Aprende o Portugues PDF

© 2014 Shashank Rao
Aprende o Português!
By Shashank Rao 
Secção 1: Intro to Portuguese
Portuguese is a Romance language spoken primarily in Brazil and Portugual, as well as several
countries in Africa. Portuguese bears many similarities to Spanish, and many people who
Spanish often learn Portuguese with relative ease. In learning Portuguese, you will be able to
converse primarily with the people of two culturally diverse nations.
If you don’t already know, there are two forms of spoken Portuguese that are widely taught in
schools that teach Portuguese: European and Brazilian. Contrary to popular opinion, the two
variants are not as mutually intelligible as one might expect. Over the centuries, the two variants
have drifted apart considerably, to such an extent that they are only intelligible on a very basic
level. This guide will address only these two variants, as what is called Continental Portuguese,
the standard spoken in countries in Africa, is largely reminiscent of European Portuguese in
grammar, but is pronounced more like Brazilian Portuguese. Now that we have the history out of
the way, let’s get started on pronunciation!
Foreign consonants:
j = French j sound
lh = Italian gli, or the English ly
nh = Spanish ñ
ç = s sound
s = s sound at the beginning of words, z sound between vowels, and sometimes sh sound at the
end of words
sc = Relatively rare, and if it’s before a weak vowel, it is pronounced as the s sound, but if it’s
before a strong vowel, it’s pronounced as the sk sound.
ch = sh sound
g = French j sound before weak vowels
h = silent
x = sh sound before o and consonants, the x sound before most other vowels, and the s sound
before i sometimes; Brazilian Portuguese speakers often pronounce it as s most of the time
m = nasalized at the end of words (Note: the ending -am is pronounced a bit like the ow sound)
r = Terminal r’s are silent in Brazil and in Portugal, they are slightly or completely voiced,
depending on the region. Initial r’s are sounded from the throat, like the r in merçi in French.
rr = A sound made from the throat, rather like the French r sound in merçi (In Portugal it is
pronounced this way, but in Brazil, it is pronounced as a voiced h sound)
z = S sound at the end of words, and the English z sound at the beginning of syllables
t = Ch sound before weak vowels (in Brazil)
d = English j sound before weak vowels (in Brazil); Hard th sound between vowels sometimes
n = Nasalized at the end of syllables
Foreign vowels and rules for vowels:
e - The uh sound when unstressed and non-final, the ay sound when stressed, and the ee sound
when stressed and final (In Portugal, non-stressed is always the uh sound)
o - The o sound when stressed, and the u sound when unstressed
ou - Drawn out, open o sound
oi - The oy sound
õe - Nasalized oi sound
au/ao - The ow sound
ai - Strong i sound (English pronoun I); Note: not a diphthong when before a terminal z, before
nh anywhere in the word, and before l, m, r, or n at the end of a syllable
ãe - Nasalized ai sound
ei - Ay sound in Brazil, and strong i sound in Portugal (Stressed e’s are sometimes pronounced
this way in Portugal)
eu - Eh-oo sound
ue/ui - When before the g or the q sound, ignore the u (So, (g/q)ue sounds as (g/k)eh)
á/à - Puts stress on the vowel (The grave accent only goes on à); Portuguese tends to only mark
stress with an accent if it is necessary to maintain a certain pronunciation, as the stress in most
Portuguese words falls on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable.
ã - Nasalizes vowel
â - Lengthens and closes vowel (say the vowel with a more closed mouth shape)
In European Portuguese, terminal and unstressed a’s and o’s tend to get swallowed up or dropped
off of the word. Sometimes, this is the case with terminal s’s. E’s at the end of syllables, and
especially at the ends of words, can also get dropped off. So, a word like sabe might sound like
sab, floresta like floresht, and so on. European Portuguese also tends to use the sh sound more
often, particularly at the ends of words. A word like sabes might sound like sabsh. Also,
nasalized vowels such as ão are not as pronounced.
Both countries teach children in school of the other country’s way of saying things, though not
extensively. European Portuguese is often described as being more old-fashioned. It actually
bears more resemblance to Spanish than Brazilian Portuguese does. Other variants, such as those
in Africa, have also undergone similar changes. However, this text’s primary concerns are the
Brazilian and European versions. It will be noted now, and at appropriate points in this text, that
European Portuguese is easier to learn in theory than Brazilian Portuguese, if you already know
Spanish. However, Brazilian Portuguese is often said to be easier in practice, because the
Brazilian accent enunciates every sound, whereas the European accent is said to be spoken with a
closed mouth (boca fechada), and can be a little unclear to the untrained ear. It’s up to you which
to learn.
Due to the fact there are two Academies of Portuguese, institutions that govern all the fine
aspects and technical rules of Portuguese, one in Brazil and one in Portugal, there are often
disagreements on the way certain things are spelled, said, or formed. The Portuguese Academy
often preserves older spellings (even if they’re not pronounced) and forms, whereas the Brazilian
Academy prefers more simplified spellings and rules, and Brazilian Portuguese has incorporated
significant contributions from Italian, Spanish, and indigenous languages.
For example, words that include infixes, suffixes, or prefixes of the forms -pt- or -ct-, are the
most disagreed upon. The Portuguese Academy maintains the inclusion of the p and c, whereas
the Brazilian Academy does not. Words such as óptimo in Portugal, are spelled as ótimo in
Brazil. In many words in which the European spelling is like this, the p and c are not
pronounced. Also, in many Brazilian spellings that have circumflex to indicate stress, the
European spelling uses an acute accent. Despite the differences between Portugal and Brazil, the
two Academies work together to narrow down spelling differences between the two countries.
Note: From here, the area of usage for certain words will be marked by (Eu. = European
Portuguese, and Br. = Brazilian Portuguese). Also, a class on Memrise is available for reviewing
vocabulary via flashcards here: http://www.memrise.com/course/369814/aprende-o-
portugues-vocabulary-review/.
Vocabulary: Basic Phrases
Oi/Olá - Hello (Br./Eu.)

Tchau - Hi (Br. only)
*Eu sou o/a… - I am… (Men use o and Women use a)
O meu nome é… - My name is…
Como você se chama?/Como chamas-te? - What do you call yourself (variant of the above
expression; Br./Eu.)
Como está (você)?/Como estás (tu)? - How are you? (Br./Eu.)
Estou bem. - I’m fine.
(Muito) Obrigado(a). - Thank you (very much). (Men use obrigado and women use obrigada)
Tudo bem? - (Is) everything well/alright? (More common than como está(s) in Portugal)
Tudo (bem). - Affirmative reply to the previous expression.
Mais ou menos. - “More or less.” (Used to indicate being mildly, “under the weather.”)
Prazer (a conhecê-lo). - (A) pleasure./Pleased to meet you.
Muito prazer (a conhecê-lo). - “Much” pleasure./Very pleased to meet you.
Bom dia/tarde/noite. - Good day/afternoon/(evening/night). (Can also be used to say goodbye.)
Tchau/Adeus. - Goodbye. (Br./Eu.)
Até logo/mais. - See you later.
Até amanhã. - See you another day. (amanhã actually means tomorrow, but this phrase can be
used in reference to a point a few days from the present)
Até já. - See you soon.
Até a próxima. - See you next time.
Sim - Yes
Não - No
(Se) faz favor/por favor - please

Bem-vindo/Boa-vinda - Welcome (male/female) Plurals: Bens-vindos/Boas-vindas (male or
mixed/female)
Não há de quê. - You’re welcome.
De onde (você é/tu és)? - Where are you from? (Br./Eu.)
Eu sou de… - I’m from…
Não é? - Isn’t it?/Right? (Often tacked on at the end of sentences as a sort of emphasis, kind of
like no? in English, or na? in some languages. A response to this is often is simply É. This
expression is sometimes shortened to né, especially in informal spoken Brazilian Portuguese.)
(As) congratulações/felicitações! - Congratulations!
É engano. - It’s a mistake. (Used to tell someone they have the wrong number)
É o/a próprio(a). - Speaking. (Said on the phone to indicate the person called is speaking)
Perdão! - Excuse me!
Tá ligado? - Are you connected? (Basically asks for confirmation to whether the other person is
connected, through any electronic medium, but mostly telephone)
*In Portuguese, speakers sometimes use the definite article o and a before someone’s name in
indirect address, to imply some familiarity with that person. You would never use the definite
article before someone’s name in direct address. This is also the case with attaching the definite
article to place names, although an exception is Brazil, with which you must always use the
definite article. For names that are famous, such as Shakespeare or Cervantes, of whom there are
few, if any others, by those names, one does not put o or a before the name.
Vocabulary: Sports
o futebol - football/soccer
o basquete - basketball
o beisebol - baseball
o futebol americano - American football
a natação - swimming
Vocabulary: Food and Drink
a pizza - pizza
a massa - pasta
o sanduíche - sandwich
a carne - meat
o ovo - egg
a sopa - soup
a fruta - fruit (the food)
o fruto - fruit (figuratively)
a uva - grape
a banana - banana
a maçã - apple
o repolho - cabbage
a couve - kale/cole
a cenoura - carrot
o suco/sumo - juice (Br./Eu.) - Note: The o in sumo is open, so it sounds as o)
a água - water
o refrigerante - soda (colloquially referred to as o refri)
o vinho - wine
a cerveja - beer (general term)
o chope/o imperial - draft beer
a vodca - vodka
Vocabulary: Verbs
falar - to talk/speak
correr - to run
*andar/caminhar - to walk
nadar - to swim
escrever - to write
brincar - to play (general; intransitive)
jogar - to play (games or sports)
tocar - to play (music)
comer - to eat
beber/tomar - to drink
cheirar - to smell
atender - to serve (as in to help or work for)
servir - to serve (as in to function or act as or to distribute food)
pescar - to fish
esquiar - to ski
dançar - to dance
cantar - to sing
*Andar means, “to go (about),” having a more general meaning, but is also often used to mean,
“to walk.” Andar is more common in Brazil and Portugal than caminhar, which only means, “to
walk,” and is used primarily in fixed phrases and specific situations.
Vocabulary: Question Words
quem - who
que/o quê - what (second variant is an interjection)
*qual - which (pl. quais)
quando - when
quanto(a) - how much
como - how (can also be used to mean since, in the sense of, “Since you’re busy…”)
onde - where
**por quê/por que - why/because
*When using this word to find a specific answer, such as asking for someone’s address or a price,
you use qual instead of que. Ex. Qual (é) o preço? It is not incorrect to leave out the verb for to
be from such questions.
**These two versions of the word are used in the following ways:
You’re going home? Why? (This, “why,” is por quê.)

Why are you going home? (This one is por que; Here, it refers to for what or by what cause.)
As in Spanish and Italian, it is important to note that if the subject is included in a question, it
comes after the conjugated verb, though many speakers omit it altogether.
Conjugations:
The first thing you need to know about verbs is that there is a base form that you’ll find in the
dictionary, called the infinitive, which doesn’t mean very much on its own. The infinitive
translates as, “to…” + (action). The verb, “to eat,” is in the infinitive form, as is its counterpart in
Portuguese, comer.
Verbs in Portuguese inflect based on person, mood, and number. There are pronouns according to
which verbs are conjugated, which vary slightly based on whether you’re speaking Brazilian or
European Portuguese. The Portuguese pronouns are listed in the table below, according to person
(1st, 2nd, 3rd).
eu - I nós/a gente - we
tu - you (informal) vós - you all (informal)
ele/ela/você* - he/she/you (formal) eles/elas/vocês* - they (m./f.)/you all (formal)
*Você and vocês are often abbreviated as Vc. and Vcs.
The first thing about pronouns that you need to know, is that in Brazilian Portuguese, there is no
tu-vous distinction, so você is the only pronoun used to mean you. There is no difference
between you informally and you formally. However, this distinction remains in European
Portuguese.
In both Brazilian and European Portuguese, the pronoun vós is not used in colloquial speech;
only in holy texts, historical fiction, by priests, and also in the northern dialects of Portugal.
Instead, most Portuguese speakers use vocês.
About nós and a gente: these two words are both used to mean, “we,” but in slightly different
situations. Nós is more formal in Brazil, but the primary difference is the nós is inclusive, where
as a gente, which technically means the people, is exclusive. This means if you’re talking to
someone else, the former means, “we (including you),” and the latter, “we (excluding you)”.
This applies only if you use both pronouns in speech. Also, you never use a gente to mean,
“we,” in written Portuguese, outside of dialogue, that is. A gente is considered more Brazilian,
though it is used in Portugal as well, to a lesser extent. This is usually a matter of choice.
Finally, eles and elas are exactly like ellos and ellas in Spanish; masculine and feminine forms of
the word they. If the they in question includes men and women, then you use eles. This is the
default rule in Portuguese, when referring to groups; if it’s mixed, then use the masculine form.
Now, let’s move on to the verbs. There are three classes of verbs in Portuguese, which are
organized by their endings: -ar, -er, and -ir.
The Present Indicative
The present indicative is a tense used to express actions in the present that are general, habitual,
and/or factual in nature. It can occasionally imply the immediate future, and the progressive,
which we’ll get to later on.
-ar Verbs - falar - to talk/speak
eu falo nós falamos

tu falas
ele/ela/você fala eles/elas/vocês falam
-er Verbs - correr - to run
eu corro nós corremos

tu corres
ele/ela/você corre eles/elas/vocês correm
-ir Verbs - partir - to leave
eu parto nós partimos

tu partes
ele/ela/você parte eles/elas/vocês partem
Portuguese, like many Romance languages, is a pro-drop language, which means you can drop
the pronoun from the sentence if it is implicit due to context. This is usually the case, each
conjugation is unique to a single pronoun or a few pronouns.
Pluralizing Nouns and Definite and Indefinite Articles
Like other Romance languages, Portuguese nouns are gendered. Therefore, the articles, the
words for the and a/an are gendered as well. The Portuguese definite articles (words for the) are
o (masculine) and a (feminine). The indefinite articles (words for a/an) are um and uma. The
plural definite articles are os and as, whereas the plural indefinite articles are uns and umas.
Pluralizing nouns in Portuguese can be a tricky task, as there are nouns with different endings,
which cause them to decline differently. We’ll divide the nouns into different categories.
Ending in a Vowel
This category includes most nouns in the language. To pluralize this kind of noun, simply add -s
to the end. This rule goes for nouns that end in diphthongs as well, except for those ending in
-ão.
o ovo -> os ovos

a uva -> as uvas
Ending in -m or -n
These nouns pluralize by changing -m or -n to -ns, which applies to both kinds, and regardless of
gender.
o homem -> os homens

o germen -> os germens
Ending in -r or -z
Nouns that end this way pluralize by adding -es to the end of the word.
a mulher -> as mulheres

o rapaz -> os rapazes
Ending in -s
Now, this category is different from the previous ones, because the ending changes based on
where the stress is in the word. Where the stress is depends on where the most emphasis goes in
the word, by syllable. For example, in the word power, the stress is on the first syllable. In
Portuguese, the stress typically falls on the second-to-last syllable.
Words that end in -s with stress on the final syllable simply add -es to the end.
o deus -> os deuses

o inglês -> os ingleses
Note that words with circumflex drop it when pluralized. If the stress does not fall on the final
syllable, the word remains unchanged.
o alferes -> os alferes
Ending in -l
Similar to nouns ending in -s, nouns that end in -l pluralize differently according to where the
stress is in the word. Nouns that end in -al, in which the stress is always on the final syllable,
pluralize by dropping -al and adding -ais.
o animal -> os animais
Nouns that end in -el where the stress falls on the final syllable (1) are pluralized by dropping the
-el and adding -éis, to maintain the stress on the final syllable. If the stress is not on the final
syllable (2), the ending is the same, except you drop the accent, because the stress doesn’t change
as a result of pluralizing it.
(1) o pastel -> os pastéis

(2) o telemóvel -> os telemoveis
Nouns that end in -il are rare. If the stress is on the final syllable (1), to pluralize the noun, drop
-il and replace it with -is. If the stress is not on the final syllable (2), drop the -il and add -eis.
(1) o fuzil -> os fuzis

(2) o fóssil > os fósseis
There are two exceptions to this rule:
o mal -> os males

o cônsul -> os cônsules
Ending in -x
Nouns ending in -x do not undergo any changes when made plural.
o clímax -> os clímax

