CIPLE A2 vocabulary: 25 European Portuguese words for the exam

🇵🇹 PortugueseA225 words

The CIPLE is the A2 exam in European Portuguese that many residents take to prove their level, for example for a citizenship application. This list covers words that come up again and again in its typical themes: personal details, home, daily routine, shopping, services and health. It is a practice set, not an official exam list.

Where you will use it: Preparing for the CIPLE A2 reading, writing and speaking tasks.

CIPLE A2 Portuguese vocabulary — The word list

Meanings and translations are in English.

Portuguese	Meaning and example
a morada	Address.“Qual é a tua morada?”What is your address?
o código postal	Postcode.“Falta o código postal nesta carta.”The postcode is missing from this letter.
a data de nascimento	Date of birth.“Escreva aqui a sua data de nascimento.”Write your date of birth here.
a nacionalidade	Nationality.“Qual é a sua nacionalidade?”What is your nationality?
o estado civil	Marital status.“Indique o seu estado civil.”State your marital status.
a profissão	Profession; occupation.“Qual é a tua profissão?”What is your occupation?
o apelido	Surname.“O meu apelido é Ferreira.”My surname is Ferreira.
preencher	To fill in.“Pode preencher esta ficha?”Could you fill in this form?
o horário	Timetable; opening hours.“O horário está na porta.”The opening hours are on the door.
marcar	To book; to arrange.“Quero marcar uma visita para amanhã.”I want to arrange a visit for tomorrow.
a rotina	Routine.“A minha rotina começa cedo.”My routine starts early.
acordar	To wake up.“Costumo acordar às sete.”I usually wake up at seven.
levantar-se	To get up.“Levanto-me cedo durante a semana.”I get up early during the week.
tomar banho	To have a bath or shower.“Vou tomar banho antes de sair.”I'm going to have a shower before going out.
vestir-se	To get dressed.“Visto-me depois do banho.”I get dressed after my shower.
sair	To leave; to go out.“Saio de casa às oito.”I leave home at eight.
voltar	To return; to come back.“Volto antes do jantar.”I'll be back before dinner.
a cozinha	Kitchen.“As chávenas estão na cozinha.”The cups are in the kitchen.
a sala	Living room.“Estamos a estudar na sala.”We're studying in the living room.
a chave	Key.“Não encontro a chave de casa.”I can't find my house key.
a limpeza	Cleaning.“Faço a limpeza ao sábado.”I do the cleaning on Saturdays.
a roupa	Clothes; clothing.“A roupa está no armário.”The clothes are in the wardrobe.
experimentar	To try; to try on.“Posso experimentar este casaco?”Can I try on this coat?
a ajuda	Help; assistance.“Preciso da tua ajuda com as compras.”I need your help with the shopping.
cansado / cansada	Tired (male / female).“Estou cansada e quero descansar.”I'm tired and want to rest.

Tips for learning Portuguese words

Learn the article with the nounWrite o comboio or a paragem, not just the noun: the article tells you the gender, and adjectives agree with it.
Listen before you speakEuropean Portuguese swallows many unstressed vowels, so words sound shorter than they look. Play the audio and repeat each example aloud.
Type the accentsIn WordNest a missing accent counts as a mistake. Typing água, não and amanhã correctly from the start saves relearning them later.

European, not Brazilian Portuguese

Portugal and Brazil share one language but differ in everyday words, pronunciation and grammar: a train is a comboio in Portugal and a trem in Brazil, and "I am eating" is estou a comer rather than estou comendo. WordNest teaches the Portugal variety — example sentences, pronunciation and AI corrections all follow Portugal's norms.

Add five or six of these words a day rather than the whole list at once, keep the example sentence on the card, and review them when they come due. WordNest schedules each word across seven growing intervals — same day, then 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days — so the list is still with you months later. Read how spaced repetition works if you want the reasoning behind those numbers.

European vs Brazilian Portuguese: 50 everyday words that differ →How to learn European Portuguese with WordNest →

Questions about this list

Is this European or Brazilian Portuguese?

European Portuguese, as spoken in Portugal. Where Brazil uses a different word, the list gives the Portugal one — for example comboio instead of trem.

How do I practise CIPLE A2 Portuguese vocabulary?

Start with five words, listen and say each example aloud. Then recall the Portuguese word from its English meaning and review it over several days.

How many words are in this list?

This list contains 25 words and phrases with English meanings and example sentences. It is a starting set, not a complete course.

Study these words with spaced repetition

Create a free account, choose Portuguese as a study language and add these words to your own deck.