My mom still gets mad when I get “I” and “me” mixed up. It still happens too often, giving her joy every time. It’s the same thing in Portuguese. The big confusion is whether to say para mim or, para eu. Fortunately, there is a very simple trick to getting these right. Once you know…
Read more...One of the biggest deals to learn as a beginner is the difference between SER and ESTAR. Let’s forget the differences between the two and just look at ser, and when/how to use it. SER: to be SER is really just to talk about the hard facts. Nothing at all temporal or changing. But don’t…
Read more...The LH in the middle of a word is one of the trickiest pronunciations. Really though, it’s not that hard. You just need to remember to half-pronounce the ‘L’. So, it’s not trabayar it’s, trabaLHar. Feel yourself saying the L. But don’t dwell on it. As soon as you feel the L, continue right into…
Read more...One of the many curiosities about the Portuguese language is the fact that there are TWO ways to say “we.” “A gente” can be used almost interchangeably with “nós.” A gente (we) is a colloquial form and is usually used in the spoken language instead of nós (we). Even though it means we, it’s a…
Read more...The Preterit Indicative (often called the “simple past”) is by-far, the most important past-tense to know. Let’s look at the most common irregular verbs in this tense: fazer, ter, ir, ser, estar, querer & dizer. There are many more irregulars, but most of them will follow similar patterns to these common examples presented here.
Read more...One of the first things you’ll notice in Brazil is the word “mesmo.” You’ll hear it everywhwre! It has a few common uses: as “really” to emphasize, as “even though” triggering the subjunctive, and as “the same”. This post will show how to use ” mesmo”, and when it needs to become “mesmA” 😉
Read more...When first learning Portuguese I was immediately tripped up by saying “what.” It turns out there are different ways to express it: “como,” “oi,” or “o quê.” Regardless of which option you choose, the goal is to prompt others to repeat what they just said. Here are some useful phrases to achieve exactly that.
Read more...Let’s take a look at the different uses of ‘mais’ in Portuguese. It can compare one thing to another or simply mean ‘most’ or ‘more.’ You can use it to describe objects, or you can talk about the quantity of something, but using it correctly can be a challenge. As usual, in-context examples quickly bring this important word into focus.
Read more...Understanding how Brazilians use QUEM (who) & QUAL (which) is key to navigating the conversation ➜ quem é? qual é? … Do you know how to use these?
Read more...Important verbs that are irregular in the PRESENT tense: dar, ficar, dizer, fazer, ler, perder, querer, saber, trazer, ver, conseguir, dormir, pedir, sair, vir
Read more...Portuguese verb TER in the present tense is a huge enabler. Besides saying you have/ she has &ETC you can also express or ask if something EXISTS. We” present more examples of TER in action and how it expresses ‘to have to’ and ‘to be able to/have a way to.’
Read more...Brazilians use CONSEGUIR in Portuguese to say: to be able to / can.
ISN’T THIS THE SAME AS PODER? Brazilians use CONSEGUIR rather than PODER to say for example,
Pode deixar in Portuguese translates generally as: leave it to me. It’s one of those phrases that finds it’s way into just about every conversation here. Let’s look at the most popular ways that real Brazilians use this one.
Read more...In Portuguese, the fastest way to start talking about the future is with the verb IR. All you need to know is how to conjugate IR in it’s present tense. This will give you superpowers to construct useful sentences like “I’m going to swim later today,” “She’s going to be mad!,” and “We’re going to buy the nuclear powered scooter.” Embrace the potential of IR – combine it with ANY VERB and say what’s GOING to happen.
Read more...Where’s it at? Nowhere to go. Where you from? Where to? ONDE In Portuguese can have these same superpowers. The key to discovering them is in examining real examples in real context.
