Portuguese:

Learn Portuguese In 21 DAYS!

A Practical Guide To Make Portuguese Look Easy! EVEN For Beginners

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Portuguese Alphabet

Chapter 2: Pronunciation Guide (1/2)

Chapter 3: Pronunciation Guide (2/2)

Chapter 4: Greetings and Basic Phrases

Chapter 5: Portuguese Numbers (Números)

Cardinal Numbers

Ordinal Numbers

Chapter 6: Months, Days, and Seasons

Chapter 7: Time and Date (Hora e Data)

Chapter 8: Colors in Portuguese (Cores)

Chapter 9: Word Order

Chapter 10: Capitalization and Punctuation

Chapter 11: Articles (Artigos)

Chapter 12: Nouns (Substantivos)

Masculine Nouns

Feminine Nouns

Chapter 13: Invariable Nouns

Forming Plural Nouns

Chapter 14: Pronouns (Pronomes)

Subject Pronouns (Pronomes Pessoais)

Direct Object Pronouns

Chapter 15: Reflexive Pronouns

Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives

Demonstrative Pronouns and Demonstrative Adjectives

Interrogative Pronouns

Chapter 16: Adjectives (Adjetivos)

IrregularAdjectives

Irregular Comparative and Superlative Forms

Most Commonly Used Portuguese Adjectives

Chapter 17:Verbs (Verbos)

The Indicative Mood Tenses

Imperative Mood

Subjunctive Mood

The Conditional Mood

Chapter 18: Adverbs (Advérbios)

Chapter 19: Prepositions (Preposições)

Chapter 20: Useful Phrases

Chapter 21: Vocabulary

Conclusion

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Introduction

This book contains 21 highly-informative chapters on the fundamentals of Portuguese grammar and communication. Each chapter is designed to provide self-learners a complete yet compact learning material that will help them speak the language with ease in a very short time. It addresses the needs of travellers, students, entrepreneurs, and professionals for a grammar reference and phrase book in one resource.

Each chapter features tables, charts, and relevant examples to make learning the Portuguese language an interesting and enjoyable experience.

The first 8 chapters deal with the basic things every speaker should know: the alphabet, pronunciation, numbers, months and days, seasons, telling time and date, colors, and basic survival phrases for getting around in a Portuguese-speaking country.

The succeeding chapters deal with the essential aspects of grammar including sentence construction and the different parts of speech.

The book winds up with a chapter on key travel phrases and a final chapter of vocabulary listings for daily conversations.

Language learners will find this book an invaluable reference for learning the European and the Brazilian branches of the Portuguese language.

Let’s begin the journey.

Chapter 1: The Portuguese Alphabet

Portuguese is a Roman language spoken in Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, East Timor, São Tomé e Principe, Cape Verde, Macau, and Equatorial Guinea. It is also spoken by small communities in India and Malaysia.

Portuguese descended from the Latin language (Vulgar Latin) which became the predominant langauge at the time of the Roman invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. The language gradually evolved in the Atlantic coast territories into what was known as Galician-Portuguese language. It would later split in Galician and Portuguese languages when Galicia was incorporated into Spain and as Portugal developed independently. King Dinis I of Portugal decared the use of Portuguese language as the official language in 1290.

In 1911, Portugal adopted a reformed orthography, which introduced major changes in the spelling. The revised standard was used officially in Portugal and its then territories that included the now independent countries like Mozambique, Angola, East Timor, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea-Bissau, Macau, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Goa, Diu, and Daman of India. Brazil would later adopt a slightly modified form of Portugal’s orthography 1n 1943 which was eventually revised in 1970. In 2009, Brazil introduced a new orthography with the purpose of unifying written Portuguese among the lusophone countries. Its adoption in other Portuguese-speaking countries has not been set.

Portuguese is spoken by about 230 million people. Of this, about 190 million are from Brazil. There are notable differences between European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese in terms of pronunciation, spelling, and vocabulary but these are overshadowed by many similarities.

The Portuguese alphabet is Latin-based and consists of 23 letters. In addition, it uses three letters (k,w,y) excusively for foreign-derived words.

Letter | European Letter | Brazilian Letter
| Name | Name
Aa | á | á
Bb | bê | bê
Cc | cê | cê
Dd | dê | dê
Ee | é | é or ê
Ff | efe | efe
Gg | gê or guê | gê
Hh | agá | agá
Ii | i | i
Jj | jota | jota
Kk | capa | cá
Ll | ele | ele
Mm | eme | eme
Nn | ene | ene
Oo | ó | ó or ô
Pp | pê | pê
Qq | quê | quê
Rr | erre or rê | erre
Ss | esse | esse
Tt | tê | tê
Uu | u | u
Vv | vê | vê
Ww | dâblio or duplo vê | dáblio or duplo vê
Xx | xis | xis
Yy | ípsilon or i grego | ípsilon
Zz | zê | zê

Chapter 2: Pronunciation Guide (1/2)

Diacritical marks are symbols that indicate how a word should be pronounced. In some cases, they are used to clarify a word’s meaning and usage.  The Portuguese language uses a number of diacritical marks.

Diacritical Marks

˜ | The tilde is used to indicate a nasal sound
´ | An acute accent indicates stress on a syllable and an open vowel sound
ˆ | A circumflex indicates stress and close vowel sound on the marked syllable
` | A grave (grahv) mark indicates contraction of two words
¸ | A cedilla is used to denote soft (s sound)  pronunciation for the letter "c"
̈ | Diaresis or umlauts on the letter "u" denotes a "qw" and “gw” sound when placed after “q” and “g” respectively.

Acute (´) and circumflex (ˆ) symbols are used to indicate stress on the marked syllables while the grave, cedilla, and diaeresis modify pronunciation. Tilde is only used to indicate nasal pronunciation and stress in words with ã ending. The diaeresis mark is now considered obsolete with the effectivity of the orthographic agreement in 2009. Its use is presently limited to borrowed words and personal names.

Vowel Sounds

Vowel Sounds | Sounds like: | Example
a | unstressed | the "a" in beta | santana
a | stressed before a nasal consonant | the "a" in beta | guarda
a | stressed before other consonants | the "a" in cat | crato
á | stressed a | the "a" in father | calix
ã | nasal sound | the "an" in angry | não
e | eh, unstressed | the "e" in net | loures
é | eh, stressed | the "e" in let | pinhel
ê | ey | the "ey" in they | bêbado
êm, em, ém | nasal sound | the "e" in end | em
i | ee | the "ee" in week | dizer
o | unstressed | the "oo" in loot but shorter | corvo
ó | stressed o | the "o" in law | próprio
ô | o | the "o" in sore | avô
õ |  | close to "on" in French bon | canções
u | oo | the "oo" in look | usar

Chapter 3: Pronunciation Guide (2/2)

Consonant Sounds

Consonants |  | Sounds like | Examples
b |  | the"b" in boy | borba
c | hard before a,o,u | the"c" in car | carro
c | soft before e,i | the "s" in sand | certo
ç | soft before a,o,u | the "s" in sun | aço
d |  | the "d" in desk | dar
d | between vowels | the "th" in this | idade
f |  | the "f" in fit | penafiel
g | hard before a,o,u | the "g" in go | gato
g | soft, before e,i | the "s" in leisure | gente
gu | hard before a,o,u | the "g" in get | água
gu | soft before e and i | the "g" in guide | guia
qu | hard before a,o,u | the "qu" in quick | quando
qu | soft before e and i | the "qu" in quiche | que
h |  | silent at the start of a word |
j |  | the "su" in pleasure | já
l |  | the "l" in leap | alandroal
m |  | the "m" in money | mafra
n |  | the "n" in nine | alcanena
p |  | the "p" in port | porto
q |  | the "k" in kit | ourique
r | start of a word/before a nasal vowel | a rolled "r" similar to Spanish | rico
r | syllable coda/after consonant or non-nasal vowel | "dd" in ladder | Rio Maior
rr |  | trilled sound | ferro
s | start of a word, before s | the "s" in sun at the start of a word | si
s | before a voiceless consonant | the "sh" in she | estar
s | at the end of a word | the "sh" in she | dois
s | between vowels | the "z" in zoo | asa
t |  | the "t" in ten | tomar
v |  | the "v" in vine | viseu
x | word initial, after j | the "sh" in she | seixal
x | start of a word | before a vowel, the "s" in same | máximo
x | start of a syllable | the "z"  in zoo | Nazaré
x | middle of a word | between vowels, the "x" in taxi | taxi
z |  | the "z" in zest | luzes
z | end of a word | the "sh" in she | luz

Letter Combinations

Digraph | Context | English sounds | Example
ch |  | like "sh" in show | machico
sc | before e or i | like "sh" in she | descer
lh |  | like "lli" in million. | batalha
nh |  | like "ny" in canyon | cantanhede
gu | before e or i | like "g" in go. | felgueiras
| before a or o/ before e or i | like "Gw" in Gwen. | mortágua
qu | before e or i | like "k" in skip | monchique
| before a or o/ before e or i | like "qu" in quite. | quatro
rr | trilled sound | no equivalent | parra
ss |  | like "s" in since. | osso

Dipthongs

Dipthongs | Sounds like
au | "ow" in cow
ia | "ia" in Lydia
io | "ew" in new
ei | "ay" in play
oa | "oa" in boa
oe | "we" in wet
oi | "wee" in weed
ou | "oo" in look
ua | "wa" in water
ui | "we" in week

Chapter 4: Greetings and Basic Phrases

Bom dia! | bon DEE-ah | Good day!
Olá! | O-lá | Hello! (informal)
Como está? | KOH-moh ish-TAH? | How are you?
Então? tudo bem? (coll.-Port.) | eng-ta-ong? too-doo bah-ing? | So, what's up?
Oi! e aí? (colloquial-Brazil) | oy? ee ah-ee | So, what's up?
Tudo Bem. | TOO-do BENG | Everything is fine.
Bem/muito bem | Baing/moo-ee-toh baing | Well/Very well.
Bem, obrigado/a | BENG, ob-ree-GAH-doo/dah | Fine, thank you
Mal/muito mal | Mao/moo-ee-toh mao | Bad/Very bad.
Mais ou menos | Ma-eece oh meh-nos | More or less, so-so
Obrigado. (if you're a man) | ob-ree-GAH-doo | Thank you.
Obrigada.(if you're a woman) | ob-ree-GAH-dah | Thank you.
De nada | je NAH-dah | You're welcome.
Como está? | KOH-moh ish-TAH? | How are you?
Como vai? | Coh-moh vye?" | How's it going?
Como se chama? | KOH-moh se SHA-ma? | What is your name?
(O) meu nome é ______ | (oh) mew NOME ey _____ | My name is ______
Muito prazer em conhecê-lo | MOOY-to pra-ZEHR eng koh-nye-SEH-lo | Nice to meet you.
Sim. | SEE (Portugal)/SEEN (Brazil) | Yes.
Não. | NOWNG | No.
Desculpe. | desh-KULP (Port)/desh-KUL-pay(Brazil) | I'm sorry.
Com licença! | co-lee-sensah | Excuse me.
Não faz mal! | nah-fash-mahl | No problem./No worries.
Está bem! | tah baing | It's okay./That's enough.
Por favor | pohr fa-VOHR | Please
Até logo. | ah-TEH LOH-goo | See you later.
Até mais! | ah-tay myee-sh | See you soon.
Adeus! | uh-DEOOSH | Goodbye!
Tchau! | CHOW | Goodbye! (informal)
Não falo Português. | NOWNG fah-loo por-too-GEZH | I can't speak Portuguese.
Fala Inglês? | fah-lah ing-GLEZH? | Do you speak English?
Socorro! | soo-KOO-hoo! | Help!
Bom dia! | bon DEE-ah | Good day!
Boa tarde! | bo-ah/TARD(Port) /TAR-day(Brazil) | Good evening!
Boa noite! | bo-ah NOIT(Port)/NOI-chay(Brazil) | Good night!
Não sei! | naw say | I don't know
Não compreendo. | NOWNG kom-pre-EN-doo | I don't understand it.
Não percebi! | naw pehr-say-bee | I didn't understand it.
Não entendo! (Brazil) | naw en-tehn-doo | I don't understand it.
Não entendi! (Brazil) | naw en-tehn-chee | I didn't understand it.
Pode repetir? | pod ray-peh-teer? | Could you repeat, please?

Chapter 5: Portuguese Numbers (Números)

Numbering Rules

Numbers from zero to fifteen are specific words that must be memorized: (0)zero. (1)  um, (2) dois,  (3) três,  (4) quatro, (5)  cinco,  (6) seis, (7) sete,  (8) oito, (9) nove, (10) dez, (11) onze, (12) doze, (13) treze, (14) catorze, (15) quinze.

Numbers from sixteen to nineteen are obtained by combining ten and the unit: (10 and 6) dezasseis, (10 and 7) dezassete, (10 and 8) dezoito, and (10 and 9) dezanove.

Except for 10 and 20, the names of the tens are derived from the unit’s root: (10) dez, (20) vinte, (30) trinta, (40) quarenta., (50) cinquenta, (60) sessenta, (70) setenta, (80) oitenta and (90) noventa.

The same rule applies when naming the hundreds: (100) cem/centos (plural), (200) duzentos, (300) trezentos, (400) quatrocentos, (500) quinhentos, (600) seiscentos, (700) setecentos, (800) oitocentos, and (900) novecentos.

An “e” (and) is used to connect tens and units (trinta e dois, 32) and hundred and tens (duzentos trinta e dois, 232). It is not, however, used to link thousands and hundreds except when the number ends with 2 zeroes (quarto mil e duzentos – 4,200). Thousands and units are also linked by “e” (dois mil e quarto – 2004).

