Vehicles

1. o carro

   Car

   Usage

   The same in Portugal and Brazil. Portuguese officialdom and the police prefer "a viatura" in writing

2. o autocarro

   City bus

   Usage

   The word in Portugal and Lusophone Africa. Brazil says "o ônibus" and will not follow "autocarro". The stop is "a paragem" in Portugal, "o ponto de ônibus" in Brazil

3. a camioneta

   Long-distance coach

   Usage

   Portugal's intercity coach — Rede Expressos runs a nationwide network and is often cheaper than the train. Brazil calls it "o ônibus rodoviário" and the coach station "a rodoviária"

4. o comboio

   Train

   Usage

   The Portuguese word — the national operator is CP, Comboios de Portugal. Brazil says "o trem"; there "comboio" means a convoy

5. o Alfa Pendular

   Alfa Pendular (fast train)

   Usage

   Portugal's fastest tilting train, Lisbon to Porto in about three hours, also serving Faro and Braga. Seats are reserved and booking ahead beats the counter price

6. o Intercidades

   Intercity train

   Usage

   Portugal's second-tier intercity service — more stops than the Alfa Pendular but cheaper, also with reserved seats

7. o comboio urbano

   Suburban train

   Usage

   The commuter lines from Lisbon to Sintra and Cascais, or Porto to Braga and Aveiro — the ones travellers use most. Brazil says "o trem metropolitano"

8. o metro

   Metro / Subway

   Usage

   Spelt "o metro" without an accent in Portugal (Lisbon and Porto) and "o metrô" in Brazil (São Paulo, Rio, Brasília). Porto's "Metro" is mostly a surface light rail

9. o elétrico

   Tram

   Usage

   Lisbon's yellow tram. Line 28 winds through the old town and is famous — and famous for pickpockets. Porto has its own heritage line 1. Brazil says "o bonde", best known in Rio's Santa Teresa

10. o elevador

    Funicular / Street lift

    Usage

    Lisbon's answer to its hills: the Glória, Bica and Lavra are funiculars, while the Santa Justa is a vertical iron lift. Your Navegante transit card covers them

11. o táxi

    Taxi

    Usage

    Portuguese taxis are beige, or black and green. "Ligue o taxímetro, por favor" asks the driver to run the meter. In Brazil ride-hailing apps are more common

12. o TVDE

    Ride-hailing car

    Usage

    Portugal's official label for an app-hailed car, and the four letters you will see on airport pick-up signs and windscreen stickers. Brazil says "o carro de aplicativo"

13. a mota

    Motorcycle

    Usage

    "A mota" in Portugal, "a moto" in Brazil. A small scooter is "a scooter" in Portugal

14. o mototáxi

    Motorcycle taxi

    Usage

    A Brazilian institution — a licensed service in northeastern and inland towns, and now also app-hailed through big-city traffic. The rider hands you a helmet. Not a thing in Portugal

15. a bicicleta

    Bicycle

    Usage

    The same in both countries. Lisbon's bike-share is GIRA; Rio and São Paulo have Bike Itaú. In speech people also say "a bike"

16. a trotinete elétrica

    E-scooter

    Usage

    "A trotinete" in Portugal, "o patinete elétrico" in Brazil. Shared ones line the streets of Lisbon and Porto, but the cobbled hills are slippery

17. o avião

    Airplane

    Usage

    The same in both countries. In Portugal domestic flights mainly serve Madeira and the Azores; in Brazil they are how you cross the country

18. o barco

    Boat

    Usage

    Anything from a small craft to a sightseeing boat; a big ship is "o navio". The same in both countries

19. o ferry

    Ferry

    Usage

    An English loanword understood in both countries — the Tagus crossings in Lisbon, the Rio to Niterói run. Portugal also writes "o ferry-boat"

20. o cacilheiro

    Tagus ferry boat

    Usage

    The affectionate name for the Tagus ferries to Cacilhas, taken from the place name. They leave beside Cais do Sodré, cost a couple of euros, and the deck view of Lisbon and the 25 de Abril bridge is the real ticket. Understood in Lisbon only

21. o barco rabelo

    Rabelo boat

    Usage

    The flat-bottomed wooden boats moored on Porto's Douro. They once carried port wine casks down from the upriver estates and now run bridge-hopping cruises. A northern Portugal word

22. o teleférico

    Cable car

    Usage

    Found at Lisbon's Parque das Nações, on the Gaia side in Porto, and in Funchal. Rio's Sugarloaf cable car is the same thing but is famously called "o bondinho"

23. a ambulância

    Ambulance

    Usage

    Emergency numbers: 112 in Portugal; in Brazil 192 for SAMU ambulances and 193 for the fire service. "Chame uma ambulância, por favor" — please call an ambulance

24. o carro de aluguer

    Rental car

    Usage

    "Aluguer" in Portugal, "aluguel" in Brazil. Portuguese motorways use unmanned electronic tolls ("as portagens"), so renting the company's Via Verde transponder saves a lot of trouble

25. o camião

    Truck / Lorry

    Usage

    "O camião" in Portugal, "o caminhão" in Brazil. Brazil's long-distance highways are full of them and overtaking takes patience

26. a autocaravana

    Campervan / Motorhome

    Usage

    "A autocaravana" in Portugal, where the Algarve coast has dedicated service areas. Brazil usually keeps the English "o motorhome"

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