FrequencyDictionary Get the app

A1A2European Portuguese · Beginner to elementary

The 1,000 words that make up 77.4% of what people say in Portuguese.

Learn the most-used words first, and every word you learn pulls its weight.

Buy on Amazon Take the 2-minute test
Portuguese Frequency Dictionary (A1–A2) by David de Souza — front cover

The book

Portuguese Frequency Dictionary

The 1,000 words in the order you'll hear them, ten to a page, each with an example sentence.

About the book ↓
App icon: Learn European Portuguese A1/2

The app · iPhone + Watch

Learn European Portuguese A1/2

Flip cards, spaced repetition and a ring that shows how much you recognise. Words 1–100 free.

About the app →

Why it works

Minimum
effort.
Maximum Portuguese.

We counted 624 million words of film and TV dialogue in European Portuguese. A small set of words turns up again and again. Learn those first and each one covers far more of what you hear.

Share of all words said

The coverage ladder
  1. 10 wordsabout 28 in every 100 words you hear
  2. 100 wordsmore than half
  3. 1,000 wordsmore than 3 in 4 — the whole book

Share of all words said, counting every repeat, across 624 million words of European Portuguese film and TV subtitles.

Built for A1–A2

The words you need for A1 and A2.

A1 and A2 are the first two levels of the Common European Framework (CEFR): beginner and elementary. At these levels you understand and use everyday words and phrases: greetings, family, work, shopping, directions, simple conversations. Those are exactly the words people say most, so they're the words at the top of this list.

A1

Words 1–250 · Beginner

The building blocks: pronouns, the big verbs (ser, estar, ter, ir, fazer), questions, numbers, time, people and places. Enough to introduce yourself and get by day to day.

A2

Words 251–1,000 · Elementary

Everyday life in more detail: home, work, plans, feelings, past and future. Enough for simple conversations about familiar topics.

Taking an exam?

CIPLE (A2) and ACESSO (A1)

The official European Portuguese exams are run by CAPLE at the University of Lisbon. CIPLE (A2) is the level asked for when applying for Portuguese citizenship. Knowing the most common 1,000 words gives you a strong base for the reading and listening parts. Pair it with practice papers for the grammar and writing tasks.

How it works

Learn in the order that pays off most

The most useful word first. Then the next. Ten words a page.

  1. Most-used first

    Each page holds ten words in order of how often they're used, each with a short example sentence and its translation.

  2. Test yourself

    Turn the page and the same ten words wait for you as a short test. Say them out loud, then check.

  3. Watch it add up

    See how much of everyday Portuguese you cover as you go — from 28% after the first ten words to 77% at the end.

Page 13 of the book: words 1 to 10 (o, de, que, não, a, um, é, em, e, ele / ela), each with an example sentence and its English translation
Page 13: words 1–10. From the proof copy.

What's inside

Every entry, at a glance

  • The 1,000 most frequent words of European Portuguese, in frequency order
  • A plain English meaning for each word
  • A short example sentence built only from words you've already met
  • A test page after every ten words, and your running coverage
  • Common verb forms like é and estou listed as they're actually said

Try it

Flip a card

This is how every word works in the app: the Portuguese first. Say what it means, then tap to flip and see the meaning and an example sentence.

These are real cards from the list — a few words from the first 250.

Flash card

Word 4 of 1,000

A demo — nothing is saved. In the app your answers set when each word comes back.

Learn European Portuguese A1/2
Most Common Portuguese Words · iPhone + Apple Watch

The companion app

Maximum efficiency, in your pocket

Spaced repetition brings each word back just before you'd forget it, so no review is wasted. Same words, same order as the book.

  • Flip cardsThe Portuguese word, its meaning and a natural example sentence.
  • Spaced repetitionEvery review is scheduled for the day you're about to forget it.
  • Quick testsA short test after each set of 10 checks what really stuck.
  • Ring badgeShows the % of spoken Portuguese words you now recognise.
  • 8 milestonesFrom your first 10 words to all 1,000, plus a daily goal and streak.
  • Apple WatchReview cards on your wrist; ratings sync back to your iPhone.
  • Offline & privateNo account, no ads, no tracking. Progress stays on your device.
  • Hear every wordIn a European Portuguese voice — sound is off until you turn it on.
Words 1–100 free All 1,000 · $0.99 / month
Download on the App Store More about the app
App screen: the Learn tab with a flash card showing the Portuguese word não, a play button, and Again / Got it buttons; the ring badge shows 25% known
App screen: Word 11 of 1,000 with the ring badge at 25% known, 10 of 10 today, Goal done and a Keep going button

Free test · 20 words

See what % of Portuguese words you know

Twenty quick questions, from the most common words to the less common. You get the share of everyday spoken Portuguese you'd recognise.

Take the 2-minute test
Portuguese Frequency Dictionary (A1–A2) by David de Souza — front cover

The book · by David de Souza

Portuguese Frequency Dictionary

The 1,000 words that make up 77.4% of what people say.

The most frequent words of European Portuguese, in order, for English speakers at A1–A2. Every word has a plain English meaning and a short example sentence, with a test page after every ten.

European Portuguese A1–A2 1,000 words Example sentence for every word
Buy on Amazon Take the 2-minute test

Bought the book? It includes 12 months of the app free — claim your code.

Portuguese Frequency Dictionary (A1–A2) by David de Souza — front cover

Free PDF

Get the first 100 words free

They're 54.7% of everything people say in Portuguese. Plus one high-value word a week and news about Book 2 (B1). Unsubscribe any time.