Ending in -ão
Nouns in this category are special, because not only does the rule of pluralizing go without
regard to gender, but also there are words that do not follow this rule.
o avião -> os aviões

a decisão -> as decisões
Nouns ending in -ão that do not pluralize according to the rule above typically add -s to make
their plurals. The full list of such words will be below. This rule also applies to words ending in
-ão in which the stress does not fall on the final syllable.
o cidadão -> os cidadãos

a cidadã -> as cidadãs
o cristão -> os cristãos

a cristã -> as cristãs
o irmão -> os irmãos

a irmã -> as irmãs
o mão -> os mãos
o órgão -> os órgãos
Some nouns ending in -ão pluralize by changing -ão to -ães.
o alemão -> os alemães

o cão -> os cães
o capitão -> os capitães
o escrivão -> os escrivães
o sacristão -> os sacristães
Getting the Feminine Form of a Noun or Adjective
Because Portuguese is a gendered language, many nouns that describe people and many
adjectives have a masculine and feminine form. Most of the time, if the word ends in -o, the
feminine form ends in -a. For example, the feminine form of divertido is divertida.
However, for some words, such as the word mau, the feminine form is not immediately obvious.
The feminine form of mau is má. This is the case for all nouns ending in -au. There are a few
words that end in -éu, whose feminine singular forms end in -éia. For words that have endings
with a circumflex, such as português, drop the circumflex in the feminine form, and just add -a.
Conjunctions
e - and
que - that (you’ll learn the use of this as a conjunction later on)
mas/porém - but (porém is literary word, and mas is more common in spoken language)
a - to
ou - or
se - if
The Verb Gostar
The verb gostar is used much like the Spanish verb gustar, except that this verb actually means,
“to like,” as opposed to, “to be pleasing.” This means, you can conjugate the verb according to
the subject, rather than the object. One thing note: gostar is always used in conjunction with the
preposition de, whose uses we will get into later on. Look at the example below.
Eu gosto de comer maçãs. = I like to eat apples.
To negate this statement, to say that you don’t like something, you simply add não before the
conjugated form of gostar. Look at the example below.
(Eu)* Não gosto de comer maçãs. = I don’t like to eat apples.
For future reference, all verb constructions such as the one for gostar use de after the conjugated
verb.
Vocabulary: Days of the Week, Months of the Year, and Seasons
segunda-feira* - Monday
terça-feira - Tuesday
quarta-feira - Wednesday
quinta-feira - Thursday
sexta-feira - Friday
sábado - Saturday
domingo - Sunday
janeiro - January
fevereiro - February
março - March
abril - April
maio - May
junho - June
julho - July
agosto - August
setembro - September
outubro - October
novembro - November
dezembro - December
a primavera - spring
o verão - summer
o outono - autumn/fall
o inverno - winter
*The ending -feira is often dropped in conversation.
Exercícios de prática:
A. Conjugate the following verbs in all six forms of the present tense.
1. falar
2. escrever
3. correr
4. cheirar
5. comer
6. brincar
7. tocar
8. atender
9. dançar
10. servir
B. Pluralize the following singular nouns.
1. o ovo
2. a fruta
3. a couve
4. o nível
5. a natação
6. o vinho
7. a maçã
8. a rã
9. o milhão
10. a cerveja 
Secção 2: School
Vocabulary: School
o lápis - pencil
a caneta - pen
a mochila - backpack
a tesoura - scissor
o borracha - eraser
o livro - book
o papel - paper
o caderno - notebook
a pasta - folder
as notas - notes
a escola - school
a lição - lesson
a escola primária/elementar - primary/elementary school
o ensino médio - middle school
o colégio - high school
a faculdade - college/faculty (college here refers to university divisions or a small university)
a universidade - university
o ginásio - gymnasium
a biblioteca - library
a sala de informática - computer lab
a casa - house
o apartamento - apartment
a aula - class (a course subject or an instruction period)
a tema - subject material/theme
a classe - class (group of students)
a turma - graduating class/group of students for a particular class
o curso - course
o professor/a professora - teacher
o/a estudante - student
a pessoa - person
o/a vizinho(a) - neighbor
o homem - man (~19~50 years)
a mulher - woman (~19~50 years) (can also mean wife)
o bebê/nenê/neném - baby (human only)
a criança - child (~3~9 years)
*o/a menino(a) - young boy/girl
*o/a garoto(a) - young adult
*o/a rapaz/rapariga - young adult (more common in Portugal, synonymous with garoto(a) but
has a slightly broader age group; careful: rapariga is pretty innocent in Portugal, but in Brazil is
slang for a prostitute)
*o/a moço(a) - mister/miss (something like college or late high school age; strictly Brazilian)
o senhor - sir/Mr. (~51+)
a senhora - madam/Mrs. (~51+)
a senhorita - miss (unmarried woman)
o pai/a mãe or o papai/a mamãe - (father/dad)/(mother/mom) or daddy/mommy
o dever de casa - homework/task
o teste - quiz
a prova - test
o projeto - project
a redação - essay
a série - grade (in school)
a nota - grade (as in marks in school)
a interrupção/parada - break (short)
a folga - break (long, in the context of school only)
a matemática - mathematics
a álgebra - algebra
o cálculo - calculus
a análise - analysis
a estatística - statistic
o número - number
o inglês - English
a composição - composition
a ciência - science
a química - chemistry
a física - physics
a biologia - biology
a informática - computer science/information technology
o espanhol/castelhano - Spanish
o francês - French
o chinês - Chinese
o idioma/a língua - language (pluralize idioma as feminine, but treat as masculine otherwise)
a educação física - physical education
o treino - practice (sports)
o esporte - sport
a arte - art
a música - music
a geografia - geography
a história - history
Vocabulary: Household and Classroom Objects
o lugar - place
a mesa - desk/table
o escritório - study/office (as in the room)
o quadro - board
a janela - window
a porta - door
o computador - computer
a cadeira - chair
o disco - disc
a bandeira - flag
o pôster - poster
a lixeira - waste basket
o relógio - clock
o calendário - calendar
o apuntador - pencil sharpener
a chave - key
*The multiple words that are translated as, “child,” “boy,” or, “girl,” can be a source of
confusion to Portuguese learners. First, let’s look at criança, menino(a), and garoto(a).
Criança and menino(a) are unquestionably little kids, of elementary school age, and
sometimes, mothers will affectionately call their children menino or menina, even if they’re
grown up and married.
Garoto(a) has a more restricted usage, referring to kids who are around 10-18 years old,
something like a teenager. After that point, they become moço or moça, which have a bit of an
informal connotation, at least in Brazil. Rapaz and rapariga are more or less the European
equivalents of moço(a). A good rule is that once someone’s getting into their thirties, you can
start saying o senhor or a senhora/senhorita, especially if that person’s married.
Vocabulary: Useful Expressions
atrasado(a)/com um atraso de (amount of time) - late/late by (amount of time)

cedo/adiantado(a) - early (before usual/before expected)
pontual - punctual
na (ordinal number) hora - In the nth hour
tarde - late (toward the end of the day)
muito(a) - much/a lot/very
pouco(a) - a little/few
*para - for
imediatamente - immediately
no momento - at present
agora - now
agora mesmo/nessa horinha - right now/just (now))
Que pena! - What a shame!
*In spoken, colloquial Portuguese, para is often pronounced pra, and if indicated in dialogue, it
may be written as p’ra, to indicate the dropping of the vowel. Be aware that this is more
common in Brazil than in Portugal. Otherwise, it is never seen in formal and/or written
Portuguese.
Vocabulary: Adjectives
maçante - boring
fácil/simples - easy
difícil - difficult
favorito(a) - favorite
divertido(a) - fun
interessante - interesting
bem - well/good (adverb)
bom/boa - good
ruim - bad (in quality)/incorrect
mau/má - bad (masc/fem.)
simples - simple
complexo(a) - complex/complicated
mais/menos... do que - more/less... than
Adjectives in Portuguese always follow the noun, although they may precede a noun, giving a
more emphatic or metaphoric quality to the noun. Adjectives also change based on whether the
modified noun is masculine or feminine. As said before, if the noun is plural and refers to a
group that includes males and females, use the masculine plural form. However, certain
collective nouns, such as a gente (the people), are singular nouns that refer to groups of people,
and should be treated as such.
Vocabulary: Numbers
zero - 0
um/uma - 1 (masc./fem.)
dois/duas - 2 (masc./fem.
três - 3
quatro - 4
cinco - 5
seis - 6
sete - 7
oito - 8
nove - 9
dez - 10 (a dezena = a set of ten)
onze - 11
doze - 12 (a dúzia = a dozen)
treze - 13
quatorze/catorze - 14 (Br./Eu.)
quinze - 15
dezesseis - 16
dezessete - 17
dezoito - 18
dezenove - 19
vinte - 20
vinte e um/uma - 21 (masc./fem.)
vinte e dois/duas - 22 (masc./fem.)
vinte e três - 23
…
trinta - 30
quarenta - 40
cinqüenta - 50
sessenta - 60
setenta - 70
oitenta - 80
noventa - 90
cem - 100 (a centena = a set of one hundred)
duzentos(as) - 200
trezentos(as) - 300
quatrocentos(as) - 400
quinhentos(as) - 500
seiscentos(as) - 600
setecentos(as) - 700
oitocentos(as) - 800
novecentos(as) - 900
mil - 1,000 (o milhar = a set of one thousand)
dez mil - 10,000
cem mil - 100,000
milhão - 1,000,000
bilhão - 1,000,000,000
trilhão - 1,000,000,000,000
quadrilhão - 1,000,000,000,000,000
Vocabulary: Ordinal Number Adjectives
primeiro(a) - 1st
segundo(a) - 2nd
terceiro(a) - 3rd
quarto(a) - 4th
quinto(a) - 5th
sexto(a) - 6th
sétimo(a) - 7th
oitavo(a) - 8th
nono(a) - 9th
décimo(a) - 10th
vigésimo(a) - 20th
trigésimo(a) - 30th
quadragésimo(a) - 40th
quinquagésimo(a) - 50th
sexagésimo(a) - 60th
septuagésimo(a) - 70th
octagésimo(a) - 80th
nonagésimo(a) - 90th
centésimo - 100th
To form numbers such as twenty-first, you put the tens place, then ones place, using the ordinal
numbers. Like so: vigésimo (20) primeiro (1).
However, the words for 11th, 12th, and 13th differ between Brazil and Portugal. While Brazil
forms all such numbers with the method above, Portugal, for these three ordinal numbers only,
uses undécimo, duodécimo, and tredécimo.
Vocabulary: Verbs
ensinar - to teach
aprender - to learn
compreender/entender - to understand
sentar - to sit
vir - to come
deixar/sair/partir - to leave (from)
*ir - to go (not the same as andar)
perguntar - to ask
pedir/solicitar - to request/ask for (informal/formal) (pedir in the eu form is peço)
falar - to talk
dizer - to say/tell
fazer - to do/make
ser - to be (permanent conditions)
estar - to stay (impermanent conditions)
ter - to have
ler - to read
escrever - to write
saber - to know (factual information or abilities)
ver - to see
trabalhar - to work
assistir/olhar - to watch (Br./Eu.) (Note: assistir also means to attend)
estudar - to study
corrigir - to correct
dar nota - to grade
terminar - to finish
completar - to complete
achar/pensar - to think
tomar notas - to take notes
aceitar - to take/get/accept
levar - to carry
trazer - to bring
pegar/apanhar - to grab/take (can be used with a mode of transport)
preferir - to prefer
escutar/ouvir - to listen/hear
desenhar - to draw
esquecer de - to forget
frigir - to fry
enganar - to cheat/fool/trick/deceive
*Unlike andar, ir means, “to go,” in much the same way that we think of the verb in English.
Andar is associated with more figurative uses of the verb, “to go,” and refers to more specific
modes of travel (though said modes may not be indicated explicitly).
Irregular Verbs
Some verbs don’t conjugate according to the regular conjugation patterns, most of which are
very useful verbs that you use very frequently. The tables below detail the irregular verbs
introduced in this section.
ir
eu vou nós vamos

tu vais
ele/ela/você vai eles/elas/vocês vão
fazer
eu faço nós fazemos

tu fazes
ele/ela/você faz eles/elas/vocês fazem
ser
eu sou nós somos

tu és
ele/ela/você é eles/elas/vocês são
estar
eu estou/tô* nós estamos/(tamo)*

tu estás
ele/ela/você está/tá* eles/elas/vocês estão/tão*
*In Brazil only, these are informal conjugations of the verb estar. They never appear in writing,
except in dictionaries or texts on the language itself. The informal conjugations for estar are
basically dropping the es- from the conjugation entirely. However, this does not apply for the
imperfect subjunctive and future subjunctive, because they would look exactly the same as
the conjugations for ter.
vir
eu venho nós vimos

tu vens
ele/ela/você vem eles/elas/vocês vêm
ver
eu vejo nós vemos

tu vês
ele/ela/você vê eles/elas/vocês vêem
saber
eu sei nós sabemos

tu sabes
ele/ela/você sabe eles/elas/vocês sabem
dizer
eu digo nós dizemos

tu dizes
ele/ela/você diz eles/elas/vocês dizem
ouvir
eu ouço/oiço* nós ouvimos

tu ouves
ele/ela/você ouve eles/elas/vocês ouvem
*Ouço is used primarily in Brazil and Northern Portugal, whereas oiço is used primarily in
Central and Southern Portugal. Many words that have ou are also spelled with oi, where oi is
more common in Portugal, and ou is more common in Brazil.
ter
eu tenho nós temos

tu tens
ele/ela/você tem eles/elas/vocês têm
ler
eu leio nós lemos

tu lês
ele/ela/você lê eles/elas/vocês lêem
sair
eu saio nós saímos

tu sais
ele/ela/você sai eles/elas/vocês saem
frigir
eu frijo nós frigimos

tu friges/freges*
ele/ela/você frige/frege* eles/elas/vocês frigem/fregem*
*The second spelling is sometimes used to differentiate it from the present subjunctive.
Radical Changing Verbs
When it comes conjugating some verbs, the spelling of the verb might change slightly in order
to preserve pronunciation. Some verbs are radical changing in European Portuguese, but not in
Brazilian Portuguese.
Take a verb like frigir (to fry). If you conjugate it normally, your conjugation for eu is frigo.
The sound of the last syllable is changed from a j sound to a g sound. In order to retain the j
sound, you have to spell the eu form as frijo. You should double-check conjugations with
Verbix’s verb conjugator.
Stem-Changing Verbs
Some verbs, when conjugated in the present tense, change in their spellings for certain
pronouns. Unlike Spanish, however, the only verbs that will do this are -ir verbs. There are
three kinds of changes, described below:
dormir (o -> u) (to sleep)
eu durmo nós dormimos

tu dormes
ele/ela/você dorme eles/elas/vocês dormem
servir (e -> i) (to serve)
eu sirvo nós servimos

tu serves
ele/ela/você serve eles/elas/vocês servem
subir (u -> o) (to rise/go up/ascend)
eu subo nós subimos

tu sobes
ele/ela/você sobe eles/elas/vocês sobem
Possessive Clauses
To express ownership of nouns, you use the definite article, which is followed by one of the
possessive pronouns. (Format: masculine/feminine) The pronouns pluralize as nouns do.
meu/minha nosso/nossa
teu/tua
seu/sua seu/sua
Ex.
My apple = A minha maçã

Your cabbage = O teu repolho
Note that when these pronouns are used as adjectives instead of pronouns like in the phrases
above. This means words like, “mine”, “yours”, and “ours”. Also remember that when you’re
talking about a family member, you don’t need to attach the definite article.
However, in colloquial speech, many speakers omit the definite article if the word is at the
beginning of a sentence or if it’s in a title. In Brazil, the definite article is omitted in formal
registers, especially in writing, where it is considered inelegant. This derives from a Classical
Portuguese rule, which European Portuguese no longer obeys.
Telling Time
To tell the time, you say são + the hour number + the number of minutes. For example, 3:26
would be são três e vinte e seis. However, if the hour is singular, then you say é uma hora, and
you can add whatever number of minutes you need to. The same is true of times involving two,
because it has a feminine form: duas. To say how minutes remain until the next hour, you say
são + remaining time + para a(s) + hour number. Midnight is meia-noite and midday is meio-
dia. To indicate the time being in the morning, you add da manhã: afternoon is da tarde; and
for night, da noite. For the early morning, it is rare to hear da madrugada, but it is still good to
know.
A. Write out how the given time would be told in Portuguese.
1. 6:10 AM
2. 3:45 PM
3. 1:20 AM
4. 7:43 PM
5. 9:12 AM
6. 12:05 PM
7. 4:18 AM
8. 5:32 PM
9. 10:45 PM
10. 2:30 PM
B. Write the following nouns in possessive clauses for each possessive adjective.
1. a escola
2. as classes
3. as mesas
4. os estudantes
5. o caderno
6. as pastas
7. os livros
8. a nota
9. o professor
10. os relógios
C. Write the number associated with the given noun out in Portuguese.
1. 200 camarões
2. 1,000,000 dólares
3. 3,450 pessoas
4. 78943 camas
5. 452 maçãs
6. 930400 anos
7. 2943 canetas
8. 1493 línguas
9. 89 uvas
10. 10392 telas 
Secção 3: Health and Food
Vocabulary: Foods, Mealtime, Etc.
o café da manhã/o pequeno-almoço - breakfast (Br./Eu.)

os cereais - cereal (singular o cereal means, “grain”)
o pão - bread
a torrada - toast
o arroz - rice
a lingüiça - sausage
o toicinho/toucinho defumado - bacon (Br./Eu.)
o almoço - lunch
a salada - salad
a batata - potato
o morango - strawberry
o biscoito - biscuit/cookie
o presunto - ham
o limão - lemon
a laranja - orange
a casca - peel (of a fruit or vegetable)
a semente - seed
o caroço - pit (of a fruit)
o queijo - cheese
as aves domésticas - poultry
a carne de boi/vaca - beef
a carne de porco - pork
o peixe - fish
a galinha - chicken
o peru - turkey
os frutos do mar - seafood
a dieta - diet
a noz - generic nut/walnut
o amendoim - peanut
a avelã - hazelnut
a amêndoa - almond
o caju - cashew
o jantar - dinner
a comida - food
o rango - food (slang)
a sobremesa - dessert
o bolo - cake
o gelado/sorvete - ice cream
o chocolate - chocolate
a pastelaria - pastry/sweet
a porcaria - junk food/rubbish/filthiness
o café - coffee
o leite - milk
a limonada - lemonade
o chá - tea
o prato - plate
a tigela/bacia - bowl
o copo - cup
a forquilha - fork
a faca - knife
o colher - spoon
o guardanapo - napkin
o azeite - oil
a manteiga - butter
a margarina - margarine
a especiaria - spice
a pimenta - pepper
o sal - salt
o alho - garlic
o molho - sauce
o orégano - oregano
o manjerição - basil
o açucár - sugar
a riceita - recipe/prescription
a prescrição - prescription
gostoso(a)/saboroso(a) - tasty
nojento(a) - disgusting
insosso(a) - bland
temperado(a) - spicy
doce - sweet
azedo(a) - sour
amargo(a) - bitter
acre - sharp/pungent
quente - hot
frio(a) - cold
seco(a) - dry
molhado(a) - wet
fétido(a) - bad-smelling
insalubre - unhealthy
saudável - healthy
sadio(a) - healthy (of body and mind)
gorduroso(a) - fatty (as in food)
cru(a) - raw
malpassado(a) - rare (as in meat)
meio-raro(a) - medium-rare
bem passado(a) - well-done
cozido demais- burned/over-done
higiênico(a) - hygienic
vegetariano(a) - vegetarian
alérgico(a) - allergic
anoréxico(a) - anorexic
bulímico(a) - bulimic
Vocabulary: Health
a saúde - health
a gordura - fat
a verdura - vegetable
a proteína - protein
a doença - sickness
a gripe - flu
a tosse - cough
a xarope para tosse - cough syrup
a injeção/pica - injection (Br./Eu.)
a vacina - vaccine
a pilula - pill
o tablete/a pastilha - tablet
o sabão/sabonete - soap (general/only for cleaning self)
a pasta de dente - toothpaste
a escova de dente - toothbrush
a escova de cabelo - hairbrush
o xampu - shampoo
a anorexia - anorexia
a bulimia - bulimia
Vocabulary: Colors
a cor - color
preto(a) - black
azul - blue
marrom/castanho(a) - brown (Br./Eu.)
verde - green
cinza/cinzento(a) - gray (Br./Eu.)

