Não corte muito curto.
Don't cut it too short.
Só as pontas, se faz favor.
Just the ends, please.
Portuguese for real life · explained in English
Getting a haircut in Portuguese: don't cut it too short
The whole conversation hangs on one sentence: “Não corte muito curto” (don't cut it too short). Say how much you want off, point where, and say it before they start rather than halfway through.
Portuguese phrases with translations
Say the amount, then the places. Portuguese barbers will ask; these are the answers.
Um dedo, mais ou menos.
About a finger's worth.
Assim está bom.
That's good like that.
Atrás mais curto.
Shorter at the back.
Em cima deixe estar.
Leave the top as it is.
A barba só aparar.
Just trim the beard.
Sem máquina, se faz favor.
No clippers, please.
Quanto é?
How much is it?
Posso pagar com cartão?
Can I pay by card?
A dialogue to read aloud
Read one role and then the other. The translations are there to understand it; try it again afterwards without looking.
- Nuno
Então, como é que quer hoje?
So, how do you want it today?
- Cliente
Não corte muito curto. Só as pontas, se faz favor.
Don't cut it too short. Just the ends, please.
- Nuno
Atrás também? Com máquina?
At the back too? With clippers?
- Cliente
Atrás mais curto, mas sem máquina. Em cima deixe estar.
Shorter at the back, but no clippers. Leave the top as it is.
What to know before you go
- «Se faz favor» is the Portuguese «please» and it goes at the end of the sentence. In Brazil you would say «por favor»; in Portugal both are understood.
- «Um dedo» — a finger's width — is how length gets negotiated in practice. It is more reliable than numbers.
- Say «não corte muito curto» at the start. Said halfway through, it is already too late, and that is the whole reason this phrase is famous.
Now it's your turn to talk
Without reading, say how much you want off, name two places on your head, and ask the price.
Practise the chair at Barbearia do Nuno →
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Keep practising
Collecting a parcel at the CTT in Portuguese →