When I first came to the US, I kept ordering “mineral water” at restaurants and often got funny looks. I didn’t realize people usually say bottled water. In Brazil, that’s how we call it: água mineral.
I also used to ask for my water with gas or without gas. I wasn’t very successful with that request. Then I learned to say sparkling or still.
Today I will show you useful words and phrases to order your soft drink in Brazil, so you don’t have to go through what I did here in the US.
Ordering Water in Brazil
We don’t have the habit of drinking tap water in Brazil. I think we don’t trust that the water is treated for that, and we may not trust the plumbing either. The fact is, we don’t drink tap water.
When you go to a restaurant in the US, the first thing your server does is to bring you water. They use tap water for that, right? Because in Brazil we don’t drink or serve tap water, you will not get your free water at any restaurant.
So if you want water, you need to order it. And here’s how you do so:
- Uma água mineral, por favor. = One bottled water, please.
We commonly just say:
- Uma água, por favor. = One water, please.
Sparkling or Still Water?
- Uma água com gás. = One sparkling water.
- Duas águas sem gás. = Two still waters.
With ice or No Ice?
- Com gelo. = With ice.
- Sem gelo. = Without ice.
- Com gelo e limão. = With ice and lime. (It will come with a slice of lime.)
🍺 Want a beer instead?
I’ve got a special Portuguese lesson for you: Beer vocabulary and how to order beer like a local in Brazil
🍽️ Going to the restaurant?
Here’s how to order and how not to!
Ordering Soft Drinks
The word for soda is refrigerante. It’s a masculine noun.
The most popular sodas in Brazil are:
- um Guaraná
- uma Coca-Cola
- uma Pepsi
- uma Fanta
Definitely try Guaraná (learn pronunciation in the video)! Guaraná is a climbing plant native to the Amazon and especially common in Brazil. The Guaraná berries are brown to red in color and are rich in caffeine. It fact, they have as much caffeine as coffee.
There are several brands of Guaraná in Brazil, so have fun choosing your favorite :)
Guaraná is a masculine noun. You may hear some Brazilians use Guaraná as a feminine noun, but that’s not correct.
Here’s how you order a diet coke or coke zero:
- uma Coca diet (pronounce diet in English)
- uma Coca zero (pronounce zero in Portuguese)
You will also find Guaraná diet and zero.
To order with ice, use the same vocabulary from the water section above.
Additional Vocabulary
- um suco = juice
- um canudo = straw
- um canudinho = this is the diminutive for canudo; we often refer to a straw this way
- uma lata = can
- Refrigerante em lata = soda in a can
- uma jarra = pitcher
- um copo = drinking glass
- Gelado/gelada = cold
- Natural = room temperature
To order your juices, visit my free online flashcards on fruits in Portuguese, including Brazilian fruits that you must try while in Brazil.
Learning some Portuguese before you go to Brazil will help you navigate the country with ease and get the most out of your trip!
Street Smart Brazil helps you learn Brazilian Portuguese with engaging 1-on-1 lessons and online courses. Choose between live one-on-one lessons and self-paced courses to learn in the way that fits you best.
This article was originally posted in February 2009 and has been updated to include additional examples and the video lesson.
