Guide
How to ask for tobacco in Portuguese
A short, practical phrasebook for asking for tobacco products at a counter in Lisbon, or on WhatsApp, in natural European Portuguese.
Last checked: September 2026
In short
The simplest way to ask for cigarettes in Portuguese is «Um maço de [marca], por favor» (a pack of [brand], please); for rolling tobacco it's «Uma carteira de tabaco de enrolar»; for a lighter, «Um isqueiro»; for rolling papers, «Mortalhas» or «Seda»; and for filters, «Filtros». Adding «se faz favor» or «por favor» (please) is standard polite usage, and staff may reply asking your age or for ID with «Tem 18 anos?» or «O seu documento, por favor».
Key points
- «Maço» = cigarette pack; «carteira» = rolling tobacco pouch — different nouns, don't mix them up.
- «Isqueiro» is a lighter, «mortalhas»/«seda» are rolling papers, «filtros» are filters.
- «Por favor» and «se faz favor» are both correct for «please».
- Expect an age check — «Tem 18 anos?» or a request for ID — wherever you ask, including by delivery.
The key nouns
«Maço» (pronounced roughly MAH-soo) is a pack of cigarettes — the standard word used everywhere, as in «um maço de cigarros». «Carteira» (car-TAY-ra) is used for a pouch or packet of rolling tobacco — «uma carteira de tabaco» — distinct from «maço», which is reserved for cigarette packs.
«Isqueiro» (eesh-KAY-roo) is a lighter; «fósforos» (FOSH-foh-roosh) are matches. «Mortalhas» (mor-TAL-yash) or «seda» (SAY-da) both mean rolling papers — «mortalhas» is the more traditional Portuguese term, «seda» (literally "silk") is also very common and understood everywhere. «Filtros» (FEEL-troosh) means filters, used the same in both languages.
Asking for a specific brand
«Tem [marca]?» means «Do you have [brand]?» — a normal opening question if you're not sure the counter carries it. If they don't, a common reply is «Não temos, mas temos [outra marca]» (we don't have that, but we have [another brand]).
Rolling tobacco vocabulary
«Tabaco de enrolar» is the general term for rolling tobacco. A full request might be: «Uma carteira de tabaco de enrolar, mortalhas e filtros, por favor» — a pouch of rolling tobacco, papers and filters, please. «Fino» is sometimes used colloquially for very finely cut rolling tobacco, though this is informal and not a technical term.
Politeness and age checks
«Se faz favor» and «por favor» both mean «please» and are used interchangeably; «se faz favor» is slightly more formal-sounding but both are completely standard. «Obrigado» (said by a man) or «obrigada» (said by a woman) means «thank you». If asked for ID, «Aqui tem» (here you go) while handing over your document is the natural response.
Ordering on WhatsApp
Written Portuguese for an order can be as simple as: «Boa noite, queria um maço de [marca] e um isqueiro, para [morada/zona]» (Good evening, I'd like a pack of [brand] and a lighter, for [address/area]). We reply confirming the order and, given the products involved, we always require confirmation of age before delivery.
Common questions
- Is «tabaco» understood to mean cigarettes specifically?
- No — «tabaco» is the general word for tobacco. For cigarettes specifically, say «cigarros» or ask for a «maço»; for rolling tobacco, say «tabaco de enrolar».
- What does «avulso» mean if I hear it near tobacco?
- «Avulso» means «loose» or sold individually — as in a single loose cigarette rather than a full pack. Selling loose cigarettes is not permitted in Portugal, so you may hear the word in that context.
- How do I say "I'm over 18" if asked?
- «Sim, tenho mais de 18 anos» (yes, I'm over 18), and be ready to show ID — «Aqui tem o meu documento» (here's my ID).
Sources
This page is general information about Portuguese rules and Lisbon practice, not legal advice. Rules change; check the sources for the current text. Tobacco is for adults 18 and over.