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How to Say ‘There was a lot of traffic.’ in Portuguese

Havia muito trânsito.

ah-VEE-ah MWEEN-too TRAHN-zee-too

[ah-VEE-ah MWEEN-too TRAHN-zee-too]

💬 Usage Tip: havia means "there was" or "there were" and never changes for plurals: havia muitos carros "there were lots of cars". Today's version is há.

Phrase Breakdown

Havia

[ah-VEE-ah]

there was

Imperfect of 'haver', meaning there was/there were.

Example

Havia muita gente.

There were many people.

muito

[MWEEN-too]

much

Intensifies comparatives like 'melhor'.

Example

Está muito mais frio hoje.

It's much colder today.

trânsito

[TRAHN-zee-too]

traffic

Masculine noun for road traffic.

Example

Há trânsito na ponte.

There is traffic on the bridge.

Guides for Portuguese learners

The Portuguese You Actually Need in Your First Month in PortugalThe European Portuguese phrases for your first weeks in Portugal: paperwork, renting a flat, the bank, the health centre, cafés, trains and your new neighbours.

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