cor-de-laranja/laranja/alaranjado(a) - orange (last one is uncommon)
cor-de-rosa - pink
lavanda - lavender
roxo(a)/púrpura/violeta - purple
vermelho(a) - red
branco(a) - white
amarelo(a) - yellow
claro(a) - light/clear
escuro(a) - dark
Vocabulary: Verbs
cortar - to cut
descascar - to peel
descaroçar - to pit (a fruit)
prescrever - to prescribe
fazer dieta - to diet
tossir - to cough (o->u; eu form)
manter/conservar a saúde - to maintain health
limpar - to clean
dividir - to share (as in use together)
compartilhar - to share (as in allowing others to use/in the intransitive sense)
cozinhar - to cook
pôr - to put/place
colocar - to place (figuratively)
alimentar - to feed
morrer de fome/sede - to die of hunger/thirst
dar - to give
precisar + verb - to need to (verb)
ter que/ter de - to have to (verb) (ter de is less common but still heard)
trazer - to bring
acabar de + infinitive - to have finished/just have (verb)
pôr
eu ponho nós pomos

tu pões
ele/ela/você põe eles/elas/vocês põem
dar
eu dou nós damos

tu dás
ele/ela/você dá eles/elas/vocês dão
trazer
eu trago nós trazemos

tu trazes
ele/ela/você traz eles/elas/vocês trazem
Ter/Estar Com Expressions
There are several expressions that express temporary states of being, using the verb ter or estar
com. The former is more formal in Brazil, and found mostly in written language. In Portugal,
both are used interchangeably. You can also replace estar with ficar. The following nouns are
used with these verbs:
fome - hunger
sede - thirsty
sono - sleepy
medo - fear
calor - heat (used to mean to be hot)
frio - cold (used to mean to be cold)
sorte - luck
pressa - hurry/rush (used to mean to be in a hurry/rush)
azar - bad luck
razão - reason (used to mean to be right)
cuidado - carefulness (used to mean to be careful)
peito - chest/breast (used to mean to have guts)
vontade de - want of (used to mean to wish for or feel like doing)
sangue de barata - blood of a roach (used to mean to be calm)
culpa - fault
vergonha - embarrassment/shame
o sangue quente - hot blood
para dar e vender - for giving and selling (used to mean to have too much)
as costas quentes - hot coasts (used to mean to have friends in high places)
coragem (de) - courage (for)
saudades (de) - longing/yearning (for)
a cabeça nas nuvens - the head in the clouds

pena (de) - pity (used to mean to be sorry (for))
preguiça - laziness
dor de (body part) - pain of (body part)
ter only
jeito para - knack for
a ver com - to see with (used to mean to have to do with)
não (ter) nada a ver com - to not have anything to see with (used to mean to have nothing to do
with)
*x anos - x years (old)
*Expressing Age in Portuguese
In Portuguese, to express age, you use the verb ter + the number of years + anos that you are.
Ex.
Tenho dezessete anos.

I am (have) seventeen years (old).
Vocabulary: Useful Expressions
nunca/jamais - never/ever
sempre - always
tudo dia/diariamente - every day
com - with
sem - without
mais ou menos - more or less
Certo!/Com certeza! - Of course!/Sure!
Como terrível! - How terrible!
entre - between
a coisa - thing
exceto (por)/menos - except for
já - already/yet
então - then
aí - similar to então, but only when used to mean consequently (If you eat all your vegetables,
then you can have dessert)
puxa (vida)/poxa! - Well! (indignant)
demais - too (as in too many)
até/mesmo - even (As in: Even if I did that… or Even you can do it..)
tem/há - There is/are (informal/formal)
Time Expressions: “Ago”
To say “(x amount of time) ago”, you say há (x amount of time) or (x amount of time) atrás, or
you can say faz (x amount of time)/tempo (tempo here means, “a while,”). You can add que +
(conjugated verb in the past), the latter of which you’ll learn later on, to mean, “It’s been (x
amount of time) since…”.
The Imperative Mood
The imperative mood is used to issue commands, make requests, and give instructions. The,
“we,” command is the equivalent of, “let’s…”. However, it is considered to be formal to use
the technical forms of, “we,” commands, as most people will say vamos + infinitive.
-ar Verbs - falar - to talk/speak
nós falemos
tu fala
ele/ela/você fale eles/elas/vocês falem
-er Verbs - correr - to run
nós corramos
tu corre
ele/ela/você corra eles/elas/vocês corram
-ir Verbs - partir - to leave
nós partamos
tu parte
ele/ela/você parta eles/elas/vocês partam
To issue a negative command, the process is quite simple: place não at the beginning, then take
the third-person command, and tag on an -s. This only applies to negative tu commands (Eu.).
Ex.
Não partas!
Don’t leave!
Irregular Verbs in the Imperative
ter
nós tenhamos
tu tem
ele/ela/você tenha eles/elas/vocês tenham
Note: A command for ter usually translates, “Take…!”
dar
nós dêmos
tu dá
ele/ela/você dê eles/elas/vocês dêem
dizer
nós digamos
tu diz(e)
ele/ela/você diga eles/elas/vocês digam
ir
nós vamos
tu vai
ele/ela/você vá eles/elas/vocês vão
fazer
nós façamos
tu faz(e)
ele/ela/você faça eles/elas/vocês façam
estar
nós estejamos
tu está
ele/ela/você esteja eles/elas/vocês estejam
sair
nós saiamos
tu sai
ele/ela/você saia eles/elas/vocês saiam
ser
nós sejamos
tu sê
ele/ela/você seja eles/elas/vocês sejam
pôr
nós ponhamos
tu põe
ele/ela/você ponha eles/elas/vocês ponham
vir
nós venhamos
tu vem
ele/ela/você venha eles/elas/vocês venham
Additional Vocabulary: The Body
a parte do corpo - part of the body

o braço - arm
a cabeça - head
o cabelo - hair
os lábios - lips
o nariz - nose
o ouvido/a orelha - ear (inner/outer)
a face/cara - face
a boca - mouth
a língua - tongue
o pescoço - neck
a garganta - throat
os dentes - teeth
os olhos - eyes
a sobrancelha - eyebrow
o corpo - body
o cérebro - brain
o pescoço - neck
a garganta - throat
o ombro - shoulder
o cotovelo - elbow
o peito - chest
o seio - breast
as costas - back (refers to the vertebrae; usually not said in the singular)
o lado - side
as costelas - ribs
o coração - heart
os pulmões - lung
o dedo - finger
o pé - foot
o dedo do pé - toe
o tornozelo - ankle
a mão - hand
o calcanhar - heel
o pulso - wrist
o estômago - stomach
a barriga - belly
a unha - nail
o dedo indicador - index finger
o dedo mínimo - pinky finger
o dedo do meio - middle finger
o dedo anular - ring finger
o polegar - thumb
Indirect Address
This is a strange feature of Portuguese that doesn’t exist in other Romance languages, and is
most prevalent in European Portuguese. Indirect address is very common in languages such as
Japanese and Korean, although for slightly different reasons.
Indirect address is when you refer to someone without actually using the words for, “you,”
such as tu or você. You will sometimes hear people use o senhor or o senhora/senhorita to
refer to someone, as a third level of formality after você. This might occur in situations such as
in a waiter talking to a client. Look at the example.
Ex.
A senhora gostaria de mais vinho?

Would you like some more wine?
This sentence is more accurately translated as, “Would the madam like some more wine?”
Though this form of address is fairly common in historical dialogues, it is by no means
outdated. People might indirectly refer to an important client, business partner, or official
indirectly simply as a matter of formality.
A. Conjugate the given verb in all the present indicative forms and the imperative forms.
1. ir
2. andar
3. pôr
4. ser
5. beber
6. dançar
7. ler
8. servir
9. ter
10. sair
B. Make a diagram of the human body, and label all the body parts in Portuguese.
C. Translate the following sentences into Portuguese.
1. I’m cold.
2. John (João) is very hot.
3. She’s embarrassed.
4. You’ve got guts.

5. They’ve got a knack for this (para isso/isto), don’t they?
6. He’s always in such a rush.
7. We’re feeling like eating eggs.
8. You (all) are right.
9. Don’t you have friends in high places?
10. You (all) are lazy. 
Secção 4: Emotional and Physical Conditions
Vocabulary: Locative Prepositons
ao lado de - next to
sob - under
diante de/perante - in front of
atrás de - behind
topo de - on top of
acima de/sobre - above/over
perto de - near
longe de - far from
por perto - around
dentro de - inside
(para) fora - outside (para makes it a preposition)
para cima - upward
aqui - here
lá/ali/aí - there
para baixo - downward
antes de - before
após/depois de - after
até - until/till
com - with
sem - without
em - in/on
a - at/in/on
de/desde - from
desde - since
sobre - about
por - by
como - as
Vocabulary: Conditions
cansado(a) - tired
doente - sick
feliz/contente - happy
triste - sad
ocupado(a) - occupied/busy
livre - free
limpo(a) - clean
sujo(a) - dirty
ligeiro(a)/rápido(a) - fast
lento(a) - slow
talentoso(a) - talented
ordinário(a) - ordinary
medíocre - mediocre
ousado(a)/corajoso(a) - bold/daring (ousado only describes an act that is expressed as a noun)
atrevido(a) - daring
capaz - capable
mau/má - evil
irritante - annoying
maravilhoso(a) - marvelous
cheio(a) - full
vazio(a) - empty
Vocabulary: Animals
o animal - animal
o gato - cat
o cachorro/cão - dog (Br./Eu.) (Note: The female version of o cão is a cadela)
o porco - pig
a vaca - cow
o frango/a galinha - chicken (rooster/hen)
o pássaro/a ave - bird
o veado - deer (be very careful with how you use this word in Brazil; If used improperly, it can
come across as an offensive slang usage used to refer to a homosexual man)
o urso - bear
o coelho - rabbit
o esquilo - squirrel
a cabra - goat
o peixe - fish
o tubarão - shark
a medusa - jellyfish
o polvo - octopus
o rato - mouse/rat
o macaco - monkey
o cisne - swan
o leão - lion
o melro - blackbird
o pardal - sparrow
o pato - duck
a tigre - tiger
a raposa - fox
a cobra - snake
o elefante - elephant
o sapo/a rã - frog
o louro/papagaio - parrot (Br./Eu.)
o pinguim - penguin
o estorninho - starling
a ovelha - sheep
o cavalo - horse
a abelha - bee
a aranha - spider
a formiga - ant
a vespa - wasp
a mosca - fly
o inse(c)to - insect (Eu. spelling uses the c) (There isn’t actually word for bug, because
Portuguese speakers generally refer to an insect by the actual name of its species)
Side note: Words for animals that are masculine can be altered to indicate a female version of
the animal, though this is not very common, even for the words for, “cat,” and, “dog.”
Vocabulary: Verbs
dever - should/must/to owe

ficar - to stay/last/endure/become/be (location only)/get (as in get clean)
polir - to polish
valer - to be worth
polir
eu pulo nós polimos

tu pules
ele/ela/você pule eles/elas/vocês pulem
valer
eu valho nós valemos

tu vales
ele/ela/você vale eles/elas/vocês valem
Ser VS Estar VS Ficar
Generally speaking, the following rules apply for these three very similar verbs:
• Ser - to be - (permanent conditions)
• Estar - to be (impermanent conditions)
• Ficar - to stay/last/endure/become/be (location only)/get (as in get clean)
• Ficar + verb gerund - To keep doing the verb's action/To spend the time doing verb  
.
For characteristics and qualities
• Ser - To be permanently
• Estar - To be at the moment
• Ficar - To become/to turn (into)
Examples
• Ela é linda = She is beautiful (always, it's her nature to be beautiful)
• Ela está linda = She is beautiful (at this moment, with these clothes, with this haircut, she
looks beautiful now)
• Ela fica linda = She becomes beautiful
• Ela está linda nesse vestido = She is beautiful in this dress
• Ela fica linda nesse vestido = She becomes beautiful in this dress/This dress makes her
beautiful
• Ela fica linda o ano inteiro = She stays beautiful the entire year (the complements and
context makes difference, this one uses the general "stay" meaning)
For places and locations - static objects (cannot be moved)

• Ser/Ficar - Indicates the location of an unmovable thing. (interchangeable)
• Estar - Hardly used, because unmovable objects don’t have the transitory meaning.
Examples
• A casa é naquela rua = the house is on that street transit
• A casa fica naquela rua = the house is on that street
• Meu escritório fica no restaurante = My office is in the restaurant.
For places and locations - movable objects

• Ser - not used for movable objects
• Estar - indicates where the object is at this moment
• Ficar - indicates where the object belongs to/is used to be
Examples
• A chave está na parede da cozinha - The key is at the kitchen's wall
• A chave fica na parede da cozinha - The key belongs/stays in the kitchen's wall.
Additional Vocabulary: The Weather and the Sky
o tempo - weather/time
o céu - sky
o sol - sun
a luz solar - sunlight
a lua - moon
a luar - moonlight
o estrela - star
o planeta - planet
o pôr-do-sol/ocaso/poente - sunset
a nuvem - cloud
nublado(a) - cloudy
ensolarado(a) - sunny
ventoso(a) - windy
o vento - wind
a tempestade - storm/thunderstorm
fresco(a) - fresh/cool
ameno - mild
a névoa - mista
a bruma - fog
a brisa - breeze
a geada - frost
o relâmpago/raio - lightning
o trovão - thunder
úmido(a) - humid
nebuloso(a) - foggy
a luz do sol - sunshine
refrescante - cooling/refreshing
a temperatura - temperature
a neve - snow
a chuva - rain
chover - to rain
nevar - to snow
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns in Portuguese fall into three categories: near the speaker, away from
the speaker, and away from both listener and speaker. There are two further subcategories:
definite (with respect to gender), and indefinite, the latter of which is used when you don’t
know what the noun you’re talking about it is. And by definition, in that situation, you don’t
know the gender. See the table below.
Category This That That (Away)

Definite este/esta esse/essa aquele/aquela
Indefinite isto isso aquilo
The only thing about the demonstrative pronouns is that Brazilian Portuguese sometimes
doesn’t differentiate between the first two categories, but the third still has a separate meaning,
when designating physical objects.
Articulated Prepositions
In the vocabulary list, you learned several important prepositions, some of which can combine
with the definite articles to make articulated prepositions, or contractions.
Articles Em A Por De Para*
o no ao pelo do p(’)rò
a na à pela da p(’)rà
os nos aos pelos dos p(’)ròs
as nas às pelas das p(’)ràs
um num N/A N/A dum p(’)rum
uma numa N/A N/A duma p(’)ruma
uns nuns N/A N/A duns p(’)runs
umas numas N/A N/A dumas p(’)rumas
It is also important to note that the prepositions em and de have more contractions. The plurals
have been excluded, but you can contract them, in same manner as above.
Contracted Item Em De
este neste deste
esta nesta desta
esse nesse desse
essa nessa dessa

Contracted Item Em De
aquele naquele daquele
aquela naquela daquela
isto nisto disto
isso nisso disso
aquilo naquilo daquilo
aqui N/A daqui
*The contractions of para, pr(‘)um/pr(‘)uma, are rarely seen, even in written dialogue, and are
considered very informal and colloquial.
You can also contract the third person pronouns with em and de. The contractions for em are:
nele, nela, neles, and nelas. For de, they are: dele, dela, deles, and delas. The last set is used to
distinguish the gender of the possessor when describing the possession of a noun. The pronoun
seu/sua can be ambiguous, especially without context.
Ex.
Eu vou para sua casa. VS Eu vou para casa dele.
I’m going to his house.
Technically, both of these sentences could mean the same thing, but in Brazilian Portuguese,
and even in European Portuguese, the first sentence is a bit ambiguous.
Finally, there are contractions with com:
com mim = comigo

com nós = conosco/connosco (Br./Eu.)
com ti = contigo
com você/o senhor/a senhora/a senhorita = consigo (The contracted form is used more in
Portugal, and the non-contracted form is often said in Brazil)
In Brazil, contractions are often separated into their non-contracted forms in written language,
and are spoken as written in formal contexts. In Portugal, however, it is deemed acceptable to
leave them in their contracted forms in formal writing, and in some places, it is acceptable to
use the contracted forms in formal speech.
A. Translate the given phrase into Portuguese, using the correct demonstrative pronouns.
1. These blue books

