Convenience Store

1. Quer saco? São dez cêntimos.

   Would you like a bag? It's ten cents.

   Usage

   Said by staff. Carrier bags are charged for in Portugal, and even a corner mercearia will ask. Decline with "Não, obrigado"

   Grammar Note

   A bag is "saco" in Portugal and "sacola" in Brazil, where a mercadinho often still gives them free. "Quer...?" is the third-person form used with "você" — the standard polite register between staff and customer

2. Não preciso de saco, trago o meu.

   I don't need a bag, I've brought my own.

   Usage

   How to decline when you have a reusable bag. Works in both Portugal and Brazil and saves you the bag charge

   Grammar Note

   "Precisar" always takes the preposition "de": precisar de + noun. The possessive "o meu" agrees with the masculine "saco"; in Brazil, where the word is the feminine "sacola", you would say "a minha"

3. Há valor mínimo para pagar com cartão?

   Is there a minimum amount to pay by card?

   Usage

   Small Portuguese shops and cafés often set a five- or ten-euro floor to avoid terminal fees; look for a "Mínimo 5€" note taped by the till

   Grammar Note

   "Há" is invariably singular for "there is/are", no matter what follows. Colloquially "Tem valor mínimo?" works too, and is the normal choice in Brazil

4. Abaixo de cinco euros só aceitamos dinheiro.

   Under five euros we only take cash.

   Usage

   Said by staff. If you are refused, either add an item to clear the floor or pay cash — carrying coins is still very much the norm in Portugal

   Grammar Note

   Staff speak for the shop in the first-person plural ("aceitamos"). "Dinheiro" means money in general but denotes cash in a payment context; Brazil also says "em espécie"

5. Posso pagar com MB WAY?

   Can I pay with MB WAY?

   Usage

   MB WAY is Portugal's phone-number-linked payment app, accepted almost everywhere including tiny shops. You give the staff your number and the charge lands in the app — often a way around the card minimum

   Grammar Note

   Brazil's equivalent is Pix — ask "Aceita Pix?" there. MB WAY is Portugal-only and means nothing in Brazil

6. Não tenho troco para cinquenta euros.

   I don't have change for a fifty-euro note.

   Usage

   Said by staff. Independent shops keep little cash in the till and may refuse a large note. Twenties from the ATM are usually fine; fifties often are not

   Grammar Note

   "Troco" is the change you get back; "trocado" is loose coin. If asked "Tem trocado?" they want to know whether you have small coins. Both words are the same in Brazil

7. Este pão é de hoje?

   Is this bread from today?

   Usage

   In a Portuguese mercearia or a Brazilian padaria bread often sits loose in a basket with no date on it. Late in the day you may find yesterday's loaves discounted

   Grammar Note

   "Ser de + time" states origin or date of making. The everyday roll is "papo-seco" in Portugal and "pão francês" in Brazil — ordered as "dois papo-secos" or "dois pães franceses"

8. Um pão na chapa e um cafezinho, por favor.

   A grilled buttered roll and a small coffee, please.

   Usage

   The classic Brazilian padaria breakfast. A padaria fills much of the role of a convenience store, and mornings are busy with people eating standing at the counter. In a Portuguese pastelaria you would order "uma torrada e um café" instead

   Grammar Note

   "-inho" is the diminutive suffix; words ending in "e" insert a "z": café → cafezinho. It signals affection as much as size. Portugal's small espresso is a "bica" in Lisbon and a "cimbalino" in Porto

9. Pode aquecer isto no micro-ondas?

   Could you heat this up in the microwave?

   Usage

   Small shops keep a microwave behind the counter and will often heat food if you ask. Many Portuguese mercearias have no kitchen equipment at all, though — if refused, try a nearby café or pastelaria

   Grammar Note

   "Micro-ondas" is hyphenated, masculine and identical in singular and plural — always "o micro-ondas". Brazil prefers "esquentar" over "aquecer": "Pode esquentar?"

10. A que horas fecha a mercearia?

    What time does the grocery shop close?

    Usage

    A mercearia is a small independent grocer in a residential street, never open around the clock. Many shut for a lunch break or close by 19:00, so it is worth checking

    Grammar Note

    The "a" in "a que horas" is the preposition "at", and there is no article before "que horas", so nothing contracts (when answering with a time, a + as does contract: "às três"). In Brazil the same-size shop is a "mercadinho"; a slightly larger one is a "mercado"

11. Abrem ao domingo?

    Are you open on Sundays?

    Usage

    Small Portuguese shops either close on Sunday or open mornings only, and big supermarkets cut their hours too. Stock up on drinks and breakfast on Saturday

    Grammar Note

    Address the shop as a whole with the third-person plural ("abrem") rather than the individual assistant. For habitual days Portugal says "ao domingo" while Brazil says "aos domingos" or "no domingo"

12. Tem cartão de cliente?

    Do you have a loyalty card?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Chain-run mini-markets ask at every purchase. As a visitor you will not have one — "Não tenho, obrigado" and the sale goes through as normal

    Grammar Note

    The third-person singular used with "você" stays polite even with the subject dropped, and is the default service register. In a more formal setting staff add "o senhor / a senhora" — "O senhor tem cartão?" — without changing the verb form

13. Fazem carregamentos de telemóvel?

    Do you do mobile phone top-ups?

    Usage

    Portuguese mini-markets and kiosks double as top-up points for MEO, NOS and Vodafone prepaid SIMs. Give your number and the amount — handy when a tourist SIM runs out of data

    Grammar Note

    A mobile is a "telemóvel" in Portugal and a "celular" in Brazil; a top-up is a "carregamento" versus a "recarga". In Brazil ask "Fazem recarga de celular?"

14. Qual é o prazo de validade deste iogurte?

    What's the use-by date on this yoghurt?

    Usage

    Stock turns slowly in an independent shop's chiller, so items can sit close to their date. Labels distinguish "Cons. de prefer. antes de" (best before) from "Consumir até" (use by)

    Grammar Note

    The preposition "de" contracts with the demonstrative "este" to give "deste" (de + este), just as it does in "desse", "daquele", "do" and "da". The contraction is obligatory in both varieties

15. Quer fatura com número de contribuinte?

    Do you want the receipt with your tax number on it?

    Usage

    Said by staff. In Portugal putting your NIF (tax number) on the receipt earns a tax deduction, so every shop asks. Visitors have no number — just say "Não, obrigado"

    Grammar Note

    Portugal distinguishes the formal "fatura" from the till slip, a "talão". Brazil has no NIF scheme so this question never comes up there; the Brazilian till receipt is a "cupom fiscal" or "nota fiscal"

16. Vendem bebidas alcoólicas a esta hora?

    Do you sell alcohol at this hour?

    Usage

    Portugal has no nationwide cut-off, but cities such as Lisbon and Porto restrict late-night off-licence sales by municipal by-law to curb street noise, and shops in nightlife areas lock the drinks chiller. Sales to under-18s are banned everywhere

    Grammar Note

    "Alcoólicas" has a double "o" with the accent on the second, and the adjective agrees with the feminine plural "bebidas". In Brazil the election-day "lei seca" bans sales in some states

17. Onde estão as garrafas de água?

    Where are the bottles of water?

    Usage

    The standard way to hunt for something in a cramped shop. Portugal distinguishes "água sem gás" (still) from "água com gás" (sparkling); add "fresca" if you want it chilled

    Grammar Note

    Location takes "estar", not "ser". "Água" is feminine and keeps the article "a" despite its stressed initial "a" (plural "as águas"). In Brazil "Onde ficam...?" is equally common

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