# Buying food at Mercado Bolhão

**Language:** Portuguese  
**CEFR Level:** A2  

> Master shopping for food in Portuguese by listening to Pedro and Maria's conversation about buying fresh ingredients at Mercado do Bolhão. It may feel challenging at first, but by the end of this course you will be able to fully understand and participate.

**Setting:** At the historic Mercado do Bolhão in Porto, Pedro visits Maria's market stall to select fresh fish, local cheeses, and seasonal produce for a meal paired with port wine. As a regular customer chatting across the busy counter, Pedro asks about daily catch, quantities, and regional specialties while Maria shares market recommendations.

## Lessons

### 1. Asking what fresh food is available

Pedro greets Dona Maria at the busy market and asks which fish arrived fresh today.

### 2. Asking for seasonal produce

Pedro inquires about buying sardines, but Maria explains they are out of season until summer.

### 3. Asking for food recommendations

Pedro asks Maria what to buy for a four-person family dinner, and she recommends fresh sea bass.

### 4. Discussing seafood price increases

Pedro questions the price of the sea bass, and Maria explains how recent weather affected boat outings.

### 5. Choosing between wild and farmed fish

Pedro asks about gilthead seabream prices and decides on sea bass after learning the seabream is farmed.

### 6. Deciding on fish quantity and weight

Maria suggests two sea bass for Pedro's family, checks their freshness, and weighs them to calculate the cost.

### 7. Requesting fish prep and sharing recipes

Pedro asks Maria to gut and scale the fish while keeping the heads, explaining how he plans to cook them.

### 8. Buying lemons at the market

Maria offers Pedro lemons from her sister's farm, and Pedro asks about the price.

### 9. Choosing fresh herbs for cooking

Maria offers cilantro, but Pedro requests fresh parsley instead to go with his sea bass.

### 10. Asking for specific cheese varieties

Pedro looks for São Jorge cheese to pair with Port wine, but Maria lets him know it is sold out.

### 11. Sampling cheese and discussing flavor

Maria offers Pedro a sample of Serra cheese, reassuring him that its strong flavor complements aged Port.

### 12. Agreeing on a cheese purchase

Pedro chats about his experience with Port wine and decides to buy the small wheel of Serra cheese.

### 13. Paying the total bill by card

Maria adds up the bill for the fish, cheese, lemons, and parsley, and Pedro pays electronically.

### 14. Wrapping up purchases and saying goodbye

Pedro asks for ice on his fish before leaving for the fruit stand, and Maria promises to reserve items for his next visit.