Negotiating salary: Asking for a higher salary politely

🇵🇹 Using queria rather than quero "I want" softens the request. That is exactly the tone Portuguese workplaces expect when raising pay.

🇵🇹 Literally "say", Diga is how a Portuguese boss or shopkeeper invites you to speak. It isn't rude. You'll also hear it when people answer the phone.

💬 Cá is the everyday European Portuguese word for "here", especially "here with us". In Brazil you'd hear aqui instead.

💬 Há plus a stretch of time works like "for" when something is still ongoing, or like "ago" for something past. Compare Cheguei há dois anos "I arrived two years ago".

💬 Portuguese uses the present estou "I am" where English says "I've been", because you're still here. Same with Moro cá há um ano "I've lived here for a year".

💬 Words ending in -dade are usually feminine and match English "-ty": responsabilidade, qualidade "quality". Add -s for the plural.

💬 O seu is the polite "your" for someone you don't use first names with. A friend's work would be o teu trabalho.

💬 Tem sido "has been" describes something that has kept happening up to now. Swap the ending: tem sido difícil "it has been difficult".

💬 Seria "would be" turns a request into a soft question. Put any noun after it: Seria possível um dia livre? "Would a day off be possible?"

💬 Cem is exactly 100. Once more follows, it becomes cento: cento e vinte "120".

🇵🇹 Raises in Portugal are often discussed as a monthly amount. Naming a concrete figure politely, like this, is normal and expected.

🇵🇹 É difícil is a typical Portuguese way of saying no without saying no. It usually signals a counteroffer is coming, not a refusal.

💬 Tens and units are joined with e "and": vinte e três "23", setenta e cinco "75".

💬 Said with a rising tone, está bem? works as a tag question meaning "all right?". In speech the first syllable often drops, giving (tah BAYN).

💬 Obrigado matches the speaker: men say obrigado, women say obrigada. It describes you, not the person you're thanking.

💬 Obrigado matches the person speaking, not the person being thanked. A man says obrigado, a woman says obrigada.

💬 Do is de + o merged. A partir de "starting from" works with any time: a partir de amanhã "starting tomorrow".

🇵🇹 A friendly sign-off between colleagues in Portugal, much like "have a good one". You'll hear it when leaving a meeting or passing someone at work.

🇵🇹 The standard reply to any good wish, like bom trabalho or bom fim de semana "have a good weekend". It works at every level of formality.

💬 logo usually suggests later the same day, so Até logo fits when you'll cross paths again soon. If you won't see them until another day, say Até amanhã "see you tomorrow" or Até à próxima "until next time".