In Portuguese you separate the thousands from the hundred and the millions from the thousands with a period or “pontos” while you set the decimal numbers apart with a comma or “vírgulas”. Hence:

English -> Portuguese

23,253,215.54 -> 23.253.215,54

Cardinal Numbers

0 | zero | (zeh-ro)
1 | um (m) uma (f) | um (oon) / uma (oo-mah)
2 | dois (m) duas (f) | (doh-eesh) / duas (doo-ash)
3 | três | (treh-sh) or (tray-eess -Brazil)
4 | quarto | (kwa-troo)
5 | cinco | (cin-koo)
6 | seis | (say-eesh)
7 | sete | (set) or (se-chee -Brazil)
8 | oito | (oy-too)
9 | nove | (noh-vee)
10 | dez (uma dezena) | (desh) or (day-iss - Brazil)
11 | onze | (on-zee)
12 | doze (uma dúzia) | (doh-zee)
13 | treze | (tray-zee)
14 | quatorze, catorze | (ka-tor-zee)
15 | quinze | (keen-zee)
16 | dezesseis | (deh-zah-say-eesh) / (deh-zeh-seiss-Brazil.)
17 | dezessete | (deh-zah-set) / (chee-zeh-seh-chee-Brazil)
18 | dezoito | (deh-zoy-too) / (chee-zoy-too - Brazil)
19 | dezenove | (deh-zah-nov) / (chee-zeh-noh-vee - Brazil)
20 | vinte | (veent) or (veen-tchee) in Brazil
21 | vinte e um (m) vinte e uma (f) | (veent e oon/oo-mah)
30 | trinta | (treen-tah)
31 | trinta e um (m) trinte e uma (f) | (treen-tah e oon/oo-mah)
32 | trinta e dois (m) trinta e duas | (treen-tah e doh-eesh/doo-ash)
40 | quarenta | (kwa-ren-tah)
50 | cinqüenta | (cin-kwen-tah)
60 | sessenta | (seh-sen-tah)
70 | setenta | (seh-tayn-tah)
80 | oitenta | (oy-tayn-tah)
90 | noventa | (noo-vayn-tah)
100 | cem (uma centena) | (saing] or [seh-ing] in Brazil)
101 | cento e um (m) cento e uma (f) | (cen-too e oon or cen-too e oo-mah)
200 | duzentos (m) duzentas (f) | (doo-zayn-toosh)
300 | trezentos (m) trezentas (f) | (treh-zayn-toosh)
400 | quatrocentos (m) quatrocentas (f) | (kwa-tro-cen-toos)
500 | quinhentos (m) quinhentas (f) | (keen-nyientoosh)
600 | seiscentos (m) seiscentas (f) | (seh-eesh-cen-toosh]
700 | setecentos (m) setecentas (f) | (seh-tay-cen-toosh
800 | oitocentos (m) oitocentas (f) | (oy-toh-cen-toosh
900 | novecentos (m) novecentas (f) | (noh-vay-cen-toosh)
1000 | mil (um milhar) | (meal) or (mee-oo) in Braz
1100 | mil e cem | (meal e saing) or (mee-oo she-ing - Brazil)
1200 | mil e duzentos | (meal e doo-zayn-toosh)
1235 | mil duzentos e trinta e cinco | (meal doo-zayn-toosh e treen-tah e cin-koo)
2000 | dois mil (m) duas mil (f) | (doh-eesh mil / (doo-ash meal)
1300 | mil e trezentos | (meal e treh-zayn-toosh)
1 million | um milhão | (ung mee-lyee-aung)
2 million | dois milhões | (doh-eesh mee-lyee-oingsh)
3 million | três milhões | (traysh mee-lyee-oingsh)
1 billion | um bilhão / um bilhão  (Brazil) | (ung bee-lyee-aung)
1 billion | dois biliões | (doh-eesh bee-lyee-oingsh)

Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal numbers follow the rules governing adjectives. When referring to feminine pronoun, for instance, ordinal numbers take an –a ending.

Examples:

a primeira filha -> the first daughter

o primeiro namorado -> the first boyfriend

When necessary, ordinal numbers may take plural endings.

Examples:

os primeiros anos -> the first years

os primeiros passos -> the first steps

When indicating a century, Portuguese speakers would not normally use the ordinal numbers. Instead, it is more common to hear “o século vinte e um” (the century 21) than “o vigésimo primeiro século ” (the 21st century). In Portuguese, centuries are written in Roman numerals. Hence, the 21st century is expressed as “o século XXI”.

The ordinal numbers usually precede the noun they modify.

Ordinal Numbers:

1st | primeiro | pre-may-roh
2nd | segundo | seh-goon-doh
3rd | terceiro | ter-say-roh
4th | quarto | ku-ar-toh
5th | quinto | keen-toh
6th | sexto | says-toh
7th | sétimo | seh-chee-moh
8th | oitavo | oy-tah-voh
9th | nono | noh-nu
10th | décimo | dess-ee-moh
11th | décimo primeiro | dess-ee-moh-pre-may-roh
12th | décimo Segundo | dess-ee-moh-seh-goon-doh
13th | décimo terceiro | dess-ee-moh-ter-say-roh
14th | décimo quarto | dess-ee-moh-ku-ar-toh
15th | décimo quinto | dess-ee-moh-keen-toh
16th | décimo sexton | dess-ee-moh-says-toh
17th | décimo sétimo | dess-ee-moh-she-chee-moh
18th | décimo oitavo | dess-ee-moh-oy-tah-voh
19th | décimo nono | dess-ee-moh-noh-nu
20th | vigésimo | vee-gess-ee-moh
30th | trigésimo | tree-gess-ee-moh
40th | quadragésimo | kuah-dra-gess-ee-moh
50th | qüinquagésimo | ku-een-ku-ah-gess-ee-moh
60th | sexagésimo | says-tah-gess-ee-moh
70th | septuagésimo | sep-too-ah-gess-ee-moh
80th | octogésimo | ock-tah-gess-ee-moh
90th | nonagésimo | noh-nah-gess-ee-moh
100th | centésimo | sen-tess-ee-moh

Chapter 6: Months, Days, and Seasons

Months of the Year (Os meses do ano)

janeiro | January
fevereiro | February
março | March
abril | April
maio | May
junho | June
julho | July
agosto | August
setembro | September
outubro | October
novembro | November
dezembro | December

Days of the Week (Os dias da semana)

domingo | Sunday
segunda-feira | Monday
terça-feira | Tuesday
quarta-feira | Wednesday
quinta-feira | Thursday
sexta-feira | Friday
sábado | Saturday

The seasons of the Year (As estações do ano)

primavera | spring
verão | summer
outono | autumn/fall
inverno | winter

Chapter 7: Time and Date (Hora e Data)

Asking the time

To ask for time, you can use any of the following questions and they all mean “What time is it?”

Que horas são?

Por favor, que horas são?

Que hora é ele?

To ask for time in a more formal manner:

Você sabe que horas são?

Telling Time

Telling time in Portuguese is quite simple and a lot like telling time in English. Just say the "hour number, the word “e” (and), and the minute number. Hence, to say 7:20:

São sete (horas) e vinte (minutos). -> It’s seven twenty.

Take note that the horas and minutes are optional.

To express an exact hour:

São seis horas./São seis horas em ponto.

It’s six o’clock./It’s 6:00 sharp.

Time is always expressed in the plural except when it is at one o’clock when you have to say “É uma hora.”For the rest, you’ll use “São”. Both are forms of the verb “ser” (to be).

To express “half an hour”, you will use the expression “e meia”. Hence:

São sis e meia. -> It’s 6:30.

To tell time after the half hour, it is more common to say the remaining minutes before the approaching hour and to use the expression “para as” before the coming hour.

Example:

São vinte para as seis. -> It’s twenty to six.

São cinco para as sete. -> It’s five to seven.

To express time which is not specific, you can use the following expressions:

É meio-dia. -> It's noon.

É meia-noite. -> It's midnight.

Instead of using “am” or “pm” to describe the specific time, it is more common to use the expressions “da manhã” (in the morning), “da tarde” (in the afternoon), or da noite”(of the evening). To state an event that will occur at an exact time, the preposition “às” which means “at” is used before the hour.

Example:

O jogo começa às 7:00 da manhã. -> The game stars at 7:00 in the morning.

To state that an event will begin and end at a certain time, you use the expression “das (horas) (horas)” or “das (horas) até as (horas)”.

O jogo será das 7:00 até às 9:00.

The game will be from seven to nine

O jogo será das 7:00 até às 9:00.

The game will be from seven till seven.

Time -> Expression -> English

11:5o a.m. -> São dez para as doze. -> It's ten to twelve.

2:15 a.m. -> São dois e quinze. -> It's quarter pass two.

7:10 a.m. -> sete seis. -> It's ten past seven.

1:25 p.m. -> Um venti e cinco da tarde. -> It's one twenty five pm.

at 8 (sharp) -> Em oito. -> It's 8 o'clock.

9:30 p.m. -> São nove e meia. -> It's nine and a half.

It is also common for people to use the 24-hour format, which is just a matter of subtracting 12 hours from the given time to get the usual 12-hour format.

For example:

São quinze e vinte e dois. -> It’s three twenty-two PM.

São dezenove e quinze. -> It’s seven fifteen PM.

uma reunião | a meeting
um compromisso | an appointment
uma consulta | a consultation
um encontro | a date
o relógio | the clock/the watch

O ônibus passa às sete e venti e cinco.  There is a bus at seven twenty-five.

Minha aula começa às oito e meia.  My classes begin at 8:30.

Writing Dates

To write dates in Portuguese, you have to write in this order: the day first, the month, and then the year. To write the date in the long format, you will use the preposition “de” (of) between the day and the month. Remember to always write the year in full. Dates are never separated by a comma.

Examples:

24 abril 2015

25 de dezembro 2015

Time Expressions:

agora | now
depois | later
antes | before
manhã | morning
tarde | afternoon
fim de tarde | evening
hoje | today
ontem | yesterday
amanhã | tomorrow
esta semana | this week
semana passada | last week
próxima semana | next week

Chapter 8: Colors in Portuguese (Cores)

Like other adjectives, most colors in Portuguese must change their ending to agree with the number and gender of the noun they describe. Adjectives ending in –o must change to an –a ending when describing a feminine noun. Adjectives ending in –a need not change to –o when describing a masculine noun. When forming plural, most adjectives add an –s to the singular form.

Examples:

a casa branca | the white house
as casas amarelas | the yellow houses
o envelope verde | the green envelope
os carros azuis | the blue cars.

Most common colors:

vermelho (ver-MEH-lyoo) | red
azul (ah-ZOOL), pl. azuis (ah-ZOOEYSH) | blue
amarelo (ah-mah-REH-loo) | yellow
laranja (lah-RANG-jah) | orange
verde (VEHR-deh (Port.) | green
verde VEHR-day (Brazil) | green
verde VEHR-jay (Rio)) | green
castanho (cah-STAHN-yo) | brown
preto (PREH-too) | black
branco (BRAHNG-koo) | white
cinzento (see-ZHEN-toh) | gray
violeta (vee-oh-LAY-tah) | purple

Chapter 9: Word Order

The basic word order in Portuguese is similar to English: Subject-Verb-Object. Portuguese, however, is more flexible than English and it’s not unusual to see non-subject words at the beginning of a sentence.

The subject-verb-object word order can be used when forming statements, direct questions, indirect questions, and negative statements.

Statements

A statement is used when expressing an event or a fact. It uses the Subject-Verb-Object pattern. Take a look at a basic statement in Portuguese:

, | Subject | Verb | Object | Prepositional Phrase
Portuguese | Nós | comemos | bolo | na festa.
English | We | ate | cake | at the party.
Portuguese | Ele | tem | um trabalho | na França.
English | He | has | a job | in France.

Just by using this simple word order, you can easily form your own sentences in Portuguese.

Direct Questions

Forming a simple direct question is just as easy. All you have to do is use a question word and follow it with a statement using the subject-verb-object order.

First, here are common question words in Portuguese:

Quem | Who
Qual | What
O que | What
Onde | Where
Quando | When
Por que | Why
De quem | Whose
Com quem | With whom
Sobre quem | About whom
Quantos | How many
À que horas | At what time
Por que não | Why not
Qual | Which one
Aonde | To where
A quem | To whom
Para onde | To where
De onde | From where
Quanto | How much
Por que você não | Why don’t you

| Question Word | Subject | Verb | Object
Portuguese | Onde | ele | compra | livros?
English | Where | does he | buy | books?
Portuguese | O que | ela | faz | na Franca?
English | What | does she | do | in France?

When speaking, you must raise your intonation at the end of the question.

Indirect Questions

In Portuguese, indirect questions follow the same word order as statements but they end with a question mark amk end with a rising intonation. Portuguese indirect questions do not start with a verb unlike those in English.

Here are some examples of indirect questions:

| Subject | Verb | Object | Prep. Phrase
Portuguese | Ele | tem | um trabaho | na Franca?
English | Does he | have | a job | in France?
Portuguese | Nós | comemos | bolo | na festa?
English | Did we | eat | cake | at the party?

Negative sentences

A negative sentence expresses denial or disagreement. To form negative sentences, the word order remains the same but this time, a negative word is placed before the verb.

Negative words:

não | no, don’t
ninguém | nobody, (not) anybody
nada | nothing, (not) anything
nenhum(a) | no, none
nem | nor
tampouco | neither, either
nem...nem | neither... nor
nunca, jamais | never, ever
nem sequer | not even

Here are some examples:

Subject | Negative | Verb | Object/Prep. Phrase
Nós | não | estamos comendo | bolo.
We | are not | eating | cake.
Eu | não | estou lendo | um livro.
I | am no | reading | a book.

Descriptive sentences

There is a big difference between English and Portuguese in word order when it comes to sentences with descriptive words. In English, adjectives are placed before the noun. In Portuguese, they are placed after the noun.

Here are some examples of sentences with two adjectives. Take note of the placement of the first adjective.

| Subject+Adjective | Verb | Adjective
Portuguese | O carro azul | é | caro.
English | The blue car | is | expensive.
Portuguese | O rapaz alto | é | inteligente.
English | The tall boy | is | intelligent.

Chapter 10: Capitalization and Punctuation

Portuguese and English differ in several aspects of capitalization and punctuation. Here are basic Portuguese rules on capitalization and punctuation:

The following are capitalized:

Personal names

holidays

abbreviations

names of places

The days of the week are not capitalized on Portuguese.

Seasons of the year are capitalized in Portuguese.

In general, words that indicate nationalities are not capitalized.

Months of the year and academic subjects are capitalized in European Portuguese but not in Brazilian Portuguese.

Dates are not separated by a comma. For example:30 de Maio de 2015.