2. Those happy girls
3. This orange sunset
4. That sad man
5. This tired woman
6. These talented children
7. Those six people
8. This old man
9. These gray clouds
10. These marvelous people
B. Rewrite the following nouns to include the prepositions a, em, de, por and para using the
contractions. (Ex. Given: a neve; Answer: à neve, na neve, da neve, p’rà/prà neve)
1. o livro
2. as couves
3. os céus
4. a nuvem
5. as brisas
6. a luar
7. o sol
8. os ventos
9. a maçã
10. os queijos
C. Translate the following sentences into Portuguese, making correct use of ser, estar, and
ficar.
1. I am a woman.
2. She’s at Francisca’s house.
3. Where does this bag (a bolsa/sacola) go?
4. How are you (informal)?
5. We get tired at night.
6. The (young) children are at school.
7. Are you (formal) the teacher (female)?
8. Who is that?
9. He stays at home all day.
10. You (all) get sad. 
Secção 5: Travel and Tourism
Vocabulary: Modes of Travel and Signs
o carro - car
o ônibus/autocarro - bus (Br./Eu.)
o táxi - taxi
o trem/comboio - train (Br./Eu.)
o metrô - metro
a moto(cicleta) - motorcycle (often shortened to moto)
a bicicleta - bicycle
o tráfego - traffic
o barco - boat (a big boat specifically; smaller boats are called os botes)
a balsa - ferry
a gôndola - gondola boat
o canal - canal
o modo de transporte - mode/medium of transport
Vocabulary: Giving Directions
a dire(c)ção - direction
(o) norte - north (dropping the article from any of the directions makes it an adjective)
(o) sul - south
(o) oeste/poente - west
(o) leste - east (oriental is also used as an adjective for east)
à direita - to the right
à esquerda - to the left
direto(a) - direct
em linha reta - in a straight line (to indicate to go straight)
diretamente - directly
a rota - route
a rua/estrada - road/street
o semáforo/a sinal de trânsito- traffic light
a ponte - bridge
a rodovia/autovia - highway
a sinal de parada - stop sign
a meia-volta - u-turn
Vocabulary: Attractions and Tourism
o turismo - tourism
a agência de turismo - tourist agency
a estátua - statue
a praça - plaza
o quarteirão/bloco - block
o restaurante - restaurant
o hotel - hotel
a roda-gigante - ferris wheel
o desfile - carnival/parade
a fila/a bicha - line (that you stand in) (Br./Eu.); Note: Be extremely careful with this, because
bicha in Brazil is an extremely offensive and vulgar word used to refer to a homosexual
person, but in Portugal, it’s perfectly harmless
o teatro - theater
o cinema - movie theater
o mercado - market
a feira - stall
o café - cafe
*o/a motorista - driver (as in operator of a vehicle)/chauffeur
o euro - euro
o real - Brazilian currency
a caixa ele(c)trônica - ATM machine (c used in Eu. spelling)
o mapa - map
as férias - vacation (general period) (o feriado can mean, “holiday,” as well)
a reserva - reservation
a multidão - crowd
a gente - people (collective noun)
o povo - inhabitants/members of a nation (collective noun)
a lembrança - souvenir
o ingresso - ticket (for a performance)
*All nouns ending in -ista are invariable with respect to gender, meaning that the spelling
doesn’t change due to a change in gender.
Vocabulary: Domestic/International Travel
o campo/interior - countryside
o país - country
o visto - visa (travel permit)
a carteira de motorista - license
o passaporte - passport
a maleta - suitcase
a passagem/o tíquete/bilhete - ticket (for transport)
o/a passegeiro(a) - passenger
o embaixada - embassy
a viagem interestatal/interestadual - interstate travel
a província - province
a cidade - city
o guia - guide
a polícia - police
a entrada/o portão - entrance (a building of admission)/entrance (a door)
a saída - exit
o avião - plane
o aeroporto - airport
a classe econômica - economy class
a primeira classe - first class
a companhia de aviação - airline
o/a turista - tourist
o dinheiro - currency/money
a moeda - coin/change
a letra - letter (of the alphabet)
a carta - letter (written message)
o telefone - telephone
o (telefone) celular - cell phone
o câmbio/a troca - exchange
Vocabulary: Verbs
viajar - to travel
trocar - to exchange
poder - to be able
entregar - to deliver
enviar - to send
querer - to want
voar - to fly
pagar - to pay
comprar - to buy
vender - to sell
custar - to cost
conhecer - to know a person or place (be familiar with)/become familiar with/meet
chegar - to arrive
traduzir - to translate
dirigir/pilotar - to drive
levar (de carro) - to drive (someone else)
telefonar/ligar - to call by telephone
ligar - to start (a machine)/(link/tie/bind)/care (use with IOPs)
dormir - to sleep
entrar - to enter
proibir - to forbid/prohibit (oi -> oí)
fechar - to close/seal
abrir - to open
alugar - to rent
oferecer - to offer
importar-se (com) - to care (about)
virar - to turn
rir - to laugh
sorrir - to smile
pegar em fila/bicha - to stay/get in line (Br./Eu.)
pegar - to catch/get/seize/take
lembrar - to remind
poder
eu posso nós podemos

tu podes
ele/ela/você pode eles/elas/vocês podem
querer
eu quero nós queremos

tu queres
ele/ela/você quer eles/elas/vocês querem
traduzir
eu traduzo nós traduzimos

tu traduzes
ele/ela/você traduz eles/elas/vocês traduzem
rir
eu rio nós rimos

tu ris
ele/ela/você ri eles/elas/vocês riem
sorrir
eu sorrio nós sorrimos

tu sorris
ele/ela/você sorri eles/elas/vocês sorriem
Affirmative Words
alguém - someone
algo/alguma coisa - something
sempre - always
algum(a) - some
qualquer - any
geralmente/frequentamente - often
até/mesmo - also/even
tudo(a) - all
cada - every/each (as in every day)
só/somente - only
apenas - simply (as in I simply want a sandwich)
de alguma forma - in some way
de algum modo - by some means
tão - so (to such an extent)
tanto(a) - so much/many
Negative Words
ninguém - no one
nenhum/nenhuma - none/not any
nem sequer - not even
nem... nem - neither... nor
raramente - rarely
nunca/jamais - never/ever
nada - nothing
coisa alguma - no thing (out of all things; slightly different from nada)
de forma alguma - in no way
de modo algum - by no means
Additional Vocabulary: Nationalities and Countries
Format: Country Name (Portuguese) - Country Name (English) - Nationality (Portuguese)
Inglaterra - England - inglês

França - France - francês
Espanha - Spain - espanhol
Portugal - Portugal - português
Brasil - Brazil - brasileiro
Alemanha - Germany - alemão
Itália - Italy - italiano
Rússia - Russia - russo
Polônia - Poland - polonês
Romênia - Romania - romeno
China - China - chinês
Índia - India - indiano
Coréia* - Korea - coreano
Japão - Japan - japonês
Irã - Iran - iraniano
Iraque - Iraq - iraquiano
Egito - Egypt - egípcio
Arábia Saudita - Saudi Arabia - árabe-saudita (invariable in gender)
Camboja - Cambodia - cambojano
Tailândia - Thailand - tailandês
Vietnã - Vietnam - vietnamita
Laos - Laos - laosiano
*Words that end in -éia in Brazil are often spelled without the acute accent in Portugal.
Saber VS Conhecer
If you’re familiar with Spanish or Italian, the words saber and conhecer mean, “to know,” but
are different in usage. Saber is used for factual information and demonstrating that you have
certain skills. Conhecer is used in the sense of, “to be familiar with, such as with locations and
people. It is also used to mean, “to meet for the first time.” See the examples.
Ex.
Eu sei onde está a igreja.

I know where the church is. (This a fact)
Eu conheço essa igreja.

I know that church. (You are familiar with, and aware of the church)
Sabe (você)/Sabes (tu) dançar a samba? (Br./Eu.)

Do you know how to dance the samba? (This is an ability that you know how to do)
Conhece (você)/Conheces (tu) a samba? (Br./Eu.)

Do you know the samba? (This is a slightly different question; It asks whether you know what
the samba is, not whether you know how to do it)
Negative VS Affirmative Expressions
In Portuguese, like Spanish, double negatives are acceptable and are actually quite common.
Even triple negatives can appear. Let’s look at some examples.
Ex.
Eu como muitas frutas.

I eat many fruits.
Now let’s look at the negative version of that sentence.
Ex.
Não como nenhumas frutas.

I don’t eat any fruits.
Notice how there are two negative words, não and nenhumas. Let’s look at the next example.
Ex.
Tem/Há algumas saídas aquí? (Br./Eu.)

Não, não tem/há nenhumas saídas.
Are there any exits here?

No, there aren’t any exits.
Notice how three negative words, two instances of não and one of nenhumas, appear in the
sentence. Technically, you can drop the first não to make the sentence shorter.
Indirect Object Pronouns
Indirect object pronouns (IOPs) are pronouns that indicate that a verb is being directed, “to,”
“for,” or “on the behalf,” of someone. Verbs in English that use a direct object with respect to
the recipient often use an indirect object instead. So verbs like pedir, solicitar, perguntar, dar,
and oferecer use an indirect object, not a direct object.
me/(para/a) mim nos/(para/a) nós

te/(para/a) ti
lhe/(para/a) ele*/ela*/você lhes/(para/a) eles/elas/vocês
*Ele and ela can be switched out for o senhor (sir/Mr.) and a senhora/senhorita (miss/madam/
Mrs.), to imply more respect.
It should also be noted that para can be switched out for a, as that would mean the same thing.
Look at the example below.
Ex.
Eu lhe dou três frutas (ao João).

I give him (John) three fruits.
Now, there is another way to phrase this sentence.
Ex.
Eu dou-lhe três frutas (ao João)*.

I give him (John) three fruits.
*Typically, if the recipient of the action is not clear from context, speakers will often add para
or a (the preposition, not the definite article) with the person’s name to clarify.
The second version of the sentence is the European Portuguese version. Typically, you put the
pronoun after the verb in European Portuguese, attached by a hyphen. In Brazilian Portuguese,
it is preferred to put the pronoun before the verb, which avoids most complications. However,
when it comes to European Portuguese, there are several exceptions in which you place the
pronoun before the verb.
1. When the verb comes after an adverb

2. In a negative statement
3. In a question (does not apply to the little future)
4. When the verb comes before a relative pronoun (words you would normally use to ask
questions, but which you can use in statements as well). e.g. “Que” (who, that, which,
whom), “Quando” (when), “Onde” (where), etc.) Ex. I know that you write to her. = Eu sei
que escreve-lhe. BUT Eu o dei quando saíste.
5. After a preposition (however, this means you can’t contract the pronoun and the
preposition)
Something to remember is that for compound tenses, the object pronoun comes after the
conjugated verb, rather than the past participle.
O Futuro Pequeno - The Little Future
At this point, you haven’t learned to use the actual future tense, so you’re going to learn a
modified version of the future tense that uses the present tense of ir. However, once you learn
the real future tense, you should know that this version implies more immediate action, at least
in Portugal. In Brazil, this version of the future is the most common, and the simple future is
largely a literary form. In Portugal, you are more likely to hear the actual future tense, as well
as this compound version.
Form: conjugated form of ir + infinitive
Ex.
Vou comprar umas passagens.

I’m going to buy some tickets.
Vou para casa.

I’m going (to go) home.
Notice that in the last sentence, it does not say vou ir. In Portugal, and many parts of Brazil,
this sort of construction is considered incorrect, and is said to indicate a lack of education.
Either way, it would be redundant, even in English, to say, “I’m going to go home,” because,
“I’m going home,” can mean the same thing.
Though not as much as in other languages, the present tense of verbs in Portuguese can
indicate an immediate future action. However, in some regions of Brazil and Portugal, people
will say vou ir, and although it is technically incorrect, it is accepted as a regional construct.
When attaching indirect object pronouns to the little future, attach the pronoun with a hyphen
to the infinitive, but when the phrase is negative, put it in front of the conjugated verb.
The Present Progressive
The present progressive is a present tense that expresses an action in progress. It is important
to remember that the present progressive only tells you that the action is in progress, not
whether it is habitual or general.
There are two ways to express this tense: using the gerund and using the infinitive. Both forms
require a conjugated form of estar. To form the gerund, use the endings below. Note: The
gerund form of pôr is pondo.
-ar Verbs -er Verbs -ir Verbs
-ando -endo -indo
Ex.
Estou jogando.
Estás correndo.
Estamos partindo.
I am playing.
You are running.
We are leaving.
Now, let’s look at the other form of the present progressive.
Ex.
Estou a jogar.
Estás a correr.
Estamos partir.
I am playing.
You are running.
We are leaving.
The difference between these forms is that Brazilian Portuguese uses the actual gerund,
whereas European Portuguese uses the second form.
Notice that the verb estar is conjugated in the present indicative, which should lead you to
believe that you can conjugate it in other tenses, to make other progressive tenses.
The Impersonal Se
In English, we often use the pronoun, “you,” and, “they,” without referring to a specific person.
If you say, “You’re supposed to go home after school,” you express a general truth or
something that everyone does. It would be better written as, “One is supposed to go home after
school.” The se in this sentence serves as an impersonal subject. If you use the verb in
reference to a plural noun, you have make the conjugation plural.
Ex.
Se fala/Fala-se o espanhol/castelhano em Espanha. (Br./Eu.)

They speak Spanish in Spain. (Better said as: One speaks Spanish in Spain.)
Ex.
Se falam/Falam-se muitos idiomas nos Estados Unidos. (Br./Eu.)

They speak many languages in the United States. (This is actually better said as is.)
You’ll see this form used quite a bit in public places, where a sign might say, “Se vendem/
vendem-se frutas aqui,” which would translate as, “Fruits for sale here.”
Exercícios de prática
A. Translate the following sentences into Portuguese, giving both the Brazilian and European
versions, if they are different.
1. I give you three sparrows.

2. She asks me a question.
3. Don’t offer the wine yet. (formal)
4. I will not buy him dinner.
5. Will you (informal) send her the ticket?
6. My father writes visas for people.
7. He often buys her a drink.
8. The police worked for the embassy.
9. Does Spain rarely give Italy anything?
10. I want to write you (informal) a letter.
B. Write sentences in Portuguese using the given subjects and verbs, using the present
progressive, writing both the Brazilian and European versions.
1. A minha mãe; cozinhar

2. Laura; comer
3. Os moços/Os rapazes; caminhar (Br./Eu.)
4. O professor; ensinar
5. Maria; tocar o clarinete
6. Fernão e os seus amigos; assistir/olhar a televisão
7. Você/Tu e João; jogar o basquete
8. Você/Tu; viajar para Espanha
9. Eu; danzar
10. Maria e Vicente; dormir 
Secção 6: Events and Celebrations
Vocabulary: Events and People
o casamento - wedding
a recepção - reception
a cerimônia - ceremony
o rito - religious/formal rite
o ritual - ritual
a igreja - church
a festa - party/festival
o templo - temple
a mesquita - mosque
a sinagoga - synagogue
a audição - audition
o compromisso/a hora marcada - appointment
o encontro - date
o concerto - concert
a dança - dance
o jogo - game
a brincadeira - joke/prank/child’s play
a partida - match
o/a noivo(a) - fiancé/fiancée
o/a solteiro(a) - bachelor/bachelorette (any single person)
o/a namorado(a) - boyfriend/girlfriend/lover (male/female)/date (strictly romantic)
o/a companheiro(a) - companion (romantic)
o/a acompanhante/a companhia - companion (non-romantic)
o/a amigo(a) - friend
o/a artista - performer
o/a músico(a) - musician
o/a a(c)tor/atriz - actor/actress (c used in Eu. spelling)
o/a cantor(a) - singer
o/a dançarino(a) - dancer (male/female)
o padroeiro - patron (saint)
o Dia de Todos os Santos - All Saints’ Day
O Ano Novo - New Year
A Véspera de Ano Novo - New Year’s Eve
O Dia de Reis - Epiphany/Day of Kings (refers to the Three Wise Men in Christianity)
O Dia dos Namorados - Valentine’s Day (Day of the Lovers)
O Carnaval - Carnevale
a Pascoa - Easter Sunday
O Natal - Christmas
Pai Natal - Santa Claus/Father Christmas
a véspera - eve
a máscara - mask
a parada/o desfile - parade
o carro alegórico - float
o confete - confetti
o presente - present
a fofoca - gossip
Vocabulary: Time Expressions and Days
o mês - month
o dia - day
a hora - hour
o minuto - minute
o segundo - second
a noite - night
a tarde - afternoon
o ano - year
a semana - week
hoje - today
(o) amanhã - tomorrow
ontem - yesterday
a manhã - daytime
adiante - forward/in advance
durante - during
a ponto de - about to/at the point of
Vocabulary: Verbs
celebrar/comemorar - to celebrate (as in to commemorate something)

festejar - to celebrate/throw a party
passar tempo - to pass time
comparecer/assistir - to attend
participar - to participate
prometer - to promise
chamar - to call
convidar - to invite
buscar/procurar - to look for
namorar - to date (someone)
sorpreender - to surprise (pronounce both e’s)
acontecer/ocorrer - to take place/happen/occur
fofocar - to gossip
ganhar - to win
Direct Object Pronouns
Direct object pronouns (DOPs) are pronouns that take the place of nouns that are the direct
recipients of a verb. For example, look at the sentence, “I eat the apple.” The word apple is the
direct object of the verb eat.
me nos (pronounce noos/noosh) (Br./Eu.)

te
(o/a)/(lo/la) (os/as)/(los/las)
The lo(s)/la(s) forms are used only when attaching it to the end of an infinitive. These
pronouns distinguish between a masculine and feminine object, as do o(s)/a(s), which are used
after conjugated verbs and before verbs.
There are rules for attaching the lo(s)/la(s) forms to infinitives, which vary slightly depending
on the class of the verb.
For -ar verbs: Drop the final -r and put an acute accent on the a.
For -er verbs: Drop the final -r and put a circumflex on the e.
For -ir verbs: Drop the final -r.
Ex.
Preciso de levar os meninos para casa. -> Preciso de levá-los para casa. (Eu.)
Vais oferecer as frutas? -> Vais oferecê-las? (Eu.)
Mãe vai proibir a festa. -> Mãe vai proibi-la. (Eu.)
However, for verbs ending in nasals, such as vêem or assistirão, you have to add an n before
adding the pronoun, to make it easier to say.
Ex.
Levam os meninos para casa. -> Levam-nos para casa. (Eu.)

Oferecerão as frutas? -> Oferecerão-nas? (Eu.)
Os pais proibiram a festa. -> Os pais proibiram-na. (Eu.)
Before we proceed, remember that when using European Portuguese, an object pronoun (this
means both IOPs and DOPs) is always attached with a hyphen, which may be a change if you
already know Spanish.
In some dialects of Brazilian Portuguese, speakers may actually use the subject pronouns
instead of the direct object pronouns to mean the same thing.
When attaching pronouns to conjugated verbs, there are some other rules that need to be
observed before you simply attach them. When a verb ends in s or z, drop the final letter, and
add the hyphenated lo(s)/la(s) forms. For verbs that have monosyllabic conjugated forms,
verbs such as fazer, dizer, or trazer, add an accent on final vowel after dropping the s or z.
Ex.
Tu comes os bolos. -> Tu come-los. (Eu.)

