How to Say “Can We Schedule a Meeting?” in Portuguese

Introduction

Learning how to schedule meetings in Portuguese is an essential skill for anyone conducting business or building professional relationships in Portuguese-speaking countries. Whether you’re planning to work in Brazil, Portugal, or other lusophone nations, mastering the polite phrases and cultural nuances of meeting requests will help you make a strong impression and communicate effectively with colleagues, clients, and partners.

The Basic Formula: Podemos Marcar uma Reunião?

The most straightforward way to ask can we schedule a meeting in Portuguese is to say podemos marcar uma reunião? This phrase is universally understood across all Portuguese-speaking regions and works well in both formal and semi-formal contexts. Let’s break down each component to understand why this construction works so effectively.

The word podemos comes from the verb poder, which means to be able to or can. It’s conjugated in the first-person plural form, translating directly to we can. The verb marcar means to schedule, to book, or to set, and is the most common term used for scheduling appointments and meetings throughout the Portuguese-speaking world. Finally, uma reunião simply means a meeting, with uma being the indefinite article a or an for feminine nouns.

Regional Variations: Brazilian vs. European Portuguese

While the basic phrase works everywhere, you’ll encounter some interesting regional differences when traveling between Brazil and Portugal. In Brazil, people tend to use more direct and informal language in business settings compared to European Portuguese speakers. Brazilians might simply say vamos marcar uma reunião? which translates to shall we schedule a meeting or let’s schedule a meeting. This version uses the verb ir (to go) in its first-person plural form vamos, creating a more collaborative and less formal tone.

In Portugal and other European Portuguese-speaking regions, professionals often prefer slightly more formal constructions. You might hear poderemos agendar uma reunião? which uses agendar instead of marcar. While both verbs work perfectly well, agendar carries a slightly more formal and bureaucratic connotation, similar to the difference between schedule and arrange in English. Portuguese business culture tends to maintain more formal language, especially during initial interactions.

Adding Formality: Addressing Your Colleagues Properly

The level of formality you choose depends heavily on your relationship with the person you’re addressing. When speaking with someone you’ve just met, a superior, or a client, you should use the formal form of address. In Portuguese, this involves using third-person verb conjugations even when speaking directly to someone.

A highly formal version would be o senhor poderia agendar uma reunião comigo? for addressing a man, or a senhora poderia agendar uma reunião comigo? for addressing a woman. Here, o senhor and a senhora function like sir and madam but are used much more frequently in Portuguese. The verb poderia is the conditional form of poder, making the request more polite by adding a layer of hypothetical courtesy, similar to could you in English.

For less formal but still respectful situations, you can use você pode marcar uma reunião? where você is the informal you. However, be aware that in Portugal, você can sometimes sound too direct or even rude in business contexts. When in doubt, stick with o senhor or a senhora for professional interactions in European Portuguese settings.

Specifying Time and Purpose

Once you’ve made your initial request, you’ll need to provide details about when and why you’d like to meet. Adding temporal information makes your request more concrete and shows you’ve thought about the other person’s schedule. You might say podemos marcar uma reunião para esta semana? meaning can we schedule a meeting for this week. The preposition para means for and helps you specify timing.

Other useful time expressions include para amanhã (for tomorrow), para a próxima semana (for next week), para segunda-feira (for Monday), and para o final do mês (for the end of the month). You can also be more specific with podemos marcar uma reunião para terça-feira às duas da tarde? which means can we schedule a meeting for Tuesday at two in the afternoon.

When explaining the purpose of your meeting, use the preposition para followed by an infinitive verb or sobre followed by a noun. For example, podemos marcar uma reunião para discutir o projeto? means can we schedule a meeting to discuss the project. Alternatively, podemos marcar uma reunião sobre o orçamento? translates to can we schedule a meeting about the budget. The word sobre means about or regarding and is essential for professional communication.

Alternative Expressions and Synonyms

Expanding your vocabulary beyond the basic formula will make you sound more natural and give you flexibility in different situations. Instead of always using reunião, you can say encontro, which means meeting or encounter and works well for less formal gatherings. You might ask podemos marcar um encontro? when suggesting a casual business coffee or an informal discussion.