Punctuation Marks (Pontuação)

Sign | Name
(.) | ponto (period)
(,) | Vírgula (comma)
(;) | Ponto e vírgula (semi-colon)
(:) | dois pontos (colon)
(?) | Ponto de interrogação (Question mark)
(!) | Ponto de exclamação (Exclamation mark)
(...) | Reticências (Suspension points)
("...") | Aspas (Inverted commas)
(...) | Parênteses  (Brackets)
(-) | Travessão (Dash)

Chapter 11: Articles (Artigos)

Articles define the specificity or non-specificity of a noun. Unlike their equivalent in English, Portuguese articles agree with the number and gender of the noun they modify.

There are two main categories of articles: the definite articles and the indefinite articles. The definite articles are the equivalent of “the” in English while the indefinite articles are the equivalent of “a”, “an”, “any”, “the” or “some”.  There are four definite articles and indefinite articles which correspond to the masculine and feminine gender as well as to the singularity or plurality of a noun.

Articles almost always precede a noun and it is not usual for Portuguese sentences to start with a noun. Definite articles, in particular, are more frequently used in Portuguese than in English. It’s common to see definite articles before nouns referring to subjects like “a história”(History) or “a biologia” (Biology) in Portuguese. Definite articles are likewise prevalently used before proper nouns for people or places. Thus, it is common to see “os Estados Unidos” (the United States) or “o Francisco” (the Francisco). The use of definite articles before a proper noun is mostly defined by tradition. For instance, they are never used with proper nouns like Portugal, Timor, Mocambique, Angola or Cabo Verde.

Here are the articles and examples of their usage:

The definite articles (artigos definidos)

5Gender | Meaning | Singular | Plural
Masculine | the | o | os
Feminine | the | a | as

Examples:

o banho | the bath
a comida | the food
os gatos | the cats
as flores | the flowers

The indefinite articles (artigos indefinidos)

Gender | Meaning | Singular | Plural
Masculine | a, an, some | um | uns
Feminine | a, an, some | uma | umas

Examples:

um livro | a book
uns carros | some cars
uma bebida | a drink
umas cortinas | some curtains

Chapter 12: Nouns (Substantivos)

Nouns are words that name persons, things, places, ideas, or events. Nouns may be masculine or feminine and singular or plural. Modifiers like adjectives and articles must agree with the gender and number of the noun they modify.

Gender of Nouns

There are only two genders in Portuguese: the masculine and feminine genders.  In many cases, it is possible to determine a noun’s gender by its ending. Here are guidelines for identifying whether a noun is masculine or feminine:

Masculine Nouns

Nouns ending in an unstressed –o are generally masculine.

0 ano | the year
o tio | the uncle
o carro | the car
o primo | the cousin
o amigo | the male friend
o marido | the husband

Exception: a foto (the photo), a tribo (the tribel)

There are groups of masculine nouns that end with –a :

In general, nouns ending in a stressed –a are masculine

o gala | the leading man
o imã | the magnet
o chá | the tea
o talisman | the talisman
o pá | shovel, mate
o cardigan | the cardigan
o sofá | the sofa

Exception: a lã (the wool), a maçã (the apple)

Masculine nouns ending in an unstressed –a:

o guia | the guide
o mapa | the map
o planeta | the planet
o dia | the day

Portuguese nouns ending in –ma which are of Greek origin are masculine nouns:

o sistema | the system
o programma | the program
o telefonema | the telephone call
o drama | the drama
o diagram | the diagram
o miasma | the decay
o clima | the climate

In general, nouns which end in –me are masculine.

o nome | the name
o legume | the vegetable
o costume | the custom
o volume | the volume
o uniforme | the uniform
o cume | the top, summit
o exame | the exam
o lume | the fire, the light
o queixume | the lament

Exceptions: a vexame (the shame or disgrace), a fome (the hunger)

In general, nouns ending in –r are masculine.

o prazer | the  pleasure
o colar | the necklace
o motor | the motor
o lar | the home
o andar | the floor, storey
o humor | the humor
o ar | the air
o par | the pair, couple
o ardor | the ardour, passion
o furor | the fury, rage
o aspirador | the vacuum cleaner
o mar | the sea
o bar | the bar

Exceptions: a colher (the spoon), a mulher (the woman), a dor (the pain)

Nouns ending in –l are masculine.

o caracol | the snail
o hotel | the hotel
o hospital | the hospital
o canil | the kennel
o mel | the honey
o casal | the couple
o perfil | the profile
o fossil | the fossil
o reptile | the reptile
o anel | the ring
o lençol | the sheet
o futebol | the football
o painel | the panel, picture
o fuzil | the rifle
o papel | the paper
o textile | the textile

Nouns which end in –m are masculine.

o trem | the train
o patim | the skate
o jardim | the garden
o capim | the grass
o talharim | the tagliatelle or noodles

Some masculine nouns may apply to feminine nouns.

o cônjuge | the spouse
o animal | the animal
o indivíduo | the individual
o anjo | the angel

Feminine Nouns

Nouns ending in –ade and –ide are feminine.

a cidade | the city
a juventude | the youth
a amizade | the friendship
a virtude | the virtue
a igualdade | the equality
a tranquilidade | the tranquillity
a piedade | the pity
a nacionalidade | the nationality
a prioridade | the priority
a universidade | the university

Nouns which end in –gem are feminine

a margem | the margin
a engrenagem | the car’s gear
a paragem | the stop
a homenagem | the tribute, homage
a ferragem | the hardwear
a viagem | the journey
a folhagem | the foliage
a malandragem | the cunning, double-dealing

Nouns which end in -são, –ção, –gião or – stão which correspond the English suffixes –sion, -tion, -gion, or –stion are feminine

a intenção | the intention
a mansão | the mansion
a erudição | the learning
a evasão | the evasion
a lição | the lesson
a nação | the nation
a ilustração | the illustration
a razão | the reason
a congestão | the congestion
a posição | the position
a religião | the religion
a imitação | the imitation
a confusão | the confusion
a ilusão | the illusion
a decisão | the decision
a região | the region
a combustão | the combustion
a sessão | the session

Exception: o coração (the heart)

Nouns which end in –cie are feminine.

a planície | the plain
a imundície | the filth
a superfície | the surface
a velhice | the old age
a meninice | the childhood

Some feminine nouns may apply to masculine gender.

a besta | the beast, animal
a vítima | the victim
a criança | the child
a testemunha | the witness
a pessoa | the person

Nouns ending in –e, z, and ão are either masculine or feminine

Since it’s not possible to determine the gender by the noun’s ending, it will be necessary to familiarize yourself with the gender of nouns with –e, -z, and –ão ending. Here are some nouns with these endings:

Nouns ending in –e

Masculine Nouns ending in –e

o envelope | the envelope
o peixe | the fish
o chicote | the whip
o cárcere | the prison
o leste | the east
o cheque | the cheque
o recorte | the cutting, clip
o desfile | the procession
o pé | the foot
o esmalte | the nail polish
o sangue | the blood
o ente | the being
o satellite | the satellite
o gabinete | the office
o traje | the dress, suit
o limite | the limit
o resgate | the ransom
o monte | the hill, pile
o parente | the relative

Feminine Nouns Ending in –e

a greve | the strike
a frase | the sentence
a mercê | the mercy
a tarde | the afternoon
a lente | the lens
a frente | the front
a massacre | the massacre
a gafe | the gaffe
a mare | the tide

Nouns which end in –z

Masculine nouns ending in -z

o xadrez | the chess
o xerez | the sherry
o cartaz | the bill, poster
o arroz | the rice

Feminine nouns ending in –z

a palidez | the paleness
a luz | the light
a matriz | the mould, womb
a maciez | the softness

Nouns ending in –ão

Masculine Nouns ending in –ão

o trovão | the thunder
o avião | the aeroplane
o travão | the brake
o escorregão | the slip-up
o volcão | the volcano
o pão | the bread

Feminine nouns ending in –ão

a vastidão | the immensity
a escuridão | the darkness
a mão | the hand
a escravidão | the slavery

Irregular Masculine and Feminine Nouns

Nationalities, Professions, relatives, animals, titles

poet | o poeta | poet | a poetisa
judge | o juiz | judge | a juiza
champion | o campeão | champion | a campeã
citizen | o cidadão | citizen | a cidadã
Jew | o judeu | Jew | a judeia
German | o alemão | German | a alemã
European | o europeu | European | a europeia
Catalan | o catalão | Catalan | a catalã
hero | o herói | heroine | a heroina
father | o pai | mother | a mãe
grandfather | o avô | grandmother | a avó
husband | o marido | wife | a esposa
father-in-law | o sogro | mother-in-law | a sogra
son-in-law | o genro | daughter-in-law | a genra
brother | o irmão | sister | a irmã
stepfather | o padrasto | stepmother | a madrasta
boy | o rapaz | girl | a rapariga (Pt)
actor | o ator | actress | a atriz
ambassador | o embaixador | ambassador | a embaixatriz
monk | o monge | nun | a monja
king | o rei | queen | a rainha
prince | o príncipe | princess | a princesa
duke | o duque | duchess | a duquesa
count | o conde | countess | a condesa
baron | o barão | baroness | a baronesa
gentleman | o cavaleiro | lady | a dama
bull/cow | o boi | bull/cow | a vaca
cock | o galo | hen | a galinha
dog | o cão | bitch | a cadela/ cachorra

Chapter 13: Invariable Nouns

Some nouns don’t change in form whether they refer to male or female. Their gender is determined by the definite or indefinite article placed before them.

o/a criança | the child
o/a camarada | the comrade
o/a cobra | the snake
o/a colega | the colleague, classmate
o/a guia | the guide
o/a carioca | the Rio de Janeiro native
o/a indígena | the indigenous people
o/a cliente | the customer, client
o/a patriota | the patriot
o/a jovem | the young person
o/a homicídio | the homicide
o/a burocrata | the bureaucrat
o/a suicídio | the suicide, murdered person
o/a taxista | the taxi driver
o/a democrata | the democrat
o/a gerente | the manager, boss
o/a canadense | the Canadian
o/a cadete | the cadet
o/a estadunense | the American
o/a estudante | the student
o/a timorense | the Timorese
o/a intérprete | the interpreter
o/a artista | the artist
o/a tenista | the tennis player
o/a motorista | the driver
o/a doente | the ill person, invalid

Forming Plural Nouns

In general, Portuguese nouns form their plural by changing the ending of the noun’s singular form. Following are the rules which govern the change in the noun’s ending to form the plural: 

Nouns ending in a vowel

Nouns ending in a vowel form their plural by adding –s to the singular form.

a amiga (friend) -> as amigas (the friends)

o ovo (the egg) -> os ovo (the eggs)

o peru (the turkey) -> os perus (the turkeys)

a árvore (the tree) -> as árvores (the trees)

Nouns ending in diphthongs likewise form their plural by adding s. The exceptions are nouns ending in –ão,

o judeu (the Jew) -> os judeus (the Jews)

o boi (the ox) -> os bois ( the oxen)

o herói (the hero) -> os heróis (the heroes)

o céu (the sky) -> os cues (the skies)

a lei (the law)              -> as leis (the laws)

Nouns ending in –m

Nouns which end in –m form their plural by changing –m to –n and adding s

o homem (the man) -> homens (the men)

a paisagem (the landscape) -> as paisagens(the landscapes)

a margem (the margin) -> as margens (the margins)

o jardim (the garden) -> os jardins (the gardens)

Nouns ending in –n

Nouns which end in –n form their plural by adding –s

o germen (the germ) -> os germens (the germs)

Nouns ending in –r or –z

Nouns with –r or –z ending form their plural by adding –es

a mulher (the woman) -> as mulheres (the women)

o rapaz (the boy) -> os rapazes (the boys)

o motor (the motor) -> os motores (the motors)

a colher (the spoon) -> as colheres (the spoons)

o cartaz (the poster) -> os cartazes (the posters)

a atriz (the actress) -> as atrizes (the actresses)

Nouns ending in –s

When the stress falls on the last syllable, nouns which end in –s form their plural by adding –es.

o país (the country) -> os países (the countries)

o dues (the god) -> os deuses (the gods)

o mês(the month) -> os meses (the months)

Take note that the noun drops the circumflex when it forms the plural. This rule works with nouns of many nationalities:

o ingles (the English) -> os ingleses (the English)

o francês (the French) -> os franceses (the French)

o português (the Portuguese) -> os portugueses (the Portuguese)

o chinês (the Chinese) -> os chineses (the Chinese)

If the stress falls on a syllable other than the final syllable, nouns ending in –s retain the singular form and are only modified by the accompanying article.

o lapis (the pencil) -> os lapis (the pencils)

o atlas (the atlas) -> os atlas (the atlases)

o alferes (the lieutenant) -> os alferes (the lieutenants)

o virus(the virus) -> os virus (the viruses)

Nouns ending in –l

Just like nouns which end in –s, the plural formation of nouns ending in –l depends on the location of the stress. Here are the rules for this group of nouns:

Nouns ending in –al

When the stress falls invariably on the last syllable, nouns ending in –al form their plural by dropping –al and replacing it with –ais.

o jornal (the newspaper) -> os jornais (the newspapers)

o material (the material) -> os materiais (the materials)

o general (the general) -> os generais (the generals)

Nouns ending in -el

If the stress falls on the last syllable, nouns which end in –el form their plural by dropping –el and replacing it with –eis. In addition, the plural form is indicated by an acute accent on the last syllable.

o papel (the paper) -> os papéis (the papers)

o hotel (the hotel) -> os hotéis (the hotels)

o pastel (the cake) -> os pasties (the cakes)

When the stress is not on the last syllable, nouns ending in –el form their plural by adding –eis. The acute mark, however, is not placed on the stressed syllable.

o tunnel (the tunnel) -> os túneis (the tunnels)

o telemóvel ( the mobile phone) -> os telemóveis (the mobile phones)

Nouns ending in –il

When the stress is on the last syllable, nouns which end in –il drop the –l and add –s to form the plural.

o funil (the funnel) -> os funis (the funnels)

ofuzil (the rifle) -> os fuzis (the rifles)

o canil (the kennel) -> os canis (the kennels)

If the stress is not on the last syllable, nouns which end in –il form their plural by replacing –il with –eis.

o fossil (the fossil) -> os fósseis (the fossils)

o textile (the textile) -> os têxteis (the textiles)

o reptile (the reptile) -> os répteis (the reptiles)

Exceptions:

O mal(the evil) -> os males (the evils)

O consul (the consul) -> os cônsules (the consuls)

Nouns which end in –x

If the stress is on the penultimate syllable, the plural form of nouns ending in –x is the same as their singular form.

o tórax (the thorax) -> os thoraxes (the thoraxes)

o clímax (the climax) -> os climax (the climaxes)

Nouns ending in -ão

In most cases, the plural of nouns ending in –ão is formed by replacing –ão with –ões.

o camião (the lorry) -> os camiões (the lorries)

o avião (the airplane) -> os aviões (the airplanes)

o limão (the lemon) -> os limões (the lemons)

The rule also applies to nouns with são or ção endings:

a cancão (the song) -> as cancões (the songs)

a decisão (the decision) -> as decisões (the decisions)

a obrigacão (the obligation) -> as obrigacões (the obligations)

a televiseão (the television) -> as televises (the televisions)

a nacão (the nation) -> as nacões (the nations)

a eleicão (the election) -> as eleicões (the elections)

There are, however, a few nouns with –ão ending that deviate from the above pattern and simply add –s to form their plural. Here is the list:

o irmão (the brother) -> os irmãos (the brothers)

a irmã (the sister) -> as irmãs (the sisters)

cidadão (male the citizen) -> os cidadãos (the male citizens)

a cidadã (the female citizen) -> as cidadãs (the female citizens)

o cristão (the male Christian) -> os cristãos (the female Christian)

a cristã (the male Christian) -> as cristãs (the female Christians)

a mão (the hand) -> as mãos (the hands)

Nouns with –ão ending which are not stressed on the last syllable likewise form the plural with an –s ending.

o sótão (the attic) -> os sótãos (the attics)

o órgão (the organ) -> os órãos (the organs)

o órfão (the orphan) -> os órfãos (the orphans)

Other nouns with –ão ending form their plural by adding –ães:

o escrivão (the scribe) -> os escrivães (the scribes)

o alemão (the German) -> os alemães (the Germans)

o sacristão (the sacristan) -> os sacristães (the sacristans)

o cão (the dog) -> os cães (the dogs)

o capitão (the captain) -> os capitães (captains)

Showing Possession

In English, the possessive is usually expressed by using an apostrophe and “s” (‘s) after the noun. Hence, to indicate that a car belongs to Michael, you’ll say: Michael’s car.

