Portuguese phrases for household chores

Introduction

Learning common phrases for household chores in Brazilian Portuguese helps you communicate with roommates, family members, or cleaning staff and sounds natural in everyday situations. This guide covers essential vocabulary, useful expressions, short dialogues, and pronunciation tips for beginner to intermediate learners.

Basic vocabulary for household chores

Start with single-word verbs and nouns used in daily routines. Each key term appears first in bold and later in italics.

lavar – to wash
Usage note: Use with objects like roupa, prato, carro.

passar – to iron
Usage note: Often used as passar roupa (to iron clothes).

varrer – to sweep

aspirar – to vacuum

limpar – to clean

enxugar – to dry or wipe dry

trocar – to change or replace (e.g., troca de roupa de cama)

arrumar – to tidy up, to put in order

cozinhar – to cook

lavar a louça – to wash the dishes

fazer a cama – to make the bed

tirar o pó – to dust

regar – to water (plants)

lixo – trash, garbage; levar o lixo – to take out the trash

Common phrases and complete sentences

Practical sentences you can use at home. First appearance of a term is bolded; later occurrences are in italics.

Can you wash the dishes tonight?
Você pode lavar a louça hoje à noite?

I will iron the shirts tomorrow.
Eu vou passar as camisas amanhã.

Please sweep the kitchen floor.
Por favor, varra o chão da cozinha.

The vacuum is broken; can you vacuum later?
O aspirador está quebrado; pode aspirar mais tarde?

I need to clean the bathroom this afternoon.
Preciso limpar o banheiro esta tarde.

After you wash, dry the plates.
Depois de lavar, enxugue os pratos.

Can you change the bedsheets?
Você pode trocar a roupa de cama?

We should tidy the living room before guests arrive.
Devemos arrumar a sala antes dos convidados chegarem.

I’ll cook dinner if you take out the trash.
Eu vou cozinhar o jantar se você levar o lixo.

Short dialogues for real-life situations

Use these dialogues to practice natural speech at home.

A: Você pode me ajudar? A cozinha está uma bagunça.
B: Claro. O que eu faço?
A: Pode lavar a louça e varrer o chão?
B: Posso. Depois eu aspirar a sala.

A: A roupa está seca, você pode passar as camisas?
B: Sim, eu passo agora. Você quer que eu arrume o armário também?
A: Não precisa, só as camisas estão bem.

A: As plantas parecem secas.
B: Vou regar agora. Você quer que eu também troque o vaso?
A: Não é preciso, só água mesmo.

Polite requests and household rules

Politeness matters. Here are soft commands and set phrases to use with family, friends, or cleaning staff.

Could you please help me with the chores?
Você pode me ajudar com os afazeres domésticos, por favor?

Please remember to put the dishes in the dishwasher.
Por favor, lembre-se de colocar os pratos na máquina de lavar louça.

It is polite to say when you finish cleaning.
É educado avisar quando terminar de limpar.

Set household rules: take turns every day or divide tasks for the week.
Vamos revezar as tarefas ou dividir por dias da semana?

Useful verbs with direct objects and prepositions

Some verbs require specific prepositions or are commonly used with particular objects.

lavar + object: lavar a roupa, lavar o carro, lavar a louça.
Usage note: To indicate where, use em: lavar a louça na pia.

passar + roupa: passar a camisa, passar as calças.
Usage note: Use o ferro para passar, and say com ferro if needed.

varrer + chão: varrer o chão da cozinha, do quarto.

aspirar + tapete, sofá: aspirar o tapete, aspirar o sofá.
Usage note: Use the preposition em to indicate location: aspirar o pó embaixo da cama.

limpar + banheiro, janela, cozinha: limpar o banheiro, limpar as janelas.

enxugar + pratos, mãos: enxugar os pratos, enxugar as mãos.

tirar + o pó: tirar o pó dos móveis.

Expressions for frequency and scheduling

Talk about how often you do chores and when to schedule them.

Every day – todos os dias
I clean the kitchen every day.
Eu limpo a cozinha todos os dias.

