Portuguese Phrase
Você precisa de uma sacola?
Meaning
A polite question asking whether the listener would like a bag, typically offered at a checkout counter. It can be used both to offer a bag and to confirm if the person actually needs one.
When to use
Use this sentence in stores, supermarkets, markets, or any place where items are being purchased and a bag might be required. It works equally well in formal settings (e.g., a boutique) and informal ones (e.g., a street market).
✦Grammar Breakdown
Vocêprecisadeumasacola?
Você (pronoun)
Second‑person singular pronoun used in formal or neutral contexts; conjugates verbs in third person.
precisa (verb)
Present indicative of precisar ‘to need’; third‑person singular matches the subject Você.
de (preposition)
Introduces the object of need; precisar is followed by de + noun.
uma (indefinite article)
Feminine singular article used before a non‑specific noun.
sacola (noun)
Feminine noun meaning ‘bag’, usually a plastic or paper shopping bag.
🗨In Conversation
Você precisa de uma sacola?
Do you need a bag?
Sim, por favor. Quanto custa?
Yes, please. How much does it cost?
✕Common Mistakes
Você precisa para uma sacola?
Precisa is followed by the preposition de, not para.
Vocês precisa de uma sacola?
When the subject is ‘vocês’, the verb must be conjugated as ‘precisam’.
Você precisa de uma sacola?
If you are referring to a specific bag already mentioned, use the definite article ‘a sacola’.
↔Alternatives
Quer uma sacola?
Do you want a bag?
Precisa de bolsa?
Do you need a (hand)bag?
Precisa de sacola extra?
Do you need an extra bag?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil many supermarkets charge a small fee for plastic bags to encourage reuse. Cashiers will often ask “Você precisa de uma sacola?” even if you already have one, giving you the chance to say ‘não, obrigado’ and avoid the charge. In the South of Brazil, the word “sacola” is universal, but in some regions people also say “sacola” informally.