Portugal
Lisbon
The city that named longing and built an empire on it
Lisbon is Europe's westernmost capital and one of its oldest, built on seven hills above the Tagus river. It was the capital of an empire that at its peak stretched from Brazil to Mozambique to Macau — and the emotional residue of that history saturates its music, food, and light.
Lessons
Essential Phrases
Saudade
Saw-DAH-deh
Longing / Bittersweet remembrance
The single most important word in Portuguese — expresses a profound emotional state for which other languages have no equivalent
Obrigado/a
Oh-bree-GAH-do / da
Thank you
Obrigado for men, obrigada for women — one of the few gendered thank-you expressions in any language
Desenrascanço
Deh-zen-rash-KAN-so
The art of improvising a solution
Portuguese concept for the skill of getting yourself out of a difficult situation through ingenuity — a national character trait
Quick Facts
- Language
- Portuguese
- Currency
- Euro (€)
- Population
- 545,000 (city)
- Best season
- April–June, September–October
- Founded
- c. 1200 BC (Phoenician)
- 1755 earthquake
- Destroyed 85% of the city
- Fado listed
- UNESCO Intangible Heritage
- Former empire span
- 4 continents
Ask anything about Lisbon — history, customs, what to know before you go.
Start a conversationBefore You Go
🐟Bacalhau is serious
Salted cod (bacalhau) is Portugal's national ingredient with allegedly 365 recipes — one per day of the year. It was preserved for sea voyages during the Age of Discovery and became central to the culture.
🚋The tram etiquette
Tram 28 is genuinely used by residents, not just tourists. Stand clear of the doors, yield seats to elderly passengers, and hold on: the hills are steep.
2
lessons
19
minutes
2
quiz Q&A