Ele traz o sanduíche. -> Ele trá-lo. (Eu.)
The Preterite Tense
The preterite is often called the simple past, and expresses actions that were started and
completed in the past. This means that they had definite beginning and end, or the verb is a
verb that cannot be continuous in the past, such as, “to arrive,” or to, “to begin.”
-ar Verbs - falar
eu falei nós falámos

tu falaste
ele/ela/você falou eles/elas/vocês falaram
-er Verbs - correr
eu comi (stress on i) nós comemos

tu comeste
ele/ela/você comeu eles/elas/vocês comeram
-ir Verbs - partir
eu parti nós partimos

tu partiste
ele/ela/você partiu eles/elas/vocês partiram
Irregular Verbs in the Preterite
Note: You’ll notice that, if you’ve studied Spanish, that many of the verbs that are irregular in
Spanish, which are also verbs frequently used idiomatically or as auxiliary verbs, are also
irregular in Portuguese.
ser/ir - to be (permanent conditions)/go
eu fui nós fomos

tu foste
ele/ela/você foi eles/elas/vocês foram
estar - to be (impermanent conditions)
eu estive nós estivemos

tu estiveste
ele/ela/você esteve eles/elas/vocês estiveram
ter
eu tive nós tivemos

tu tiveste
ele/ela/você teve eles/elas/vocês tiveram
vir
eu vim nós viemos

tu viestes
ele/ela/você veio eles/elas/vocês vieram
poder
eu pude nós pudemos

tu pudeste
ele/ela/você pôde eles/elas/vocês puderam
fazer
eu fiz nós fizemos

tu fizeste
ele/ela/você fez eles/elas/vocês fizeram
dizer
eu disse nós dissemos

tu disseste
ele/ela/você disse eles/elas/vocês disseram
trazer
eu trouxe nós trouxemos

tu trouxeste
ele/ela/você trouxe eles/elas/vocês trouxeram
saber
eu soube nós soubemos

tu soubeste
ele/ela/você soube eles/elas/vocês souberam
pôr
eu pus nós pusemos

tu puseste
ele/ela/você pôs eles/elas/vocês puseram
querer
eu quis nós quisemos

tu quiseste
ele/ela/você quis eles/elas/vocês quiseram
sair
eu saí nós saímos

tu saíste
ele/ela/você saiu eles/elas/vocês saíram
dar
eu dei nós demos

tu deste
ele/ela/você deu eles/elas/vocês deram
Comparisons of Equality
To compare two nouns or adjectives as equal in degree or quantity, there are two words for
these expressions: tão and tanto(a). You add the adjective shared between the two nouns, and
then put quanto or como. Quanto is used in Brazilian Portuguese, whereas como is used in
European Portuguese. It might be a little easier to use como, if you already know Spanish.
Ex.
A minha classe é tão interessante quanto/como a classe de Maria. (Br./Eu.)

My class is as interesting as Maria’s class.
Há tantos reales quanto/como euros na minha carteira. (Br./Eu.)

There are as many reals as euros in my wallet.
Things are more or less the same for the comparison of verbs with respect to an adjective or
noun.
Ex.
Cristiano trabalha tão duro quanto/como Roberto. (Br./Eu.)

Christian works as hard as Robert does.
Maria tem tanto dinheiro quanto/como Alexandra. (Br./Eu.)

Mary has as much money as Alexandra does.
Comparisons of Inequality
In Portuguese, there is a phrase used to compare the qualities of nouns in an unequal sense.
That phrase is mais/menos + adjective + (do) que… To do the same for verbs, you use the same
phrase. The do is omitted often in colloquial speech, both in Portugal and Brazil.
Ex.
Roberto é mais/menos forte (do) que Cristiano.

Robert is stronger/less strong than Christian.
Adriana lê mais/menos livros que tu.

Adriana reads more/fewer books than you.
Superlatives
A superlative statement uses adjectives that end in -est and says that the noun that you’re
attaching an adjective to is exemplary or the best or worst one of its kind. The form for that
expression is o/a mais/menos + adjective.
There is also an emphatic ending, -íssimo(a), which makes a word mean so very (adjective) or
mean extremely + (adjective), which is a kind of superlative. To make it an adverb, you add
-íssimamente instead. The general rule for making adverbs from adjectives is that you take the
feminine singular form of the word and attach -mente.
Ex.
Cristiano é o mais/menos inteligente.

Christian is the most/least intelligent.
Ana é altíssima! = Ana é muito alta!

Ana is so very tall!
Note: The -íssimo form of muito is multíssimo(a).
There are several words that have irregular comparatives and superlatives. The second
superlative listed is the equivalent of the -íssimo(a) form for that word. Note that when the
table says something is abstract, that means that the adjective refers to a quality that is not
physical in nature, or at least not directly so. Words like older, younger, higher, or lower are
words like this.
Adjective Comparative Superlative Second Superlative
bom melhor o melhor ótimo/óptimo (Br./Eu.)
mau pior o pior péssimo
muito mais o mais N/A
pouco menos o menos N/A
alto mais alto (physical)/ o mais alto (physical)/o supremo

superior (abstract) supremo (abstract)
baixo mais baixo (physical)/ o mais baixo (physical)/ ínfimo
inferior (abstract) o ínfimo (abstract)
grande mais grande (physical)/ o mais grande o máximo
maior (abstract) (physical)/o maior
(abstract)
pequeno mais pequeno (physical/ o mais pequeno o mínimo
menor (abstract) (physical)/o menor
(abstract)
Verbal Nouns
Sometimes, in English, you might refer to the act of a certain verb as a noun, using the present
participle. Look at the example.
Ex.
O pintar é um passatempo bom.

Painting is a good pastime.
Essentially, just add on o before the infinitive to make a verbal noun.

A. Rewrite the given sentence using a direct object.
1. Estou (comendo/a comer) a maçã. (Br./Eu.)

2. O meu avô escreve redações de filosofia (philosophy).
3. As moças/raparigas beberam os refrigerantes. (Br./Eu.)
4. As mulheres espanholas dançam tango.
5. Lourenço dá três dólares a mim.
6. Carme toca o oboé.
7. Você/Tu prefere/preferes a feijoada. (Br./Eu.)
8. Vocês têm limpado o cômodo.
9. Quem faz o bolo?
10. Eu estou (procurando/a procurar) o meu relógio. (Br./Eu.)
B. Rewrite the given sentence with the preterite.
1. Faço o bolo para o Primeiro-Ministro (the Prime Minister).

2. A menina (se senta/senta-se) na cadeira. (Br./Eu.)
3. (Me dá/Dás-me) uma carta.
4. Mariana quer tocar o seu violino hoje (Hint: change hoje to ontem).
5. Adão e eu jogamos o basquete.
6. A minha mãe e o meu pai vão ao casamento de Estêvão e Eufémia.
7. Bebo o vinho à primeira vez (for the first time).
8. O meu amigo precisa de sair dà festa logo.
9. (Participa/Participas) (male) no desfile de Carnaval? (Br./Eu.)
10. Os meus avôs (my grandparents) vão a missa (Mass) no Natal (at Christmas).
C. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, making correct use of comparative clauses
and superlatives.
1. I am more intelligent than you (informal).

2. Are you (formal male) as talented in music as Alexander (Aleixo)?
3. This is the best caldeirada I’ve ever eaten!
4. He likes fruits more than vegetables.
5. They play more sports than they play music.
6. Joaquin eats as much as his father.
7. He thinks that chocolate cake is the worst dessert.
8. Anna and Mary wanted to go to Lisbon (Lisboa) more than Madeira.
9. This room is smaller than mine.
10. Do you (formal) and George (Jorge) like meat more than pasta? 
Secção 7: Family
Vocabulary: Family-Related Words
a vida - life
a morte - death
a família - family
a árvore genealógica - family tree
o descendente - descendant
o ancestral/antepassado - ancestor
a linhagem - lineage
o/a tio(a) - uncle/aunt
os pais - parents
o padrasto - stepfather
a madrasta - stepmother
o/a avô/avó - grandfather/grandmother
o/a bisavô/bisavó - great-grandfather/great-grandmother
o parto/nascimento - birth
o irmão - brother
a irmã - sister
o meio-irmão - stepbrother
a meia-irmã - stepsister
o/a primo(a) - cousin
o/a filho(a) - son/daughter
o/a neto(a) - grandson/granddaughter
o/a bisneto(a) - great-grandson/great-granddaughter
o marido/esposo - husband
a esposa/mulher - wife
o divórcio - divorce
a propriedade - property
o testamento - will (a document leaving one’s possessions to designated family members)
a tradição - tradition
o casamento arranjado - arranged marriage
a idade - age
nobre - noble
pobre/humilde - poor
rico(a) - rich
real - royal
imperial - imperial
importante - important
sagrado(a)/santo(a) - holy
feio(a) - ugly
lindo(a)/bonito(a) - beautiful/handsome (bonito can only be applied to people, and belo can
only be applied to non-people)
velho(a) - old
jovem - young
novo(a) - new/inexperienced
ancestral - ancestral (inherited)
antigo(a)/ancião - ancient (drop o from ancião to make feminine)
mesmo(a) - same
verdadeiro(a) - true
falso(a) - false/untrue
Vocabulary: Adjectives Describing Personality
perfeito(a) - perfect
energético(a) - energetic
cortês - courteous/kind
simpático(a) - nice
inteligente - intelligent
preguiçoso(a) - lazy
tímido(a) - timid
rude - rude
indelicado(a) - unkind
malvado(a) - mean
agradável - pleasant
desagradável - unpleasant
estúpido(a) - stupid
tonto(a)/burro(o) - foolish/silly
calmo(a) - calm
sociável - social
reservado(a) - reserved
arrogante - arrogant
humilde/modesto(a) - humble
Vocabulary: Adjectives Describing Physical Traits
grande - large/great
pequeno(a) - small/short
longo(a)/extenso(a) - long (distance)
comprido(a) - long (length)
muscoloso(a)/forte - muscular/strong
rotundo(a)/redondo(a) - rotund
gordo(a) - fat
obeso(a) - obese
fino(a) - fine (as in thickness)
estreito(a) - thin (non-people)
magro(a)/esbelto(a) - slender/thin (people)
moreno(a) - brunette
loiro(a)/louro(a) - blonde (Br./Eu.) Note: In Brazil, louro is a parrot.
alto(a) - tall/high
baixo(a) - short/low
Vocabulary: Verbs
casar-se - to get married

abraçar-se - to hug
beijar-se - to kiss
cumprimentar-se/saudar-se - to greet
sentir - to feel/sense (e->i; eu form)
sentir-se - to feel (an emotion or conditon)
vestir(-se) - to dress (oneself)
usar - to use/wear/have on
tomar banho/chuveirada - to take a shower (chuveirada is Brazilian only)
banhar-se - to take a bath
divertir-se - to enjoy oneself/have fun
*pentear-se - to comb oneself
barbear-se - to shave
ferir-se/lesar-se - to hurt/injure oneself
recuperar(-se) - to recover (one’s health)
nascer - to be born
crescer - to grow (intransitive)
exigir/requerer - to demand
mostrar - to show
indicar - to indicate
conduzir - to lead/guide
conduzir-se - to carry/conduct oneself
encontrar - to find
encontrar-se - (to meet/come across)/meet with (someone)
reconhecer - to recognize
ficar noivo(a) - to become engaged (to be married) (gender refers to person getting engaged)
cumprir-se (x anos) - to turn (x years old)
divorciar - to divorce
lembrar-se - to remember/recall
esquecer-se de - to forget
maquiar-se - to put on makeup
ajoelhar-se - to kneel down

levantar-se - to get up (out of bed)
deitar-se - to lie down/go to bed
apaixonar-se por - to fall in love (with)
lamentar - to regret
enxugar-se - to dry off
emocionar-se - to become emotional
entusiasmar-se com - to get excited about
despedir-se - to say goodbye
assustar-se - to get scared
zangar-se - to get angry
enganar-se - to be mistaken/wrong
ofender-se - to be offended
estar preocupado com - to be worried about
machucar-se - to get hurt
sentar-se - to sit down
equivocar-se/enganar-se - to be mistaken (add com to mean, “to mistake for”)
**virar - to turn (into)/become**/turn (physically)/flip/capsize
**virar-se - turn against/turn around/make do/manage to/fend for oneself/get by/figure it out
*Stems of infinitives ending in -ear end in -ei. So, the stem of pentear would be pentei-.
**Virar and its reflexive form virar-se, are easily the most versatile, but also the most vague
verbs in Portuguese, along with ficar. The reason you should translate one meaning of virar as,
“to become,” is because in many expressions involving the verb, the expression is best
understood using, “become.” You’ll find that both verbs are very commonly used in European
and Brazilian Portuguese, so you should become acquainted with some of its uses.
virar a página - to turn the page or to move on

virar uma fera - to become very angry
virar moda - to become the fashion/trend or to catch on (as in to become popular)
virar notícia - to hit the headlines
virar as costas para (IOP para form) - to turn one’s back on
virar a cara - to give the cold shoulder
virar nada - to come/amount to nothing
Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns
A reflexive verb is a verb that expresses an action done unto oneself, or reciprocally, between
people. Most verbs can be alternated between a reflexive and non-reflexive version, depending
on the meaning you’re trying to convey. For example, the verb comer means, “to eat,” but if
you really wanted to, you could make it comer-se, to say, “to eat oneself.” However, there are
some verbs that don’t exist in a non-reflexive form, because they may not make sense
otherwise. Note that the infinitive does not change as a result of attaching the reflexive
pronoun.
Ex.
Me penteio/Penteio-me cada dia. (Br./Eu.)

I comb myself every day.
The table below lists the reflexive pronouns.
me nos
te
se se
The Imperfect Past
The imperfect past is a past tense that expresses continuous actions or actions with a definite
beginning or end in the past. Also, you can use the imperfect if you know when an event
started or ended, but not both.
Ex.
Eu trabalhava num ristorante.

I worked in a restaurant.
Note how the example does not specify the time period over which the action took place, or
whether the action was finished and completed. Some key words for using the imperfect are
listed below.
às/por vezes - sometimes

ocasionalmente - occasionally
de vez em quando - once in a while
freqüentamente - frequently
continuamente - continually
dia após dia - day after day
sempre - always
repetidamente - again and again/repeatedly
todo dia - every day
enquanto - while
raramente - rarely
-ar Verbs - falar
eu falava nós falávamos

tu falavas
ele/ela/você falava eles/elas/vocês falavam
-er Verbs - correr
eu corria nós corríamos

tu corrias
ele/ela/você corria eles/elas/vocês comiam
-ir Verbs - partir
eu partia nós partíamos

tu partias
ele/ela/você partia eles/elas/vocês partiam
ser
eu era nós éramos

tu eras
ele/ela/você era eles/elas/vocês eram
ter
eu tinha nós tínhamos

tu tinhas
ele/ela/você tinha eles/elas/vocês tinham
vir
eu vinha nós vínhamos

tu vinhas
ele/ela/você vinha eles/elas/vocês vinham
pôr
eu punha nós púnhamos

tu punhas
ele/ela/você punha eles/elas/vocês punham
Some More Clues for Using the Imperfect
Repetitive habits in the past

Describing circumstances (weather, physical and emotional descriptions)
Time (the date, time on the clock, a person’s age, or an indefinite period of time)
You should know that the imperfect doesn’t necessarily refer to an action in the distant past.
Also, in written texts, you sometimes see the description of a scene, and then suddenly,
something unexpected happens. This sequence, Portuguese and other Romance languages,
requires the use of both imperfect and preterite in the same sentence.
Ex.
Meu pai lia quando minha mãe veio a casa.

My father was reading when my mother came home.
The imperfect past of poder can be used to make polite requests.
Ex.
Você podia/Podias trazer uns pratos?

Could you bring some plates?
The Verb Haver and the Impersonal Use of Ter
Haver is a verb that means, “to have,” or, “to exist”. Today, the verb is only used to mean the
latter, in an impersonal sense. The expression há is the third person conjugation of this verb,
because that is the only person in which haver is conjugated. The verb ter is used in Brazil
instead, depending on the person. Naturally, any rules involving tense, such as Preterite VS
Imperfect, apply. The following list contains all the forms you need to know. You’ll learn all
the rules for every tense and mood eventually, but just commit this list to memory. They all
mean the same thing, “there is/are,” in every tense and mood. It’ll be easier to remember them
as you learn the rules for constructing each conjugation.
há/tem - present indicative

houve/tive - preterite
havia/tinha - imperfect indicative
haverá/terá - future indicative
haveria/teria - conditional
tem havido/tido - present perfect indicative
tinha havido/tido - pluperfect indicative
terá havido/tido - future perfect indicative
teria havido/tido - conditional perfect
haja/tenha - present subjunctive
houvesse/tivesse - imperfect subjunctive
houver/tiver - future subjunctive
tenha havido/tido - present perfect subjunctive
tivesse havido/tido - pluperfect subjunctive
tiver havido/tido - future perfect subjunctive
Exercício de prática
A. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, making correct use of the imperfect and
preterite.
1. I wrote essays for school when I was seventeen.

2. My sister was a professional dancer when I was a child.
3. Our grandparents went to the park today.
4. While I studied, my grandmother cooked dinner for us.
5. The Costa boys brought home the groceries (os mantimentos) this afternoon.
6. When my brother came home, my sister and I were watching television.
7. Your (formal) brother and I used to take music lessons at Mrs. Da Silva house.
8. Were you (informal) and Christine at school today?
9. Leonard and Alexandra got married in 1972.
10. You (informal) went to play at Michael’s house on Saturday.
B. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, and making correct use of reflexive
pronouns.
1. I’m going to have a shower now.

