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Study in the app →Portuguese · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 37
Gostaria de um café I would like a coffee
Getting around the city and asking politely. Vocabulary: a cidade, o centro, a praça, a rua, o museu, o ingresso, gostaria, queria, poderia, a conta. Key point: to ask for something politely you do not use the blunt "Quero…", but the conditional. The most useful form is "gostaria" (= "I would like"), the verb "gostar" in the conditional. As in chapter 27, "gostar" needs the preposition "de": "Gostaria de um café", "Gostaria de ver o museu". Also "queria um ingresso" and "poderia me ajudar?". English speakers, because English "would like a coffee" has no "of", forget the "de": "Gostaria um café" ✗ → "Gostaria de um café" ✓. Pronunciation corner: the strong "r" (word-initial or "rr") sounds like an aspirated "h" — rua = "HU-a", restaurante = "hes-tau-RAN-tchi".
Dialogue
Gostaria um café / Gostaria de um café
- Lucas Estamos no centro. O que você quer fazer? We are downtown. What do you want to do?
- Mike Gostaria um café primeiro. I would like a coffee first. (slip: "gostar" needs "de" — "Gostaria de um café")
- Lucas "Gostar" pede "de", lembra? "Gostaria de um café". "Gostar" needs "de", remember? "Gostaria de um café".
- Mike Ah, claro. Gostaria de um café. E você? Ah, right. I would like a coffee. And you?
- Lucas Eu gostaria de ver o museu. Fica na praça. I would like to see the museum. It is on the square.
- Mike Perfeito. Café, e depois o museu. Poderia pagar eu? Perfect. Coffee, and then the museum. Could I pay?
Dialogue
No café — At the café
- Lucas Bom dia. O que vocês gostariam de tomar? Good morning. What would you like to have?
- Bia Bom dia. Gostaria de um café com leite, por favor. Good morning. I would like a coffee with milk, please.
- Lucas Muito bem. E algo para comer? Very good. And something to eat?
- Bia Queria um pão de queijo, obrigada. Poderia trazer água também? I would like a cheese bread, thanks. Could you bring water too?
- Lucas Claro. Um café com leite, pão de queijo e água. Já trago. Of course. A coffee with milk, cheese bread and water. Right away.
- Bia Muito obrigada. Você é muito gentil. Thank you very much. You are very kind.
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| a cidade | n.f. | city | |
| o centro | n.m. | centre, downtown | |
| a praça | n.f. | square, plaza | |
| a rua | n.f. | street | |
| o museu | n.m. | museum | |
| o ingresso | n.m. | ticket, admission | |
| gostaria | v. | I would like | |
| queria | v. | I would like (softer) | |
| poderia | v. | could (you/I) | |
| a conta | n.f. | the bill, check |
Grammar
Pedir com educação: gostaria de, queria, poderia Asking politely: gostaria de, queria, poderia
Dizer "Quero um café" não é errado, mas soa brusco. Para pedir com educação usa-se o condicional. A forma mais comum é "gostaria", que é "gostar" no condicional. Atenção: como já viu no capítulo 27, "gostar" pede sempre a preposição "de". Então: "Gostaria DE um café", "Gostaria DE ver o museu", "Você gostaria DE um chá?". Com verbo, "de" + infinitivo: "Gostaria de ir à praça". Outras duas formas úteis: "queria" (= "quero" mas mais suave) — "Queria dois ingressos"; e "poderia" (de "poder") para pedir um favor — "Poderia me ajudar?", "Poderia trazer a conta?". Erro típico: em inglês "would like a coffee" não tem "of", então os falantes de inglês esquecem o "de": "Gostaria um café" ✗ → "Gostaria de um café" ✓.
Saying "Quero um café" is not wrong, but it sounds abrupt. To ask politely you use the conditional. The most common form is "gostaria", which is "gostar" in the conditional. Note: as you saw in chapter 27, "gostar" always needs the preposition "de". So: "Gostaria DE um café", "Gostaria DE ver o museu", "Você gostaria DE um chá?". With a verb, "de" + infinitive: "Gostaria de ir à praça". Two other useful forms: "queria" (= "quero" but softer) — "Queria dois ingressos"; and "poderia" (from "poder") to ask a favour — "Poderia me ajudar?", "Poderia trazer a conta?". Typical mistake: in English "would like a coffee" has no "of", so English speakers forget the "de": "Gostaria um café" ✗ → "Gostaria de um café" ✓.
- Gostaria de um café, por favor. I would like a coffee, please.
- Você gostaria de ver o museu? Would you like to see the museum?
- Queria dois ingressos, por favor. I would like two tickets, please.
- Poderia trazer a conta, por favor? Could you bring the bill, please?
Culture
A cidade brasileira: a praça e a rua The Brazilian city: the square and the street
In Brazil, the city is lived in the street. The heart of a neighbourhood is not a shopping mall but the square: an open space where people meet, walk and chat. Understanding the square and street courtesy helps you get around like a Brazilian.
The square
Almost every Brazilian city has a square in the centre of the neighbourhood. Around it stand the church, benches, and the tables of a bar or bakery. The square is the meeting point: people arrange to meet there ("let's meet at the square"), children play, someone plays football, and at night vendors set up stalls. It is not just a place you pass through but the neighbourhood's living room, in the open air. If you get lost, ask for the square: from there you can reach everything.
Getting around the city
In big cities, many people use public transport: the metro in São Paulo or Rio, and the bus almost everywhere. In the historic centre of smaller cities, the streets are often narrow and full of people on foot, with little shops, street markets and cafés. It is common to cross the centre on foot, stopping for a little coffee or a bread roll at the bakery. So when you ask for directions, you often hear "it's just nearby, you can walk there".
Courtesy on the street
Courtesy counts. When entering a small shop or a lift, you greet: "bom dia", "boa tarde". On leaving, "obrigado, até logo". To ask for something, you add "por favor", and with older or unfamiliar people you use "o senhor" / "a senhora": "Could you tell me where the square is, sir?". A "com licença" (excuse me) opens any question. These small formulas — greeting, thanking, using senhor — make the difference between sounding curt and sounding friendly. They cost nothing and open every door.
In short: in the Brazilian city, life is in the square and the street, and courtesy is your best map. Greet when you enter, say "por favor" and "obrigado", and ask with a "gostaria de" or a "poderia?". With those words, any city becomes kinder.
pronunciation
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