Around 1000 words are enough to understand roughly 85% of everyday speech. That is exactly what 1000 Words focuses on: instead of endless grammar tables, you first learn the Portuguese vocabulary you will actually meet in real life – nouns, verbs, adjectives and full sentences, each with translation, example sentence and audio.
Learn the way that fits your day: as a video to read along, as an audiobook for your commute or for falling asleep, as an ebook, or with the built-in vocabulary trainer that shows you every word again at the scientifically optimal moment (spaced repetition). Everything is available on the website and in the free app for iOS and Android.
You will start with everyday Portuguese words like the food (a comida), the drink (a bebida), the cup (o copo) — the vocabulary that appears most often in real conversations.
| English | Portuguese | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| the food | a comida | The food is delicious. A comida é deliciosa. |
| the drink | a bebida | I want a drink. Eu quero uma bebida. |
| the cup | o copo | The cup is full. O copo está cheio. |
| the bottle | a garrafa | The bottle is empty. A garrafa está vazia. |
| the plate | o prato | The plate is clean. O prato está limpo. |
| the spoon | a colher | I use a spoon. Eu uso uma colher. |
| the fork | o garfo | I eat with a fork. Eu como com um garfo. |
| the knife | a faca | The knife is sharp. A faca é afiada. |
| the breakfast | o café da manhã | I eat breakfast. Eu como café da manhã. |
| the lunch | o almoço | We have lunch at noon. Nós almoçamos ao meio-dia. |
| the dinner | o jantar | They eat dinner together. Eles jantam juntos. |
| the bread | o pão | I buy bread. Eu compro pão. |
| the butter | a manteiga | I put butter on the bread. Eu coloco manteiga no pão. |
| the cheese | o queijo | I eat cheese. Eu como queijo. |
| the milk | o leite | I drink milk. Eu bebo leite. |
| the coffee | o café | I drink coffee in the morning. Eu bebo café de manhã. |
| the tea | o chá | I like tea. Eu gosto de chá. |
| the juice | o suco | I drink juice. Eu bebo suco. |
| the soda | o refrigerante | I drink soda. Eu bebo refrigerante. |
| the rice | o arroz | I eat rice. Eu como arroz. |
Every word explained individually – with example sentence: Browse all 1000 words →
The 100 most important Portuguese words →
The 100 most important Portuguese verbs →
| to borrow | pegar emprestado |
| to buy | comprar |
| to clean | limpar |
| to close | fechar |
| to cook | cozinhar |
| to do | fazer |
| to drink | beber |
| to eat | comer |
| to find | encontrar |
| to get | obter |
| She is my friend | Ela é minha amiga |
| They have fun together | Eles se divertem juntos |
| We eat lunch together | Nós almoçamos juntos |
| She smiles a lot | Ela sorri muito |
| He tells funny jokes | Ele conta piadas engraçadas |
| I visit my friends | Eu visito meus amigos |
Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.
All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for listening before you fall asleep.
All words and sentences to look up and read offline.
Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.
Type your own words – AI translates them, adds example sentences and the trainer practises them with you.
Short stories built from the words you already know, with audio and tap-to-explain.
Download Premium content and keep learning without internet.
With the 1000 most frequent words you understand about 85% of everyday spoken language. That is why 1000 Words focuses exactly on this core vocabulary – organized into nouns, verbs & adjectives and full sentences.
Research shows the brain consolidates previously learned material during sleep. Our audiobooks with triple repetition are made for this: listen in the evening, relax, and anchor what you learned. Read more in our article on learning while you sleep.
Yes, getting started is free: parts of the videos and audiobooks, the vocabulary trainer, the matching game and previews of all content. Premium unlocks everything – including downloads for offline mode.
For beginners and returners (level A1–B1) who want to build a usable Portuguese vocabulary fast – without grammar overload, with audio.