How do you say "May I sit here?" in Portuguese?

"May I sit here?" in Portuguese is "Posso sentar-me aqui?". This phrase is commonly used in Portugal.

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How to Say ‘May I sit here?’ in Portuguese

Q: What does "Posso sentar-me aqui?" mean in English?

"Posso sentar-me aqui?" means "May I sit here?" in English. Usage tip: In European Portuguese, [sentar-me] puts the little word for [me] after the verb, connected with a hyphen. You'll see the same pattern in [ajudar-me] and [dizer-te].

Posso sentar-me aqui?

POH-soo sen-TAR-muh ah-KEE

[POH-soo sen-TAR-muh ah-KEE]

💬 Usage Tip: In European Portuguese, [sentar-me] puts the little word for [me] after the verb, connected with a hyphen. You'll see the same pattern in [ajudar-me] and [dizer-te].

Phrase Breakdown

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.

sentar-me

[sen-TAR-muh]

sit down

Reflexive infinitive meaning to sit oneself down; here it is polite and natural in European Portuguese.

Example

Usei «sentar-me» para pedir licença com educação.

I used “sit down” to ask permission politely.

aqui?

ah-KEE

here?

Points to the place where you want to sit.

Example

Está bem aqui?

Is it okay right here?

Words in this phrase

aqui

[ah-KEE]

here

A place word used to indicate this spot nearby.

Example

Apontei para a cadeira e disse «aqui».

I pointed to the chair and said “here.”

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