You can get by in English almost everywhere in Funchal, but a handful of Portuguese words changes how people greet you. Here are the phrases that actually come up in Madeira: at the café, at the table, on the street and by the sea.
Do you need to speak Portuguese in Madeira?
No, you do not need Portuguese in Madeira, because English is widely understood in hotels, restaurants and tourist services around Funchal. Outside the capital, in mountain villages or small family-run bars, English gets thinner, and that is where even ten words of Portuguese help a lot. Madeirans speak standard Portuguese with an island accent, so everything below works on the whole island.
What are the essential greetings and polite words?
The essentials are bom dia (good morning), boa tarde (good afternoon, used from lunchtime) and boa noite (good evening or good night). Add these three and you will rarely be wrong:
- Olá (oh-LAH): hello.
- Por favor (poor fah-VOR): please.
- Obrigado if you are a man, obrigada if you are a woman (oh-bree-GAH-doo / oh-bree-GAH-dah): thank you.
- De nada (de NAH-dah): you are welcome.
- Com licença (kom lee-SEN-sah): excuse me, when squeezing past someone.
- Desculpe (desh-KOOLP): sorry, or excuse me to get attention.
- Até logo (ah-TEH LOH-goo): see you later.
One pronunciation tip covers a lot: a final o sounds like a short "oo", and an s at the end of a word often sounds like "sh". That is why bom dia comes out close to "bom DEE-ah" and Funchal as "foon-SHAL".
How do you order food and drinks in Madeira?
To order, start with queria ("I would like") and add the item: queria uma poncha, por favor gets you Madeira's famous sugarcane drink. These phrases cover most menus:
- Um café, por favor: a small espresso, the default coffee order.
- Uma poncha / duas ponchas: one or two ponchas.
- A ementa, por favor: the menu, please.
- Uma mesa para dois: a table for two.
- Sem gelo: without ice. Com gelo: with ice.
- Água sem gás / com gás: still / sparkling water.
- Sou alérgico a... (man) or sou alérgica a... (woman): I am allergic to...
- A conta, por favor: the bill, please.
When glasses meet, the toast is saúde ("health"). It also works after a sneeze.
What Madeiran food words should you know?
Madeira has its own food vocabulary, and recognising it on a menu is half the fun. Espetada is beef grilled on a skewer, espada is black scabbardfish, bolo do caco is the round flatbread served with garlic butter, lapas are limpets, milho frito is fried cornmeal and poncha is the sugarcane spirit drink with honey and lemon. Bolo de mel is the dark honey cake you will see around Christmas, and maracujá is passion fruit, which turns up in juices, desserts and some ponchas.
How do you ask for directions and help?
The most useful question is Onde fica...? (ON-deh FEE-kah), meaning "where is...?", followed by a place: onde fica o mercado? Then listen for the answer:
- Em frente: straight ahead.
- À esquerda / à direita: to the left / to the right.
- Perto / longe: near / far.
- Fala inglês?: do you speak English?
- Não percebo: I do not understand.
- Pode repetir, por favor?: can you repeat that, please?
- Quanto custa?: how much is it?
Madeira is steep, so you will also hear sobe (it goes up) more often than you might like. Funchal's streets climb quickly from the harbour.
Which Portuguese words help on a boat trip?
A few sea words make a boat day more fun: barco (boat), mar (sea), golfinho (dolphin), baleia (whale), falésia (sea cliff), praia (beach), pôr do sol (sunset) and porto (harbour). If you want to ask whether the water is cold, say a água está fria? Nobody will mind if you mix in English; on a private Chifbay trip from Marina do Funchal the skipper speaks English, and the whole boat is yours, so you can practise out loud without an audience. A good game while passing Câmara de Lobos or Cabo Girão is to ask the skipper for the Portuguese name of everything you see.
Quick numbers and everyday phrases
Counting to five covers most small purchases: um, dois, três, quatro, cinco. Then seis, sete, oito, nove, dez take you to ten. Add sim (yes), não (no), talvez (maybe) and tudo bem? ("all good?"), the friendliest greeting in the language, and you are ready to chat.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to speak Portuguese in Madeira?
No. English is widely understood in Funchal, but bom dia and obrigado are always appreciated.
How do you say thank you in Portuguese?
Men say obrigado and women say obrigada. The reply is de nada.
How do you order a poncha?
Say "uma poncha, por favor". For two, say "duas ponchas, por favor".
Is Madeiran Portuguese different from mainland Portuguese?
It is the same language with an island accent and local food words such as poncha, espada and bolo do caco.
Do I need Portuguese on a private boat trip?
No. Chifbay trips run in English, though the skipper will happily teach you a few words.
Ten words of Portuguese will not make you fluent, but they will change the smile you get back.