The verb agendar serves as an excellent alternative to marcar. While we mentioned it earlier in the context of European Portuguese, it’s understood everywhere and adds variety to your speech. You could say gostaria de agendar uma reunião, meaning I would like to schedule a meeting. This construction uses the conditional form gostaria (would like) from the verb gostar (to like), making your request especially polite and deferential.

Another useful verb is combinar, which means to arrange or to agree upon. This verb emphasizes the collaborative nature of scheduling and sounds particularly friendly. You might say vamos combinar uma reunião? or shall we arrange a meeting. Brazilians use this verb frequently in everyday speech, making it sound warm and approachable while maintaining professionalism.

Email and Written Communication

When writing emails or messages in Portuguese, you’ll need slightly different formulations than in spoken conversation. Written communication typically requires more formality and structure. A professional email might begin with gostaria de agendar uma reunião com o senhor para discutirmos o projeto, meaning I would like to schedule a meeting with you to discuss the project.

The opening greeting matters significantly in Portuguese business emails. Use prezado senhor (dear sir) or prezada senhora (dear madam) for very formal contexts, or caro (dear) followed by the person’s first name for slightly less formal but still professional communication. After your greeting, you can use expressions like venho por meio desta mensagem solicitar uma reunião, which translates to I am writing to request a meeting and sounds appropriately professional.

When suggesting times in writing, be explicit and offer options. You might write estou disponível na terça-feira, dia 15, às 10h ou na quarta-feira, dia 16, às 14h, meaning I am available on Tuesday the 15th at 10am or Wednesday the 16th at 2pm. Notice that Portuguese uses às before times (meaning at) and often abbreviates hours as h. Being specific about dates and times demonstrates professionalism and makes scheduling easier.

Responding to Meeting Requests

Understanding how to ask for meetings is only half the equation. You also need to know how to respond when someone asks you. If you can attend, the simplest response is sim, podemos marcar or yes, we can schedule it. To sound more enthusiastic, add claro (of course) or com certeza (certainly), saying claro, podemos marcar uma reunião.

When the proposed time doesn’t work for you, use infelizmente não posso nesse horário, meaning unfortunately I cannot at that time. The word infelizmente (unfortunately) softens your refusal and maintains politeness. Follow this with an alternative suggestion: mas posso na sexta-feira (but I can on Friday) or teria disponibilidade na semana seguinte? (would you have availability the following week?).

If you need to check your schedule before confirming, say deixa eu verificar minha agenda in Brazil or deixe-me verificar a minha agenda in Portugal, both meaning let me check my schedule. You can then promise to respond soon with eu confirmo ainda hoje (I’ll confirm today) or retorno em breve (I’ll get back to you shortly). These phrases show respect for the request while buying you time to coordinate your schedule.

Cultural Considerations and Business Etiquette

Understanding the cultural context surrounding business meetings in Portuguese-speaking countries will help you navigate professional relationships more successfully. In Brazil, punctuality exists on a flexible spectrum, especially in less formal business contexts. Arriving five to fifteen minutes late to a meeting might not raise eyebrows, though international business settings tend to follow stricter time norms. When scheduling, Brazilians often build in buffer time and may start with small talk before getting to business.

Portuguese business culture, particularly in Lisbon and Porto, tends to be more punctual and formal than Brazilian culture. Meetings typically start on time, and being late without warning is considered disrespectful. The dress code is generally more conservative, and initial business interactions maintain clear professional boundaries. However, once you’ve established a relationship, Portuguese colleagues can become quite warm and personable.

In both Brazil and Portugal, face-to-face meetings hold significant importance for building trust and strengthening business relationships. While video calls and phone meetings have become more common, suggesting an in-person meeting when possible demonstrates your commitment to the relationship. You might say seria possível nos encontrarmos pessoalmente? meaning would it be possible for us to meet in person, when circumstances allow.

Phone and Video Call Etiquette

Remote meetings have become increasingly common, and knowing how to suggest virtual meetings is essential. For video calls, you can say podemos marcar uma videochamada? or podemos fazer uma reunião por vídeo? Both phrases clearly indicate you’re suggesting a video meeting rather than an in-person gathering. Be specific about the platform: podemos marcar uma reunião pelo Zoom? or podemos fazer uma chamada no Microsoft Teams?

