Are you thinking about traveling, studying, or working in Portugal or Brazil, but you don’t know any Portuguese? Want to improve your conversation skills with the Portuguese-speaking people in your life? Portuguese Phrases for Dummies is the perfect diving board for anyone looking to communicate and even become fluent in the language.

As the fifth-most widely spoken language in the world, Portuguese can be heard in South America, Africa, Asia, and of course, Portugal. If you want to know basic Portuguese but don’t want a boring textbook that unloads tons of conjugation rules or long lists of words to memorize, then this quick-and-easy phrasebook will get your feet wet without overwhelming you. This friendly book covers a wide array of subjects both helpful and interesting, including:

• Numbers, days of the week, measurements, and time
• Making friends and small talk
• Enjoying every type of meal
• Shopping in markets and at stores
• Culture, leisure, and activities
• Work and transportation
• Finding a place to live
• Dealing with emergencies
• Slang and colloquial terms
• Phrases and particles to make you sound like a local!

Knowing these fundamentals, you’ll be able to communicate with Portuguese-speaking people and continue learning about the language and culture. With hundred of useful phrases at your fingertips, Portuguese Phrases for Dummies will give you a basic comprehension of this beautiful language and have you speaking instantly!

Karen Keller is a journalist who lived and worked in São Paulo, Brazil, for three years. Before moving to Brazil, the California native taught Spanish at a New York City–based foreign-language-education Web site. Keller is also a published travel-guide writer. She currently lives in New Jersey, where she is a local newspaper reporter.