Portuguese nouns have no possessive case. To express possession, you will have to use the preposition “de” which means “of”. Hence, to say “Michael’s car” in Portuguese, you can use the phrase “o carro de Michael”. To be more precise, the ideal translation is “o carro do Michael” or “the car of the Michael”.  This is an example of how the preposition “de” contracts with the definite article “o” (the) to form “do” (of the).

Most Common Nouns in Portuguese

(the) afternoon | (a) tarde | (ah) tar-deh in EU
(the) afternoon | (a) tarde | (ah) tar-tchee in BR
(the) congratulations | (os) parabéns | (oosh) pah-rah-baingsh
most (of) | a maioria (de) | ah may-oo-ree-ah
the (legal) right | o direito | oo dee-ray-ee-too
the arrival | a chegada | ah shay-gah-dah
the bad luck, the tough | (o) azar | oo ah-zahr
the bad thing | o mal | oo mahll
the balcony, counter | o balcão | oo bahl-kaong
the bath | o banho | oo bah-nyioo
the beginning | o princípio | oo preen-cee-peeoh
the bill | a conta | ah-kong-tah
the bus (Brazil) | o Ônibus | oo oh-nee-booss
the bus (in EU) | o autocarro | oo aoo-toh-car-roo
the card | o cartão | oo cahr-taong
the carefullness | o cuidado | oo-koo-ee-dah-doo
the change | o troco | oo troh-koo
the cold | o frio | oo free-oo
the corner | a esquina | ah sh-keen-ah
the couple | o casal | oo kah-zahl in EU
the couple | o casal | oo kah-zahoo in BR
the day | o dia | oo deer
the door | a porta | ah pohr-tah
the end | o fim | oo feeng
the era | a era | ah air-rah
the excuse | a desculpa | ah dsh-cool-pah
the favor | o favor | oo fah-vohr
the first | o primeiro | oo pree-mahee-roh
the flight | o vôo | oo voh-oo
the foot | o pé | oo peh
the fourth, the bedroom | o quarto | oo kwar-too
the front | a frente | ah-frayn-tt  EU
the front | a frente | [ah-frayn-tchee] BR
the glass | o copo | oo koh-poo
the go | a ida | ah ee-dah
the help | a ajuda | ah ah-joo-dah
the house, home | a casa | ah kah-sah
the hurry, the ruh | a pressa | ah pray-sah
the journey, trip | a viagem | ah vee-ah-jaying
the last (one) | o Último | oo ool-tee-moo in EU
the last (one) | o Último | oo ool-tchee-moo in BR
the left  side | o esquerdo | oo eesh-kayr-doo
the left  side | a esquerda | ah eesh-kayr-dah
the luck | a sorte | ah sohr-tt in EU
the luck | a sorte | ah sohr-tchee in BR
the man | o homem | oo oh-mayeen
the message | o recado | oo ray-kah-doo
the minute | o minuto | oo mee-noo-too
the money, cash | o dinheiro | oo dee-nyieh-ee-roh
the month | o mês | oo may-sh
the months | os meses | oosh may-say-sh
the name | o nome | oo noh-meh
the news | as novidades | ash noo-vee-dah-desh
the next, the following | o próximo | oo pro-see-moo
the night | a noite | ah noh-ee-
the number | o número | oo noo-may-roh
the people | a gente | ah jayn-tt  EU
the people | a gente | ah jayn-tt BR
the people | as pessoas | ash peh-soh-ash
the permission, the license | a licença | ah lee-sayn-sah
the plate, the dish | o prato | oo prah-too
the Portuguese | o português | oo poor-too-gay-sh
the problem | o problema | oh proh-blay-mah
the return, the going back | a volta | ah vohl-tah
the right side | a direita | ah dee-ray-ee-tah
the road, street | a rua | ah roo-ah
the side | o lado | oo lah-doo
the study | o estudo | oo sh-too-doo
the surname | o apelido | oo ah-peh-lee-doo
the thing | a coisa | ah koee-zah
the ticket | o bilhete | oo bee-lyieh-the
the time, hour | a hora | ah oh-rah
the time, the weather | o tempo | oo taym-poo
the timetable | o horário | oo oh-ráh-ree-oo
the traffic light | o semáforo | oo say-mah-foo-roh
the turn, the time | a vez | ah vaysh
the water | a Água | ah ah-goo-ah
the week | a semana | ah say-mah-nah
the wife | a mulher | ah moo-lyier
the woman | a mulher | ah moo-lyier
the word | a palavra | ah pah-lah-vrah
the work, assignment | o trabalho | oo trah-bah-lyioo
the years | os anos | oosh ah-noosh

Chapter 14: Pronouns (Pronomes)

Personal pronouns take the place of nouns and function as subject or object in a sentence or clause.

Subject Pronouns (Pronomes Pessoais)

Portuguese subject pronouns are often omitted in sentences because the verb itself conveys the information needed to identify the subject. For instance, if you say “Falo português”, you know that it means “I speak Portuguese” without having to write the pronoun “Eu” (I) at the start of the sentence.

Saying “you” in Portuguese

In English, the pronoun “you” is used to refer to the second person singular and plural. This is almost similar to how the pronouns você (you, singular) and vocês (you, plural) are used in Brazilian Portuguese. The use of “you” in European Portuguese, however, is more complex.

In Portugal, the familiar pronoun “tu” (you, singular) is used when talking to family and friends while the semi-formal form, “você” is used when addressing superior, older people, or people who have no close ties with the speaker.

European Portuguese likewise tend to use the name of the person rather than use the pronoun “you”. For instance, instead of telling Francis “Do you watch horror films?” they are more inclined to ask “Does Francis watch horror films?” Likewise, when addressing someone whose name is not known to the speaker, Portuguese are inclined to say “Is the lady okay?” or “Can the Mister help me?”.

Here are the Portuguese subject pronouns:

Subject Pronouns | English
eu | I
tu | you (familiar)
você | you (semiformal)
ele | he
ela | she
- | it
nós | we
vocês | you (plural)
eles | they (masculine)
elas | they (feminine)

Since there are only two genders in Portuguese, there is no equivalent pronoun for the English “it”.

The pronoun “eles”, the masculine form of they, is also used to refer to a group of mixed genders.

Examples:

(Eu) não falo Português. | I don’t speak Portuguese.
(Nós) somos dos Estados Unidos. | We are from the United States.
Ela é um grande professor. | She is a great teacher.
Você é um bom amigo. | You are a good friend.
Eles são generosos e carinho. | They are generous and caring.

Direct Object Pronouns

A direct object pronoun receives the action of the verb. In the English sentence “I met him”, the pronoun “him” functions as the direct object of the transitive verb “met”.

Here are the Portuguese Direct Object Pronouns:

Direct Object Pronouns | English
me | me
te | you (informal)
o | him/it
a | her/it
nos | us
vos/vocês | you (plural)
os | them (masculine)
as | them (feminine)

In European Portuguese, direct object pronouns follow the verb and are separated by a hypen.

Example:

Eu leio o livro.  Eu leio-o.             

I read the book. I read it.

Direct object pronouns however, must precede the verb when the verb follows the following:

a negative statement

Example:

A criança não o come.              A child doesn’t eat it.

adverbs like “sempre”, “também”,  "já", or “ainda” among others.

Example:

Nós sempre o comemos. We always eat it.

question words like quem, quando, onde, etc.

Example:

Quem lê o livro hoje? -> Who reads the book today?

Quem o lê hoje? -> Who reads it today?

relative pronouns such as “que” (who, which, that, whom), “onde” (where),  “quando” (when), etc.

Example:

Ela disse que comeu o pão. She said that she ate the bread.

Ella disse que o comeu. She said she ate it.

Prepositions:

Ela gosta de comer pão com queijo. -> She likes to eat bread with cheese.

Ela gosta de o comer com queijo. -> She likes eating it with cheese.

Chapter 15: Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns refer the action back to the subject and are used in sentences where the subject and object are the same. The sentence “I hurt myself” is an example of its use in English where the reflexive pronouns “myself” is also the subject. Reflexive pronouns can stand for the subject pronouns. The reflexive pronoun “se” refers back to the subject pronouns “ele”, “ela”, “você”, “eles”, “elas”,  “vocês”, “o senhor”, “a senhora”,  “os senhores” and “as senhoras”. They are also exactly parallel to object pronouns.

Reflexive pronouns are commonly used with reflexive verbs which are listed in the dictionary with a –se ending.

Here are the reflexive pronouns:

Subject | Reflexive | English
eu | me | myself
tu (Portugal only) | te | yourself (tu)
ele, ela, você | se | himself, herself, yourself
nós | nos | ourselves
vós (archaic) | vos | yourselves
eles, elas, vocês | se | themselves, yourselves

Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives

Possessive pronouns and adjectives are used to express ownership. Possessive describe, replace or accompany a noun. Possessive pronouns and adjectives are identical. Possesive adjectives are placed before the noun they modify while possessive pronouns replace a noun and are preceded by a definite article. Both must agree in number and gender with the object possessed and not with the possessor.

Examples:

Meu carro é caro. | My car is expensive.
Minhas casas são grande. | My houses are big.
O carro é o meu. | The car is mine.

Possessor | Possessed object
| Masculine | Feminine
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural
eu | meu | meus | minha | minhas
tu | teu | teus | tua | tuas
ele, ela, você | seu | seus | sua | suas
nós | nosso | nossos | nossa | nossas
vós | vosso | vossos | vossa | vossas
eles, elas, vocês | seu | seus | sua | suas

Demonstrative Pronouns and Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative words indicate the distance between the speaker and another noun or pronoun. They correspond to the English words “this”, “these”, “that”, and “those”.

Here are the demonstrative pronouns:

isto | this
istos | these
isso | that
issos | those
aquilo | that (over there)
aquilos | those (over there)

Examples:

O que é isso? -> What is that?

Estes são meus. -> These are mine.

Demonstrative adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives are used to modify nouns. You use them to express “this house” or “those books”. Demonstrative adjectives must match the gender and number of the noun they modify.

Demonstrative Adjectives

Masculine | Feminine | English
este | esta | this
estes | estas | these
esse | esse | that
esses | essas | those
aquele | aquela | that (over there)
aqueles | aquelas | those (over there

Examples:

Estes carros são caros. | These cars are expensive.
Essas casas são grandes e bela. | Those houses are big and beautiful.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are words you use when asking questions. They correspond to the English words “who”, “what”, “when”, “where”, “which”, “how”, and “why”.

Here are the interrogative pronouns in Portuguese:

quem? | who
quens? | who (plural)
que...? | what
quando? | when
por que...? | why
onde? | where
como? | how
qual? | which
quanto? | how much

When asking about two or more persons, you use the plural form “quens”, instead of “quem” (who).  For example, “Quem são essas pessoas?” (Who are those people?”

The pronoun “onde” (where) is commonly used with the prepositions “a” (to) and “de” (of/from). It contracts when used with “a” into “aonde” which means “to/at where”.  It is used to indicate direction or location. For instance, to express “to where are you going?”, you’ll say “Aonde você vai?”.

The pronoun “que” (what) is commonly used with the article “o” as a matter of practice. There is no difference in meaning whether you use “o” or not. For example, “o que dizem” means the same things as “o que dizem” (What are they saying?)

To ask “why?” as a single-word question, you’ll say “(o) por quê?”

Chapter 16: Adjectives (Adjetivos)

An adjective modify or describe a noun or a pronoun. Adjectives can be masculine or feminine and singular or plural depending on the gender or number of the noun they modify.

Adjectives commonly end in –o, -e, or a consonant.

When an adjective ends in –o, it can have four different forms:

caro (expensive)

| singular | plural
masculine | caro | caros
feminine | cara | caras

The masculine noun brinquedo (toy) can be described as “um brinquedo caro” (an expensive toy”) or “brinquedos caros”(expensive toys). To describe the feminine noun casa (house), you can say “uma casa cara” (an expensive house) or “casas caras” (expensive houses).

Adjectives ending in –e can have two forms, having similar forms for the masculine and the feminine and in the plural.

forte (strong)

| singular | plural
masculine | forte | fortes
feminine | forte | fortes

The noun homem (man) may thus be described as “um forte homem” (a strong man) or “os homens fortes” (the strong men). On the other hand, a mulher (woman) can be described as “a mulher forte” (the strong woman) or “mulheres fortes” (strong women).

