Even if you are only in Cape Verde on a holiday, it is worth spending a little time learning some words of the local language. The official language in Cape Verde is Portuguese, however the majority of the locals also speak Creole. Do you not speak any of aforementioned languages? Do not worry, many people also speak some English. And otherwise you can always use your hands and gestures to express yourself.
Portoguese words
Making a small effort to learn some words Portuguese and using it in you communication is wholeheartedly appreciated. To learn some Portuguese for your holiday we have shown a list of commonly used Portuguese words and phrases below. Portuguese is a beautiful language to speak and listen to. The basic words and phrases are not that difficult to learn. Thus, start learning some basic Portuguese words and try them out during your holiday on the Cape Verde islands.
Greetings
good morning - bom dia
good afternoon - boa tarde
good evening - boa noite
goodbye- até logo
how are you? - come está?
I am well - estou bem
Food and drinks
water - água
wine - vinho
tea - chá
coffee - café
beer - cerveja
milk - leite
spirits - aquardente
bread - pão
chips - batatas fritas
beef - carne de vaca
eggs - ovos
meat - carne
potato - batata
tuna - atum
a soup - conj
a chicken dish - cachupa pobre
maize, beans - cachupa rica
fish stew - cozido de peixa
shellfish and rice - arroz de marisco
Numbers
1 - um / uma
2 - dois / duas
3 - tres
4 - quatro
5 - cinco
6 - seis
7 - sete
8 - oito
9 - nove
10 - dez
20 - vinte
30 - trinta
40 - quarenta
50 - cinquenta
100 - cem
1,000 - mil
Days and months
Sunday - domingo
Monday - segunda-feira
Tuesday - terąa-feira
Wednesday - quarta-feira
Thursday - quinta-feira
Friday - sexta-feira
Saturday - sábado
January - janeir
February - feverreiro
March - março
April - abril
May - maio
June - junho
July - julho
August - agosto
September - septembro
October - outubro
November - novembro
December - dezembro
Questions and answers
what is your name? - como se chama?
my name is Alex - chamo-me Alex
can you help me? - pode me ajudar?
how much does it costs? - quanto custa?
do you speak English? - fala ingles?
pardon? - como?
You are welcome - de nada
I am from New York - sou de New York
where? - onde?
where is? - Onde fica?
when? - quando
how? - como?
why? - porque?
I do not understand - não compreendo
I do not know - não sei
Other
breakfast - pequeno almoço
city - cidade
day - dia
dinner - jantar
doctor - medico
drink - bebida
hospital - hospital
money - dinheiro
no - não
pharmacy - farmácia
police - police
post office - correio
restaurant - restaurante
room - quarto
road - rua
supermarket - supermercado
town - vila
yes - sim