Phone calls in Portuguese: from “Estou?” to “Ligo-lhe mais tarde”
The phrases you need to call the clinic, the school or the landlord, and how people answer the phone in Portugal.
Answering
In Portugal people often answer with Estou? or Estou sim? (literally “I'm here?”), or simply Sim? At work: [Name of the company], bom dia. Alô?, typical of Brazil, is much less common here.
Calling
Bom dia, fala o Daniel Smith.
Good morning, this is Daniel Smith speaking.
Posso falar com a Dra. Ana Lopes?
May I speak to Dr Ana Lopes?
In Portugal Dr./Dra. is used for many university graduates, not just doctors.
Estou a ligar por causa da consulta de amanhã.
I'm calling about tomorrow's appointment.
When something goes wrong
Pode repetir, por favor? Não percebi.
Could you repeat that, please? I didn't understand.
Pode falar mais devagar?
Could you speak more slowly?
A ligação está a falhar.
The line keeps cutting out.
Pode soletrar, por favor?
Could you spell it, please?
Finishing
Ligo-lhe mais tarde. Obrigado, bom dia!
I'll call you back later. Thank you, have a good day!
Try thisLigar is the everyday verb for to call: ligo-te amanhã (I'll call you tomorrow). Telefonar is also correct, but ligar is far more common in speech.
Quick check
Which phone greeting is typical of Portugal rather than Brazil?
Portuguese for real life in Portugal
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