Read more...TUDO in Portuguese is used when talking about non-specific things. So for example when you say “tudo bem” you’re saying, “everything’s fine / all is well”. Use TODO & TODA when you want to get more specific about things. For example, when saying something like, “I like to see here every day before going to work”…
Read more...The verb PRECISAR is a lot like GOSTAR in that it gets followed by a “de”. But unlike gostar, not always! The “de” is there because you are literally saying “I need OF something”. PRECISAR de alguma coisa. If you need an ACTION rather than a thing, the “de” does not get used.
Read more...Você tem certeza… ? Brazilians love a sure thing. They are a positive people. To be sure about something is instrinsically optimistic and Brazilians love it. Let’s learn the every-day phrases that they use to talk about sureness and certainty.
Read more...The first thing that struck me as wrong with the use of o and a for THE. One letter? I really wanted at least an “el” or, “la”. Portuguese Articles (called: definite articles) are actually super-practical. Two immediate and big payoffs: (1) Most nouns that end in “o” take the “o”article. Most “a” ending words use “a” for “the”. (2) You can also combine…
Read more...The Preterit Indicative is sometimes called “the simple past tense” (or, the preterit). It’s the clearest past tense in Portuguese because It describes action that is over and done. Simple! Use it to say things like: I played soccer yesterday; Did she go to the club with you?; I liked the movie a lot — Don’t use it to say things like: If I were feeling better I’d go too; I was taking a shower when you called.
Read more...GOSTAR is obviously going to be one of your top-10m verbs that you use. There are two aspects of it that you need to be aware of to use it right: (1) the “de” that always (always) follows gostar; (2) the way that Brazilians actually say, “I like this and that” using the PAST tense rather than the present. In this post we’re going to look at the most common ways you’ll hear GOSTAR used, and learn how to use it effectively.
Read more...The 3 most common Portuguese contractions are: (1) from em: no, na (2) from de: do, da (3) from a: ao, à. Once you know these 3, all the others will make sense! The hardest part is just getting used to saying for example, “no” when you do not mean “não” – but rather: em + o (in the).
Read more...Mine, Yours, His &; Hers The words that we use to convey POSSESSION are pretty simple because all objects are treated as gender-neutral. In Portuguese of course, there are always two options: the masculine and the feminine. These are called possessive pronouns and they are going to test the limits of your patience until you…
Read more...You use the Portuguese Reflexive when you want to be clear that you’re talking about yourself or, herself, themselves etc. When we say The Portuguese Reflexive, we’re really talking about those pronouns that get added right before a verb. These are called Reflexive Pronouns: Reflexive Pronoun Eu me Eu me levantei. (I got myself up)…
Read more...To say “without stopping” it’s just sem – without- plus the verb (almost any verb) in it’s infinitive form. You can use this format to say things like, sem falar, sem pagar, sem pensar, sem perguntar and so on. Very useful. sem falar = without saying sem pagar = without paying sem pensar = without…
Read more...Brazilians are very curious about foreigners in their country. They will surely ask you: De onde você é? : of where you are (literally speaking).
Read more...I think this is the best example. It’s so natural. From the new Story (o Retorno) The scene: Lucas has to spend the night in Uncle Leo’s room. Leo: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Line-by-line: (1) Eu ensino para você. >> I’ll teach you. (2) Eu vou te ensinar. >> I’m going to teach you….
Read more...Prerequisite Reading: Portuguese verb TER. Superpowers? Sim, TER has superpowers. Though these are considered advanced-level, any ambitious learner can start using them now! Just keep in mind that the conjugation of TER is very irregular. Let’s start with the most used: The Imperative of Ter You will hear these all_the_time: Tenha um bom dia! >…
Read more...These are really useful ways to talk about the timing of things. These are the most common ones but, you can also modify these to say exactly what you want to say without learning anything else! I put most of these on my flashcard stack and memorized them before traveling to Brazil. Test yourself: Study…
Read more...Stumbling block #1 for new learners is making sense of how Brazilians say small, smaller, smallest & big, bigger, biggest. (or, large/larger/largest) What’s the big deal? In all Portuguese you express things like short, smart, fat, fast, sexy like this: short = baixo shorter = mais baixo shortest = o mais baixo * And of…
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