Self-introduction at work: Asking a colleague how things work in the office

💬 Portuguese says "make a question" (fazer uma pergunta), not "ask a question". The -te "to you" is the informal form. With someone you call você, say fazer-lhe instead.

💬 Diz literally means "say" or "tell", used as an informal command. With someone you address formally it becomes diga.

💬 For where something is located, Portuguese prefers fica over está: Onde fica a casa de banho? "Where's the toilet?"

💬 ao is a + o merged together. Followed by de, it means "next to": ao lado do elevador "next to the lift".

💬 nh sounds like the "ny" in canyon (koo-ZEE-nyuh). The final a fades to a soft "uh".

💬 da is de + a merged together, because cozinha is feminine. With a masculine word it becomes do: ao lado do escritório "next to the office".

💬 precisar always takes de before the thing you need, so de + o becomes do here. To say you need something, it's Preciso de ajuda "I need help".

💬 In casual speech está shrinks to tá, so you'll often hear just (tah BAYNG).

💬 Times use a "at" plus the plural horas. Swap the question for a time to answer: às duas "at two", às três "at three".

🇵🇹 Lunch in Portugal is usually a proper sit-down meal of about an hour, often with colleagues at a nearby café or restaurant. Eating alone at your desk is less common.

💬 à is a + a, because uma stands in for uma hora. For any later hour, use às, as in às duas "at two".

💬 connosco is a single word meaning "with us". Similarly, "with me" is comigo and informal "with you" is contigo.

💬 Portuguese usually says yes by repeating the verb from the question: Queres? gets Quero. Adding sim after it makes the answer warmer.

💬 obrigado follows the speaker: a man says obrigado, a woman says obrigada. pela is por + a merged together.

🇵🇹 Até logo works when you'll see the person again later the same day, such as after lunch. For leaving at the end of the day, até amanhã "see you tomorrow" is the usual goodbye.