Once a week – uma vez por semana
We wash towels once a week.
Nós lavamos as toalhas uma vez por semana.

Twice a month – duas vezes por mês
I iron clothes twice a month.
Eu passo as roupas duas vezes por mês.

Daily routine – rotina diária
Morning: make bed, wash dishes, take out trash.
Manhã: fazer a cama, lavar a louça, levar o lixo.

Cleaning tools and common household items

Knowing the tools helps you ask for them and understand instructions.

vassoura – broom
Use to varrer the floor.

aspirador – vacuum cleaner
Use to aspirar carpets and sofas.

panela – pot
Used for cozinhar.

sabão – soap; detergente – dish soap
Use to lavar dishes and clothes.

pano – cloth; esponja – sponge
Use to limpar surfaces and enxugar dishes.

ferro – iron
Used to passar clothes.

balde – bucket; rodo – squeegee
Useful for mopping floors and handling water when lavar or enxugar.

Polite and casual ways to offer help

Different registers matter depending on who you talk to.

Formal/polite
Posso ajudar com a limpeza?
Would you like help with the cleaning?

Casual among friends or family
Quer que eu ajude?
Do you want me to help?

Offering to take a task
Eu posso lavar a louça hoje.
I can wash the dishes today.

Usage notes and pronunciation tips

Tips to sound more natural and avoid common mistakes.

Verb conjugation: Most commands use the imperative. For example, informal singular positive: lava is not correct; use lava only in northern dialects. Standard informal imperative for lavar is lava in some regions, but the safe forms are: você lave (formal) or tu lava/tu lavas depending on region. For beginners, use quero que você lave a louça to avoid complex imperatives.

Pronunciation tips: Stress often falls on the second-to-last syllable in words like aspirar and limpar. The letter r has Portuguese-specific sounds: initial r sounds like English h in many Brazilian accents, so regar sounds like heh-gar.

Common mistakes: Avoid literal translations from English for some verbs. For example, say fazer a cama not *fazer cama. Also, many learners forget the definite article with body parts and household items; in Portuguese it’s natural to say lavar a mão rather than *lavar mão.

Regional variations and polite forms

Brazil is large and expressions vary. Here are a few differences learners may encounter.

Tu versus você: In southern and northern Brazil, people use tu with distinct conjugations: Tu lavas as opposed to Você lava. Learn the local preference where you live or practice.

Vocabulary differences: Some regions use specific words for chores. For cleaning floors, people often say passar pano for mopping, literally passing a cloth over the floor. In other places, esfregar o chão might be used to emphasize scrubbing.

Politeness: When asking cleaning staff, be polite and specific: Você pode, por favor, limpar o banheiro hoje? Clear instructions and respectful language go a long way.

Examples of multi-step instructions

Longer instructions are useful when delegating or following a routine.

Cleaning the kitchen:
1. Tire o lixo e leve para fora.
2. Varra o chão.
3. Lave a louça e enxugue os pratos.
4. Passe um pano úmido nos balcões e limpe o fogão.

Doing laundry:
1. Separe as roupas claras e escuras.
2. Lave conforme as instruções na etiqueta.
3. Seque as roupas no varal ou na secadora.
4. Passe as roupas que precisam de ferro.

Short list of practical phrases to memorize

Memorize these high-frequency lines for quick use.

Eu vou lavar a louça agora.
Você pode arrumar o sofá?
Ajuda-me a tirar o pó, por favor.
Quem vai levar o lixo hoje?
Eu já limpei o banheiro.

Resources to keep learning

To continue improving, combine vocabulary study with listening and speaking practice. Watch Brazilian TV shows for natural dialogues, follow cleaning-related videos for repeated phrases, and try labeling items in your home with Portuguese words. Practice real conversations with native speakers or language exchange partners to learn regional usage and pronunciation.

Conclusion

Mastering household chores vocabulary in Brazilian Portuguese makes everyday life easier and helps you sound natural when speaking with family, roommates, or cleaners. Use the verbs, phrases, dialogues, and usage notes here to build confidence. Practice regularly, listen for regional differences, and gradually add more complex instructions and imperatives to your repertoire.