A phone call in Portuguese follows its own small script, and the opening word alone will mark you as a learner of European or Brazilian Portuguese: in Portugal you pick up and say Estou? In Brazil it's Alô?. This single two-syllable habit is one of the clearest PT-PT/BR split markers in the whole language. Get it right and the conversation starts smoothly; get it wrong and the other person smiles knowingly.
This page covers the complete PT-PT phone script — from answering, identifying yourself, asking for someone, handling transfers, navigating bad signal and wrong numbers, through to text-message vocabulary and formal business phone language. Everything here is genuinely useful the moment you step off the plane in Lisbon.
Answering the phone
When your own phone rings, the default PT-PT greeting is Estou? — literally "am I?", a shortened form of Estou aí? ("Am I there?"), which is what speakers were asking on the first telephones when they couldn't be sure the connection was alive. The intonation is rising. It is both a greeting and a check.
| Opening | Register | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Estou? | (neutral, default) | universal PT-PT phone greeting |
| Sim? | (neutral) | slightly brusque, often for unknown numbers |
| Diga? | (neutral-formal) | "speak" — used in customer service |
| Fala. | (informal) | "speak" — to someone you know |
| Estou sim? | (neutral, friendlier) | softer than bare Estou? |
— Estou? — Olá, é a Joana, posso falar com a Marta?
— Hello? — Hi, this is Joana, can I speak to Marta?
— Diga? — Boa tarde, gostaria de marcar uma consulta.
— Yes, hello? — Good afternoon, I'd like to book an appointment.
— Fala. — Pá, esqueci-me da reunião!
— Hello. — Mate, I forgot about the meeting!
Do not say Alô in Portugal. Alô is the standard Brazilian greeting and is immediately recognisable as such. Portuguese people understand it but it marks you. The one exception: you will sometimes hear Estou-ôôô? (dragged out, playful) or Alô? in the mouths of returned emigrants from Brazil or Africa — but as a learner, use Estou?.
Identifying yourself and asking who is calling
Once the line is open, you typically say who you are and/or ask who the caller is. Portuguese uses the verb falar for both — literally "speak".
Quem fala?
Who's speaking? (i.e., who is this?)
É o José que fala?
Is this José speaking?
Fala o Pedro, bom dia.
This is Pedro speaking, good morning.
É a Sofia da empresa Delta, daqui.
This is Sofia from Delta, speaking. (lit. 'from here')
Da parte de quem, por favor?
Who should I say is calling? (lit. 'on whose behalf?')
The phrase Da parte de quem? is the standard PT-PT way of asking the caller to identify themselves — the direct English equivalent is "who may I say is calling?" rather than the blunter "who are you?". Receptionists and assistants use it constantly.
Notice the PT-PT preference for using o/a + first name: o José, a Marta. The article is obligatory in most contexts ("is this the José speaking?") and a learner who drops it sounds abrupt.
Asking to speak to someone
When you're the caller, you announce who you want to reach. Several polite frames exist:
Queria falar com o senhor engenheiro Costa, por favor.
I'd like to speak to Mr Costa (engineer), please.
É possível falar com a Dra. Pereira?
Would it be possible to speak to Dr Pereira?
Podia passar-me à Ana do departamento financeiro?
Could you put me through to Ana from finance?
The verb passar ("to pass") is the standard PT-PT for transferring or putting through a call. Brazilian speakers are more likely to say transferir, but in PT-PT passar dominates: passar a chamada, passar a alguém.
Receiving side — the person is or isn't available
Responses fall into a small set of formulas.
Um momento, vou chamar.
One moment, I'll call him/her.
Um momento, vou passar.
One moment, I'll put you through.
Ele/ela está ocupado/a de momento. Quer deixar recado?
He/she is busy at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?
Não está de momento, pode ligar mais tarde.
He/she isn't in right now, you can call later.
A Dra. Santos está em reunião. Pode telefonar depois das cinco?
Dr Santos is in a meeting. Could you call after five?
Notice the idiomatic use of de momento ("at the moment") — more PT-PT than the near-synonym neste momento, which is also correct but slightly heavier.
Deixar recado ("to leave a message") is the fixed phrase for voicemail or secretary-message situations. The message itself is um recado.
Queria deixar recado: a reunião de amanhã foi adiada para as dez.
I'd like to leave a message: tomorrow's meeting has been postponed to ten.