Other Examples:

Este é um carro caro. (This is an expensive car.)

Ele é um homem humilde. (He is a humble man.)

Foi mais uma semana produtiva. (It was another productive week.)

Minha mãe é uma mulher carinhosa e amorosa. (My mother is a caring and loving woman.)

Foi mais uma semana produtiva. (It was another productive week.)

Minha mãe é uma mulher carinhosa e amorosa. (My mother is a caring and loving woman.)

In general, Portuguese adjectives come after the noun. There are, however, some exceptions. For instance, the irregular adjectives mau (bad) and bom (good) are nearly always placed before the noun. The adjective “grande” can take on a different meaning when placed before or after a noun. When it comes before the noun, “grande” means “great” but when placed after it, it means big or large. When placed before a noun, the adjective”bom” (good) ascribes good inner qualities to the noun being described while it means good-hearted when placed after it. Some adjectives may also be placed before the noun for style or emphasis.

Irregular Adjectives

Irregular adjectives have distinct forms to express the gender and number.

Adjectives with –m ending have similar forms for the masculine and feminine genders in both singular and plural. In addition, they change to –n before adding “s” to form the plural.

jovem (young)

| singular | plural
masculine | jovem | jovens
feminine | jovem | jovens

On the other hand, the adjective “ruin” (bad) has four distinct forms:

| singular | plural
masculine | ruim | ruins
feminine | ruina | ruinas

Likewise, the adjective “bom” (good) has four separate forms:

| singular | plural
masculine | bom | bons
feminine | boa | boas

Adjectives ending in-ão generally have four separate forms.

são (healthy/sane)

| singular | plural
masculine | são | sãos
feminine | sã | sãs

Past Participles as Adjectives

Adjectives derived from past participles are generally used in the passive voice.

As a verb, past participles have only one form. When used as an adjective, past participles take four distinct forms.

Endings of adjectives formed from past participles of –ar verbs

| singular | plural
masculine | -ado | -ados
feminine | -ada | -adas

Endings of adjectives formed from past participles of –er and –ir verbs

| singular | plural
masculine | -ido | -idos
feminine | -ida | -idas

Comparatives and Superlatives

In English, the comparative is formed by either adding –er to the ending of an adjective or by placing a modifier before the adjective. The superlative, on the other hand, is formed by adding –est to the adjective or placing a modifier before the adjective. Thus, small becomes smaller in the comparative and smallest in the superlative.

In Portuguese, the comparative is formed by using the following phrases:

tão+adjective+como -> as+adjective+as

mais+adjective+(do)que -> ___ - er than

Examples:

Marco é tão alto como Jeffrey. | Marco is as tall as Jeffrey.
Ricardo é mais alto do que Marco. | Ricardo is taller than Marco.
Regina é tão alta como Ricardo. | Regina is as tall as Ricardo.

To express the superlative, you have to use a definite article before “mais” and the adjective to mean that the noun being described is “the most ___”.

Examples:

Arturo é o mais alto. | Arturo is the tallest.
Carlota é o mais alta. | Carlota is the tallest.
Estes meninos são os mais altos. | These boys are the tallest.

Another way to emphasize a noun’s quality without resorting to comparison is by using the word “muito” (very) or by adding the –íssimo ending. Take note that    –íssimo also has four distinct forms: -íssimo, -íssima, -íssimos, and -íssimas.

Examples:

Cara é muito grande. | Cara is very big.
Cara é grandissima! | Cara is so big!
Renaldo é muito alto. | Renaldo is very tall.
Renaldo é altissimo! | Renaldo is so tall!

Irregular Comparative and Superlative Forms

There are several adjectives with irregular forms in the superlative and comparative. Some of the adjectives have both regular and irregular forms. The regular forms are used to describe physical qualities while the irregular forms are used for abstract descriptions.

adjective | comparative | superlative
bom(good) | melhor(better) | o melhor(the best)
mau(bad) | pior(worse) | o pior(the worst)
muito(much, many) | mais(more) | o mais(the most)
pouco(a few/a little) | menos(less) | o menos(the least)
alto(tall/high) | mais alto(taller/higher) | o mais alto the tallest, higher
alto(tall/high) | superior(higher) | o supremo(the highest)
baixo (short/low) | mais baixo (shorter/lower) | o mais baixo (the shortest, lowest)
baixo (short/low) | inferior(lower) | o ínfimo(the lowest)
grande (big/great) | mais grande(bigger/greater) | o mais grande(the biggest/greatest)
grande (big/great) | maior(bigger/older) | o maior(the biggest/oldest)
pequeno(little/small) | mais pequeno(smaller) | o mais pequeno(the smallest)
pequeno(little/small) | menor(smaller/younger) | o menor(the smallest/youngest)

Most Commonly Used Portuguese Adjectives

(the) worse | (o)pior/(os) piores | (oo) pee-ohr
open | aberto | ah-bayr-too
tall | alto | ahl-tooEU/ahoo-to BR
small (short in height) | baixo | bah-ee-shoo
cheap | barato | bah-rah-too
good | bom/boa/bons/boas | bong
pretty, beautiful | bonito | boo-nee-too
expensive, dear | caro | kah-roo
married | casado | kah-zah-doo
long (in lengh) | comprido | coom-pree-doo
short (in lengh) | curto | coor-too
direct | directo | dee-reh-too
(legal) right | direito | dee-ray-too
right (hand), straight | direito | dee-ray-too
left hand | esquerdo | eesh-kehr-doo
closed | fechado | fay-shah-doo
ugly | feio | fay-eeoo
cold | frio | free-oo
big, large | grande/grandes | gran-deh EU/gran-chee BR
long | longa | lon-gah
far (from) | longe (de) | lon-gee
fully booked (e.g. hotel) | lotado | loo-tah-doo
packed with people | lotado | loo-tah-doo
bad | mau/má/maus/más | maaooh
better | melhor/melhores | may-lyiohr
new, young | novo | noh-voo
small, short | pequeno | pay-kay-noo
near, close (to) | perto (de) | pehr-too
hot, warm | quente | kayn-the EU/kayn-chee BR
serious, honest | sério | say-ree-oo
old | velho | vay-lyioo

Chapter 17:Verbs (Verbos)

Verbs express action or state of being. In addition, Portuguese verbs identify the doer of the action by taking appropriate endings to reflect the gender and number of the subject.

Almost all verbs are regular and they conform to the endings of the three major verb categories: the –ar verbs, -er verbs, and –ir verbs. The verb groups are named after their ending in the infinitive. Because 99.99% of verbs fall under these groups, you can confidently conjugate verbs by simply memorizing 5 ending for 5 different subjects.

Verb Moods

Portuguese verbs have 4 moods:

Indicative -> The indicative mood is the most basic mood. It expresses action that happens in the present, will happen in the future, and have occurred in the past. It is also the mood you use when asking questions.

Imperative -> The imperative mood indicates command or orders.

Conditional -> The conditional mood expresses the possibility for something to happen under certain conditions

Subjunctive -> The subjunctive mood expresses a surreal action that may or may not happen

Verb Tenses

Tenses specify the time when an action takes place. Portuguese verbs have different tenses under each mood

The Indicative Mood Tenses

The indicative mood has 8 tenses:

Present tense -> Eu como. (I eat)

Present continuous -> Eu estou comendo. (I am eating.)

Perfect past -> Eu tenho comido. (I have eaten.)

Imperfect past -> Eu comia. (I was eating.)

Near future -> Eu vou comer. (I’m going to eat)

Perfect past -> Eu tenho comido. (I have eaten.)

Imperfect past -> Eu tinha comido. (I had eaten.)

Far future -> Eu comerei. (I will eat.)

The perfect past and the imperfect past tense are compound verbs using the conjugated forms of the verb Ter+main verb.

Imperative Mood

Since the imperative mood expresses command, there are no tenses but verbs are categorized into the following:

Positive state -> expresses positive command

Example: Vá à biblioteca. (Go to the library.)

Negative state -> expresses negative command

Example: -> Não vá para a biblioteca. (Don’t go to the library.)

Subjunctive Mood

The subjuctive mood expresses wishes, probability, and actions that are not likely to happen.

Subjunctive verbs are easy to identify because they are always used after expressions lke these:

espero que( I hope that) ______

Deus queira quem(God wishes that) _____

talves (maybe) ____

Here are the verb tenses under the subjunctive mood:

Present tense

Example:

Talvez eu esteja triste. -> Maybe I’m sad.

Imperfect past tense

Example:

Se eu estivesse satisfeito __ (If I were satisfied)

Future tense

Example:

Quando eu for satisfeito __ (When I’m satisfied __)

Conjugating Verbs

To conjugate a verb, you only need to drop the –ar, -er, or –ir ending to get the verb stem then add the appropriate personal endings.

The verb comer, for example, is an –er verb based on its ending in the infinitive. To conjugate comer, you will first have to get the stem which is “com” then add the ending that coincides with the subject. If the subject is Eu (I), then the ending should be –o and the conjugated verb is “como”, which means “I eat.”

The Present Indicative Tense (Presente)

The present tense shows action that happens in and around the present time.

Here is the conjugation table for the present indicative tense

Subject | English | -ar verbs | -er verbs | -ir verbs
eu | I | -o | -o | -o
tu (Portugal only) | you (informal) | -as | -es | -es
ele, ela, você | he, she, you (formal) | -a | -e | -e
nós | we | -amos | -emos | -imos
vós (archaic) | you (informal) | -ais | -eis | -is
eles, elas, vocês | he,she, you (formal,pl) | -am | -em | -em

The conjugation table for the verbs ajudar (to help), escrever (to write) and partir (to leave) in the present indicative tense will be:

Subject | (ajudar) | (escrever) | (partir)
eu | ajudo | escrevo | parto
tu (Portugal only) | ajudas | escreves | partes
ele, ela, você | ajuda | escreve | parte
nós | ajudamos | escrevemos | partimos
vós (archaic) | ajudais | escreveis | partris
eles, elas, vocês | ajudam | escrevem | partem

Examples:

(Eu) escrevo o canção. -> I write the songs.

Eu ajudo a minha mãe cozinhar. -> I help my mother cook.

The Preterit or Past Indicative (Pretérito perfeito)

The past tense shows an action that happened in the past.

Here is the conjugation table for the past tense:

Subject | English | -ar verbs | -er verbs | -ir verbs
eu | I | -ei | -i | -i
tu (Portugal) | you (informal) | -ste | -este | -iste
ele, ela, você | he, she, you (formal) | -ou | -eu | -iu
nós | we | -ámos | -emos | -imos
vós (archaic) | you (informal) | -astes | -estes | -istes
eles, elas, vocês | he,she, you (formal,pl) | -aram | -eram | -iram

The conjugation table for the verbs ajudar (to help), escrever (to write) and partir (to leave) in the simple past tense will be:

Subject | ajudar | escrever | partir
eu | ajudei | escreveri | parti
tu (Portugal) | ajudste | escreveste | partiste
ele, ela, você | ajudou | escreveu | partiu
nós | ajudámos | escrevemos | partimos
vós (archaic) | ajudastes | escrevestes | partistes
eles, elas, vocês | ajudaram | escreveram | partiram

A criança ganhou o concurso. -> The child won the contest.

Eu abri a porta para ele. -> I opened the door for him.

Eu enviei meu relatório ontem. -> I submitted my report yesterday.

The Imperfect Indicative Tense (Pretérito imperfeito)

The imperfect tense is used for expressing an event that was occuring at a certain moment in time. The English sentence “I was reading a book” describes something that was happening at a particular time. The imperfect tense is often used to set the sentence for the use of the perfect tense: “I was reading a book when the doorbell rang.”

Here is the conjgugation table for the imperfect indicative mood:

Subject | English | -ar verbs | -er verbs | -ir verbs
eu | I | -ava | -ia | -ia
tu (Portugal) | you (informal) | -avas | -ias | -ias
ele, ela, você | he, she, you (formal) | -ava | -ia | -ia
nós | we | -ávamos | -íamos | -íamos
vós (archaic) | you (informal) | -áveis | -íeis | -íeis
eles, elas, vocês | he,she, you (formal,pl) | -avam | -iam | -iam

Here is the conjugation table for the verbs ajudar (to help), escrever (to write) and partir (to leave) in the imperfect indicative tense:

Subject | (ajudar) | (escrever) | (abrir)
eu | ajudava | escrevia | abria
tu (Portugal) | ajudavas | escrevias | abrias
ele, ela, você | ajudava | escrevia | abria
nós | ajudávamos | escrevíamos | abríamos
vós (archaic) | ajudáveis | escrevíeis | abríeis
eles, elas, vocês | ajudavam | escreviam | abriam

Examples:

(Eu) escrevia quando você chegou. -> I was writing when you arrived.

Tu fal avas. -> You were speaking.

The Future Indicative Tense (Futuro)

The future tense expresses an action that will happen in the future.

Here is the verb table for the Future tense:

Subject | English | -ar verbs | -er verbs | -ir verbs
eu | I | -arei | -erei | -irei
tu (Portugal only) | you (informal) | -arás | -erás | -irás
ele, ela, você | he, she, you (formal) | -ará | -erá | -irá
nós | we | -aremos | -eremos | -iremos
vós (archaic) | you (informal) | -areis | -ereis | -ireis
eles, elas, vocês | he,she, you (formal,pl) | -arão | -erão | -irão

Here is how to conjugate the verbs ajudar, escrever, and partir in the future tense:

Subject | (ajudar) | (escrever) | (abrir)
eu | ajudarei | escreverei | escrevirei
tu (Portugal only) | ajudarás | escreverás | escrevirás
ele, ela, você | ajudará | escreverá | escrevirá
nós | ajudaremos | escreveremos | escreviremos
vós (archaic) | ajudareis | escrevereis | escrevireis
eles, elas, vocês | ajudarão | escreverão | escrevirão

Eu ajudarei minha mãe. -> I’ll help my mother.

Eu comerei bolo de banana amanhã. -> I will eat banana cake tomorrow.

The Conditional Mood

The conditional tense expresses actions that would happen. It is used mainly in hypothetical statements. The English phrase “I would write your speech but I can’t” is an example of a conditional statement and the verb “I would” is in the conditional mood.

