Portuguese Phrase
Não falo a tua língua.
Meaning
Literally, ‘I don’t speak your language.’ It is a straightforward way to tell someone that you cannot understand or communicate in the language they are using. The use of ‘tua’ signals a familiar, informal relationship.
When to use
Use this phrase when you’re in a casual conversation with a friend, a fellow traveler, or anyone you address informally and you need to let them know you don’t understand their language. It’s also handy in language‑learning apps or classrooms when you want to explain a communication barrier.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Nãofaloatualíngua
Negação (Não)
‘Não’ precedes the verb to make the statement negative, similar to ‘not’ in English.
Verbo ‘falar’ (falo)
‘Falar’ means ‘to speak’; ‘falo’ is the first‑person singular present indicative.
Preposição ‘a’
When talking about languages, Portuguese uses the preposition ‘a’ before the language name or noun.
Pronome possessivo ‘tua’
‘Tua’ is the informal second‑person singular possessive adjective (feminine). It matches the gender of ‘língua’.
Substantivo ‘língua’
‘Língua’ means ‘language’ (or ‘tongue’). Here it refers to a spoken language.
🗨In Conversation
Oi! Você fala português?
Hi! Do you speak Portuguese?
Não falo a tua língua.
I don’t speak your language.
✕Common Mistakes
Não falo teu língua.
‘Teu’ is masculine; the noun ‘língua’ is feminine, so the correct form is ‘tua’.
Não falo língua tua.
Placing the article after the possessive (‘língua tua’) sounds archaic and is rarely used in modern conversation.
Não falo sua língua.
While grammatically correct, using ‘sua’ in a very informal setting can sound overly formal; match the possessive to the level of familiarity.
↔Alternatives
Não entendo a sua língua.
I don’t understand your language.
Não falo o seu idioma.
I don’t speak your language.
Desculpe, não falo a sua língua.
Sorry, I don’t speak your language.
Cultural Tip
In Portugal and Brazil, ‘tua’ is used only with people you know well or with children; with strangers or in formal settings you would use ‘sua’. In Brazil, ‘sua’ is far more common even in informal speech, so you’ll often hear ‘Não falo a sua língua.’ Also, remember that ‘língua’ can also mean ‘tongue’; context tells you whether you’re talking about a language or a body part.