In these next 2 units (Places 1 and Places 2) we’ll cover vocabulary for many different types of buildings and places in Portuguese, such as stores, parks, banks, schools, cities, regions, and more.
Whether you’re running errands, sightseeing, or just enjoying different regions of Portugal, knowing the names of places will help you communicate about where you’re going and where you’ve been.
To get a head start, review the terms below before beginning the Lessons.
Geographic Terms
o bairroneighbourhood
a aldeiasmall town, village
a cidadecity
o campofield, countryside
a fronteiraborder
o continentecontinent
a regiãoregion
o paíscountry
a ilhaisland
o montehill
a localidadelocality, district
Having Fun / Sightseeing
o paláciopalace
o museumuseum
a igrejachurch
o aeroportoairport
a praçatown square
o castelocastle
o jardimgarden
o parquepark
a praiabeach
o pátioyard, patio, courtyard
Driving Around
a bomba de gasolinagas station
a pontebridge
a esquinacorner
a ruastreet
a estradaroad
a autoestradahighway, freeway
a avenidaavenue
Shopping
a livrariabookstore
o centro comercialshopping centre, mall
a lojastore
a joalhariajewellery store
a galeriagallery
Food and Drink
a padariabakery
a pastelariabakery, pastry shop
o talhobutcher shop
o barbar
a tascatraditional Portuguese tavern or restaurant
a marisqueiratavern specializing in seafood
a merceariagrocery store
o supermercadosupermarket
o mercadomarket
Other Buildings
o edifíciobuilding
o quartel dos bombeirosfire station
a propriedadeproperty
o posto dos correiospost office
o bancobank
a farmáciapharmacy
o ginásiogym
o hospitalhospital
a universidadeuniversity
a escolaschool
a bibliotecalibrary
a prisãoprison
o tribunalcourt
a esquadra da políciapolice station
a residênciaresidence, residence hall
o larhome
a casahouse, home
o cinemamovie theatre
o estádiostadium
o teatrotheatre
1/ Há alguma diferença entre ‘o canto’ e ‘a esquina’?
2/ Acho que vi a palavra ‘o posto de bombeiros’ en lugar de “o quartel de bombeiras”.
Are the words ‘posto’ and ‘quartel’ interchangeable?
– posto de bombeiros/ quartel de bombeiros, posto de correios/quartel de correios, or even : esquadra de polícia/bombeiros/correios?
3/ Does the word ‘bomba de gasolina’ really mean ‘gas station’? It sounds more like a ‘gas/petrol pump’
São muito perguntas… mas tambem são muitas palavras novas ; ) Obrigado pela ajuda.
1. “O canto” and “a esquina” both refer to corners, but “o canto” is typically used for an inside corner, like within a room, while “a esquina” is used for street corners or even furniture corners.
2. “Posto” and “quartel” are not entirely interchangeable. “Posto de bombeiros” is correct for a fire station, while “quartel de bombeiros” can also be used and equally common. “Posto de correios” is correct for a post office, but “quartel de correios” is not used. “Esquadra” is used for police stations and wouldn’t be used for fire stations or post offices.
3. Yes, “bomba de gasolina” does mean ‘gas station’ when referring to a gas station in European Portuguese, even though its literal translation is indeed a ‘gas/petrol pump’.
🙂
Muito obrigado. !!!