How to Talk About Traffic and Your Commute in Brazilian Portuguese
Learn a practical set of phrases for explaining how you get around and what affected your trip across town.
Real Life Portuguese · 5 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Use vou de + transport to describe how you usually get somewhere: vou de ônibus, vou de carro, or vou de metrô. By contrast, vou a pé means “I go on foot.”
Say how you usually travel
To talk about duration, use levo + a period: levo meia hora (it takes me half an hour). Add each day or at rush hour to make the routine more specific.
Vou de metrô para o trabalho.
I take the subway to work.
Levo uns quarenta minutos de manhã.
It takes me about forty minutes in the morning.
Quando está bom, vou de bicicleta.
When the weather is good, I go by bike.
Explain what changed the journey today
Use trânsito para traffic and engarrafamento for a traffic jam. The phrase por causa do… gives a reason, while demorou mais do que o normal means that the trip took longer than usual.
A short explanation often sounds more natural than translating an English sentence word for word. Connect the cause and result with então when you want to show what happened next.
O trânsito estava parado na avenida.
Traffic was at a standstill on the avenue.
Demorei mais por causa da chuva.
I took longer because of the rain.
O ônibus atrasou, então peguei o metrô.
The bus was delayed, so I took the subway.
Put it into practice
Use vou de for a regular transport choice, levo for commute time, and por causa de to explain a delay.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “I took longer because of the rain”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
Build on this guide with everyday expressions and native Brazilian audio. Choose iPhone, Android, or the web app.