Transferring and holding
These phrases keep the caller on the line while you reroute them.
| Phrase | Feel |
|---|---|
| Não desligue. | "Don't hang up." — formal imperative |
| Um momento, por favor. | Standard hold request. |
| Aguarde um instante. | More formal hold. |
| Vou passar a chamada. | "I'll transfer the call." |
| Vou passá-lo/passá-la à pessoa certa. | "I'll put you through to the right person." |
Não desligue, por favor, vou passar à colega da contabilidade.
Please don't hang up, I'll put you through to my colleague in accounting.
Aguarde um instante, por favor. Já está a tocar.
Please hold on a moment. It's ringing now.
Desligar ("to hang up") is the catch-all verb for ending a call — it covers both deliberate and accidental disconnection.
Wrong number
Everyone has dialled a wrong number at least once. The PT-PT vocabulary is compact.
Desculpe, é engano.
Sorry, wrong number. (lit. 'it is mistake')
Enganou-se no número, desculpe.
You've got the wrong number, sorry.
The key phrase is é engano — a fixed expression meaning "it's a wrong number". Engano literally means "mistake, confusion". The verb enganar-se ("to be mistaken") is the reflexive form used when you are the one who dialled wrong.
Bad signal and call disruption
Portuguese mobile service is generally excellent in cities and uneven in rural areas. You'll need these.
Está a cair a linha.
The line is breaking up. (lit. 'the line is falling')
Não te estou a ouvir bem, podes repetir?
I can't hear you well, can you repeat?
A rede aqui é muito fraca.
The signal is very weak here.
Desliga e liga outra vez, a chamada está com ruído.
Hang up and call again, the call is noisy.
Vou ligar-te de outro sítio, aqui não tenho rede.
I'll call you from somewhere else, I have no signal here.
A rede ("the network") is the everyday word for mobile signal. Não tenho rede = "I have no signal/service". A linha ("the line") is used for both landlines and the metaphorical line of a mobile call.
The idiomatic está a cair a linha uses the progressive estar a + infinitive (European Portuguese's equivalent of the gerund) to describe the ongoing disruption. (Brazilian Portuguese would prefer está caindo a linha.) For more see the progressive aspect.
Closing a call
Obrigada pela chamada, até breve.
Thanks for the call, see you soon. (speaker is female)
Fica bem, adeus.
Take care, goodbye.
Qualquer coisa, ligue-me.
If you need anything, call me. (formal)
Beijinhos, adeus.
Kisses, goodbye. (between friends/family)
The PT-PT farewell fica bem ("stay well") is characteristic — warm, universal, appropriate from neighbours to close family. Até breve ("see you soon") and até já ("see you in a bit") mark ongoing contact. Adeus is the neutral "goodbye" but has a slight finality that tchau (also widely used) does not.
Mobile phones and texting
Some everyday vocabulary that will save you pain:
| PT-PT | Meaning | BR equivalent (DO NOT use in PT) |
|---|---|---|
| telemóvel | mobile phone | celular |
| rede | signal, network | sinal |
| mensagem / SMS | text message | mensagem, SMS (same) |
| chamada perdida | missed call | chamada perdida (same) |
| atender | to pick up | atender (same) |
| bateria | battery | bateria (same) |
Tenho o telemóvel sem bateria, liga-me mais tarde.
My phone is out of battery, call me later.
Faz-me uma chamada perdida quando chegares.
Give me a missed call when you arrive.
Manda-me uma mensagem, estou em reunião.
Text me, I'm in a meeting.
Liga-me agora!
Call me now!
Ele não me atende.
He's not picking up for me.
The word celular is Brazilian. In Portugal, the mobile phone is the telemóvel (literally "teleMOBILE"). Using celular in Lisbon will be understood but will peg you as having learned the wrong variety. Similarly, sinal for the network signal is more BR; PT-PT speakers typically say rede.
Faz-me uma chamada perdida ("give me a missed call") is a common request: call and hang up before I pick up, so I have your number stored, or so I know you've arrived, or as a cheap signal. Very PT-PT.
Formal business calls
Business phone Portuguese is distinct from casual. Expect these formulas in any call to a bank, utility, clinic, or government service.
Empresa Alfa, boa tarde, em que posso ajudar?
Alfa, good afternoon, how can I help?
Vou transferir a sua chamada para o departamento apropriado.