2. Mary wants to marry Bernard in January.

3. The two lovers (os namorados) kissed at the wedding.
4. When the brother and sister met, they hugged.
5. At the family reunion (reunião da família), the sisters greeted each other.
6. I’m putting on a T-shirt (a camiseta) today.
7. You’re (formal) feeling a little sad, aren’t you?
8. You (informal) and the child behave badly.
9. She and I recovered from our injuries (as lesões).
10. You (formal) and John (João) comb your hair every day.
C. Assemble a genealogical table of all your relatives, and try to sort them into a family tree,
labeling them with terms from the vocabulary list. 
Secção 8: The Arts
Vocabulary: Fine Arts Terminology
a era/época - era/time period

a cultura - culture
o teatro - theater
o espe(c)táculo- show/performance (Eu. spelling uses c)
a interpretação - acting
a orquestra - orchestra
a ópera - opera
o coro - chorus
a banda - band
o ensaio - rehearsal
a flauta - flute
o violino - violin
o clarinete/a clarineta - clarinet
o trompete/clarim - trumpet
o trombone - trombone
o oboé - oboe
a corneta inglesa/francesa - English/French horn
o violoncelo - cello
o contrabaixo - contrabass
o balé - ballet
o/a compositor(a) - composer (male/female)
a literatura - literature
o romance - novel (note that a novela is not the word for novel; a novela in Portuguese refers
to a soap opera)
a melodia - melody
o ritmo - rhythm
os líricos - lyrics
a canção - song (a música can also be used to mean this as well)
a poesia - poetry
a arquite(c)tura - architecture (Eu. spelling uses c)
a pintura - painting (the art of; also a piece of artwork)
o quadro - painting (a piece of artwork)
o claro-escuro - contrast of light with shading
a escultura - sculpture
a estátua - statue
o/a pintor(a) - painter
o/a escultor(a) - sculptor
o/a poeta - poet
a crítica/resenha - review (an article)
a catedral - cathedral
o mosaico - mosaic
o vernacolo - vernacular
o diale(c)to - dialect (Eu. spelling uses c)
a palavra - word
a prá(c)tica/o hábito - habit/practice (a commonly done thing)
Vocabulary: Verbs
significar - to mean
representar - to perform
expressar(-se) - to express (oneself)
pintar - to paint
iluminar - to illuminate/light up
a(c)tuar - to act (Eu. spelling uses c)
agir/fingir - to act (as in to fake)
agir/comportar(-se) - to behave
esculpir - to sculpt
construir - to construct
compor - to compose
parecer - to seem like
ensaiar - to rehearse
pra(c)ticar - to practice (Eu. spelling uses c)
tentar - to try (insert infinitive here)
treinar/exercitar - to train
exercer - to practice (a profession/trade)
publicar - to publish
clássico(a) - classical
barroco(a) - baroque
romântico(a) - romantic
contemporâneo(a) - contemporary
avançado(a) - advanced
gradual - gradual
coloquial - colloquial
vernacular - vernacular
dialé(c)tico - dialectical (Eu. spelling uses c)
rústico(a) - rustic
virtuoso(a) - masterful or of great artistic talent
Double Objects:
A double object is the combination of a direct and indirect object pronoun in a sentence. This
means instances of sentences such as, “I gave it to him.” The phrase it to him would translate
as one word in European Portuguese, in which double objects are still used. In Brazilian
Portuguese, DOPs and IOPs are mutually exclusive; that is to say, they don’t occur at the same
time. The table below details the combinations of the pronouns.
IOP/DOP o/lo a/la os/los as/las

me mo ma mos mas
te to ta tos tas
lhe lho lha lhos lhas
nos no-lo no-la no-la no-las
lhes lho lha lhos lhas
Ex.
Nós damos um louro a ti. -> Nós damo-to.

We give you a parrot. -> We give it to you.
You may need to clarify the recipient of the action at times, because the combined forms for
lhe and lhes are the same.
Ex.
Ele deu umas maçã aos seus pais. -> Ele deu-lhas (aos seus pais)*. (Br./Eu.)
He gave some apples to his parents. -> He gave them some.
Note: See how the phrase, aos seus pais, is not ambiguous here. There isn’t a second subject
with which to confuse ownership.
In European Portuguese, where object and reflexive pronouns are typically attach to the end of
the verb, you’re likely to encounter the problem of compound tenses, such as the futuro
pequeno that you learned a while ago. It is preferred to attach the pronoun to the end of the
infinitive verb, though some people may attach it to the conjugated form of ir. This is not a
Brazil vs Portugal difference. Look at the example.
Ex.
Ana (vai deitar-se/vai-se deitar).

Anna is going to lie down.
Roberto e eu (vamos traduzir-to/vamo-to traduzir).

Robert and I are going to translate it for you.
However, when it comes to perfect tenses, such as the present perfect, which you’ll learn in the
next section, you can’t exactly attach pronouns. You have to resort to using a simple tense,
such as replacing the present perfect with the preterite, which is convenient, because the
preterite can sometimes overlap in meaning.
The Present Perfect and Overlap with the Preterite
In Portuguese, the present perfect is a little bit different from its equivalents in Spanish, Italian,
and other Romance languages. The present perfect, as most people understand, means, “have
done.” However, unlike its counterparts in other languages, the present perfect in Portuguese
can also mean, “have been doing,” and to make it even more confusing, the preterite can also
mean, “have done”! Of course, these things apply within certain contexts, and usually, its
pretty unambiguous as to what you mean in each one. And typically, já before a preterite verb
makes it the present perfect in meaning. If you mean to say, “have been doing,” the way the
sentence is phrased and also the context in which it is said make it so that it can’t mean
anything else.
Another difference to note between the Spanish present perfect and its Portuguese counterpart,
if you know Spanish, is that Portuguese does not use the equivalent of the Spanish haber,
which is haver in Portuguese. Instead, Portuguese goes for a more literal interpretation, at least
from an English standpoint, by using the actual verb for, “to have,” ter. Haver appears mostly
in 17th literary texts, including the Bible and masterpieces of the Medieval Age. As its name
might imply, you use the present tense of ter and then attach the past participle, which you’ll
learn how to construct from the table below.
-ar Verbs - falar -er Verbs - correr -ir Verbs - partir

falado corrido partido
falar
tenho falado temos falado

tens falado
tem falado têm falado
correr
tenho corrido temos corrido

tens corrido
tem corrido têm corrido
partir
tenho partido temos partido

tens partido
tem partido têm partido
As things go with verb conjugations, there are are always some irregularities, and naturally,
many common and useful words have irregular past participles.
abrir - aberto
cobrir - coberto
dizer - dito
descobrir (to discover/find) - descoberto
descrever (to describe) - descrito
escrever - escrito
fazer - feito
ganhar - ganho
gastar (to spend) - gasto
impor (to impose) - imposto
inscrever (to sign up/enroll) - inscrito
pagar - pago
pôr - posto
satisfazer (to satisfy) - satisfeito
ver - visto
vir - vindo
Now, you’ll notice that there are a couple of words that have very similar endings, such as
escrever and descrever, which both contain escrever and have similar endings. Escrever here is
what we’re going to call a, “build-in,” because it’s a word that is contained within many words,
which follow a similar pattern of conjugation and participle formation. This is similar to
recognizing the fact that words such as the words, “describe,” “inscribe,” and, “circumscribe,”
all contain the ending, “-scribe,” which indicates their connection to the action of writing in
some way.
You can apply this strategy to most verb conjugations, as most verbs that have an irregular verb
contained in them will most likely incorporate that verbs irregular conjugations. Another
example of a verb doing such a thing is the verb obter (to obtain), which incorporates the verb
ter, and therefore it conjugates similarly to ter (eu obtenho, tu obténs, ele/ela/você obtém,
obtemos, eles obtêm). Notice that accents are added to maintain the location of the stress.
The Personal Infinitive
In Portuguese, there is a peculiar construction known as the, “personal infinitive.” The personal
infinitive adds a little more to the infinitive, by including the grammatical person. Let’s look at
some examples.
Ex.
É difícil para mim entender.

It is difficult for me to understand.
Fui para casa sem os meus amigos saberem.

I went home without my friends knowing.
While the verb entender has not changed, the verb saber has changed. The personal infinitive
is a handy way to avoid using the subjunctive, which you’ll learn in the next section. If you
ignore the grammatical person aspect of the personal infinitive, the concept is much easier to
understand, because the infinitive can also be translated as a present participle (verbs ending in
-ing). The following table details the changes to the verb falar, as the changes are the same for
every verb.
falar falarmos
falares
falar falarem
You’ll notice in the first set of examples that there are two distinct uses of the personal
infinitive. In the second sentence, the personal infinitive can be understood as an alternative to
a subjunctive clause, which you’ll learn later on. For now, we’ll look at the personal infinitive
with impersonal expressions and prepositions.
In the first example, the personal infinitive is being used with an impersonal expression, as a
general statement, one that may not necessarily be satisfied. In the impersonal expression, the
way the personal infinitive is used is relatively straightforward, as when it is translated to
English, you get the infinitive as you would expect it to be. Look at the example.
Ex.
É importante beberes mais água.

It is important (for you) to drink more water.
The second example uses the preposition sem. A way to think about this sentence is to first
remove the the second subject (which doesn’t have to be the same as the first subject, which in
this case is eu, in all instances), and use a pronoun instead. Now, we’ll rewrite the sentence to
understand it slightly differently, to make it easier.
Ex.
Fui para casa sem eles saberem.

I went home without them knowing.
In the second version of the sentence, it’s more similar to the way you’d express it in English,
even though the infinitive is being used to mean a verb ending in -ing, which is normally called
the present participle. To drive the point home, we’ll look at one more example:
Ex.
No caso de partirmos hoje, por favor, não compre nenhuns bilhetes.

In the case of us leaving today, please, don’t buy any tickets.
Here are some more expressions with which the personal infinitive (and also the subjunctive) is
used:
É necessário… - It’s necessary… 

É bom… - It’s good that… 
É importante… - It’s important that… 
É difícil… - It's difficult… 
É possível… - It's possible that… 
É provável… - It's probable that… 
Não é mau… - It's not bad…
The personal infinitive can also be used with prepositions:
Ao… at/by 
Sem… without 
Para… in order to 
Por… because/for the cause of 
Até… until/up to the point that 
No caso de… in case 
Depois de… after 
Antes de… before 
Apesar de… despite/in spite of
A. Rewrite the given sentence using double objects.
1. Estou (escrevendo/a escrever) uma carta à minha irmã.

2. (Me dá/Dá-me) o lápiz. (Br./Eu.)
3. Quero pegar umas barras de chocolate para a minha namorada.
4. Nossa filha quer tocar la sonata para (a gente/nós). (Br./Eu.)
5. A senhora Costa deu o brinquedo à seu neta.
6. Têm enviado os convites a vocês.
7. (Você sabe/Tu sabes) que Maria está (comprando/a comprar) vestidos para elas. (Br./Eu.)
8. Mateus tem ido para pegar os aperitivos para a sua mãe.
9. O padre (the priest) conduziu o serviço religioso para o público.
10. Dou mensagens ao Primeiro-Ministro.
B. Rewrite the following sentences using the present perfect.
1. Eu escrevo muitas redações na universidade.

2. Minha mãe come três laranjas.
3. Maria e eu vemos o filme.
4. (Se vendem/Vendem-se) muitos ingressos do teatro.
5. Muitos estudantes tocam o piano aqui.
6. Ele e ela querem mais oportunidades (opportunities).
7. Jogamos muitos jogos.
8. Os professores dão lições gratuite (free lessons).
9. Os velhos preparam a massa para a Quaresma (esse/este) ano. (Br./Eu.)
10. As dançarinas praticam a danza.
C. Translate the following sentences into Portuguese, making correct use of the personal
infinitive.
1. Did you (informal) eat before they arrived?

2. Introduce yourself (informal) without being rude.
3. It is necessary that you (formal) eat vegetables every day.
4. Without you (formal) being here, the party isn’t fun.
5. In case we come late, don’t wait for us (informal).
6. After leaving the house, they forgot to close the door.
7. It’s possible that you (formal) are sick.
8. It’s good of you (informal) to come home so early.
9. Since I’m not at home, you (informal) can sleep late today.
10. Don’t go into her office without her giving you (informal) permission. 
Secção 9: Storytelling
Vocabulary: Stories
a história - story
a fantasia - fantasy
a fi(c)ção científica - science fiction (Eu. spelling uses c)
a não-fi(c)ção - nonfiction (Eu. spelling uses c)
o romance histórico - historical fiction
o drama - drama (don’t mix up with a trama, which means, “plot (of a story),”)
o mistério - mystery
o horror/terror - horror (to refer to the genre, you say noun + de terror)
o/a rei/rainha - king/queen
o príncipe/princesa - prince/princess
o/a mago/bruxa - wizard/witch
o/a caçador(a) - hunter/huntress
o padre - priest
o/a deus(a) - god/goddess (capitalize deus to Deus to make, “God”)
Cinderela - Cinderella
Hércules - Hercules
o/a tritão/sereia - merman/mermaid
o dete(c)tive - detective (Eu. spelling uses c)
o monstro - monster
o/a criminoso - criminal
o delinqüente - delinquent
o/a sábio(a) - sage/wise person
o cavaleiro - knight
o soldado - soldier
o exército - army
o dragão - dragon
a besta - beast
o pesar/remorso - regret
o tesouro - treasure
a alegria - joy
a felicidade - happiness
a mágica/magia - magic
o/a inimigo(a) - enemy
o veneno - poison
a mentira - lie
a vi(c)tória - victory (Eu. spelling uses c)
a derrota - defeat/loss
a carruagem - carriage (a baby carriage, however, is o carrinho)
o século - century
Vocabulary: Verbs
matar - to kill
morrer - to die
viver - to live
morar em - to live (in)/inhabit (this is used exclusively for saying where you live)
descobrir - to discover
ganhar/vencer - to win
derrotar/vencer - to defeat
perder/extraviar - to lose (extraviar is strictly non-figurative)
confiar em - to trust in
enfeitiçar - to cast a spell (on)
encantar - to enchant (as in delight/charm)
confundir - to confuse
irritar - to anger/annoy/irritate
ficar com raiva - to get angry
regozijar(-se) - to rejoice
alegrar - to gladden/make happy
alegrar-se - to be/become happy
jactar-se/gabar-se - brag/boast
vangloriar-se - to gloat
chorar - to cry
começar - to start
adormecer/cair no sono - to fall asleep
cair - to fall (conjugated like sair)
acordar/despertar - to awaken (as in to wake up)
acordar - to wake up (someone)
sentar(-se) - to sit (down)
ficar de pé - to stand up
despir(-se) - to undress (oneself)
crer/acreditar - to believe
esperar - to hope/wait
desejar - to wish/desire
querer - to wish (as in a fantasy)
proteger - to protect
mendigar - to beg (for alms/food/money)
implorar - to beg/implore
odiar - to hate
obedecer - to obey
desobedecer - to disobey
preocupar-se - to worry
interessar - to interest (use with an IOP)
maltratar/tratar mal - to mistreat
roubar/furtar - to steal
envenenar - to poison
rezar/orar - to pray
mentir - to lie (e->i; eu form)
lutar/combater - to fight/battle
temer - to fear
entristecer(-se) - to sadden
afligir-se/entristecer-se - to grieve
adoecer/enfermar - to become sick
retornar/voltar - to return (to go back somewhere; intransitive)
devolver - to return ( give something back; transitive)
aparecer/surgir - to appear
sumir/desaparecer - to disappear
desistir/render-se - to give up (intransitive)
entregar/desistir de/abandonar - to give up (transitive)
cruzar/atravessar - to cross
quebrar - to break
envergonhar/acanhar/embaraçar(-se) - to shame (with reflexive means “to be ashamed”)
crer
eu creio nós cremos

tu crês
ele/ela/você crê eles/elas/vocês crêem
perder
eu perco nós perdemos

tu perdes
ele/ela/você perde eles/elas/vocês perdem
Vocabulary: Important Words/Phrases
através/do outro lado/de um lado ao outro - across (preposition/location/adverb)

desde (então) - since (add então when you mean since then)
subsequentemente/mais tarde/depois - then/afterward
ao contrario de - unlike
distinto(a) de - unlike (as in different from)
não/fora do feitio - unlike (as in uncharacteristic; literally not/out of form/shape)
em nome/no interesse de - on behalf of

porque/por causa de - because (in a non-question context)
dentro - within
todavia/contudo/entretanto - however
(o/a)/(aquele/aquela) que - that which (As in That which eats carrots is a rabbit)
ou seja/a saber - that is (As in: that is to say…)
logo/portanto - therefore/so (as a result)
subseqüentemente - subsequently (be careful; without the diaeresis, the meaning changes a bit)
mais tarde/(tempos) depois - later
preferivelmente/em vez de - rather (As in: I would rather do this or Rather than do this…)
ao contrario/ao invés - on the contrary/rather (As in: it is not this, but rather that)
suficientemente - rather/sufficiently (As in: I am rather/sufficiently well)
Por VS Para
If you’ve studied Spanish, you’ll know that por and para are seemingly very similar, but have
many different uses. A general thing you can say about por and para is that por is vague,
whereas para is more specific.
First, let’s examine some general uses of por:
Rates/Durations (per-cent, per head, miles per hour)

Exchanges of money, trades, and just about anything involving numbers (I paid three dollars
for that toy)
On someone’s behalf (I called Peter for you)
Movement (through a space, not specific)
Expressing motive or reasoning (in the past)
Passive constructions (we’ll get to this soon)
Now for the general uses of para:
Stating the recipient of an action

Expressing motive or reasoning (in the present and future)
Movement (to a specific destination)
To indicate perspective or opinion (For me, it’s kind of irritating.)
Employment (I work for my uncle)
A consideration (For such a young girl, she plays the clarinet very well.)
In addition to their general uses, por and para have specific meanings with infinitives:
por + infinitive = Because of/due to (infinitive)

para + infinitive = In order to (infinitive)
The Passive Voice
The passive voice is a relatively simple, and very useful construction. If you haven’t studied
any other foreign language before, it’s probably a good idea to elaborate on the difference
between the passive voice and its opposite, the active voice. Look at the example.
Ex.
The boys made that sculpture.

Os meninos fizeram essa escultura.
The active voice is used here, which emphasizes who did the action, the subject. Now look at
the next example, that uses the passive voice.
Ex.
Essa escultura foi feita pelos meninos.

