Lisbon is a beautiful destination loved by Brits. In 2023 UK holidays made up around 1.22 million of over 6.4 million tourists that visited the Portuguese capital in 2023. Boasting a vibrant culture, delicious cuisine, and picturesque architecture and landscapes – it is no wonder that Lisbon is loved by travellers across the globe.
But a travel expert has revealed common mistakes people make when visiting the city and there’s one thing that many Brits would be guilty of. In a YouTube video by Wolters World, the expert urges people to not to speak English or Spanish. He says: “Now when you’re going around the city and meeting people I want you to not make this mistake, just start off speaking in English or even worse Spanish. Look we are in Portugal, they speak Portuguese here.”
A large majority of people in Lisbon speak and understand English, so if you do happen to only speak English there you most likely will not encounter many situations where there is misunderstanding between you and the locals. However, the practice is more to do with respect and apperciation of the destination visited.
The video creator continues by offering some Portuguese phrases that future Lisbon tourists can use the next time the visit. “Yes in Lisbon, you’re not going to have a problem with English only, but it’s nice to start with ‘ola’ which is hello or ‘bom dia’ which is good day or tell people ‘obrigado’ [meaning] thank you. That goes a long way.”
But, it is not English that is the only issue, as many tourists make the mistake of using Spanish phrases such “gracias” which means thank you.
“Saying ‘gracias’, no no that’s Spanish and we don’t speak that here [Lisbon], well they do but that’s not the language here, they learn it at school and we are not Spanish in Portugal,” he explains.
Many people flocked to the comments to share their apperciation for the tips. One person said: “‘We are not Spanish in Portugal, Wolters, I have the feeling you became one of us.”
Another commented: “Many congratulations for the excellent video. very informative and without value judgments! This is putting yourself in the shoes of locals…”