Chat in English with someone who speaks Portuguese

Piou lets you write in English while your contact writes in Portuguese, whether they're from São Paulo or Porto: each message is translated on the reader's own device, and the original is always one tap away. Translation is part of Piou Premium (£4.99 a month in the UK, $5.99 in the US, after a 7-day free trial) and works offline once both languages are downloaded.

How it works between English and Portuguese

Each of you writes in your own language. Piou identifies the language of a message on the sender's phone and keeps it exactly as typed; the reader's device does the translating. Translated messages carry a “Translated” label, and “Show original” brings back the exact text, which is handy when a word seems off.

The translation always runs on the device:

• iPhone (iOS 18 or later): Apple's built-in translation.
• Android (8.0 or later): Google's ML Kit, with models downloaded to the phone.
• Web app (app.piou.chat): the open-source Bergamot engine with Firefox Translations models, in the browser, or Chrome's built-in translation on desktop when available. English and Portuguese are translated directly, without a third language in between.

Translations never leave your device. The messages themselves are stored on Piou's servers, in their original language, so they can be delivered and synced.

Each reader needs their own Premium. With it, you read messages, polls, status text and voice messages in English; voice messages are transcribed, then translated, and the original audio stays playable. On the free plan, Portuguese messages stay in Portuguese, and a banner offers “Message in Portuguese — Tap to read it in English” once a day per conversation. Your contact reads you in Portuguese only if they have Premium too; when they don't, Piou suggests gifting it.

An example exchange

Jake, from Atlanta, is visiting his girlfriend's family in Belo Horizonte. He writes to her mother, Dona Cida. The translations are illustrative; the exact wording depends on each device's engine.

• Jake writes: “Hi Dona Cida! Ana told me you're making feijoada on Sunday. Can I bring anything?”
  • Dona Cida reads: “Oi, Dona Cida! A Ana me contou que você vai fazer feijoada no domingo. Posso levar alguma coisa?”
• Dona Cida writes: “Que gentileza! Só traz você mesmo e muita fome, rs. Beijos!”
  • Jake reads: “How kind! Just bring yourself and a big appetite, lol. Kisses!”
• Jake writes: “Deal! See you Sunday.”
  • Dona Cida reads: “Combinado! Até domingo.”

“Rs” (short for risos) is Brazilian texting laughter; it may come through as “lol” or stay as it is. And “Beijos” really does mean “kisses”: in Brazil it's an everyday sign-off between family and friends, not a romantic one.

Tips for writing to Portuguese speakers

• Know which Portuguese. Brazilians and Portuguese understand each other, but vocabulary and forms of address differ. In Portugal, the direct “você” can sound distant, and people often use the person's name or “o senhor / a senhora” instead. The translation won't adjust for that, so a warm, polite tone matters more than grammar.
• Use titles of respect. In both countries, older women are often called “Dona” plus their first name, like Dona Cida, and in Brazil older men “Seu” plus their first name. In Portugal, people with a degree may be addressed as “Doutor” or “Engenheiro”.
• Don't misread warm sign-offs. “Beijos” or “bjs” (kisses) close many messages between friends and family in Brazil, and “abraço” (a hug) even ends work emails.
• Decode the shortcuts. “kkkk” and “rs” are laughter, “vc” is você, “tb” também (also), “blz” beleza (OK, cool). The translation may leave them untouched.
• Spell out dates and amounts. Brazil and Portugal write the day first (03/04 is April 3) and use a decimal comma: R$ 1.500,00 is fifteen hundred reais.
• Expect voice messages. Many Brazilians send “áudios” rather than typing. With Premium, you read them transcribed and translated.

Translation limits to know

• One Portuguese for everyone. Piou has a single Portuguese, and translations into it may follow Brazilian usage (ônibus rather than autocarro for “bus”). A reader in Lisbon will understand, but some phrasing may sound Brazilian.
• Gender and formality. Portuguese marks gender, so “I'm ready” must become pronto or pronta; when English doesn't say, the engine guesses. It also picks você, tu or o senhor on its own.
• Diminutives and slang. “Rapidinho” or “cafezinho” carry a warmth that can come out oddly literal (“a little coffee”), and slang varies from Rio to São Paulo to Lisbon.
• Mixed messages. A message that switches between English and Portuguese may be detected as one language and only partly translated.
• Voice features depend on what your device's speech recognition supports, and strong regional accents or background noise lower accuracy.
• High stakes. For immigration, medical, legal, money or contract matters, use a professional interpreter or a human translation. In an emergency, call 911 in the US, 999 or 112 in the UK, or 112 in Portugal.

Getting started

1. Install Piou on an iPhone with iOS 18 or later or an Android phone with Android 8.0 or later, or open app.piou.chat and add it to your home screen (Safari → Share → “Add to Home Screen” on iPhone; Chrome → ⋮ → “Install app” on Android).
2. Sign up with Apple, Google or an email address, choose English and verify your phone number once: it helps contacts find you and is never used to sign in.
3. Download English and Portuguese on Wi-Fi so translation works offline too.
4. Find your contact under “Already on Piou”, or send an invite link or QR code.
5. Start the 7-day free trial (card required, no charge for 7 days; the subscription then starts automatically unless you cancel first). To let your contact read you in Portuguese, use “Gift Piou to someone”.