Here is the conjugation table for the conditional mood/tense:

Subject | English | -ar verbs | -er verbs | -ir verbs
eu | I | -aria | -eria | -iria
tu (Portugal only) | you (informal) | -arias | -erias | -irias
ele, ela, você | he, she, you (formal) | -aria | -eria | -iria
nós | we | -aríamos | -eríamos | -iríamos
vós (archaic) | you (informal) | -aríeis | -eríeis | -iríeis
eles, elas, vocês | he,she, you (formal,pl) | -ariam | -eriam | -iriam

Here is how you will conjugate the verbs ajudar, escrever, and partir in the conditional:

Subject | ajudar | escrever | partir
eu | ajudaria | escreveria | partiria
tu (Portugal only) | ajudarias | escreverias | partirias
ele, ela, você | ajudaria | escreveria | partiria
nós | ajudaríamos | escreveríamos | partiríamos
vós (archaic) | ajudaríeis | escreveríeis | partiríeis
eles, elas, vocês | ajudariam | escreveriam | partiriam

Eu lo ajudaria mas estou ocupado. -> I would help him but I’m busy.

The Imperative Mood and Tense

The imperative mood is used when expressing commands. There is no verb form for the subjects I, he, she, or they in the imperative because commands are directed to the second person. European Portuguese uses the verbs forms for “tu” to express commands except when a negative command is expressed as in the case of “não partas” (don't leave) or “não vendas” (don't sell).

Here is the conjugation table for verbs in the imperative mood:

Subject | English | -ar verbs | -er verbs | -ir verbs
tu (Portugal) | you (informal) | -a | -e | -e
você | you (formal) | -e | -a | -a
nós | we | -emos | -amos | -amos
vós (archaic) | you (informal, pl) | -ai | -ei | -i
vocês | you (formal,pl) | -em | -am | -am

Here’s how you will conjugate the verbs ajudar, escrever, and partir in the imperative:

Subject | ajudar | escrever | partir
tu (Portugal) | ajuda | escreve | parte
você | ajude | escreva | parta
nós | ajudemos | escrevamos | partamos
vós (archaic) | ajudai | escrevei | parti
vocês | ajudem | escrevam | partam

Examples:

Me deixa em paz! | Leave me alone!
Deixa o quarto agora! | Leave the room now!
Vá para cama, agora! | Go to bed now!

The Present Progressive

The present progressive tense is equivalent to the English construction “to be + _ing” or “I am studying”.  To express the present progressive which is a compound verb, you will use the verb estar (to be) with a verb in the present participle.

Take note that the present participle is invariable and the endings for the three groups of verbs are as follows:

-ar verbs (ajudar) | -er verbs (escrever) | -ir verbs (partir)
-ando (ajudando) | -endo (escrevendo) | -indo (partindo)

Here is the present indicative tense of the verb estar:

Subject | English | estar
eu | I | estou
tu (Port.) | you (informal) | estás
ele, ela, você | he, she, you (formal) | está
nós | we | estamos
vós (archaic) | you (informal) | estais
eles, elas, vocês | he,she, you (formal,pl) | estão

To say:

I am writing. | (Eu) estou escrevendo.
He is helping. | Ele está ajudando.
You are writing. | Tu estás escrevendo.
We are helping. | Nos estamos ajudando.

The Past Participle

The past participle is used in forming compound verb constructions and corresponds to English verbs ending in –ed. Verbs in past participle form can also be used as adjectives just like their English counterpart. Just like regular adjectives, they must vary to agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe.

Here is the conjugation table for the verbs ajudar (to help), escrever (to write), and partir (to leave) in the past participle.

-ar verbs (ajudar) | -er verbs (escrever) | -ir verbs (partir)
-ado (ajudado) | -ido (escrevido) | -ido (partido)

The past participle is used with the verb ter (to have) to form a compound verb.

Some verbs are irregular in the past participle including the following verbs:

vir | to come | vindo | come
cobrir | to cover | coberto | covered
morrer | to die | morto | died
fazer | to do | feito | done
abrir | to open | aberto | opened
pôr | to put | posto | placed
dizer | to say | dito | said
ver | to see | visto | seen
escrever | to write | escrito | written

Some past participles are irregular when used as adjectives but are regular when used as verb:

5Infinitive | Adjective | Past Participle
aceitar (to accept) | aceito | accepted | aceitado | accepted
nascer (to be born) | nato | born | nascido | born
limpar (to clean) | limpo | clean | limpado | cleaned
fritar (to fry) | frito | fried | fritado | fried
juntar (to join) | junto | together | juntado | joined
acender (to light) | aceso | lit | acendido | lit
pagar (to pay) | pago | paid | pagado | paid
gastar (to spend) | gasto | spent | gastado | spent
ganhar (to win) | ganho | won | ganhado | won

Examples of past participles used as adjective:

o tempo perdido | the wasted time
o frango frito | the fried chicken
o jogo ganho | the won game
a conta paga | the paid bill

Compound Verbs

A compound verb is a combination of two or more verbs involving the verb “ter” + the past participle form. This compound can be used in many moods and tenses. It is most commonly used in the present indicative to mean “I have+ past participle”, in the imperfect tense to indicate “I had+past participle”, in the future indicative to express “I will have+past participle”, and in the conditional to indicate “I would have+past participle”.

The verb “ter” is an irregular verb and has the following conjugations in the different tenses:

| Indicative Mood |  |
Subject | Present | Preterit | Imperfect | Future | Conditional | Imperative
eu | tenho | tive | tinha | terei | teria |
Tu  (Portugal) | tens | tiveste | tinhas | terás | terias | tem
ele, ela, você | tem | teve | tinha | terá | teria | tenha
nós | temos | tivemos | tínhamos | teremos | teríamos | tenhamos
vós (archaic) | tendes | tivestes | tínheis | tereis | teríeis | tende
eles, elas, vocês | têm | tiveram | tinham | terão | teriam | tenham

| Subjunctive Mood
Subject | Present | Imperfect | Future
eu | tenha | tivesse | tiver
tu (Portugal) | tenhas | tivesses | tiveres
ele, ela, você | tenha | tivesse | tiver
nós | tenhamos | tivéssemos | tivermos
vós (archaic) | tenhais | tivésseis | tiverdes
eles, elas, vocês | tenham | tivessem | tiverem

Participle Forms
Present Participle | Past Participle
tendo | tido

To use “ter” with the verb estudar (to study) in the different tenses, you will have the following compound constructions:

Present Indicative | I have studied | Eu tenho estudado.
Imperfect Tense | I had studied. | Eu tinha estudado.
Future Indicative | I will have studied. | Eu terei estudiado.
Conditional | I would have studied. | Eu teria estudiado.

Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs indicate that the doer (subject) of the action is also the receiver of the action (object). Reflexive verbs are accompanied by reflexive pronouns and are listed in the dictionary with the –se ending, the reflexive pronoun for the third person. They are conjugated in the same way that regular verbs are conjugated except that they end with a hypen and the reflexive pronoun –se. The pronoun may also be placed before the verb.

Examples:

Como você se chama? -> How are you called? /What is your name?

Eu lavo-me. -> I wash myself.

Here are common reflexive verbs:

Reflexive Verb | Literal Translation | English
cortar-se | to cut oneself | to cut
deitar-se | to go to sleep, to retire | to lie down
enxugar-se | to dry oneself | to dry off
lavar-se | to wash onself | to wash up
lembrar-se | to remind oneself | to remember
levantar-se | to get oneself up | to get up
machucar-se | to hurt oneself | to bruise
pentear-se | to brush, comb oneself | to comb
sentar-se | to sit oneself down | to sit down
sentir-se | to feel oneself | to feel
servir-se | to help oneself | to help oneself
vestir-se | to put on clothes, to dress oneself | to dress
vestir-se | to dress oneself | to dress

The Verbs Ser, Estar, and Ficar

The verbs ser, estar, and ficar all translate to the English verb “to be” but have distinct uses.

Ser (to be)

The verb ser is used to indicate long term or permanent characteristics or conditions. It is used to associate people with their occupation when used with a noun. It is also the verb used for telling the time of day, a recurring event.

Ele é uma pessoa inteligente. | He is an intelligent person.
Ela é uma mulher generosa. | She is a generous woman.
Nós somos empregados. | We are employees.
Eles são estudantes. | They are students.
São três horas. | It’s three o’clock.
É meio-dia. | It’s noon.

Verb Table for Ser

Subject | Present | Perfect Past | Imperfect Past | Futuro
eu | sou | fui | era | seria
tu (Port.) | és | foste | eras | serás
ele, ela, você | é | foi | era | será
nós | somos | fomos | éramos | seremos
vós (archaic) | sois | fostes | éreis | sereis
eles, elas, vocês | são | foram | eram | serão

Estar (to be)

The verb estar is used to indicate temporary characteristics, conditions, or state of being. It indicates a temporary quality if used with an adjective. It is used when talking about the weather.

Está nublado. | It is cloudy.
Está chovendo. | It is rainy.
Estamos felizes. | We are happy.
Ele está doente. | He is sick.

Verb Table for estar

Subject | Present | Perfect Past | Imperfect Past | Futuro
eu | estou | estive | estava | estarei
tu (Port.) | estás | estiveste | estavas | estarás
ele, ela, você | está | esteve | estava | estará
nós | estamos | estivemos | estávamos | estaremos
vós (archaic) | estais | estivestes | estáveis | estareis
eles, elas, vocês | estão | estiveram | estavam | estarão

Ficar (to be, to be located, to stay)

The verb ficar means to be located but it expresses the verb “to be” and can be used as an alternative to ser and estar when talking about locations.

O museu fica aqui.  -> The museum is here.

Ela fica na rua. -> She is in the street.

Verb table for ficar

Subject | Present | Perfect Past | Imperfect Past | Futuro
eu | fico | fiquei | ficava | ficarei
tu (Port.) | ficas | ficaste | ficavas | ficarás
ele, ela, você | fica | ficou | ficava | ficará
nós | ficamos | ficámos/ficamos | ficávamos | ficaremos
vós (archaic) | ficais | ficastes | ficáveis | ficareis
eles, elas, vocês | ficam | ficaram | ficavam | ficarão

The Passive Voice

The passive voice is a sentence construction where the object in the active voice becomes the subject. There are two ways of forming the passive voice in Portuguese.

The most common passive construction is the use of the reflexive pronoun “se” with the verb which translates to a general subject:

Os gatos se limpam. -> The cats clean themselves.

Another way to form the passive is by using the verb “ser” with the past participle. When constructing passive sentences with “ser”, the past participles function as adjectives which must vary in form to match the noun’s gender and number.

As casas são construídas. -> The houses are built.

As cortinas são costurados. -> The curtains are sewn.

Most Commonly Used Verbs

can, to be able to | poder | poh-dehr
to answer | responder | raysh-pohn-dehr
to arrive | chegar | shay-garh
to ask (for something) | pedir | peh-deer EU/pee-cheer BR
to ask (questions) | perguntar | pehr-goon-tahr
to be (permanent) | ser | sayhr
to be (temporary) | estar | eesh-tahr
to be located, to stay, become | ficar | fee-kahr
to bring | trazer | trah-zehr
to change, exchange | trocar | tro-kahr
to climb, go up | subir | soo-beehr
to close | fechar | fay-shahr
to come | vir | veerr
to come back, do again | voltar (a+other verb) | vohl-tahr ah
to do, to make | fazer | fah-zayhr
to feel | sentir | sayn-teehr EU/sayn-cheehr BR
to fly | voar | voo-ahr
to forgive | desculpar-se | daysh-cool-parr say
to go | ir | eerh
to go down, descend | descer | desh-sayrh
to have (to) | ter (de) | tay-rh (deh) EU
to have (to) | ter (de) | tay-rh (chee) BR
to help | ajudar | ah-joo-darh
to improve, to better | melhorar | may-lyio-rahr
to keep, stay with | ficar com | fee-kahr con
to know (skills) | saber | sah-behr
to learn | aprender | ah-prayn-dayrh
to leave behind, to let | deixar (de) | day-sharh
to leave, go out | sair | sah-eehr
to like | gostar de | goosh-tahr
to live | morar | moh-rahr
to look (at) | olhar | oh-lyiahr
to need | precisar | pray-cee-zahr
to open | abrir | ah-breer
to prefer | preferir | pray-fay-reehr
to put | pôr | pohr
to read | ler | layrh
to say, tell | dizer | dee-zayhr EU
to say, tell | dizer | tchee-zayhr BR
to say, to tell (Brazil) | falar | fah-lahr
to see, watch | ver | vayrr
to seem, to look like | parecer | pah-ray-cehr
to sign | assinar | ah-see-narh
to sit down | sentar(-se) | sayn-tahr
to sleep | dormir | door-meer
to speak | falar | fah-lahr
to study | estudar | ees-too-dahr
to take, get, catch | apanhar | ah-pah-nyiarh
to think, guess, find. | achar | ah-shahr
to travel, commute | viajar | vee-ah-jar
to understand | perceber [EU] | payr-seh-behr
to use | usar | oo-sahr
to walk, to be doing something | andar | an-darh
to work | trabalhar | trah-bah-lyiahr
to write, spell | escrever | aysh-cray-vehr

Chapter 18: Adverbs (Advérbios)

Portuguese adverbs are invariable words that modify a verb, an adjective, and another adverb. They can be placed before or after the verb they modify.

Many adverbs end in –mente which is the equivalent of –ly in English. These adverbs are formed by adding –mente to the feminine form of the adjective. For instance, the feminine form of the adjective lento (slow) is lenta. To form the adverb, just add –mente to lenta: lenta + mente = lentamente (slowly).

Portuguese uses different forms and context of adverbs to indicate time, place, quantity, intensity, mode, affirmation, doubt, denial, and exclusivity. Besides one- word adverbs, there are the so-called adverbial phrases or adverbial locutions.

Here are the most common Portuguese adverbs:

Adverbs of Time

Portuguese | English
hoje | today
amanhã | tomorrow
ontem | yesterday
cedo | early
já não | not any more
agora | now
| nowadays
já | now
| already
tarde | late
então | then
| so
sempre | always
| constantly
| all the time
logo | immediately
| immediately after
| shortly
| shortly later
nunca | ever
| never
primeiro | firstly
| first of all
ainda | still
| yet
antes | before
dantes | formerly
| those times before
enfim | anyway
antigamente | formerly
| those times before

Take note that the adverb “sempre” always comes after the verb.

