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Portuguese Phrase

A gente compra e vende moeda estrangeira.

/a ˈʒẽ.tʃi ˈkõ.pɾa i ˈvẽ.dʒi ˈmo.e.dɐ is.tɾɐ̃ˈʒe.i.ɾa/
Meaning"We buy and sell foreign currency."
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Meaning

Literally, "We buy and sell foreign currency." The expression is used by businesses that deal with currency exchange, such as banks, exchange bureaus, or travel agencies.

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When to use

Use this sentence when you want to tell a client or a friend that your office/company handles buying and selling of foreign money. It works in informal spoken Portuguese and is also acceptable in written promotional material.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Agentecompraevendemoedaestrangeira

1

A gente

Colloquial equivalent of "nós" (we) that takes third‑person singular verb forms.

2

Present indicative (compra / vende)

Both verbs are conjugated in the third‑person singular to agree with "a gente".

3

Coordinating conjunction e

Links two verbs of the same subject, meaning "and".

4

Noun + adjective order

In Portuguese the noun comes first (moeda) followed by the adjective (estrangeira).

🗨In Conversation

A

Você sabe onde posso trocar dinheiro?

Do you know where I can exchange money?

A gente compra e vende moeda estrangeira aqui.

We buy and sell foreign currency here.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Nos compra e vende moeda estrangeira.

    When using "nos" (first‑person plural pronoun) the verb must be plural: "nós compramos".

  • A gente compra e vende estrangeira moeda.

    Adjectives normally follow the noun; swapping the order sounds unnatural.

  • A gente compra e vendemos moeda estrangeira.

    With "a gente" the verb stays singular; "vendemos" is a plural form that does not agree.

↔Alternatives

  • Nós compramos e vendemos moeda estrangeira.

    We buy and sell foreign currency.

  • A gente troca moeda estrangeira.

    We exchange foreign currency.

  • Oferecemos compra e venda de moeda estrangeira.

    We offer buying and selling of foreign currency.

pt

Cultural Tip

In Brazil the word "câmbio" is the everyday term for currency exchange, so you’ll also hear "serviço de câmbio". "A gente" is informal but extremely common in spoken Portuguese, even in professional settings, as long as the tone stays friendly. For very formal documents, replace "a gente" with "nós".