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How to ask if someone speaks English in Brazilian Portuguese

Introduction

When you travel to Brazil or meet Brazilian Portuguese speakers, you will need to ask if someone speaks English. The most common way to ask this question in Brazilian Portuguese is "Você fala inglês?"

This phrase means "Do you speak English?" and works in most everyday situations.

Breaking down the phrase

The phrase "Você fala inglês?" has three parts:

Você means "you." This is the word you use when talking directly to someone in an everyday, friendly conversation.

Fala means "speak" or "speaks." This is the action word (called a verb) that describes what someone does with language.

Inglês means "English." This is the name of the language.

When you put these words together, you get "You speak English?" In Brazilian Portuguese, you do not need a helping word like "do" to form a question. You simply say the sentence and use a questioning tone with your voice.

How to pronounce it

The phrase "Você fala inglês?" sounds like "vo-SEH FAH-la een-GLEH-sh" when you say it out loud.

Here is how to say each word:

Você sounds like "vo-SEH." The stress falls on the second part of the word. The "cê" at the end sounds similar to "say" in English.

Fala sounds like "FAH-la." The stress falls on the first part of the word. Both "a" sounds are pronounced like the "a" in "father."

Inglês sounds like "een-GLEH-sh." The stress falls on the second part of the word. The "ê" in the middle sounds like the "e" in "bet." The "s" at the end sounds like "sh" in English.

When you ask this as a question, raise your voice slightly at the end, just like you would when asking a question in English.

Using the informal version

You will often hear Brazilians drop the word você and simply say "Fala inglês?" This shorter version means exactly the same thing as "Você fala inglês?"

Both versions are common and acceptable in everyday conversation. The shorter version sounds natural and casual. You can use either one when talking to:

  • People around your age
  • Friends and acquaintances
  • Service workers like waiters and hotel staff
  • People in casual settings

Using the formal version

When you talk to someone you want to show extra respect to, you use a more formal version of the phrase. Instead of você, you use senhor (for men) or senhora (for women).

The formal versions are:

O senhor fala inglês?

This means "Do you speak English, sir?" You use this when speaking to a man.

A senhora fala inglês?

This means "Do you speak English, ma'am?" You use this when speaking to a woman.

Use these formal versions when talking to:

  • Older adults
  • People in professional settings
  • Authority figures like police officers or government officials
  • Anyone you want to show extra politeness toward

The word o (before senhor) and a (before senhora) are small words called articles. They work like "the" in English. In this phrase, they are part of the polite way of addressing someone.

What responses to expect

When you ask "Você fala inglês?", the person will usually respond in one of these ways:

"Sim" means "yes." The person speaks English and can help you.

"Não" means "no." The person does not speak English.

"Um pouquinho" means "a little bit." This is a very common response. The person knows some English but is not fluent. They may be able to help you with simple communication. The word pouquinho means "little bit" and sounds like "po-KEEN-yo."

"Mais ou menos" means "more or less" or "so-so." This response is similar to "um pouquinho." The person has some English ability but may not be comfortable having a full conversation.

Many Brazilians study English in school, so you will often find someone who can help you, especially in tourist areas and larger cities.

Asking if anyone speaks English

Sometimes you need to ask a group of people if anyone can speak English. The phrase for this is:

Alguém aqui fala inglês?

This means "Does anyone here speak English?"

Alguém means "someone" or "anyone." It sounds like "AHL-gaym."

Aqui means "here." It sounds like "ah-KEE."

This phrase is useful when you are in a restaurant, store, or hotel and need to find someone who can communicate with you in English.

Using this phrase in context

You will use "Você fala inglês?" in situations where you need help or want to communicate something important but do not know enough Portuguese yet.

Common situations include:

  • Asking for directions when you are lost
  • Ordering food at a restaurant
  • Checking into a hotel
  • Shopping at a store
  • Taking a taxi or rideshare
  • Asking for help in an emergency

In Brazil, people generally respond kindly when you try to speak Portuguese, even if you only know a few phrases. Starting with this question shows respect for the local language and helps you find someone who can assist you.

Building on this phrase

Once you know how to ask if someone speaks English, you can learn to ask about other languages by replacing inglês with a different language name:

Espanhol means "Spanish"

Francês means "French"

Alemão means "German"

The pattern stays the same. You would say "Você fala espanhol?" to ask "Do you speak Spanish?"

As you learn more Portuguese, you will rely less on this phrase. But when you are just starting out, "Você fala inglês?" is one of the most practical phrases you can know.