What is the most natural way to say this around here?
- Name the word or sound you missed instead of rejecting the whole accent.
- Ask for a repeat or one slower version, then listen again at a natural pace.
- Treat your conversation partner’s answer as one person’s experience, not a rule for the entire country.
Put it into practice
Choose one expression you recently learned and ask a speaker where they use or hear it. Follow up with a clarification phrase if you miss a word in the answer.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “What is the most natural way to say this around here”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
This guide is an original Real Life Portuguese adaptation of an earlier article from I Speak Portuguese.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
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