Top Portuguese COVID-related phrases

Are you going to Portugal in the near future?

Just as in English, there are lots of new Portuguese phrases and words relating to COVID-19 that won’t be covered by your guidebook.

To make your life easier, we have put together some of these key phrases. We hope that they will help you feel safer during your visit to Portugal. 

Check out the phrases below and then download the free printable to take with you on your holiday.

Useful COVID-related phrases in Portuguese

ENGLISH	PORTUGUESE
Where can I buy a mask please?	Onde posso comprar uma máscara?
Where would I find the hand sanitiser please?	Onde acho a solução alcoólica?
How many people are allowed in this shop?	Qual é o limite máximo de pessoas nesta loja?
Yes, I have received my COVID vaccination.	Sim, tomei minha vacina contra a Covid.
Where is the nearest testing centre?	Onde fica o centro de testes mais próximo?
Which tourist attractions are currently open to the public?	Quais atrações turísticas estão abertas ao público atualmente?
What are the social distancing rules here?	Quais são as regras de distanciamento social aqui?
Does your hotel/restaurant/bar have cleanliness standards in place? (e.g. are high touch areas such as the lobby/elevator/rooms/corridors/door handles/kitchens/tables/cutlery etc. cleaned more frequently?)	O seu hotel/restaurante/bar tem um padrão de limpeza em vigor? (por exemplo, as áreas de maior contato como a receção/ascensores/quartos/corredores/puxadores de portas/cozinhas/mesas/talheres etc. são limpas com mais frequência?)
Do my children need to wear masks?	Os meus filhos precisam usar máscaras?
I have forgotten my mask. What should I do?	Esqueci a minha máscara. O que posso fazer?

Portuguese glossary of COVID-related terms

COVID-19 has changed almost everything in our lives and language is no exception. Words and phrases like lockdown, self-isolation and R-rate are now in common use in the English language. The same is true of other languages too. To illustrate the point and to provide you with a handy guide to some terms you come across during your travels, we have compiled a glossary of an A-Z of COVID terms.

ENGLISH	PORTUGUESE
Asymptomatic	Assintomático
Ban (travel, social gatherings etc.)	Proibição (viajar, encontros sociais etc.)
Contact tracing	Rastreio de Contactos
Distancing	Distanciamento
Elbow tap	Cumprimento de cotovelo
Furlough	Licença
Government guidelines	Recomendações Governamentais
Home testing kits	Kits de teste em casa
Incubation	Incubação
Job losses	Perda de emprego
Keyworkers	Trabalhadores essenciais
Lockdown (1.0, 2.0, 3.0)	Confinamento (1.0, 2.0, 3.0)
Masks	Máscaras
Nightingale hospitals	Hospitais Nightingale
Outbreak	Surto
Pandemic	Pandemia
Quarantine	Quarentena
R rate	Índice R
Self-isolation	Auto-isolamento
Track and trace	Rastreamento de contacto
Underlying conditions	Doenças agravantes
Vaccination centres	Centros de vacinação
Working from home	Trabalhar em casa
Xenophobia	Xenofobia
Yoga	Yoga
Zoom	Zoom