Portuguese · Restaurante
The wrong dish arrives: say so politely: what to say in Portuguese
The waiter brings a dish, but your order was different. You need to say so politely.
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How it's done. The polite Desculpe, mas… ("Sorry, but…") is the best way to start any complaint.Prepared by the Movko team, November 2026. This is language help, not legal or medical advice: check the rules with the office itself.
Cheat sheet for your visit
The first phrase is open: tap ▶ to listen, or “Show” to show it to the other person. The rest of the dialogue is in the course in the app.
1
THEY SPEAK FIRST
THEY SAY
Aqui está o seu bacalhau.Uh-KEE shtah oo seh-oo buh-kuh-LYOW.
Here's your cod.
They might also say:
Um frango grelhado?
Oon FRAHN-goo grih-LYAH-doo?
A grilled chicken?
YOU REPLY
Desculpe, mas eu pedi o prato do dia.
Dish-KOOLP, mahz eh-oo pih-DEE oo PRAH-too doo DEE-uh.
Sorry, but I ordered the dish of the day.
Or say:Desculpe, acho que não é o meu.
Dish-KOOLP, AH-shoo k now eh oo meh-oo.
THEY SAY
Peço desculpa! Já troco.PEH-soo dish-KOOL-puh! Zhah TROH-koo.
I'm sorry! I'll change it right away.
They might also say:
Tem razão, vou verificar.
Tayn ruh-ZOW, voh vih-rih-fee-KAHR.
You're right, I'll check.
2
YOU FINISH
Não faz mal, obrigado.
Now fahzh mahl, oh-bree-GAH-doo.
That's all right, thank you.
The course is in the app
This dialogue is part of the course “Portuguese for life in Portugal”: 416 situations with audio, a pronunciation guide and spaced review.
On the website the first dialogue, the 112 category, the rescue phrases and the “Basics” are fully open.
Words worth knowing
Aqui
Uh-KEE
adverb
here
está
shtah
verb
is, is located (now)
bacalhau
buh-kuh-LYOW
noun
cod (bacalhau)
Desculpe
Dish-KOOLP
verb
sorry, excuse me
pedi
pih-DEE
verb
(I) ordered, asked for
prato
PRAH-too
noun
dish
14 more words, with explanations, base forms and tap-a-word help, are in the app.
If you did not understand
Um momento, por favor.
Oon moo-MAYN-too, poor fuh-VOR.
One moment, please.
Similar situations
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