Portuguese Phrase
Você pode ligar pra assistência na estrada pra mim?
Meaning
A polite request asking someone to call roadside assistance on your behalf. It’s commonly used when a vehicle breaks down or you need emergency help while traveling.
When to use
Use this phrase when your car has a problem on the road and you need another person—friend, passerby, or a service desk—to place the call for you. It works in informal and semi‑formal contexts, especially in Brazil.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Vocêpodeligarpraassistêncianaestradapramim
Você (you)
Subject pronoun, often omitted in informal speech but used here for emphasis.
pode (can)
Present indicative of the verb poder; expresses ability or permission.
ligar pra (call to)
Colloquial contraction of ligar para; used when making a phone call.
assistência na estrada (road assistance)
A set phrase meaning roadside help; ‘na’ = ‘em + a’.
pra mim (for me)
Informal contraction of para mim; indicates the beneficiary of the action.
🗨In Conversation
Meu carro acabou de parar. Você pode ligar pra assistência na estrada pra mim?
My car just stopped. Can you call roadside assistance for me?
Claro! Vou ligar agora mesmo.
Sure! I’ll call right now.
✕Common Mistakes
Você pode ligar para assistência na estrada para mim?
In casual conversation Brazilians use the contraction ‘pra’; using ‘para’ sounds overly formal.
Você pode ligar pra assistência rodoviária pra mim?
Both are correct, but ‘assistência na estrada’ is more common in everyday speech.
Você pode ligar eu para assistência na estrada?
The verb must be conjugated before the infinitive; ‘eu posso ligar’ is a different structure.
↔Alternatives
Você pode chamar a assistência rodoviária para mim?
Can you call the road assistance for me?
Pode ligar para o socorro mecânico por mim?
Can you call the mechanical rescue for me?
Consegue fazer a ligação da assistência na estrada?
Can you make the roadside‑assistance call?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, roadside assistance is often referred to as “assistência 24h” or “socorro mecânico”. While “ligar pra” is perfectly natural in everyday speech, in more formal settings you might hear “ligar para”. Also, many drivers have a membership card (e.g., from a car insurance or a credit‑card company) that provides a free call to a dedicated assistance number.