Lonely Planet Brazilian Portuguese Phrasebook

I just returned from a trip to Brazil, and though I know some Spanish, I had no previous exposure to Portuguese. This phrasebook proved invaluable in helping me bridge the gap, and contributed to me having an even better time, and blending in better with the locals.

I actually bought this book not as a tourist, but simply to communicate better with a Brazilian friend I have. I wanted a quick start to supplement what I'd been picking up from her. So far, it's been far more helpful than I'd expect out of such a tiny book. The grammar tools are very helpful in using something other than the canned phrases in most books of this type, as I can usually piece together a new sentence when necessary. Some of the more generic, non-touristy sections are also very helpful in terms of the canned phrases, as knowing simple things like greetings and such comes in handy. There do seem to be some pronunciation issues as noted in other reviews, but only so much can be expected from a book. It helps to have a native speaker nearby to clear up trying to say some of the harder words. These could also be regional differences, as well. Overall, it's been very helpful as a starting point, and I've surprised my friend by occasionally springing a phrase on her she didn't expect me to know, or understanding a sentence or two. It's not the same as a proper course, but it's a very good start. Probably invaluable to a tourist.

This book is great. When I bought it I didn't fully understand how useful it might turn out to be. In the end, I only used it once during a conversation, but with great results. Throwing in just a few nice comments in Brazilian at the right moment really made the whole difference. It only costs a couple of bucks. Do yourself a favour and get it.

As the book title says it's a Brazilian phrasebook, and for those who said that most pages have multiple errors in spelling and grammatical errors, all I can say is that it's so not true. As a Brazilian born and native Brazilian Portuguese speaker, I can guarantee that. But you must remeber that Brazilian Portuguese and Portugal Portuguese are almost two different languages, so you can't use this book to survive in Portugal.

As one reader put it, this book has nothing to do with Portuguese. In fact it is on Brazilian language, which is becoming a distant dialect from the latter. So if you want to learn Portuguese, avoid this book, but if you want to learn Brazilian, that is your choice.