Portuguese for Apartment Building Notices and Maintenance — Practice

Recognize common building words

Condomínio can mean the residential building or its administration, and síndico is the building manager or elected representative. Elevador is elevator, garagem is garage, portaria is the front desk or entrance, and área comum is a shared area.

A notice may begin with Atenção, moradores (Attention, residents) or Informamos que… (We inform you that…). Words like manutenção (maintenance), limpeza (cleaning), and horário (schedule or hours) help you identify the main point.

Ask about a repair or service visit

Reparo or conserto means a repair. To report a problem, say O interfone não está funcionando (The intercom is not working) or Tem um vazamento na cozinha (There is a leak in the kitchen). Add where and when you noticed it to make the message useful.

If someone needs to visit your apartment, confirm the time and what access is needed. Building arrangements vary, so confirm details with the responsible person.

Check your understanding of a notice

Look for the date, time, place, and action requested. If the notice uses a term you do not know, ask the manager to summarize the change. A direct question can be easier than translating each sentence word for word.

You can acknowledge a message simply: Entendi, obrigado pelo aviso (I understand, thanks for letting me know). For an unresolved problem, state what is happening and ask what the next step is.

Remember: Imagine you found a building notice about elevator maintenance. Ask when it will happen, then confirm the practical change that affects you.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. The elevator maintenance will be tomorrow.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A manutenção do elevador será amanhã.

2. The garage will be closed during cleaning.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A garagem ficará fechada durante a limpeza.

3. The package is at the front desk.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A encomenda está na portaria.

4. The faucet has been dripping since yesterday.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A torneira está pingando desde ontem.

5. What time should the technician arrive?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Que horas o técnico deve chegar?

6. Can you let the front desk know he is coming?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Pode avisar a portaria que ele está vindo?

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Imagine you found a building notice about elevator maintenance. Ask when it will happen, then confirm the practical change that affects you.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Portuguese for Apartment Building Notices and Maintenance lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.