How to Say ‘Go ahead / make yourself at home’ in Portuguese
Esteja à vontade
shtay-zhah ah vohn-TAH-d
[shtay-zhah ah vohn-TAH-d]
🇵🇹 In Portugal: This is a warm, polite way to tell a stranger to sit down or help themselves. You'll hear it constantly in cafés and in people's homes.
Phrase Breakdown
Esteja
[shtay-zhah]
be (formal command/subjunctive)
Subjunctive form of 'estar', used for polite requests.
Esteja calmo, por favor.
Please be calm.
à
[ah]
at (in 'à vontade')
Contraction of 'a' + 'a'; in 'à vontade' it means 'at ease'.
Fique à vontade.
Make yourself at home.
vontade
[vohn-TAH-d]
will; ease
Desire or will; 'à vontade' means comfortable, feel free.
Tenho vontade de ver o jogo.
I feel like watching the game.
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