How to order tea in Brazilian Portuguese

Introduction

Ordering tea in Brazil requires knowing just a few key phrases in Brazilian Portuguese. This guide shows you exactly what to say, breaks down how each word works, and helps you customize your order based on what you want. By the end, you'll be able to confidently order tea in restaurants, cafés, and other settings throughout Brazil.

The basic phrase for ordering tea

When you want to order tea in Brazil, say:

Queria um chá, por favor.

This phrase means "I would like a tea, please." It's polite and works in almost any situation where you're ordering tea.

Here's how to pronounce it: KEH-ree-ah oom SHAH, pohr fah-VOHR.

How the phrase works

Let's look at each word in the phrase queria um chá, por favor:

Queria means "I would like." This is a polite way to ask for something. The word already includes the idea of "I," so you don't need to say a separate word for "I."

Um means "a" or "one." In Portuguese, words like "a" or "the" (called articles) match the gender of the noun they go with. The word chá (tea) is masculine, so you use um instead of uma.

Chá means "tea." The ch in Portuguese sounds like "sh" in English, so it's pronounced SHAH.

Por favor means "please." You can add this to the end of any request to make it polite.

Asking what types of tea are available

Before ordering a specific type of tea, you might want to know what options are available. Ask:

Que tipos de chá você tem?

This means "What types of tea do you have?"

Here's how to pronounce it: keh CHEE-pohs deh SHAH voh-SEH tehn?

Breaking down this phrase:

Que means "what."

Tipos means "types." The phrase tipos de means "types of."

De means "of." It connects tipos (types) with chá (tea).

Você means "you." It refers to the person you're talking to.

Tem means "have" or "do you have." This comes from the verb that means "to have."

A shorter, more casual way to ask the same question is:

Tem chá?

This simply means "Do you have tea?" or "Is there tea?"

Ordering specific types of tea

Once you know what types of tea are available, you can order a specific one. Use the same basic phrase structure, but add the type of tea after chá de (tea of):

Queria um chá de camomila, por favor.

This means "I would like a chamomile tea, please."

Common types of tea you might find in Brazil:

  • chá preto = black tea
  • chá verde = green tea
  • chá de camomila = chamomile tea
  • chá de hortelã = mint tea
  • chá mate = mate tea (popular in southern Brazil)
  • chá gelado = iced tea

When ordering these specific types, the pattern is always: Queria um chá + the type + por favor.

For example:

Queria um chá verde, por favor.

This means "I would like a green tea, please."

Notice that for chá preto (black tea) and chá verde (green tea), you don't use de (of). For herbal teas like chamomile and mint, you do use de.

Specifying hot or cold tea

By default, when you order chá, you'll usually get hot tea. If you want to specify, use these words:

Quente means "hot."

Gelado or frio means "cold" or "iced."

To order iced tea specifically, you can say:

Queria um chá gelado, por favor.

This means "I would like an iced tea, please."

If you want to emphasize that you want hot tea, say:

Queria um chá quente, por favor.

Customizing your tea order

You can add more details to your order using these words:

Com means "with."

Sem means "without."

Açúcar means "sugar."

To order tea without sugar:

Queria um chá sem açúcar, por favor.

To order tea with sugar:

Queria um chá com açúcar, por favor.

You can combine these elements. For example:

Queria um chá de camomila sem açúcar, por favor.

This means "I would like a chamomile tea without sugar, please."

Saying thank you

After receiving your tea, say thank you:

If you're a man, say: Obrigado. (oh-bree-GAH-doo)

If you're a woman, say: Obrigada. (oh-bree-GAH-dah)

The word changes based on who is speaking, not who you're speaking to. Men say obrigado and women say obrigada.

Cultural notes about tea in Brazil

Coffee is far more popular than tea in Brazil. Most Brazilians drink coffee throughout the day, and tea is often reserved for evenings or when someone isn't feeling well.

In southern Brazil, particularly in Rio Grande do Sul, chimarrão (a type of mate tea) is very popular and has its own cultural traditions. This is different from regular tea and is often shared in a communal gourd.

When you order tea in Brazil, it typically doesn't come with milk unless you specifically request it. Brazilian tea culture is different from British or American tea culture in this way.

Many Brazilians sweeten their tea. If you don't want sugar, make sure to say sem açúcar (without sugar) when ordering.

Putting it all together

You now have the building blocks to order tea in Brazil:

  1. Start with queria um chá (I would like a tea)
  2. Add the specific type if you want: chá de camomila (chamomile tea)
  3. Specify temperature if needed: quente (hot) or gelado (cold)
  4. Add preferences: com açúcar (with sugar) or sem açúcar (without sugar)
  5. End with por favor (please)
  6. Say obrigado or obrigada (thank you) when you receive your tea

With these phrases, you can confidently order exactly the tea you want in Brazil.