Voice translator

English to Portuguese voice translator

You speak English and the other person speaks Portuguese. Open the translator, pick English for you and Portuguese for them, and take turns: your English reaches them in Portuguese, and what they say comes back to you in English.

Face-to-Face and Listen are free for up to 30 minutes a day. Sign in with a free Owaa account to use it.

How to use it

  1. 01

    Open it with the pair chosen

    The button above opens Face-to-Face with English for you and Portuguese for the other person already selected. If you are not signed in, you are taken through sign-in and brought back.

  2. 02

    Take turns

    One person speaks at a time. Wait until the translation finishes playing before you speak, because anything said while it plays is not heard.

  3. 03

    Hear each other

    Each of you hears the other in your own language through the same device. Major pairs such as English with Chinese, Spanish or Japanese are strongest; for anything important, repeat the key detail back.

Need the other direction? Portuguese to English voice translator.

Useful Portuguese phrases

Common Portuguese phrases and their English meaning
EnglishPortuguese
Hello, how are you?Olá, tudo bem?
Thank you. (said by a man / a woman)Obrigado. / Obrigada.
I don't understand.Não entendo.
Could you speak more slowly, please?Pode falar mais devagar, por favor?
Where is the bathroom? (Brazil)Onde fica o banheiro?
How much does it cost?Quanto custa?
I need a doctor.Preciso de um médico.
Excuse me.Com licença.

Everyday phrases for reading or saying aloud. They are a reference, not a substitute for the translator in a real conversation.

Portuguese: varieties and dialects

Brazilian and European Portuguese share a grammar but differ in pronunciation, in vocabulary and in some everyday words: a bathroom is o banheiro in Brazil and a casa de banho in Portugal, and “you” is mostly você in Brazil but tu or o senhor / a senhora in Portugal.

Portuguese is also the official language of Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde and others, each with its own accent. Portuguese is not Spanish: a Spanish setting will not work for a Portuguese speaker.

Politeness and formality in a translated conversation

  • In Brazil, você is the everyday “you” and senhor / senhora marks respect to elders and officials. In Portugal, the polite form is more often o senhor / a senhora than você.
  • Thank-you changes with the speaker: a man says obrigado, a woman says obrigada.

Common situations with Portuguese speakers

At the doctor

Say symptoms one at a time and note how long each has lasted; medicine names are best shown on the box.

With a landlord

Confirm the rent and due date aloud, and ask for terms in writing.

At your child’s school

Ask staff to say the date and time twice; Portuguese dates run day, month, year, the opposite of US order.

At the bank

Portuguese uses a comma for decimals and a period for thousands (1.000,50). Say amounts in words to avoid mistakes.

General conversation tips only, not legal or medical advice. For anything with legal, medical or financial consequences, use a qualified human interpreter.

Call someone who speaks Portuguese

Owaa also translates a real phone call both ways, to any number, with no app for the person you call. A call to Brazil, the main country for Portuguese, costs $0.25–$0.30 per minute. New accounts can claim 10 free minutes once.

Questions

Is the english to portuguese voice translator free?
Yes, free for up to 30 minutes a day. The limit exists to prevent abuse. It needs a free Owaa account, which takes a moment to create.
Can I call someone in Brazil who speaks Portuguese?
Yes. Owaa translates a real phone call both ways. A call to Brazil costs $0.25–$0.30 per minute, and new accounts can claim 10 free minutes once. You can also call the hotline, +1 833 988 4455.
What is the difference between Face-to-Face and Listen for Portuguese?
Face-to-Face is two-way, for two people in the same room: each speaks their own language and hears the other in theirs. Listen is one-way: it translates a talk, a broadcast or a speaker into Portuguese.
Brazilian or European Portuguese?
Owaa has one Portuguese choice and does not publish accuracy figures by variety. Speak naturally and clearly; the biggest differences are everyday words and “you”.
Can a Spanish speaker use the Portuguese setting?
No. The two languages are related but not the same. Pick the language the person actually speaks.
Why do men and women say “thank you” differently?
Obrigado / obrigada agrees with the gender of the speaker. It is a feature of Portuguese, not a mistake in the translation.

Other language pairs

English to Portuguese voice translator — free, real time · Owaa