Portuguese · Contas
A bill you do not understand: ask by phone: what to say in Portuguese
An unexpectedly large bill has arrived, and you phone the company.
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How it's done. A big bill often means an estimated bill (estimativa) - give them the real meter reading and the amount will be recalculated.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
Apoio ao cliente, bom dia.Uh-POY-oo ow klee-AYNT, bohn DEE-uh.
Customer support, good morning.
They might also say:
Bom dia, em que posso ajudar?
Bohn DEE-uh, ayn k POH-soo uh-zhoo-DAHR?
Good morning, how can I help?
YOU REPLY
Bom dia. A minha fatura veio muito alta.
Bohn DEE-uh. Uh MEE-nyuh fuh-TOO-ruh VAY-oo MWEE-too AHL-tuh.
Good morning. My bill has come out very high.
Or say:Não percebo porque tenho de pagar cento e vinte euros.
Now pir-SEH-boo poork TEH-nyoo d puh-GAHR SAYN-too ee veent EH-oo-roosh.
THEY SAY
Essa fatura é por estimativa.EH-suh fuh-TOO-ruh eh poor shtee-muh-TEE-vuh.
That bill is an estimate.
2
YOU REPLY
Pode corrigir o valor?
Pod koo-rih-ZHEER oo vuh-LOR?
Can you correct the amount?
THEY SAY
Pode dar-me a leitura do contador?Pod dahr-m uh lay-TOO-ruh doo kohn-tuh-DOR?
Can you give me the meter reading?
3
YOU FINISH
Sim, um momento, vou ver.
Seen, oon moo-MAYN-too, voh vehr.
Yes, one moment, I'll check.
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
Apoio
Uh-POY-oo
noun
support
cliente
klee-AYNT
noun
customer, client
bom
bohn
adjective
good
dia
DEE-uh
noun
day
fatura
fuh-TOO-ruh
noun
receipt, invoice
veio
VAY-oo
verb
came
22 more words, with explanations, base forms and tap-a-word help, are in the app.
If you did not understand
Pode falar mais devagar, por favor?
Pod fuh-LAHR mighzh dvuh-GAHR, poor fuh-VOR?
Can you speak more slowly, please?
Ainda estou a aprender português.
Uh-EEN-duh shtoh uh uh-prayn-DEHR poor-too-GESH.
I'm still learning Portuguese.
Pode escrever, por favor?
Pod shkrih-VEHR, poor fuh-VOR?
Can you write it down, please?
Similar situations
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