Living Abroad in Portuguese: Say How Long, What You Like, and What You Miss
Use morar, estar morando, há, sentir falta de, and como é morar aí to discuss your life in another country.
Real Life Portuguese · 3 min read · Updated November 3, 2026
The short answer
The Portuguese Classes conversation about living in Thailand gives learners a real topic for listening: life in another country. For your own answer, begin with one accurate location sentence. Morar describes where you live; the preposition changes with the place name.
Begin with where you live now
Moro na Tailândia uses na with Tailândia. Moro em Bangkok uses em with the city. These are original teaching examples based on the guide’s language focus, not quotations from the video.
Moro na Tailândia.
I live in Thailand.
Moro em Bangkok.
I live in Bangkok.
Choose moro or estou morando
Moro em… is a straightforward statement of residence. Estou morando em… highlights the current living situation. It can suggest that the arrangement is temporary, but context—not the grammar alone—determines whether a move is temporary.
If you are describing a recent or current phase, estou morando may fit. If you simply want to state your home, moro is shorter and neutral.
Moro em Brasília.
I live in Brasília.
Estou morando em Bangkok este ano.
I’m living in Bangkok this year.
Put it into practice
Use estou morando to emphasize the current phase, not as a guaranteed marker of temporary residence.
Use há for a situation that continues now
To say how long you have lived somewhere, Brazilian Portuguese commonly uses the present tense plus há. Moro aqui há dois anos literally keeps moro in the present because the situation still continues.
Do not copy the English present perfect word for word. Build the sentence as current situation + há + duration. The same pattern works with estar and trabalhar.
Moro aqui há dois anos.
I’ve lived here for two years.
Estou aqui há seis meses.
I’ve been here for six months.
Trabalho aqui há um ano.
I’ve worked here for a year.
Say what you like most
O que eu mais gosto é… introduces your favorite part of the experience. Complete it with a noun, an activity or a longer clause. Keep the claim personal: your favorite feature does not define the city for everyone.
A simple answer can lead into a reason. O que eu mais gosto é poder fazer tudo a pé, porque economizo tempo. This says what you value and why.
O que eu mais gosto é a comida.
What I like most is the food.
O que eu mais gosto é poder fazer tudo a pé.
What I like most is being able to do everything on foot.
Use sentir falta de for what you miss
Sentir falta de means to miss a person, place, food or routine. The de combines with articles: de + a becomes da, and de + o becomes do. Sinto falta da minha família therefore means “I miss my family.”
You can contrast a positive part of your current life with something you miss: Gosto da cidade, mas sinto falta da comida brasileira. The contrast is honest without turning the answer into a complaint.
Sinto falta da minha família.
I miss my family.
Gosto da cidade, mas sinto falta da comida brasileira.
I like the city, but I miss Brazilian food.
Ask the other person about their experience
Como é morar aí? means “What’s it like living there?” Aí points to the listener’s location. Follow with a specific question about time, favorites or what the person misses.
A natural sequence is: Como é morar aí? Você mora aí há quanto tempo? Do que você sente mais falta? The questions move from a broad invitation to concrete details.
Como é morar aí?
What’s it like living there?
Você mora aí há quanto tempo?
How long have you lived there?
Practice a four-part introduction
Build four sentences: location, duration, favorite feature and something you miss. One model is: Moro em Lisboa há um ano. O que eu mais gosto é o transporte. Gosto da cidade, mas sinto falta da minha família.
The model is original practice. Replace every detail with your own facts. If you have never lived abroad, describe your current city and imagine only the question you would ask someone else.
Put it into practice
Location + duration + favorite + what you miss creates a complete short answer.
Source and next practice
Source: “Can You Understand This Brazilian Portuguese Conversation? I Speak Portuguese Podcast,” Portuguese Classes, published June 16, 2026: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7elaQxdeOY. Use the source for the real conversation; the written model sentences and exercises here are original.
After listening, record a 30-second answer about where you live. Continue practicing everyday Brazilian Portuguese and useful expressions in the Real Life Portuguese app. This is a practice invitation, not a claim that this exact episode is part of the app.
Try it with your own words
Say or write a Portuguese answer before opening the suggestion. Other natural answers can work; compare the meaning and situation, then read the explanation.
Say that you have lived here for two years.
Show a possible answer and explanation
Moro aqui há dois anos.
The residence continues now, so Portuguese uses the present moro with há plus the duration.
Ask a person what living there is like.
Show a possible answer and explanation
Como é morar aí?
Aí refers to the listener’s place, while como é asks about the experience.
This guide expands on a lesson from Portuguese Classes on YouTube. Teaching examples and exercises are original unless identified otherwise.
Sources and further reading
Make the topic personal
Record four sentences about where you live, how long, what you like, and what you miss. Keep building practical Brazilian Portuguese with Real Life Portuguese. Get the app