Writing to a Portuguese-speaking customer: check the country first

Choose the right address form

Brazilian business chat commonly uses você. In Portugal, você can sound distant in a formal exchange; o senhor / a senhora is safer with an older or senior contact. Match the form the customer uses.

Obrigado agrees with the speaker: a man writes obrigado, a woman writes obrigada. The same rule applies to a saved signature.

Ask about language without forcing an address form: Prefere que eu escreva em português ou em inglês? — Do you prefer that I write in Portuguese or English? The sentence works in both countries.

Greetings and confirming the order

Keep the opening short. Confirm what arrived before you ask for missing details.

A confirmed receipt gives the customer a clear next step and reduces repeated messages.

• Bom dia, obrigado pela mensagem. — Good morning, thank you for your message. A woman writes obrigada.
• Confirmo o recebimento do seu pedido. — I confirm that I received your order.
• Poderia confirmar a quantidade e o modelo? — Could you confirm the quantity and model?

Quote, lead time, and delivery

Say what the quote includes and when the lead time starts. Packaging, freight, tax, and approval steps are common sources of confusion.

Use one date format and repeat the month in words when the message matters.

• Segue a nossa cotação. — Here is our quotation. Brazil commonly uses cotação; Portugal more often uses orçamento.
• O prazo de produção é de [X] dias após a confirmação do pedido. — Production takes [X] days after order confirmation.
• A data de entrega prevista é [data]. — The expected delivery date is [date].

Payment and closing

Confirm payment terms in writing before money moves. If the terms are still under discussion, ask rather than assume.

Close with one action. A clear request is easier to answer than a general sign-off.

• Quais são as condições de pagamento? — What are the payment terms?
• Recebemos o pagamento, obrigado. — We received the payment, thank you.
• Fico no aguardo da sua confirmação. — I await your confirmation. Common in Brazil; in Portugal, Aguardo a sua confirmação.
• Muito obrigado pela atenção. Fico à disposição. — Thank you for your attention. I remain available.
• Atenciosamente, — Kind regards. A formal closing that is safe in both countries.

Brazil and Portugal: vocabulary and limits

Vocabulary differs more than grammar in everyday business chat. Brazil uses celular; Portugal uses telemóvel. Brazil uses cadastro; Portugal uses registo. For a quote, Brazil commonly says cotação, while Portugal commonly says orçamento. Pick one set for the recipient and stay consistent.

Machine translation usually makes the message understandable, but it flattens address forms and regional words. Check names, amounts, dates, and titles before sending. The extension is a reading aid; it does not guarantee a perfect translation and does not send messages for you.

Do not assume a Portuguese-speaking customer is Brazilian. Portugal, Angola, and Mozambique have different business habits and time zones. Base lead times and reply expectations on the customer's local working hours.