European Commission advises a 72-hour supply, podcasts for learning Portuguese, ‘falo mal português’ helps at reception
The European Commission advises keeping a 72-hour supply at home. Reddit adds: in some areas, no power means no water
On 3 November the European Commission advised EU countries to get people into the habit of keeping a supply at home that would let them manage for three days without outside help: in the first 72 hours after a disaster, the recommendation says, the emergency services are overstretched. The supply should include food that needs no cooking, water for drinking, cooking and washing, medicines and a first-aid kit, a battery-powered radio and torches (Observador). The recommendation is not binding.
“For those who don’t know: the advice now is to keep an emergency supply for at least 72 hours. (I wish I had a pantry like that.)”
Translated from Portugueser/portugal03.11.2026
On Reddit the topic came up under a post by newcomers who live in the middle of nowhere in the Alentejo: they had gone to a Continente supermarket for winter gas bottles, water and wine, and then, looking at their photos, admitted they had gone a bit overboard. Some laughed at them, others took their side: since the April 2025 blackout and Storm Kristin, they argued, the risks have grown and now include cyberattacks that could knock out payments, banking and communications.
“Maybe not on this scale, but it’s always useful to keep a few supplies at home. It’s not just about electricity: after the blackout or storms like Kristin the risks have grown, for example cyberattacks that could disrupt payment and banking systems, communications and infrastructure.”
r/portugal03.11.2026
Without power, the water may go too: in some areas, people on Reddit point out, the water supply depends on electricity, so city dwellers need a stock of water as well.
“Especially in cities — has anyone thought about what it would be like to go four or five days without electricity? In some areas there won’t even be water, because the city water supply depends on electricity.”
Translated from Portugueser/portugal03.11.2026
As for food, they recommend things that keep for a long time: honey, rice, sugar, wine.
“Honey is the best thing to store. Wine, rice, sugar.”
Translated from Portugueser/portugal03.11.2026
Storm Bruna is due to reach Portugal on Sunday 8 November, with rain forecast until 13 November (our news story).
Learning to understand spoken Portuguese with podcasts: Reddit lists them by level, from A1 to Antena 3 radio shows
In the Reddit community for European Portuguese, someone posted a list of podcasts from Portugal sorted by level, with a suggested first episode for each. For beginners (A1–A2) there is Portuguese With Leo: the host speaks slowly and only in Portuguese about life in Portugal, and episodes run 4–8 minutes; the suggested first one is ‘Um Aniversário em Portugal’. At A2–B1 there is Portuguesepedia: two-minute recordings of real speech, with free transcripts and exercises on the website. Also at this level is Tradutex Portuguese Lessons: in each episode Helena Rocha explains in English one common mix-up, such as when to say mudar and when trocar (both mean ‘to change’). For B1–B2 there is ‘Vitória, Vitória, Vem Aí Uma História’, children’s stories from the radio station M80, 6–8 minutes each.
In the replies, people suggested shows for those who already understand a lot: Enterrados no Jardim, about literature, art, politics and the news; Prova Oral on Antena 3, with guests and listener phone-ins; Joana Marques’s satirical slot ‘Extremamente Desagradável’; and the Rádios Portugal app, which carries the news stations TSF and Observador. One commenter described a course taught entirely in Portuguese: it was hard, but their understanding grew, and podcasts, they said, do the same with less stress.
“Thanks for the list. My Portuguese course was taught only in Portuguese, and it was hard, but you could see my understanding growing, even though most of it went over my head. Podcasts like these will help build understanding with a bit less stress.”
r/EuropeanPortuguese04.11.2026
“A good one is Enterrados no Jardim: audio only, about literature, art, politics and current affairs. It’s the only one I listen to, and it’s on Spotify, YouTube and RSS.”
r/EuropeanPortuguese04.11.2026
Listening is hard in the exam, too: after the November CIPLE, the A2-level exam that people take for citizenship among other things, candidates complained on Reddit that the speakers talked too fast. For where to learn Portuguese for free, see our guide.
“The listening was incredibly hard! They spoke very, very fast, far too fast for me.”
r/PortugalExpats05.11.2026
Health centre receptionists won’t speak English, so mums advise opening in Portuguese: ‘sorry, my Portuguese is bad’
In the pregnancy chat, people were once again discussing reception desks at health centres (centro de saúde — the state health centre) where staff refuse to switch to English. One trick that helps: right at the start, say in Portuguese ‘Hello, sorry, my Portuguese is bad’ (Bom dia, desculpe, falo mal português), and then explain what you need in broken Portuguese. They also suggest adding that the language is very beautiful but hard and that you are learning it, saying com licença, obrigada and desculpa (‘excuse me’, ‘thank you’, ‘sorry’) a lot, and smiling.