When suggesting a phone call, use podemos marcar uma ligação? or podemos conversar por telefone? The word ligação means call or connection, while conversar means to talk or to have a conversation. Phone meetings are common for quick check-ins or when discussing matters that don’t require visual presentation materials.

Always specify the timezone when scheduling international calls. Say às 15h horário de Brasília (at 3pm Brasília time) or às 10h horário de Lisboa (at 10am Lisbon time). Brazil spans multiple time zones, so being clear about which timezone you’re referencing prevents confusion. The phrase qual é o seu fuso horário? means what is your timezone and can help clarify scheduling across regions.

Following Up and Confirming Meetings

After scheduling a meeting, sending a confirmation message demonstrates professionalism and helps prevent misunderstandings. You might write confirmo nossa reunião para segunda-feira, dia 10, às 14h, meaning I confirm our meeting for Monday the 10th at 2pm. Include the location or meeting link: a reunião será no escritório (the meeting will be at the office) or segue o link da videochamada (here is the video call link).

If you need to reschedule, apologize politely and explain briefly. Say peço desculpas, mas preciso remarcar nossa reunião, meaning I apologize, but I need to reschedule our meeting. The verb remarcar specifically means to reschedule and is widely understood. Follow this with an explanation and alternative suggestion: surgiu um imprevisto. Poderia ser na quinta-feira? (something unexpected came up. Could it be on Thursday?).

To cancel a meeting, use infelizmente precisarei cancelar nossa reunião (unfortunately I will need to cancel our meeting). Provide a reason if appropriate, and suggest rescheduling if you still want to meet: gostaria de reagendar para a próxima semana (I would like to reschedule for next week). The verb reagendar is another way to say reschedule and is particularly common in formal contexts.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Language learners often make certain predictable errors when scheduling meetings in Portuguese. One common mistake is using pode instead of podemos when making a collaborative suggestion. Saying pode marcar uma reunião? translates to can you schedule a meeting and sounds like you’re asking the other person to do the scheduling alone, which may come across as demanding or unclear about your intentions.

Another frequent error involves time expressions. Don’t say em when you mean às for clock times. The correct form is às duas horas (at two o’clock), not em duas horas, which would mean in two hours from now. Similarly, be careful with prepositions for days: use na segunda-feira (on Monday) rather than em segunda-feira.

Mixing Brazilian and European Portuguese excessively can also create confusion. While native speakers will understand you regardless, consistently using Brazilian vocabulary in Portugal or vice versa can make you sound inconsistent. Choose one variety and stick with it unless you’re specifically adapting to your environment. That said, don’t worry too much about this as a learner. Communication matters more than perfect regional consistency.

Expanding Your Professional Vocabulary

Beyond the basic meeting request, you’ll benefit from knowing related professional vocabulary. The word pauta means agenda, so you can say qual é a pauta da reunião? (what is the meeting agenda?). If you’re leading the meeting, you might say vou enviar a pauta antes da reunião (I will send the agenda before the meeting).

For discussing availability, use disponibilidade, as in qual é a sua disponibilidade? (what is your availability?). You can also say estou disponível (I am available) or não tenho disponibilidade nesse horário (I don’t have availability at that time). These phrases help you navigate scheduling conflicts professionally and clearly.

Understanding meeting types is also valuable. A reunião de alinhamento is an alignment meeting, a reunião de brainstorming uses the English loanword universally understood in business Portuguese, a reunião de acompanhamento is a follow-up meeting, and a reunião de apresentação is a presentation meeting. Using these specific terms shows sophistication in your Portuguese and helps others understand the meeting’s purpose immediately.

Conclusion

Mastering the art of scheduling meetings in Portuguese opens doors to professional success in lusophone business environments. From the straightforward podemos marcar uma reunião? to more nuanced formal requests using o senhor poderia agendar, you now have a comprehensive toolkit for navigating professional scheduling across different contexts and Portuguese-speaking regions. Remember that cultural awareness and politeness matter as much as linguistic accuracy, and don’t hesitate to adapt your language based on the formality of the situation and your relationship with colleagues and clients.