Meeting the in laws again (Advanced): Health and well-being

💬 Pegar normally means "to grab", but with illnesses it means to pass something on. Pegou-me a gripe means "he gave me the flu".

🇵🇹 Saying this is the polite way to skip the cheek kisses when you're ill. Older relatives will usually appreciate it rather than feel snubbed.

💬 Coitado changes to match the person you feel sorry for. For a woman, say coitada.

💬 In questions, já means "yet" or "already". Ao is a "to" + o "the" squeezed together, as in ao hospital "to the hospital".

💬 Então e "so, and" is a casual way to open a follow-up question. Try Então e o trabalho? "So how's work?"

💬 Tenho + tomado describes something you've been doing repeatedly lately, not a single event. Tomar covers both drinks and medicine.

💬 A senhora means "you", but it takes the same verb form as "she": a senhora tem, not tens.

🇵🇹 This is the respectful way to address an older woman such as a mother-in-law. Many Portuguese families keep using it for years, even when the relationship is close.

💬 Andar "to walk" is used for how someone has been lately, and de saúde means "health-wise". Swap the ending for Como tem andado de trabalho? "How's work been?"

🇵🇹 This modest answer is extremely common, especially among older people. Saying you're "great" can sound boastful, so a mild complaint is the normal reply.

💬 For body parts, Portuguese uses o or a "the" instead of "my". Same with Dói-me a cabeça "My head hurts".

💬 Sobretudo is also a noun meaning "overcoat". Context tells you which one is meant.

💬 Tempo means both "weather" and "time". Não tenho tempo means "I don't have time".

🇵🇹 Blaming aches on changes in the weather is a classic topic with older Portuguese relatives. Nodding along sympathetically is the expected response.

💬 Pensou is the polite form you'd use with a senhora. Use pensaste with someone you'd call tu.

💬 "To think about" is pensar em, never just pensar. Try Já pensou em ir ao médico? "Have you thought about going to the doctor?"

🇵🇹 The centro de saúde is your local public GP clinic in the national health service. You register there and get assigned a family doctor, though many people are still waiting for one.

🇵🇹 Pois is the go-to Portuguese way to show you're listening or agreeing, often with a hint of "yes, but". Expect to hear it in almost every conversation.

💬 In Portugal, estar a + a verb means "-ing". On its own, Estou a ver also commonly means "I see" in the sense of "I understand".

💬 Particular means "private" here, as opposed to public. You'll also see clínica particular "private clinic".

💬 Estou a ver se + a verb means "I'm trying to". Arranjar means "to get" or "to sort out" and is very common.

💬 Quiser is the polite form for someone you call o senhor or a senhora. With family you call tu, say se quiseres.

💬 In a plain positive sentence, lhe attaches after the verb with a hyphen. After não, it moves in front: não lhe posso arranjar.

💬 arranjar is an everyday verb for "get hold of" or "sort out". In Portugal small words like lhe "you, to you" usually attach after the verb with a hyphen: arranjar-lhe.

💬 agradecia literally means "I used to thank", but here it works as a polite "I would thank". Portuguese speakers often use this form to soften requests and replies. Same with queria "I'd like".

🇵🇹 Ai at the start adds warmth and a bit of drama. It is very typical of Portuguese speech, especially among older relatives.

💬 constipação is a false friend. It means a cold, not constipation. tratar de means "to take care of", and de + essa merges into dessa.

💬 Portuguese drops the article here: estar de cama means "to be laid up in bed". It sits alongside estar de férias "to be on holiday".

💬 Portuguese often answers with que sim or que não instead of repeating the verb. Try Acho que sim "I think so" or Espero que não "I hope not".

💬 obrigado changes to match the speaker, not the listener. Men say obrigado and women say obrigada.

💬 por + a becomes pela, and por + o becomes pelo. Swap it in: obrigado pelo jantar "thanks for dinner".

🇵🇹 Dona plus a first name is the respectful way to address an older woman, such as a mother-in-law. It is warm but still polite. Using her first name alone could feel too familiar unless she invites it.

🇵🇹 A very Portuguese brush-off when someone thanks you. It sounds a little old-fashioned and warm, which suits older relatives.

💬 vem here is the friendly "you" (tu) command form of vir "to come". It looks the same as "he/she comes".

💬 Weather uses estar with no word for "it": está frio, está calor "it's hot".

💬 The que here means "because". This is a casual way to add a reason after a request, as in despacha-te, que é tarde "hurry up, it's late".

💬 Portuguese keeps the article with meals where English drops it: o jantar, o almoço "lunch".

💬 logo often means "later today" rather than "soon" or "therefore". Até logo means "see you later".

💬 The present tense often covers near-future plans: mando "I send" here means "I'll send".

🇵🇹 Using lhe keeps things polite with in-laws. It is the respectful "you", rather than the familiar te.