I'll transfer your call to the appropriate department.
De momento, não temos essa pessoa disponível. Pode contactar-nos mais tarde?
At the moment, that person is unavailable. Could you contact us later?
Pode indicar-nos o motivo da chamada, se faz favor?
Could you tell us the reason for the call, please?
Aguarde um momento enquanto consulto o seu processo.
Please hold a moment while I check your file.
Obrigada pelo seu contacto. Uma boa tarde.
Thank you for your call. Have a good afternoon.
Business PT-PT uses third-person polite forms (o senhor, a senhora, o/a Dr./Dr.ª) rather than direct tu. The verb forms agree: pode, tem, quer (third-person singular), not podes, tens, queres (second-person). A learner who uses tu forms with a bank agent will sound startlingly informal — not hostile, but jarring.
Se faz favor (literally "if it does favour") is the formal PT-PT "please". The shorter por favor is also standard but slightly more international-sounding. In Portugal both work; se faz favor is marginally more local.
Leaving voicemail
If nobody picks up and you get voicemail, the recorded greeting is typically formal. Learn to parse it quickly.
O número que marcou não está disponível. Deixe a sua mensagem após o sinal.
The number you called is not available. Please leave your message after the tone.
Está a ligar para o telemóvel do José Almeida. De momento não posso atender. Deixe recado.
You've reached José Almeida's mobile. I can't take your call right now. Please leave a message.
Your own voicemail message — if you go to the trouble of recording one — should match the formality level you want callers to hear. A simple, polite template:
Olá, fala o/a [nome]. Não posso atender neste momento. Por favor deixe a sua mensagem após o sinal. Obrigado/a.
Hello, this is [name]. I can't take your call at the moment. Please leave your message after the tone. Thank you.
Common mistakes
❌ Alô, quem fala?
Incorrect register for PT — 'Alô' is Brazilian. Use 'Estou?'
✅ Estou? Quem fala?
Hello? Who's speaking?
❌ Meu celular está sem bateria.
Incorrect — 'celular' is Brazilian. PT-PT uses 'telemóvel'.
✅ O meu telemóvel está sem bateria.
My mobile is out of battery.
❌ Quem é você?
Too direct and slightly odd on the phone. PT-PT asks it obliquely.
✅ Da parte de quem, por favor?
Who may I say is calling, please?
❌ Obrigado, tchau.
Not wrong, but 'adeus' or 'fica bem' is more characteristic PT-PT closure.
✅ Obrigado, fica bem. Adeus.
Thanks, take care. Goodbye.
❌ Pode me transferir para o financeiro?
Awkward clitic placement. PT-PT prefers proclisis here after 'pode', but many speakers enclise: 'passar-me'.
✅ Pode passar-me ao departamento financeiro?
Could you put me through to the finance department?
The dominant error pattern on the phone is Brazilianism: alô, celular, você, tchau all exist in PT-PT but mark you as BR-trained. Substituting estou, telemóvel, o senhor/a senhora, adeus/fica bem brings you into PT-PT register immediately. The second pattern is over-familiarity: using tu with business receptionists or officials, when the third-person formal is expected.
Key takeaways
Related Topics
- Portuguese Expressions OverviewA2 — A map of Portuguese fixed expressions — polite formulas, idioms, proverbs, interjections — with a preview of the categories covered in this group and why learning expressions is essential for sounding natural.
- Email and Letter FormulasA2 — European Portuguese opening and closing formulas for emails and letters — from Exmo. Senhor and Caro colega through to Cumprimentos, Abraço, and Beijinhos — with full templates for formal business, institutional, informal, and semi-formal correspondence.
- Everyday ExpressionsA1 — The essential daily expressions of European Portuguese — greetings beyond olá, thanks, social fillers, states, reactions, offers of help, and closers — with PT-PT slang markers and register notes.
- Greetings and FarewellsA1 — The full European Portuguese repertoire for opening and closing interactions: olá, bom dia, até logo, adeus, and everything in between.
- Formal vs Informal RegisterA2 — The European Portuguese three-tier address system: tu, você, and o senhor/a senhora — who gets which, and how to navigate the trickiest pronoun choice in the Romance family.
- Making Requests in PortugueseA2 — The full PT-PT request continuum — from bare imperatives to very indirect hints, with the critical imperfect-as-politeness (queria, gostava) that service encounters demand.