Ordering in Portuguese

ordering in brazil

I had a tough time getting used to the way Brazilians order things - at restaurants, pharmacies, hotels - wherever. For some reason, I was expecting a little more politeness in the language - ESPECIALLY when ordering in Portuguese.

I'd like a large iced-coffee, please
In Brazil you are going to say, Give me a large iced-coffee, please.

Not that big of a deal - I guess 😉 I'm so used to the would like and would never say give me this and give me that.

How else do we order things?

"I would like..." / "May I have..." / "Could you please give me a ..."
All of that is pretty much out the window here. It's not that Brazilians are any less polite, but the words that they use, if taken literally can sound pretty abrasive. Here's how for example, a typical request goes:

Ordering in Portuguese

Ordering in Portuguese: examples

Me dá um quilo de mussarela / porção de batata fritas / melancia / beijo, por favor.

*note the por favor -- that's important.

Quero 5 pães franceses / um litro de gasolina / um hamburger
Vou querer um açaí com granola / fazer uma viajem para Buenos Aires.