🙋❓

How to Say ‘May I ask you a question?’ in Portuguese

Posso fazer-lhe uma pergunta?

POH-soo fa-ZEHR-lyuh OO-muh pehr-GOON-tah

[POH-soo fa-ZEHR-lyuh OO-muh pehr-GOON-tah]

💬 Usage Tip: In Portugal, lhe "you" (polite) attaches after the verb with a hyphen: fazer-lhe. Same pattern: Posso dizer-lhe uma coisa? "May I tell you something?"

Phrase Breakdown

Posso fazer-lhe

POH-soo fa-ZEHR-lyuh

Can I ask you (formal)

'Posso' means 'can I'. 'Fazer-lhe' means 'make/do to you', with the formal pronoun 'lhe' attached by a hyphen. Say it as 'fa-ZER-lhe'. The 'lh' sounds like the 'lli' in 'million'.

Example

Posso fazer-lhe um pedido?

May I make a request of you?

Words in this phrase

Posso

[POH-soo]

may I / can I

First-person form of the verb meaning to be allowed to or able to do something.

Example

Perguntei «Posso» antes de me sentar.

I asked “May I?” before sitting down.

fazer-lhe

[fa-ZEHR-lyuh]

to ask you / to make to you

Verb 'fazer' (to do/make) with the attached formal pronoun 'lhe' (to you).

Example

Quero fazer-lhe um convite.

I want to make you an invitation.

uma pergunta?

OO-muh pehr-GOON-tah

a question?

'Uma' is the feminine form of 'a'. Stress the middle syllable: 'per-GUN-ta'. Raise your voice at the end to make it a question.

Example

Tenho uma pergunta.

I have a question.

Words in this phrase

uma

[OO-muh]

a / one (feminine)

The feminine singular indefinite article, used before feminine nouns like 'mesa'.

Example

Ao chegar, pedimos Uma mesa para dois.

When arriving, we ask for 'A table' for two.

pergunta

[pehr-GOON-tah]

question

Feminine noun; 'fazer uma pergunta' means to ask a question.

Example

Tenho uma pergunta sobre o salário.

I have a question about the salary.

Guides for Portuguese learners

The Portuguese You Actually Need in Your First Month in PortugalThe European Portuguese phrases for your first weeks in Portugal: paperwork, renting a flat, the bank, the health centre, cafés, trains and your new neighbours.

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