Carnival: Complimenting someone’s elaborate makeup or outfit

💬 demorar means 'to take time', so you don't need a separate verb for 'take'. Try Demora muito? "Does it take long?"

💬 In Portugal, a + the plain verb links an action: a fazer "to do". You'll see the same pattern in estou a adorar "I'm loving it".

💬 'Two' changes shape to match what it counts: duas horas for feminine words, dois dias "two days" for masculine ones. Only one and two do this.

💬 Fui eu que... puts the spotlight on who did it, a bit like 'It was me who...'. Swap the verb: Fui eu que pintei "I painted it myself".

💬 Portugal says A sério? with a in front, while Brazil says just Sério?. Locals in Portugal will notice the difference.

💬 disfarce literally means 'disguise', and it's the everyday word for a Carnival costume. fantasia is the Brazilian equivalent.

💬 Portuguese often answers yes by echoing the verb from the question. Asked Foi feito por si?, you reply Foi, instead of using sim.

💬 After por, the polite 'you' becomes si: por si "by you". Likewise para si "for you".

💬 de + a becomes da: da minha mãe "of my mother". With a man it's do meu pai "of my father".

💬 mesmo before a describing word means 'really', not 'same'. You can say mesmo giro "really cute" too.

💬 lindas ends in -as to match as cores, which is feminine and plural. Said of a single costume, it would be lindo.

💬 Portugal takes no 'the' after em, unlike many countries: compare no Brasil "in Brazil", which uses em + o.

💬 Echoing the verb and adding sim is a natural, warm way to say yes. You could say Foi, sim in the same way.

💬 In Portugal, 'I'm doing something' is estou a + the plain verb: estou a dançar "I'm dancing". Brazilians say estou adorando instead.

💬 Ainda bem doesn't mean 'still well'. As a fixed reply to good news, it means 'glad to hear it'.

💬 Divirta-se is the polite form, said to someone you'd address formally. With a friend, it becomes Diverte-te.

💬 Men say obrigado and women say obrigada. Pick the ending that matches yourself.

🇵🇹 Igualmente is the standard reply when someone wishes you well, whether that's 'enjoy', 'good evening' or 'have fun'. It's short, polite and fits any level of formality.