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Portuguese · Supermercado

The card terminal fails: pay another way: what to say in Portuguese

You tap your card, but the terminal won't go through. The cashier explains something.

Supermercado4 linesLevel A2For life in Portugal The rest of the dialogue is in the app
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How it's done. If the card doesn't work contactless, they often ask you to insert it and enter your PIN.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
O cartão não passou.
Oo kuhr-TOW now puh-SOH.
The card didn't go through.
They might also say:
Deu erro. Pode tentar outra vez?
Deh-oo EH-roo. Pod tayn-TAHR OH-truh vesh?
It's given an error. Can you try again?
Tem de inserir o cartão e marcar o código.
Tayn d een-sih-REER oo kuhr-TOW ee muhr-KAHR oo KOH-dee-goo.
You have to insert the card and enter the PIN.
YOU REPLY
Vou tentar outra vez.
Voh tayn-TAHR OH-truh vesh.
I'll try again.
THEY SAY
Agora já passou.
Uh-GOH-ruh zhah puh-SOH.
It's gone through now.
They might also say:
Pronto, passou.
PROHN-too, puh-SOH.
There, it went through.
in the app
2
YOU FINISH
Obrigado, até logo!
oh-bree-GAH-doo, uh-TEH LOH-goo!
Thank you, see you later!
Or say:Obrigado!
oh-bree-GAH-doo!

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.

Open in the App Store
On the website the first dialogue, the 112 category, the rescue phrases and the “Basics” are fully open.

Words worth knowing

cartão
kuhr-TOW
noun
card
não
now
adverb
no
passou
puh-SOH
verb
passed
Vou
Voh
verb
(I) go
tentar
tayn-TAHR
verb
to try
vez
vesh
noun
time (outra vez - again)

7 more words, with explanations, base forms and tap-a-word help, are in the app.

If you did not understand

Desculpe, não percebi.
Dish-KOOLP, now pir-sih-BEE.
Sorry, I didn't understand.
Pode falar mais devagar, por favor?
Pod fuh-LAHR mighzh dvuh-GAHR, poor fuh-VOR?
Can you speak more slowly, please?

All 21 rescue phrases in Portuguese →

Similar situations

Ask where to find a productSupermercado · A1 in the app
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A shop assistant explains where the product isSupermercado · A1 in the app
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No price on the item: ask how much it costsSupermercado · A1 in the app
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The price at the till differs from the shelfSupermercado · A2 in the app
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The rest of the dialogue is in MovkoDownload