That sculpture was made by the boys.
As you can see, the passive voice emphasizes the object over the subject, which can come in
handy. It should be noted that you can use any form of, “to be,” “become, “ or, “turn into.”
You’ll also notice that the past participle agrees with the object of the verb, because it’s more
or less being treated as an adjective.
The basic form for the passive voice is (conjugated form of ser/estar/ficar/virar) + past
participle. However, there are verbs for which there is a special, irregular form of the past
participle used only for the passive voice.
aceitar (to accept) - aceito/aceite (Br./Eu.)

acender (to switch/turn on) - aceso
eleger (to elect) - eleito
emergir (to immerse) - emerso
entregar (to deliver/turn in) - entregue
envolver (to involve/wrap) - envolto
expulsar (to expel) - expulso
exprimir (to express) - expresso
extinguir (to extinguish) - extinto
imprimir (to print) - impresso
matar (to kill) - morto
morrer (to die) - morto
prender (to arrest) - preso
romper (to tear/break) - roto
salvar (to save) - salvo
secar (to dry) - seco

soltar (to release) - solto
suspender (to suspend) - suspenso
frigir (to fry) - frito
enxugar (to dry/wipe) - enxuto
isentar (to exempt) - isento
acender (to light) - aceso
benzer (to bless) - bento
incorrer (to incur) - incurso
inserir (to insert) - inserto
omitir (to omit) - omisso
The Present Subjunctive
The subjunctive mood is perhaps the most confusing mechanic of any Romance language, and
many students struggle with getting it down. To start, let’s examine what the typical
subjunctive-using phrase looks like: (Clause in the Indicative) + que + (Clause in the
Subjunctive).
Rezo/Oro que... - I pray that...

Quero che... - I wish/want that...
Desejo che... I desire that...
Me alegro que... - I’m happy that...
Espero que... - I hope that...
Odio que... - I hate that…
These phrases suggest that whatever follows in the second clause is hypothetical, doubtful,
very optimistic, unrealistic, or uncertain. For whatever reason, that second clause is not
something that is likely to happen. However, don’t try to rule out things based on whether they
are hypothetical, because that is slightly different, and used for a different grammatical setup
that we’ll cover later on. Look at the example.
Ex.
Espero que você coma conosco/connosco. (Br./Eu.)

I hope that you’ll* eat with us.
*This is technically a usage of the present to refer to something in the future, but it is the
immediate future, something relatively soon.
Now, given that there are certain phrases that suggest something is unlikely to occur, there are
also phrases that indicate is very or absolutely likely to happen.
Eu creio/acredito que… - I believe that…

Acho que… - I think that…
Não duvido que… - I don’t doubt that…
É provável que… - It’s probable that…
Não nego que… - I don’t deny that…
The conjugations of the verbs crer and acreditar and the negation of the verbs such as negar
(to deny) and duvidar (to doubt) convey absolute beliefs, which do not suggest the second
clause is unlikely. This also applies to personal opinions, such as acho que, and thus are never
followed by the subjunctive.
However, it doesn’t work the same way in the opposite case; if you suggest something is
impossible, you are suggesting a hypothetical situation or condition, which fits with the
subjunctive.
Ex.
É impossível que tu faças os teus deveres de casa tão rapidamente.

It is impossible that you do your homework so quickly.
You should be aware that the present subjunctive can be used interchangeably with the
personal infinitive in some cases. For the most part, the subjunctive comes after a que, except
for the imperfect subjunctive, which has its own special clause, but we’ll get to that later.
Below is an acronym for using the subjunctive in any tense:
*Hopes, wishes, wills

Uncertainty, doubt, disbelief, or denial
Emotional expressions
Requests or suggestions
Commands in a polite form
You’ll realize that, except for the tu form, the affirmative imperative forms of verbs are in the
present subjunctive. All the impersonal expressions, that express a truth or indirect command
such as É importante que… or É bom que… are always followed by the subjunctive, because
the following clause indicates an action that may or may not be fulfilled. Also, there are two
ways to issue commands in a polite form using the subjunctive.
Ex.
Que ela venda tudas as frutas!

Let him sell all the fruits!
*This sentence is an example of expressing a will, and if you think about it, it’s sort of an
indirect command.
The word talvez, which means maybe or perhaps, is always followed by the subjunctive, in any
tense.
Ex.
Comprei umas pastelarias. Talvez minha irmã queira comer um bolo?

I bought some pastries. Perhaps my sister wants to eat one?
Generally speaking, to construct the conjugations in the present subjunctive, the process is to
drop the terminal -o from the eu form of the verb, and then add the -er verb endings to -ar
verbs, and the -ar verb endings to -er and -ir verbs. You’ll also realize that two of the
conjugations are identical, so you’ll have to indicate the subject if it’s not implied.
-ar Verbs - falar
eu fale nós falemos

tu fales
ele/ela/você fale eles/elas/vocês falem
-er Verbs - correr
eu corra nós corramos

tu corras
ele/ela/você corra eles/elas/vocês corram
-ir Verbs - partir
eu parta nós partamos

tu partas
ele/ela/você parta eles/elas/vocês partam
Irregular Verbs in the Present Subjunctive
ser
eu seja nós sejamos

tu sejas
ele/ela/você seja eles/elas/vocês sejam
estar
eu esteja nós estejamos

tu estejas
ele/ela/você esteja eles/elas/vocês estejam
ir
eu vá nós vamos
tu vás
ele/ela/você vá eles/elas/vocês vão
dar
eu dê nós demos/dêmos (Br./Eu.)

tu dês
ele/ela/você dê eles/elas/vocês dêem
querer
eu queira nós queiramos

tu queiras
ele/ela/você queira eles/elas/vocês queiram
saber
eu saiba nós saibamos

tu saibas
ele/ela/você saiba eles/elas/vocês saibam
You should be aware that by learning the present subjunctive, you can now also form the
present perfect subjunctive, which is exactly what you think it is.
Now, Portuguese, as in most Romance languages, requires that when you have a sentence with
two clauses, they have to agree in tense. That means, a sentence such as, “I think that he went
home,” is technically grammatically incorrect in Portuguese. We’ll call this, “balancing
tenses.”
This is where the present perfect subjunctive comes in. This tense expresses an event that
happened in the past but also has relevance in the present, but can also be used in place of what
might be called a preterite subjunctive, though it doesn’t abide by the same rules as the
imperfect and preterite do in the indicative mood. Let’s look at the following example:
Ex.
-Maria, sabes onde foi Senhor Encarnação?

-Acho que o senhor tenha ido para Lisboa.
-Mary, do you know where Mr. Encarnação went?

-I think that he went/has gone to Lisbon.
The present perfect subjunctive form is: (conjugated form of ter in the subjunctive) + past
participle. Note that as you learn more tenses, you will be able to construct the perfect version
of that tense. However, you should know ahead of time that the preterite perfect, which would
be (conjugated form of ter in the preterite), is an outdated form, even in literature. The
distinction between the preterite and the imperfect as perfect tenses was lost long ago, because
the preterite only describes a very specific moment that was soon overtaken by the pluperfect.
A. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, and rewrite it using the passive voice.
1. I have put the bowl of salad on the table.

2. Have you (informal) buy J. K. Rowling’s new book?
3. My mother has covered the pot (a panela/caçarola).
4. He has told his friend (female) that he was going on vacation.

5. My father and grandfather have put the duck (o pato) in the oven (o forno).
6. He has written classical music.
7. Did he describe the place?
8. You (formal) and Christian (Cristiano) have bought a house.
9. They pay their electric bill (conta de luz).
10. They opened all of the doors.
B. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, making correct use of the subjunctive.
1. You (formal) hope that Alexandra (female) comes.

2. I’m sad that you (informal) can’t go to the cinema with us.
3. I want you to put your (formal) things on the table.
4. The mother is worried that her children are out too late.
5. My parents fear that my grandparents will die soon.
6. You (informal) and Vincent (Vicente) desire that the new Prime Minister can make good
decisions.
7. It irritates them that they make such disgusting food.
8. We pray that God helps us.
9. I deny that the stepmother cares about Cinderella.
10. Alice (Alícia) is angry that she has to go to Portugal this summer. 
Secção 10: The Future
Vocabulary: University
a universidade - university
a especialização universitária - major
a especialização secundária - minor
a profissão/carreira - profession/career
o programa de intercâmbio - foreign exchange program
a economia - economy
as finanças - finance
o direito - law (subject of study)
a lei - law (legislation or rules)
a política - politics/policy
o idioma/a lingua - language
a engenharia - engineering
a artes culinarias - culinary arts
a medicina - medicine
a genética - genetics
a moda/tendência - fashion/trend
o estudo - study
a sociedade - society
o grupo - group
o proletariado - proletariat/working class
a classe média/a burguesia - middle class
o/a burguês/burguesa - a person of the middle class
o comerciante - merchant
a classe alta - upper class
o grã-fino/a dondoca - wealthy upper class man/woman, snob, high-hat (offensive slang)
a habitação/residência/moradia - housing
a propriedade - property
a nobreza - nobility
o funcionário público - official
o destituição - destitution
a pobreza - poverty
a realeza - royalty
a taxa de mortalidade - death rate
a taxa de nascimento - birth rate
a frugalidade - frugality
o comércio - trade
a a(c)ção - action/stock (Eu. spelling uses c)
o mercado das ações - stock market
a bancarrota - bankruptcy (the company is still around)
a falência - bankruptcy (the company has failed)

a quebra - crash (stock market)
o embargo - embargo (trade blockade/ban/prohibition)
a interdição - shipping ban
a sanção econômica - economic sanction
o/a investidor(a) - investor
a perda - financial loss
o financiamento - financial support/funding
o se(c)tor (público/(privado/particular)) - public/private sector (Eu. spelling uses c)
o perdulário - spendthrift
o direito - right (as in a civil right)
Vocabulary: Professions
o/a diplomado(a)/graduado(a) - graduate

o/a médico(a)/doutor(a) - doctor
o/a doutor(a) - holder of a doctoral degree (a PhD)
o/a dentista - dentist
o/a advogado(a) - lawyer
o/a banqueiro - banker
o/a contador - accountant
o/a maestro - conductor (of an orchestra)
o/a arquiteto(a) - architect
o/a engenheiro - engineer
o/a mecânico(a) - mechanic
o/a cabelereiro(a) - hairdresser
o/a alfaiate - tailor
o/a atleta - athlete (invariable in gender)
o/a político(a) - politician
o/a policial - policeman/policewoman
o/a homem/mulher de negócios - businessman/businesswoman
o/a mensageiro(a) - messenger
o/a vendedor(a) - clerk
o/a padeiro(a) - baker
o/a dono(a) - owner
o/a chefe(a) - boss
o/a salva-vidas/banheiro(a) - lifeguard (salva-vidas is invariable in gender and plural) (Br./Eu.)
o/a babá - babysitter (invariable in gender)
o/a jornalista - journalist
o/a cientista - scientist
o/a tradutor(a) - translator
o/a estilista/costureiro(a) - designer (fashion)
o/a empregado(a) - employee
Vocabulary: Workplace
a filial/sucursal - office
o hospital - hospital
a loja - shop/store
a oficina - workshop
a padaria - bakery
a fábrica - factory
o banco - bank
o negocio/a empresa - enterprise/business/company
o formulário/a ficha de inscrição - application
o departamento - department
Vocabulary: More Abstract Concepts
a greve - strike
a marcha - march
o emprego/trabalho - job
o salário - salary
a segurança - safety
o apoio - support
o benefício - benefit
o classificado - classified ad
a experiência - experience
o requisito - requirement
a entrevista - interview
o conhecimento - knowledge
a habilidade - ability/skill
a capacidade - ability (as in a capacity or function)
a recomendação - letter of recommendation
de tempo integral - full-time
de meio período - part-time
a taxa - tax
o imposto - (income) tax (usually refers to income tax)
o aumento/acréscimo - rise
a redução - reduction/decrease
o fundo - fund
o avanço - advance
a tecnologia - technology
a cura - cure
A Previdência Social - Social Security
o fracasso - failure
o sucesso - success
o tratado - treaty
a prote(c)ção - protection
Vocabulary: Alternative Energy
a energia solar - solar energy

a energia hidrelé(c)trico - hydroelectric power (Eu. spelling uses c)
a energia geotérmica - geothermic energy
a usina nuclear - nuclear plant
a energia alternativa - alternative energy
Vocabulary: Verbs
doar - to donate
contribuir - to contribute
contratar/empregar - to hire/employ
vender - to sell
cuidar de - to take care of
demitir - to fire (from a job)
concordar (em) - to agree (to)
estar de acordo - to be in agreement
consentir (em) - to consent (to)
analisar - to analyze
sugerir - to suggest (as in provide an idea) (e->i; eu form)
juntar - to gather
garantir - to guarantee
assegurar-se - to assure (oneself) (intransitive)/secure (transitive)
recomendar - to recommend
entrevistar/sabatinar - to interview (for a job)
entrevistar - to interview (as in journalism)
empregar - to employ
beneficiar - to benefit (someone or something)
beneficiar-se - to benefit (intransitively)
protestar - to protest
discutir - discuss
aumentar - to increase
reduzir - to reduce
taxar/cobrar impostos - to tax
lucrar/ganhar - to earn
receber - to receive
perceber - to realize/notice/perceive
gastar - to spend
dedicar-se a - to dedicate (oneself)
inventar - to invent
criar - to create
causar/gerar - to cause
avançar - to advance
poupar - to save (money or time)
guardar - to save (figuratively or to withhold)
salvar - to save (to protect from harm)
graduar-se/formar-se/diplomar-se - to graduate
dar a(c)cesso/admitir - to admit (like being admitted to college) (Eu. spelling uses the c)
seguir - to follow (e->i; eu form)
sonhar - to dream
supor - to suppose
imaginare - to imagine
sarar/curar-se - to heal
defender - to defend
dirigir/reger - to direct/lead/conduct (an orchestra or musical group
Vocabulary: Other
contra - against
próximo(a) - next
anterior/precedente - preceding/previous
perguntar-se - to wonder (as in to contemplate)
querer saber - to wonder (thinking about, when making a polite request; always in the past
tense, followed by the conditional, which you’ll learn later on)
ambicioso(a) - ambitious
outro(a) - other
criativo(a) - creative
concentrado(a) - focused
empreendedor - enterprising (taking the initiative)
maduro(a) - mature
eficiente - efficient
apto(a)/capaz - able (capaz can also mean, “talented”)
responsável - responsible
irresponsável - irresponsible
cauteloso/prudente - cautious
descuidado(a)/negligente - careless
justo(a) - just
injusto(a) - unjust
flexível - flexible
escrupuloso(a) - dedicated
masculino(a)/macho(a) - masculine/male
másculo(a)/varonil - manly
feminino(a)/feminil - female/feminine
menininha/de mocinha - girly
The Future Tense
The future tense is important for people who plan to speak with European Portuguese-speaking
people, so you can skip this section if you don’t plan on going to Portugal. In Brazil, people
often do not use the simple future, and use a construction consisting of ir (in the future tense) +
infinitive.
In European Portuguese, the traditional distinction between an immediate and distant future is
retained, as in both varieties of Spanish. However, in many regions of Portugal, in very
colloquial situations, some people will opt out of using the simple future tense.
There is another use for the future tense, which is called, “the future of probability,” in Spanish
grammar books. The use in Portuguese is identical, and basically, it’s used to convey the sense
of, “I wonder…” or, “Might…”. Usually, this sense is conveyed as a question. There will be an
example after the tables on this.
The handy thing about this tense as that there are few irregular verbs, as the endings for the
future are simply added to the infinitive form the verb. Though, as a note for pôr: drop the
circumflex before adding the endings.
-ar Verbs - falar
eu falarei nós falaremos

tu falarás
ele/ela/você falará eles/elas/vocês falarão
-er Verbs - correr
eu correrei nós correremos

tu correrás
ele/ela/você correrá eles/elas/vocês correrão
-ir Verbs - partir
eu partirei nós partiremos

tu partirás
ele/ela/você partirá eles/elas/vocês partirão
Irregular Future Tense Verbs
dizer
eu direi nós diremos

tu dirás
ele/ela/você dirá eles/elas/vocês dirão
fazer
eu farei nós faremos

tu farás
ele/ela/você fará eles/elas/vocês farão
trazer
eu trarei nós traremos

tu trarás
ele/ela/você trará eles/elas/vocês trarão
Now, here are some examples with the future of probability:
Ex.
Onde estarão os meus chaves?

Where might my keys be?
Ele (provavelmente) chegará às três da tarde.

He (will (probably)/might) arrive at three in the afternoon.
Mesoclisis
Ah, a fancy word that you’ve probably never heard before. And even better, it’s a name for a
construction that doesn’t exist in any other Romance language! Mesoclisis is when the object
or reflexive pronoun used in a sentence is placed within a word. Mesoclisis in Brazilian
Portuguese is confined to extremely formal and written situations, while in European
Portuguese, it is slowly falling into disuse. The growing tendency is to use the little future
instead. Nevertheless, it’s good to know.
To construct this form, before adding the endings -ei, ás, á, -emos, or -rão, place the object or
reflexive pronoun between hyphens, and then attach the ending.
Ex.
Verb: ver; Future stem: ver

Object Pronoun: o Fernão (lo)
Subject: elas
Elas verão o Fernão amanhã.

Simplified: Elas ver+lo+ão amanhã. = Elas ver-lo-ão amanhã.
The Pluperfect
The pluperfect, otherwise known as the past perfect, and also mais-que-perfeito in Portuguese
grammar books, conveys the notion of, “had done.” The weird thing about this tense is that
unlike other Romance languages, there is a simple, non-compound version of this tense. But,
fortunately for you, it’s a largely literary form, and a very old literary form at that, so you don’t
have to learn it.
The basic form of the pluperfect that people actually use is: (imperfect past conjugation of ter)
+ the past participle.
Ex.
Meu irmão já tinha comido o jantar quando retornei da escola.