Examples:

Ela sempre vem na hora certa. | She always comes on time.
Nós jogou tênis ontem. | We played tennis yesterday.
Ela nunca vai mentir para mim. | She will never lie to me.

Adverbs of Place

Portuguese | English
aqui | here
cá | here
lá | over there
alí | over there
aí | there
| then (Brazilian Portuguese)
perto (de) | near
| next to
| around the corner
dentro (de) | inside
longe (de) | far from
fora (de) | outside
atrás (de) | behind
| at the rear
adiante (de) | ahead
acima | above
detrás (de) | behind
debaixo | under
| underneath
abaixo | below

Examples:

Sua secretária caminhou atrás dela. -> Her secretary walked behind her.

O gato está jogando debaixo da mesa. -> The cat is playing under the table.

Ela está aqui. -> She’s here.

Adverbs indicating manner or mode:

Portuguese | English
bem | well
melhor | better
mal | badly
pior | worse
devagar | slowly
depressa | quickly
assim | so, therefore
| this way
como | as, like
| the way like
sobretudo | above all
efetivamente | actually
facilmente | easily
principalmente | mainly
rapidamente | quickly

Examples:

O menino se sente bem. -> The boy feels well.

A velha caminhou lentamente. -> The old woman walked slowly.

Ele saiu rapidamente. -> He left quickly.

Adverbs indicating intensity or quantity

Portuguese | English
mais | more
| plus
pouco | little
muito | very, much
| too, too much
menos | less
| minus
quanto (de) | as much
tão (de) | so much
tanto | as much
| too much
quase (de) | almost
demsiado (de) | too much
bastante | enough
| a lot, too much

O criminoso foi quase pego pelo policial.

(The criminal was almost caught by the police officer.)

Minha filha está mais animado do que nunca. (My daughter is more excited than ever.)

Adverbs indicating affirmation

Portuguese | English
sim | yes
decerto | certainly
certamente | certainly, for sure
realmente | really

Ele é realmente generoso. (He is really generous.)

Ele certamente está deixando. (He is certainly leaving.)

Adverbs indicating denial:

Portuguese | English
nunca | never, ever
jamais | never ever
não | no, don't
nem | neither, nor

Eu nunca vou deixar a minha mãe. (I will never leave my mother.)

Não se esqueça de fazer sua lição de casa. (Don’t forget to do your homework.)

Adverbs indicating doubt

Portuguese | English
provavelmente | probably
talvez | may, maybe, perhaps
se calhar | may, maybe, perhaps

Provavelmente, vou dormir com mais freqüência. (I will probably sleep more.)

Adverbs indicating exclusivity

Portuguese | English
apenas | only, just
só | only, just
unicamente | only, just
somente | only, just
senão | otherwise

Ele só quer o melhor para seus filhos. (He only wants the best for his children.)

Ele está apenas pensando em sua família. (He is just thinking about his family.)

Adverbial Phrases

Portuguese | English
às direitas | right, well
às escuras | in the dark
às vezes | sometimes
em breve | soon, shortly
ao acaso | randomly
em vão | in vain
de baixo | under
por acaso | by chance
à toa | crazily
a sós | alone
de lado | beside
com efeito | effectively
em resumo | in conclusion
de novo | again, one more time
a cada passo | often
de vez em quando | now and then
| from time to time
| once in a blue moon
à vontade | comfortably
por alto | roughly
actualmente | nowadays
com certeza | surely, certainly
de facto (EP) | actually
de fato (BR) | actually
como deve ser | properly

Ele lutou em vão. (He fought back in vain.)

Ele descobriu a verdade por acaso.  (He found out the truth by chance.)

Ele seguirá em breve. (He will follow shortly.)

Meu pai iria visitar de vez em quando. (My father would visit once in a while.)

Chapter 19: Prepositions (Preposições)

Prepositions connect words within a sentence or phrase. They are the equivalent of on, in, to, about, at, with, of, or around. Portuguese prepositions always precede the noun.

Here are the most common prepositions:

Prepositions of location

à | at
em | in, on, at
perto (de) | near
ao longo(de) | along
atrás (de) | behind
ao lado(de) | next (to)
em redor(de) | around
acima (de)/por cima(de) | above
entre | (in) between
debaixo (de) | below, under
à frente(de) | in front of
dentro (de) | in, inside
em frente(de) | in front (of)
fora (de) | outside (of)
em cima(de) | on top (of)
no meio(de) | in the middle(of), in the center(of)

Vamos estudar na biblioteca esta tarde. (We will study at the library this afternoon).

Meu filho fica entre a professora eo diretor . (My son stands between his teacher and the school director.)

Ele dirigiu ao redor do parquet.              (He drove around the park.)

Ele ficou atrás de seu amigo. (He stood behind his friend.)

Ele pulou sobre o penhasco. (He jumped over the cliff.)

O cão está jogando debaixo da mesa. (The dog is playing under the table.)

Ela pratica seu discurso na frente do espelho. (She practices her speech in front of the mirror.)

Prepositions of direction

a | to
de | from
através (de) | through
sobre | over
para | for, to

Ele viajou da Europa para a Ásia. -> (He travelled from Europe to Asia.)

Ele veio de Nova Iorque. -> (He came from New York.)

Prepositions of Time

antes (de) | before
dentro (de) | in
depois (de) | after
desde | since
durante | during, for
entre | between
até | until
em + months | in + months
em + year | in + year
em + day | onthe+day+month/ on+month+day

Vou chamá-lo antes de 7 horas da noite. (I will call you before 7 o’clock tonight.)

Eu não o vejo desde sexta-feira. (I haven’t seen him since Friday.)

Vou encontrá-lo entre 7 e 11 amanhã de manhã. (I will meet you between 7 and 11 tomorrow morning.)

Nasci em 1992.  (I was born in 1992).

Meu aniversário é em 1 de Junho. (My birthday is on June 1.)

Eu estarei em casa em um mês. (I will be home in one month.)

Eu estudo durante os intervalos do meio-dia. (I study during noon breaks.)

A exposição vai durar até 31 de Dezembro. (The exhibit will last until December 31st.)

Other Prepositions

de | from (origin, possession)
para | for, in order to
por | for, because of
contra | against
com | with
sem | without
por causa (de) | because of
sobre | about
menos | but, except
conforme, segundo | according (to)
a respeito (de) | concerning, regarding
apesar (de) | in spite of, despite
junto (com) | together (with)
em vez (de) | instead (of)

Esse é o carro de Reynaldo. (That is Reynaldo’s car.)

A tabela antiga é da Itália. (The antique table is from Italy.)

Eu sobrevivi sem dinheiro durante um mês. (I survived without money for one month.)

Ele fala sobre sua cidade natal a maior parte do tempo. (He talks about his hometown most of the time.)

Ele se queixou sobre a refeição sem graça. (He complained about the bland meal.)

Prepositional Contractions

Some prepositions contract when used before definite articles.

Em -> in, on, at

Contraction with Definite Articles

| Masculine | Feminine | English
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
Definite articles | o | os | a | as |
Em + | no | nos | na | nas | on/in/at+the

Contraction with Indefinite Articles

| Masculine | Feminine | English
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
Indefinite articles | um | uns | uma | umas |
Em + | num | nuns | numa | numas | on/in/ at+a/some

Examples:

Eu estou numa praia. -> I’m in a beach.

Estou no restaurant, -> I’m at the restaurant.

Por              for/through/by

| Masculine | Feminine | English
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
Definite Articles | o | os | a | as |
Por + | pelo | pelos | pela | pelas | for/through/ by+the

Examples:

Enviei seu presente de aniversário pelo correio. (I sent your birthday gift by post.)

Eu andei pelos campos. (I walked across the fields.)

De -> of/from

Contraction with definite articles:

| Masculine | Feminine | English
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
Definite Articles | o | os | a | as |
de+ | do | dos | da | das | of/from + the

Examples:

(Eu) sou da França. -> I am from France.

(Eu) gosto do carro novo. -> I like the new car.

A -> at, to

The preposition “a” only contracts with definite articles.

| Masculine | Feminine | English
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
Definite Articles | o | os | a | as |
a+ | ao | aos | à | às | at/to + the

Eu raramente ir ao teatro. -> I rarely go to the theater.

Chapter 20: Useful Phrases

Introductions:

Como se chama? | What is you name?
O meu nome é (state your name). | My name is ___.
Chamo-me (state your name). Inf | My name is ___.
Este é o meu marido. | This is my husband.
Esta é a minha mulher. | This is my wife.
Esta é a minha filha. | This is my daughter.
Este é o meu filho. | This is my son.
Este é (name) . | This is ____.
De onde é? | Where are you from?
Que idade tem? | How old are you?
Tenho (your age) anos. | I’m ___ years old.

Asking for Directions

Como chego ao (à) (destination)? -> How do I get to (destination)?

Places to see:

aeroporto | the airport
a estação de autocarro | the bus station
estação de comboio | the train station
centro | downtown
hotel | hotel
museu | museum
parquet | park
o consulado | consulate
loja de departamento | department store
bar/bares | bar/bars
restaurante/ restaurantes | restaurant/ restaurants
praia | beach
biblioteca | library
teatro | theater
cathedral | cathedral
igreja | churh
palácio | palace
galeria de arte | art gallery

Useful terms:

Onde é ___? | Where is ___?
É longe? | Is it far?
Vire à esquerda (veer-eeh ah eh-sskehr-dah) | turn left
Vire à direita (veer-eeh ah dee-ray–tah) | turn right
Esquerda (esh-KER-da) | left
Direita (dee-ray-tah) | right
sempre em frente | straight ahead
em direcção à ___ | towards the
Depois do(a) ____ (deh-poyss doh/dah) | past the
Antes do(a) ___ (ahn-tiss doh/da) | before the _____
Fique atento à ___ | watch for the __
rua (who-ah ) | street
Oeste | west
Este | east
Norte | north
Sul | south
descida | downhill
subida | uphill
cruzamento | intersection

The Weather:

Que dia bonito! | What a lovely day!
Que tempo horrível! | What a bad weather!
Vai chover? | Is it going to rain?
Está sol. | It’s sunny.
Está quente. | It’s hot.
Está encoberto. | It’s cloudy.
Está frio. | It’s cold.
Está um gelo. | It’s freezing.
Está a chover. | It’s raining.
Está ventoso. | It’s windy.

Eating Out:

Tem uma mesa livre? | Is there an available table?
Gostaria de uma mesa para ___. | I’d like a table for ___.
A ementa, por favor. | The menu, please.
Gostaria de ____. | I’d like ___.
Desejo ____. | I want ___.
Mais pão, por favor. | More bread, please.
Eu sou vegetariano. | I’m a vegetarian.
prato-feito | fixed-price meal
pela ementa | a la carte
breakfast | desjejum, café da manhã
lunch | almoço
janta | dinner
ceia | supper
merenda da tarde | afternoon snack
Não como carne. | I don’t eat meat.
O que recomenda? | What do you recommend?
Aproveite a refeição! | Enjoy your meal!
Eu acabar. | I’m finished.
Estava delicioso. | That was delicious.
Está delicioso! | It’s delicious!
A conta, por favor. | The bill, please.

Foods to Order:

frango | chicken
bacon | bacon
bife | steak
camarões, gambás | shrimp
peixe | fish
sardinha | sardine
bacalhau | cod
atum | tuna
lula | squid
polvo | octopus
caracóis | snails
anchovas | anchovies
cabra | goat
caril de carne | meat curry
caril de galinha | chicken curry
carne | meat
cordeiro | lamb
hambúrguer | beefburger
porco | pork
presunto | ham
salsicha | sausage
vitela | veal
arroz | rice
batatas | fritas chips
caril | curry
gelado | ice-cream
manteiga | butter
omelete | omelette
ovo | egg
pão | bread
queijo | cheese
salada | salad
sopa | soup
açúcar | sugar
sal | salt
pimenta | pepper

Drinks:

uma garrafa do/de ____ | a bottle of _____
um copo do/de ___ | a glass of ___
uma cerveja | a beer
um vinho tinto | a red wine
um vinho branco | a white wine
wiski | whiskey
um gin tónico | a gin and tonic
com gelo | with ice
água potável | drinking water
leite | milk
café | coffee
chá ("bebida") | tea drink
sumo de ananás | pineapple juice
sumo de manga | mango juice
sumo de laranja (Port.) | orange juice
suco de laranja (Br.) | orange juice
água | water
água tônica | tonic water
gelo em blocos | ice cubes
gelo esmagado | smashed ice

Getting Around:

Bus or train

Quanto custa o bilhete para (destination) .

How much is a ticket to ___?

Um bilhete para (destination), por favor.

One ticket to ___, please.

Para onde vai este autocarro/comboio?

Where does this bus/train go?

Onde apanho um autocarro/comboio para (destination) ?

Where is the bus/train to ____?

Esse autocarro/comboio pára em (place) ?

Does this bus/train stop in __?

Quando é que sai o autocarro/comboio para place ?

When does the bus/train for ___ leave?

Taxi:

Leve-me para o/a  (place)  , se faz favor . | Please take me to ____.
Por favor use o taxímetro. | Please use the meter.
Por favor abrande. | Please slow down.
Pare aqui. | Stop here.

Shopping:

Quanta custa é isto? | How much is this?
Isso é muito caro. (Port.) | That's too expensive.
Isso é caro de mais (BR) | That's too expensive.
Não posso pagar isso. | I can't afford it.
Não quero isso. | I don't want it.
Não estou interessado. | I'm not interested.
Pode dar-me um saco? | Can you give me a bag?
Aceitaria ____? | Would you take?
caro | expensive
barato | cheap
Preciso de _____ | I need _____

Things to Buy:

creme dental(BR) . | toothpaste
Pasta de dentes (Port) | toothpaste
uma escova dental(BR) | toothbrush
uma escova de dentes (Port) | toothbrush
higiene íntima feminina | tampoons
sabonete | soap
xampú(BR) | shampoo
champô (Port) | shampoo
remédio contra a dor | pain reliever
analgésico( Port) | pain reliever
medicamento estomacal | stomach medicine
uma lamina para barbear | a razor
um guarda-chuva | un umbrella
protector solar | sunblock lotions
um postal | a postcard
selos de correios | postage stamps
células eléctricas | batteries
papel para escrever | writing paper
uma caneta | a pen

Finding a Place to Stay

Há quartos disponíveis?

