Telling my landlord the hot water is broken: Scheduling a plumber for repair

💬 To say something doesn't work, just put não before the verb: não funciona. It's useful for any broken appliance, e.g. o frigorífico não funciona "the fridge doesn't work".

💬 To say something isn't working, just put não before funciona. Swap in any appliance: O frigorífico não funciona "The fridge isn't working."

🇵🇹 Que chatice! is the everyday way to sympathise with a hassle. It's mild and friendly, never rude, and fine with a landlord.

💬 à is a + a merged into one word, "at the". You'll see it in many time phrases: à tarde, à noite.

🇵🇹 Many Portuguese flats heat water with a gas esquentador that lights up when you open the hot tap. It's usually the first thing a landlord asks about.

🇵🇹 Many Portuguese flats heat water with a gas esquentador that lights on demand, not a hot-water tank. Saying it "won't light" is the standard way to report the problem.

💬 vou plus a basic verb means "I'm going to", just like English: vou ligar "I'm going to phone".

💬 In Portugal a plumber is a canalizador. In Brazil the word is encanador, so don't be thrown if you've seen that one elsewhere.

💬 Vou + an action is the everyday way to say what you're about to do: Vou ligar "I'll call", Vou ver "I'll check".

💬 Morning uses de: de manhã. Afternoon and evening use à instead: à tarde, à noite.

💬 amanhã means "tomorrow" and manhã means "morning", so watch the extra a. Both end in a nasal ã, said through the nose.

💬 Pode ser...? works for proposing any time or option: Pode ser na sexta? "Could it be on Friday?"

💬 In Portugal, "doing something right now" is estar a + the basic verb: estou a comer "I'm eating". Brazil says estou trabalhando instead.

💬 Times take às because horas "hours" is understood: às duas, às cinco. One o'clock is singular: à uma.

💬 In speech, está usually shrinks to just tá: Tá bem?. You'll hear it constantly.

💬 Portuguese often uses the present tense for near-future plans, so estou em casa here means "I'll be home". em casa needs no "the": em casa "at home", not na casa.

🇵🇹 Combinado is how Portuguese speakers close any arrangement, from a plumber visit to meeting friends. It means "it's settled" and signals the conversation is wrapping up.

💬 In Portugal, small words like lhe "you, to you" attach after the verb with a hyphen: liga-lhe. lhe here is the polite "you", the same form used for "him" or "her".

💬 After antes de "before", the verb stays in its basic form: antes de sair "before leaving", antes de comer "before eating".

🇵🇹 Tradespeople in Portugal often give a time window rather than an exact hour, so a heads-up call before they set off is normal and expected.

💬 obrigado changes with the speaker, not the listener: men say obrigado, women say obrigada.

🇵🇹 senhor + surname is the respectful way to address an older landlord. Stick with it until they suggest something more casual.

🇵🇹 Apologising for the bother when signing off is a common courtesy, even when the landlord is responsible for the repair. It keeps the relationship warm.