“What always helped me was a phrase in Portuguese right at the start: hello, sorry, my Portuguese is bad. Then, in broken Portuguese, what I need from them.”
Translated from Russianberemennost_portugal05.11.2026
Some do this in every office and say it helps: tell them you are learning the language but for now speak only um pouco or um pouquinho — ‘a little’ — and staff smile and even sympathise. But it doesn’t always work: one mum opened the conversation exactly like that, apologised and asked in Portuguese to switch to English, and the receptionist was still spoiling for a fight. For how to see a doctor at a health centre, see our guide to the family doctor.
“By the way, I also start by saying I’m learning, but the language is so hard that I only speak um pouco, and it really does seem to help.”
Translated from Russianberemennost_portugal05.11.2026
“That’s exactly how I started the conversation with her: I apologised for my bad Portuguese and asked in Portuguese if we could switch to English. But that day she was out for blood.”
Translated from Russianberemennost_portugal05.11.2026
Master’s graduates work on tills and live with their parents, says a Redditor. Others reply: a degree still pays more
On Reddit, a graduate of a Portuguese university said that of his 32 classmates at school, 30 went on to university, and now a master’s graduate in biomedical engineering works on the tills at Continente, a master’s graduate in telecommunications is a shop assistant at FNAC, and a vet has become a Pilates instructor. Of his 50 school and university classmates, by his count, only four have moved out of their parents’ homes.
“Of all my university and school classmates, 50 people in total, four have managed to move out of their parents’ place.”
Translated from Portugueser/portugal03.11.2026
Others disagreed. Some say their friends with degrees in Braga and Porto earn much more than those without and live on their own, and that Portugal is still one of the countries where studying pays off in both jobs and salary. Another commenter says all the friends of their Portuguese husband — engineers and doctors — work in their fields abroad, and the only doctors who have stayed in Portugal are those who can afford to. Others point out that in Lisbon a Pilates instructor charges €30–40 an hour for classes and €50–60 for personal sessions, and can earn more than a vet.
“I’m 31, and all my friends with degrees earn much more than those without, and they all live away from their parents. This is in Braga and Porto.”
Translated from Portugueser/portugal03.11.2026
“Hate to burst your bubble, but a Pilates instructor can easily earn more than a vet. In Lisbon at least, classes cost €30–40 an hour, and personal training €50–60 an hour.”
Translated from Portugueser/portugal04.11.2026
Those choosing what to study are advised to check whether the field is in demand: many people, the replies say, pick courses that lead to almost no jobs, when a technical degree would offer them more. In another thread, a 22-year-old student from the Azores who is training as an accountant on a two-year CTeSP programme (a vocational course at a polytechnic) asked whether to carry on. She was told that the mainland is short of accountants: firms aren’t taking on new clients, and one even has a waiting list. For how to get into a Portuguese university, see our guide.
“On mainland Portugal there’s a shortage of accountants: a few months ago I had to find one for a friend who was setting up a company, and it wasn’t easy at all — almost everywhere said they weren’t taking new clients.”
Translated from Portugueser/portugal04.11.2026
Finanças won’t tell you who else is registered for tax at your flat’s address: it is covered by tax secrecy
In a chat about life in Portugal, someone asked whether the tax office (Finanças) can tell you who is using your flat’s address as their tax address — perhaps the previous owners never changed theirs. They wanted something like a list of everyone registered there.
The answer was no: other people’s tax numbers (NIF) and names are covered by tax secrecy under Article 64 of the General Tax Law (Lei Geral Tributária), and the tax office will not disclose them to the owner. People also pointed out that someone can make your address their tax address (morada fiscal) only if they have access to your letterbox or to the postman.
“That’s covered by tax secrecy (art. 64.º LGT), and the AT won’t disclose other people’s NIFs and names to the owner, so no luck, sorry”
Translated from Russianru_Portugal_pt05.11.2026
Usually you don’t need the tax office to tell you that someone is registered at your address: letters in their name start arriving from banks, insurers and other organisations.
“and one more thing: when someone suddenly gets registered at your address, you get flooded with letters from everyone and their dog — banks, insurers and so on”
Translated from Russianru_Portugal_pt05.11.2026
