Portuguese Phrase
Usa a máquina de autoatendimento.
Meaning
A direct instruction telling someone to operate the self‑service machine. It’s the kind of phrase you’ll see on signs in banks, supermarkets, fast‑food restaurants, or hear from staff guiding a customer.
When to use
Use this sentence on signage, in spoken instructions, or when you want to politely tell a person to use a self‑service kiosk. It works best in informal or neutral contexts; for formal situations switch to the formal imperative (Use).
✦Grammar Breakdown
Usaamáquinadeautoatendimento
Imperative (2nd person singular)
Usa is the informal imperative form of the verb usar, used when speaking to someone you address as 'tu' or in informal contexts.
Definite article (feminine)
a precedes the feminine noun máquina, indicating a specific machine.
Prepositional phrase
de autoatendimento links the noun máquina to the purpose 'self‑service', functioning like 'for self‑service' in English.
🗨In Conversation
Preciso imprimir meu boleto, mas não sei onde.
I need to print my bill, but I don’t know where.
Usa a máquina de autoatendimento.
Use the self‑service machine.
✕Common Mistakes
Usa a máquina de autoatendimento.
In formal contexts you should use the formal imperative ‘Use’ (you‑formal).
auto atendimento
Do not split the word; it is a single compound noun.
Usa o máquina de autoatendimento.
The article must agree in gender: ‘a máquina’, not ‘o máquina’.
↔Alternatives
Utilize a máquina de autoatendimento.
Utilize the self‑service machine.
Faça o atendimento na máquina automática.
Do the service at the automatic machine.
Use o caixa eletrônico.
Use the ATM.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, self‑service kiosks are everywhere—from bank ATMs (caixa eletrônico) to fast‑food ordering screens. The informal imperative ‘Usa’ is common on signs in shopping malls and supermarkets, but in a formal setting (e.g., a bank teller speaking to a client) you’d hear ‘Use a máquina de autoatendimento’. Also note that some regions prefer the shorter ‘caixa eletrônico’ when referring specifically to bank machines.