Do you have any available room?

Quanto custa para (number of persons) pessoa/pessoas por noite?

How much is a room for ____ person/people per night?

Eu vou ficar por (number) noite(s).

I will stay for ___ nights.

O quarto possui ___ | Does the room have ___
casa-de-banho | bathroom
chuveiro | shower
condicionado | airconditioning
telefone | telephone
televisão | a television
lencois | bed sheets
cacifos | lockers
cofre | safe
Posso ver o quarto? | Can I see the room?
Tem um quarto ____ ? | Do you have a ____ room?
mais silencioso | quiter
maior | bigger
mais limpo | cleaner
Ok, eu aceito. | Ok, I’ll take it.
Gosto do quarto. | I like the room.
Quero fazer o check-out. | I want to check out.

Money:

Aceita dólares americanos/canadianos/australianos?

Do you accept American/Canadian/Australian Dollars?

Aceita libras britânicas?

Do you accept British pounds?

Aceita Euros?

Do you accept Euros?

Aceita cartões de crédito?

Do you take credit cards?

Qual é a taxa de câmbio?

What is the exchange rate?

Onde é o multibanco?

Where is the ATM?

Emergency:

Onde é o hospital? | Where is the hospital?
Estou perdido. | I’m lost.
Necessito de um medico. | I need a doctor.
Preciso de um medico. (inf.) | I need a doctor.
Houve um acidente. | There has been an accident.
Preciso de ajuda. | I need help.
Ajuda! | Help!
Perdi o meu dinheiro. | I have lost my money.
Perdi o meu passaporte. | I lost my passport.
Perdi a minha carteira. | I have lost my handbag.
Perdi o meu porta-moedas. | I have lost my wallet.
Chame uma ambulância! | Call an ambulance!
Chame a polícia! | Call the police!

Chapter 21: Vocabulary

Os membros da família (The Family Members)

pais (pie-ish) | parents
pai (pie) | father, dad
mãe (mah-ing | mother,mom
marido(mah-ree-doo) | husband
mulher(moo-lyehr) | wife
Irmãos (eer-maoongsh) | siblings
filha (fee-lyeeah) | daughter
filho (fee-lyeeoh) | son
irmã (eer-mah) | sister
irmão (eer-maung) | brother
avós (ah-vÓsh | grandparents
avó (ah-vÓH) | grandmother
avô (ah-voh) | grandfather
netos (neh-toosh) | grandchildren
neta (neh-tah) | granddaughter
neto (neh-too) | grandson
tia (tee-ah) | aunt
tio (tee-oo) | uncle
primo (pree-moo) | male cousin
prima (pree-mah) | female cousin
sobrinha (soo-bree-nyah) | niece
sobrinho (soo-bree-nyoh) | nephew
sogra (soh-grah) | mother-in-law
sogro (soh-groo) | father-in-law
nora (noh-rah) | daughter-in-law
genro (jaing-rooh) | son-in-law
cunhada (coo-nyah-dah) | sister-in-law
cunhado (coo-nyah-doo) | brother-in-law
namorado (Na-moo-rah-doo) | boyfriend
namorada (Na-moo-rah-dah) | girlfriend
companheiro(com-pah-nyaee-roo) | male partner
companheira(com-pah-nyaee-rah) | female partner
noiva (noee-vah) | fiancée (female)
noivo (noee-voo) | fiancé (male)

As Profissões (The Professions)

o contabilista | accountant
o ator | actor
o arquiteto | architect
o artista | artist
o talhante | butcher
o chefe de cozinha | chef
o dentista | dentist
o detetive | detective
o médico | doctor
o condutor | driver
o eletricista | electrician
o engenheiro | engineer
o agricultor | farmer
o bombeiro | fireman
o pescador | fisherman
o cabeleireiro | hairdresser
o caçador | hunter
o juiz | judge
o advogado | lawyer
o mecânico | mechanic
o modelo | model
o músico | musician
o enfermeiro | nurse
o pintor | painter
o farmacêutico | pharmacist
o fotógrafo | photographer
o piloto | pilot
o canalizador | plumber
o polícia | policeman
o político | politician
o marinheiro | sailor
o cientista | scientist
o cantor | singer
o soldado | soldier
o treinador | trainer
o veterinário | vet (veterinarian)
o empregado | waiter

Partes do corpo (Parts of the Body)

o braço | arm
as costas | back
o corpo | body
o rabo | bottom
a bochecha | cheek
o peito | chest
a orelha | ear
o cotovelo | elbow
o olho | eye
a sobrancelha | eyebrow
a face | face
o dedo | finger
a unha | finger nail
o pé | foot
o cabelo | hair
a mão | hand
a cabeça | head
o coração | heart
a anca | hip
o maxilar | jaw
o joelho | knee
a perna | leg
o lábio | lip
o pulmão | lung
a boca | mouth
o pescoço | neck
o nariz | nose
o ombro | shoulder
a pele | skin
o estômago | stomach
a coxa | thigh
a garganta | throat
o polegar | thumb
o dedo | toe
a língua | tongue
o dente | tooth

Os Animais (The Animals)

a formiga | ant
o urso | bear
a abelha | bee
o pássaro | bird
a borboleta | butterfly
o camelo | camel
o gato | cat
a galinha | chicken
a vaca | cow
o caranguejo | crab
o veado | deer
o cão | dog
o pato | duck
o peixe | fish
a rã | frog
a cabra | goat
o ganso | goose
o cavalo | horse
o lagarto | lizard
o macaco | monkey
o rato | mouse
o polvo | octopus
o porco | pig
o coelho | rabbit
a ovelha | sheep
a cobra | snake
a aranha | spider
o cisne | swan
o peru | turkey
a baleia | whale

O Roupeiro (The Wardrobe)

o cinto | belt
a bota | boot
o soutien | bra
a pulseira | bracelet
o boné | cap
o casaco | coat
o vestido | dress
os brincos | earring
os óculos | glasses
a luva | glove
a mala | handbag
o lenço | handkerchief
o cabide | hanger
o chapéu | hat
o casaco | jacket
as calças de ganga | jeans
o colar | necklace
as calças | pants
o anel | ring
o lenço | scarf
a camisa | shirt
o sapato | shoe
os calções | shorts
a saia | skirt
os ténis | sneaker
a peúga | sock
a meia | stocking
o fato de banho | swimsuit
a gravata | tie
a roupa interior | underwear
o colete | vest
a carteira | wallet
o relógio | watch

As Frutas e Legumes (The Fruits and Vegetables)

a maçã | apple
a banana | banana
o feijão | bean
os brócolos | broccoli
a couve | cabbage
o pimento | capsicum
a cenoura | carrot
a couve-flor | cauliflower
a cereja | cherry
o coco | coconut
o pepino | cucumber
a beringela | eggplant
a uva | grape
o limão | lemon
a alface | lettuce
o melão | melon
o fruto seco | nut
a cebola | onion
a laranja | orange
a ervilha | pea
o pêssego | peach
a pêra | pear
a ameixa | plum
a batata | potato
a ameixa seca | prune
a abóbora | pumpkin
os espinafres | spinach
a sultana | sultana
o tomate | tomato
a melancia | watermelon

Os Tempo (The Weather)

a nuvem | cloud
enublado | cloudy
frio | cold
o ciclone | cyclone
bom | fine
a cheia | flood
o nevoeiro | fog
a geada | frost
o granizo | hail
quente | hot
o relâmpago | lightning
a chuva | rain
o arco-íris | rainbow
chuvoso | rainy
a neve | snow
a tempestade | storm
temporal | stormy
a temperatura | temperature
o trovão | thunder
o tornado | tornado
o vento | wind

Conclusion

I hope this book was able to help you to learn the Portuguese language in the fastest and easiest way.

It’s time for you to take up advanced courses in Portuguese, practice what you have learned by conversing with native Portuguese speakers, and perhaps going on a trip to Portuguese-speaking countries.

I wish you the best of luck!

To your success,

Henry Ray

Bonus: Preview Of “Spanish: Learn Spanish in 21 DAYS! – A Practical Guide To Make Spanish Look Easy! EVEN For Beginners”

Word Order and Sentence Structure

To construct sentences in Spanish, you need at least a subject and a verb. Like English sentences, it is quite common to construct sentences in Spanish using the word order subject + verb + other parts of a sentence.

For example:

English: -> Maria works in a laboratory.

Spanish: -> Maria trabaja en un laboratorio.

Word order in Spanish, however, is more flexible than English. The order in which the words appear may shift to emphasize one grammatical element over the other. Different parts of a sentence can be arranged in several ways and still be able to express the same idea. The above example can be re-arranged as follows:

Trabaja Maria en un laboratorio.

En un laboratorio trabaja Maria.

Trabaja en un laboratorio Maria.

In addition, when the subject of the sentence is clearly identifiable either by context or through the verb’s conjugation, the subject pronoun may be omitted.

For example:

Vemos películas los fines de semana.             

We watch movies on weekends.

Arturo nada. Juega tenis también.

Arturo swims. He plays tennis, too.

In forming Spanish sentences, an English speaker commonly has to deal with the fact that adjectives generally come after the noun. For instance, to express “long lashes” in Spanish, you’ll say “pestañas largas”, or literally, lashes long. That is just, however, a simple twist when you have to consider that an adjective has to change its form to agree with the noun.

Declarative sentences commonly follow the order subject + predicate + object.

Example:

Martha da limosna a los pobres.

Martha gives alms to the poor.

However, when an object is replaced by an object pronoun (me,te, se, os), the object pronoun is placed before the verb.

Example:

Martha les da limosna.

Martha gives them alms.

When a sentence contains both direct and indirect object, the direct object generally takes precedence over the indirect object.

Example:

Ricardo ha enseñado la técnica a sus alumnus.

Ricardo has taught the technique to his students

However, if the direct object is accompanied by a supplement, the indirect object is placed before the direct object.

Example:

Ricardo ha enseñado a sus alumnus la técnica que aprendió de París.

Ricardo has taught his students the technique he learned from Paris.

Adverbs are usually placed near the verb, but like English, the Spanish language is flexible in terms of its placement.

For example:

Mario frecuentemente juega baloncesto.

Mario frequently plays basketball.

Frecuentemente Mario juega baloncesto.

Frequently, Mario plays basketball.

Mario juega baloncesto frecuentemente.

Mario plays baskeball frequently.

Adverbs that modify adjectives are placed before the adjective.

For example:

La señora es muy hermosa.

The lady is very beautiful.

Forming Questions

There are a several ways to form a question in Spanish.

One is by switching the subject and the verb.

Example:

Declarative sentence -> Julian nada. -> Julian swims.

Question ->¿Nada Julian? -> Does Julian swim?

Another is by adding question marks in written words and by raising the tone while speaking.

For example:

¿Julian swims? -> Julian swims?

Another way is to add tags at the end of a sentence, which is similar to the use of the word “right?” in English.

Example:

Julian nada, ¿no?

Juan cocina, ¿es verdad?

Forming Negative Sentences

To form negative sentences in Spanish, the word “no” is placed before the verb.

Examples:

Ellos juegan al ajedrez. -> Ellos no juegan al ajedrez.

They play chess. -> They don’t play chess.

Yo quiero escribir. -> Yo no quiero escribir.

I want to write. -> I don’t want to write.

Punctuations

Spanish punctuation marks are used in almost the same manner as how you use them in the English language.

Periods

A period, which is called punto or punto final in Spanish, is added at the end of a sentence.

Mateo es un buen chico. -> Mateo is a good boy.

Te esperaré. -> I will wait for you.

Comma

A comma has similar usage in Spanish and English. You can use it to separate clauses, parenthetical phrases and lists.

El presidente, un caballero, ayudó a la señora.

The president, a gentleman, helped the lady.

Ella necesita papel, lápiz y borrador.

She needs paper, pencil, and eraser.

In many European countries, commas and periods are used inversely when writing numbers.

Cerca de 1.000 personas participan.

About 1,000 people participated.

Ella recibió una calificación final de 92,5.

She received a final grade of 92.5.

Question Marks

In Spanish, questions start with an inverted question mark and ends with a regular question mark. Question marks are called signo de interrogación:

¿Quien es el campeón? -> Who is the champion?

¿Adónde vas? -> Where are you going?

Exclamation Points

Exclamation points make it easier for a reader to read exclamation sentences in Spanish by marking the start of a sentence with an inverted exclamation point and the end with an upright or regular exclamation point:

¡Felicidades por tu nuevo trabajo! -> Congratulations on your new job!

¡Ya vale de tonterías! -> Stop this nonsense!

The initial exclamation point or question mark may be placed in the middle or other parts of a sentence if the starting words are not part of the exclamation or question.

Carina, ¿está disponible mañana?

Carina, are you available tomorrow?

Me incorporé a la rifa y ¡gané el primer premio!

I joined the raffle and I won first prize!

You may likewise mix and match punctuations if a sentence has both question and exclamation.

Sarah, ¿qué te pasó! -> Sarah, what happened to you?!

Quotation Marks

There are several ways to quote someone’s words in Spanish and the symbols vary depending on the region you’re in.  In some Spanish-speaking places, you may see the familiar double quotation marks (comillas):

“Quiero saber la verdad”, dijo Felipe.

“I want to know the truth,” said Felipe.

The use of angular quotes (comillas angulares), however, is more common in Spanish writing:

«Quiero saber la verdad», dijo Felipe.

A dash (raya) may likewise be used to indicate that a person is speaking:

—Quiero saber la verdad—dijo Felipe.

To mark a quotation within another quotation, you begin the first quotation with angular quotes before switching to double quotes:

«Quiero ver"Anatomía de Grey"», dijo Felipe.

“I want to watch ‘Grey’s Anatomy’,” said Felipe.

Either the angular quotes or double quotes may be used to quote a movie or a book:

Yo quiero ver "Anatomía de Grey".

Yo quier0 ver «Anatomía de Grey».

I want to see “Grey’s Anatomy”.

While periods and commas are usually placed inside quotation marks in English, they are placed outside of quotations in Spanish.

Other punctuation marks, though less commonly used in Spanish, have similar uses as they do in English: colon (dos puntos), hypen (guión), semicolon (punto y coma), ellipsis (puntos suspensivos), and parenthesis (paréntesis).

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