Your trip is booked — now you need to navigate the airport. This lesson gives you the exact phrases for check-in, baggage, boarding gates, delays, and on-time flights. By the end, you'll confidently hand over your passport, check a suitcase, ask for your gate, and read a flight board. Galeão, Guarulhos, Congonhas — you're ready for any Brazilian airport.
Learning tips
- Brazilian airports always announce times in 24-hour format: '14h40' = two-forty PM. You'll hear 'catorze e quarenta' spoken.
- Flight numbers are usually read digit by digit: 'voo 2345' = 'voo dois-três-quatro-cinco'. Gate numbers are stated as whole numbers: 'portão catorze' (gate 14).
- 'Aqui está' (here is) and 'aqui estão' (here are — plural) are the standard phrases for handing something over. Match singular/plural to what you're giving.
- The airline attendant will often greet with 'Bom dia!' — match the formality. 'Obrigado(a)' at the end of the exchange is expected and appreciated.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| viajar | to travel |
| a viagem | the trip |
| a passagem | the ticket |
| o hotel | the hotel |
| a pousada | the inn |
| a mala | the suitcase |
| o passaporte | the passport |
| a reserva | the reservation |
| o destino | the destination |
| organizar | to organize |
Dialog
Thiago checks in at Galeão (GIG), Rio's international airport, for a flight to Salvador. Listen for the fixed exchanges: handing over the ticket, putting the bag on the scale, asking about on-time status, receiving the gate number and boarding pass. The attendant uses polite imperatives ('pode colocar...') — a common BR way to soften requests.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| o aeroporto | /u a.e.ɾoˈpoʁ.tu/ | the airport | Masculine noun |
| o voo | /u ˈvo.u/ | the flight | Masculine — flight number follows: 'o voo 2345' |
| o embarque | /u ẽˈbaʁ.ki/ | the boarding | The action of getting on the plane; 'hora de embarque' = boarding time |
| a mala | /a ˈma.lɐ/ | the suitcase | Review from last lesson |
| a bagagem | /a baˈɡa.ʒẽj̃/ | the baggage, luggage | Collective — all your bags |
| o cartão de embarque | /u kaʁˈtɐ̃w̃ dʒi ẽˈbaʁ.ki/ | the boarding pass | Literally 'card of boarding' |
| o portão | /u poʁˈtɐ̃w̃/ | the gate | For boarding — 'portão catorze' = gate 14 |
| o atraso | /u aˈtɾa.zu/ | the delay | 'Tem um atraso' = there's a delay |
| pontual | /põˈtwaw/ | punctual, on time | Synonym of 'no horário' |
| pronto | /ˈpɾõ.tu/ | ready | Masc. 'pronto' / fem. 'pronta'; used with 'estar' |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| o check-in | /u ˈtʃɛ.kĩ/ | the check-in | Same as English |
| o passageiro | /u pa.saˈʒej.ɾu/ | the passenger | Feminine: passageira |
| a decolagem | /a de.koˈla.ʒẽj̃/ | the takeoff | Feminine |
| o pouso | /u ˈpow.zu/ | the landing | Masculine |
| a escala | /a isˈka.lɐ/ | the stopover, connection | For connecting flights |
| a tripulação | /a tɾi.pu.laˈsɐ̃w̃/ | the crew | Collective — pilots, flight attendants |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| o voo está no horário? | is the flight on time? |
| qual é o portão? | what is the gate? |
Grammar: Reading signs and announcements; numbers for flight / gate / time
Anúncios típicos no aeroporto:
| Frase | Significado |
|---|---|
| Voo 2345 para Salvador | Flight 2345 to Salvador |
| Embarque pelo portão 14 | Boarding at gate 14 |
| O voo sai às 10h | The flight leaves at 10 AM |
| Chega às 12h30 | Arrives at 12:30 |
| Há um atraso de 30 minutos | There is a 30-minute delay |
| Último chamado para o voo... | Last call for flight... |
Horários no aeroporto — sempre em formato de 24 horas:
- 08h00 = oito horas
- 10h40 = dez e quarenta
- 14h15 = catorze e quinze
- 20h30 = vinte e trinta (ou 'oito e meia da noite' informalmente)
Estar + particípio / adjetivo — estados úteis no aeroporto:
- Estou pronto / pronta (I'm ready)
- O voo está atrasado (The flight is delayed)
- O voo está pontual / no horário (on time)
- O portão está aberto / fechado
Voo 2345 lê-se: 'voo dois, três, quatro, cinco' (cada dígito separado) OU 'voo dois mil, trezentos e quarenta e cinco'.
Airports live on numbers, times, and fixed phrases. Here's your toolkit.
Typical airport signs and announcements:
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Voo 2345 para Salvador | Flight 2345 to Salvador |
| Embarque pelo portão 14 | Boarding at gate 14 |
| O voo sai às 10h | The flight departs at 10:00 |
| Chega às 12h30 | Arrives at 12:30 |
| Há um atraso de 30 minutos | There's a 30-minute delay |
| Último chamado para o voo... | Last call for flight... |
Times at airports are always 24-hour format. Some common readings:
- 08h00 = oito horas
- 10h40 = dez e quarenta
- 14h15 = catorze e quinze
- 20h30 = vinte e trinta (or informally oito e meia da noite)
In casual speech, Brazilians often convert to 12-hour ('oito e meia da noite' = 8:30 PM), but airport boards stick to 24-hour.
Estar + adjective / past participle — useful states at the airport:
- Estou pronto / pronta — I'm ready
- O voo está atrasado — The flight is delayed
- O voo está pontual / no horário — The flight is on time
- O portão está aberto / fechado — The gate is open / closed
- A bagagem está pronta — The luggage is ready
Reading flight numbers: 'Voo 2345' is typically read digit by digit — voo dois, três, quatro, cinco — or as a full number, voo dois mil, trezentos e quarenta e cinco. Both are correct; the digit-by-digit version is more common for clarity.
Gate numbers are read as whole numbers: portão catorze (not 'one-four').
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete with the right airport vocabulary.
- Bom dia! Aqui está a minha e o meu passaporte. (ticket)(ticket)
- Pode colocar a na balança, por favor. (suitcase)(suitcase)
- O voo tem um de 30 minutos. (delay)(delay)
- O é o número 14. (gate)(gate)
- O começa às dez e quarenta. (boarding)(boarding)
Grammar Application
Read numbers and express states correctly.
- Leia em português: 'Voo 2345'. → Voo (digit by digit)
- Leia em português: 'Portão 14'. → Portão (gate number as one number)
- Leia: '10h30'. → (time — 10:30)
- O voo saiu na hora certa → o voo está (on time)(estar + adjective for on-time)
- Eu terminei tudo → Eu estou (ready, masc.)(estar + adjective for ready, masc.)
Translation (English → Portuguese)
Translate airport-scene phrases.
- My flight is to Salvador.
- Is the flight on time?
- What's the gate?
- Here is my boarding pass.
- Boarding is at 10:40.
Creative Construction
Write a short airport exchange: check-in for a flight to a Brazilian destination. Include greeting, handing over documents, asking about gate or delay, and a polite closing.
Takeaway
Airport essentials: passagem, mala, cartão de embarque, portão, atraso, voo. Use 'estar' + adjective for status (pontual, atrasado, pronto). Times are 24-hour on boards; flight numbers are read digit by digit. Handy phrases: 'Aqui está...', 'O voo está no horário?', 'Qual é o portão?'