My brother had already eaten dinner when I returned from school.
A. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, making correct use of the future tense. Note:
You can practice mesoclisis on the sentences with object and reflexive pronouns in them.
1. Your (informal) date (o namorado) will probably (provavelmente) arrive at nine o’clock in
the night.
2. You (informal) and Michael will leave for England (Inglaterra) tomorrow, right?
3. I’ll probably rehearse at the theater today.
4. Scientists will create a cure for cancer (o câncer).
5. We will protest to reduce taxes.
6. Mr. Carvalho’ son will play professional soccer for Brazil.
7. He’ll conduct the orchestra at the conservatory (o conservatório).
8. The children (mixed) will never drink wine or beer.
9. Many people will see a famous person at least (pelo menos) once.
10. Mary’s (Maria) daughter will do what she can to help those in need (necessitado(a)).
B. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, making correct use of the pluperfect.
1. When George (Jorge) came home, Lauren had slept for two hours.
2. Had you (informal) not played that symphony (a sinfonia) already?
3. You (formal) and my mother had gone shopping (ir às compras) when I finished school.
4. I had already made dinner when you (informal) woke up.
5. The ballet (o balé) had already finished when we arrived.
6. The couple (o casal) had been together (junto) for six years.
7. We had left for Europe in 1974.
8. The mother and child had eaten the pasta at 4:00 PM.
9. Lawrence (Lourenço) had broken his leg three times when he was twelve.
10. Her brother had been dead for ten years. 
Secção 11: Shopping
Vocabulary: Stores
o supermercado - supermarket
a farmácia/drogaria - pharmacy/drug store
a loja de departamentos - department store
o empório/mercado/armázem - general/grocery store
o shopping center - mall (a loan word; a bit rare)
a joalheria - jewelry store
a loja de conveniências - convenience store
a loja de ferragens - hardware store
a padaria - bakery
a agência de viagem - travel agency
a loja de móveis - furniture store
a confeitaria/doceria - candy store
a rede de lojas - store chain/franchise
a loja de roupas - clothing store
a loja de descontos - discount store
a loja de tecidos - dry goods store/(fabric/textile) store
a quitanda - fruit store
o sacolão/hortifrutiganjeiro - fruit store (Brazilian only, both of them)
a loja de alimentos naturais - health food store
o fabricante/fornecedor - tailor shop/outfitter
a padaria - bakery
a leitaria - dairy store
a sapataria - shoe store
a geladaria - ice cream store/parlor
a livraria - bookstore
Vocabulary: Items for Sale and Other Terms
a jóia - jewel
a aliança/o anel - ring
o bracelete - bracelet
o colar - necklace
o brinco - earring
o relógio de pulso - wristwatch
a roupa - clothing/garment/outfit/clothes (Note: when you’re referring to what multiple people
are wearing, you say as roupas, because a roupa only refers to one person’s clothes)
o terno/o facto - suit
a gravata - tie
o cinto - belt
a saia - skirt
a calça - pants
o jeans - jeans (as in denim trousers)
a cueca/calcinha - underwear (men’s/women’s; Don’t confuse these! One specifically applies to
one gender)
a camisa - shirt
a camiseta - T-shirt
a luva - glove
a meia - sock (also the number six when giving a telephone number)
os sapatos - shoes
a bota - boots
o salto(-alto) - (high) heel shoe
o casaco/a carnada - coat
o sobretudo/casaco - suit/formal jacket
a jaqueta - (light/sporty) jacket
o paletó - (dressy) jacket (a really nice jacket that you wear when you go out for the evening)
o bolso - pocket
a bolsa - purse (in the American sense)
a carteira/a bolsa - wallet (men’s/women’s; though a carteira is usable for both genders)
o par - pair
o jogo/conjunto - set (of items)
o lençol - bed sheet
o sistema ele(c)trônico - electronic system (Eu. spelling uses c)
a sofá - sofa
a cadeira - chair
o carpete - carpet
o ladrilho/azulejo - tile (ladrilho only applies to floor tiles, whereas azulejo is more general)
o preço - price
a variedade - choice/variety (what is available to select from)
a escolha - choice (the selected item or action)
o lucro/ganho/proveito - profit
o abatimento/desconto - discount
a despesa/o gasto - expense (gasto is also expense made on a regular basis, unlike despesa)
a aspirina - aspirin
a acupuntura - acupuncture
a pechincha - bargain/deal
a liquidação - sale (reduced price offering)
a venda - sale (a transaction)
Vocabulary: Verbs
negociar - to negotiate
barganhar - to bargain
prosperar - to prosper
publicar/promover - to publicize/advertise
pagar - to pay
fazer compra - to shop
ir às compras - to go shopping
provar - to try/test
caber - to fit (have the correct dimensions)
servir em - to fit (clothing)
escolher - to choose
caber - Present
eu caibo nós cabemos

tu cabes
ele/ela/você cabe eles/elas/vocês cabem
Preterite
eu coube nós coubemos

tu coubeste
ele/ela/você coube eles/elas/vocês couberam
gratuito(a) - free (of charge)

econômico(a) - economic
frugal/sóbrio(a) - frugal/thrifty
caro(a) - expensive/costly
barato(a) - cheap/inexpensive/of poor quality
de alta qualidade - of high quality
variado(a)/vário(a) - various
múltiplo(a) - multiple
limitado(a) - limited
Vocabulary: Subjunctive Expressions
contanto/desde que - provided that/as long as

ainda/mesmo que - even if
apesar de que - despite
(a fim de)/para que - in order to/to the end of
a não ser que - unless

basta que - suffices that
é pena que - it’s a shame that
sem que - with that
antes que - before
até que - until
The Imperfect Subjunctive and the Conditional
The imperfect subjunctive is effectively a subjunctive past tense, as preterite and imperfect are
not differentiated in the subjunctive. The rules for applying the imperfect subjunctive are
essentially the same as the present subjunctive.
The imperfect subjunctive has its own special phrases with which it is used in which the
conditional goes hand in hand, so it’s best to learn them both at the same time. But first, let’s
see how the imperfect subjunctive goes on its own.
Ex.
Ele queria que eu fosse na casa.

He wanted/desired that I was at home.
The, “he,” in this sentence wants or desires something that may or not have been fulfilled,
which expresses a contingency, therefore it is in the subjunctive. Now, we’re going to look at
the imperfect subjunctive with the conditional.
Ex.
Sem tu tivesses mais dinheiro, comprarias muitas jóias para tua namorada.
If you had more money, you would buy many jewels for your girlfriend.
Here’s an example of the imperfect subjunctive with the como sem expression.
Ex.
Minha irmã se comportava como sem fosse a rainha do mundo.

My sister behaved as if she were the queen of the world.
Now, for the actual conjugations. The imperfect subjunctive is a little odd in that the stem
comes from the eles/elas/vocês conjugation of the preterite. The stem for the imperfect
subjunctive is this conjugation, after you drop the -ram from the end.
To retain stress on the last syllable of the stem, add an accent to the last vowel of -ar and -ir
verbs, and a circumflex to -er verbs. Overall, the conjugations for the imperfect subjunctive are
pretty uniform. The endings are -sse, -sses, -sse, -´ssemos/ˆssemos, and -ssem.
-ar Verbs - falar
eu falasse nós falássemos

tu falasses
ele/ela/você falasse eles/elas/vocês falassem
-er Verbs - correr
eu corresse nós corrêssemos

tu corresses
ele/ela/você corresse eles/elas/vocês corressem
-ir Verbs - partir
eu partisse nós partíssemos

tu partisses
ele/ela/você partisse eles/elas/vocês partissem
Pay close attention to the class of verb, whether it’s an -ar, -er, or -ir verb. If you don’t, you
won’t realize that fôssemos is a regular conjugation of ser and ir. The circumflex is used to
mark stress here because ser is an -er verb, so the only irregularity that you’ll have to
remember is that ir shares its conjugations with ser. The reason that you use an acute accent in
estivéssemos for estar is because it’s still an -ar verb.
A thing to note about the use of the imperfect subjunctive + conditional combination, is that
Brazilian Portuguese, in colloquial speech, does not use the conditional, but rather the
imperfect indicative or the imperfect of ir + infinitive. This is also true of sentences that
express the future from a point of reference in the past.
Ex.
Ele dizia que eu ia cantar/cantava essa noite.

He was saying that I was going to sing that night.
Se eu tivesse querido a sua ajuda, eu lhe tinha pedido.

If had wanted your help, I would have asked you.
The Future Perfect
As you may have realized, with the future tense, you can form the future perfect indicative
tense, which expresses the notion of “will have done.”
Ex.
Adão terá começado os seus estudos da universidade quando/no momento ele tiver* vinte anos.
Adam will have started his university studies by the time he is twenty years old.
Note: “By the time,” is often translated as quando or no/nesse momento.
*This is the future subjunctive, and can follow either the future perfect or simple future. We’ll
get to this later on. All you need to know is that the clause, beginning with quando/no
momento, is in the subjunctive because it suggests a state which has not been realized yet.
The Conditional
The conditional basically fits in anywhere you use the auxiliary verb would in English. The
conditional is often used in conjunction with the imperfect subjunctive. Look at the example
below, in which the conditional is used without the imperfect subjunctive.
Ex.
-Você quer/Tu queres ir al cinema comigo? (Br./Eu.)

-Eu viria contigo, mas preciso de fazer os meus afazeres.
-Do you want to come to the cinema with me?

-I would come with you, but I have to do my chores.
Now that you know how to conjugate verbs in the imperfect subjunctive and the conditional,
this means you can also form the pluperfect subjunctive and the conditional perfect, which
operate more or less under the same rules and in similar situations.
Ex.
-Por que Maria não foi ao baile com Florencio?

-Maria teria ido com Florencio se ele não tivesse esquecido de ir às compras com ela.
-Why didn’t Mary go to the dance with Florence?

-Mary would have gone with Florence if he hadn’t forgotten to go shopping with her.
Similar to their non-perfect forms, the pluperfect subjunctive is suggesting a hypothetical

situation in the past that cannot be realized.
The conditional form of verbs can be used to make polite requests or ask polite questions.
Ex.
Você chamaria/Chamarias os garotos?

Would you call the boys?
Ela gostaria da minha companhia?

Would she like my company?
The conjugations for the conditional are very simple, and the only three irregular verbs are the
infamous trio of -zer verbs: fazer, dizer, and trazer, with their irregular future stems. Here are
the regular verbs.
-ar Verbs - falar
eu falaria nós falaríamos

tu falarias
ele/ela/você falaria eles/elas/vocês falariam
-er Verbs - correr
eu correria nós correríamos

tu correrias
ele/ela/você correria eles/elas/vocês correriam
-ir Verbs - partir
eu partiria nós partiríamos

tu partirias
ele/ela/você partiria eles/elas/vocês partiriam
A. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, making correct use of the imperfect
subjunctive.
1. This place is as if a tornado (um tornado/uma furação) came through.

2. My mother was worried that we ate too much.
3. People in 1935 felt that the war (a guerra) was too violent (violento).
4. In the letter, I believed that my parents refused to let me go to Spain because they were
angry.
5. We hoped that you (female/informal) were/would be born healthy.
6. It irritated the teachers (mixed) that the students (mixed) wouldn’t listen to them.
7. It surprised you (informal) and Lawrence that they threw a party for you.
8. My son hated that his wife wanted to go to Turkey (Turquia) instead (em vez de) of going to
Greece (Grécia).
9. Maria’s grandparents were happy that she got married before they died.
10. Clara said that she would attend the wedding, provided that she was the maid of honor (a
dama de honra).
B. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, making correct use of future perfect
indicative and the conditional.
1. By the time you (informal) are forty years old (tiver/tiveres quarenta anos), you will have
had a job and you will have gotten married.
2. If the French Revolution (a Revolução Francesa) hadn’t occurred, Louis XVI (Luís o
Dezesseis) would have continued to rule France.
3. I would go to Greece to see my cousins, if the situation (a situação) were safer (seguro(a))
right now.
4. He’ll have already eaten dinner, but he’ll stay to talk with you (plural).
5. If you (formal) wanted to travel through Europe when you were in college, you could sign
up at the department of foreign studies (estudos ao estrangeiro).
6. We would drink some wine before leaving if there was red wine (vinho tinto).
7. The old baker down the road (ao longo da rua) will have sold all of his cakes and breads by
Christmas Day.
8. Victoria (Vitória/Victória) would like to participate in the debate about women’s rights, if
she was older.
9. You (informal) and she will have left by seven in the night.
10. John and Alex (male) would already be in the restaurant if it were 7 o’clock in the evening. 
Secção 12: The World
Vocabulary: The Natural World
a natureza - nature
o mundo - world
o rio - river
o riacho/córrego/ribeiro/ribeirão - stream
o lago - lake
o mar - sea
o oceano - ocean
o tanque/a lagoa - pond
o pântano - marsh/wetland
a cachoeira/queda-d’água - waterfall
a baía - bay
o golfo - gulf
o corpo d’água - body of water
a vastidão - expanse (broad distance)
o prado - meadow
a savana - grassland
o pasto - pasture
a grama - grass (green herb)
o gramado - grass (uncountable; a lawn)
o deserto - desert
a floresta - forest
o bosque/arvoredo - wood (as in a small forest)
a terra - land
o terreno - terrain
a montanha - mountain
a colina - hill
a floresta tropical - rainforest
Vocabulary: The Man-made World
a fábrica - factory
a represa - dam
a contaminação/poluição - contamination/pollution
a reserva - reserve
o prédio/edifício - building
a cidade - city
a civilização - civilization
a humanidade - humanity
a fronteira - border
o parque - park
a usina - power plant
a instalação de pesquisa - research facility
a base militar - military base
o prédio/edifício do governo - government building
o palaço/paço - palace
o castelo - castle
o problema - issue/problem
o cidadão - citizen
a cidadania - citizenship
o debate/a discussão - debate
o ambientalismo - environmentalism
o parlamento - parliament
o reino - reign/kingdom
o domínio - realm/dominion
a zona/o distrito - zone/district
a região - region
o estado - state
a monarquia - monarchy
a fase - phase
o piano - plan
a regra - rule
Verbs:
produzir - to produce
destruir - to destroy
desfazer - to undo/destroy (figuratively bring to an end)
escorrer/fluir - to flow
poluir/contaminar - to pollute/contaminate
corromper/poluir - to corrupt (morally)
reciclar - to recycle
conservar/preservar - to preserve
debater/deliberar - to debate/deliberate
dirigir/controlar/comandar - to control/direct (controlar can’t be used with people, comandar
can be used with people, and dirigir can be used with both)
reger - to rule (as in the king ruled the people)
subjugar pela fome - to starve (transitive)
fazer um esforço - to make an effort
pesquisar - to research
investigar - to investigate
The Future Subjunctive
Even if you have experience in other Romance languages, you will not have encountered the
future subjunctive because it has fallen into disuse in other languages, particularly in Spanish
and Italian. Most of the time, those languages will simply substitute the present subjunctive.
However, in Portuguese, it is still widely used.
Fortunately, the rules for using it are fairly simplistic. If the action in question isn’t certain or
for whatever reason isn’t likely, put in the subjunctive. It’s these kinds of things that give
subtle shades of meaning to languages that have such inflections.
The process for constructing the future subjunctive, it is very similar to the process for
constructing the imperfect subjunctive. Take your imperfect subjunctive stem, the third person
plural in the preterite minus the -ram, and add the endings -r, -res, -r, -rmos, and -rem. You
may notice that the future subjunctive is very similar to the personal infinitive.
-ar Verbs - falar
eu falar nós falarmos

tu falares
ele/ela/você falar eles/elas/vocês falarem
-er Verbs - correr
eu correr nós corrermos

tu correres
ele/ela/você correr eles/elas/vocês correrem
-ir Verbs - partir
eu partir nós partirmos

tu partires
ele/ela/você partir eles/elas/vocês partirem
Note: Be careful with irregular verbs, as they are similarly irregular to the imperfect
subjunctive, but are not similar to the personal infinitive forms.
Ex.
Espero que você aspirar/tu aspirares uma carreira muita ambiciosa.

I hope that you will pursue a very ambitious career.
The most common words that precede the future subjunctive are quando and se, and to prevent
confusion with the personal infinitive, it’s handy to know that the personal infinitive never
follows quando or se.
Ex.
Se falar/falares assim, ninguém (vai querer/quererá) estar contigo.

If you talk like that, no one will want to be with you.
Vai telefonar-me/Telefonar-me-á você quando eu chegar ao aeroporto?

Will you (formal) call me when I arrive at the airport?
It’s also important to note that the future subjunctive is about the only rule breaker when it
comes to balancing tenses, because while the indicative clause is often in present, but it can
also be in the future.
However, despite this fact, there is a place where it can be easily confused as to whether you
have to use the future subjunctive. If you’re trying to express an action in the future, from a
point of reference in the past, you have to use the conditional or conditional perfect instead.
Ex.
Ele acreditava que nós viríamos para o casamento.

He believed that we would come for/to the wedding.
Alternatively, this sentence can be written with the imperfect subjunctive instead:
Ele acreditava que nós viéssemos para o casamento.
There is also some confusion over whether to use the future or imperfect subjunctive with se.
Here are some ways to determine which one to use:
Se + future subjunctive Se + imperfect subjunctive

a likely or plausible possibility in the future entirely hypothetical or speculative
realistic, obvious, and straightforward remote possibility or impossible
a serious proposition a joke or not meant to be serious
The future subjunctive can even come with just a que at the beginning. This is often used to
express wishes, hopes, and desires for the future, or blessings and toasts.
Ex.
Que Deus proteger-nos.

May God protect us.
Que você/tu viver/viveres uma vida longa!

May you live a long life!
It is worth noting that you can form the future perfect subjunctive, using the future subjunctive
of ter, which, as you may able to guess, is irregular.
eu tiver nós partirmos

tu tiveres
ele/ela/você tiver eles/elas/vocês partirem
Modifying Endings
In Portuguese there are many endings that add an extra meaning to a word, which can come in
handy when trying to find words you may not actually know, or conveying some extra amount
of meaning.
Diminutives and Augmentatives
In Spanish, you may have heard diminutive endings such as -ito(a), and maybe even
augmentative endings like -azo(a). These endings add an extra of connotation of smallness or
cuteness (diminutive) or one of bigness or toughness (augmentative).
The use of these endings isn’t confined to nouns either; you can also add them to adjectives for
stylistic purposes. There are also Portuguese equivalents. Remember to drop the final vowel of
a word before adding the endings (if the word has a final vowel, that is). The ones given below
are by far the most common.
Diminutive: -inho(a), but -zinho(a) if the stress is on the last syllable

Augmentative: -ão/-ona (masc./fem.), but -zão/-zona if the stress is on the last syllable
Note that some of the endings have only one gender, and will change the gender of the word
accordingly.
Other diminutives include -acho, -icha, -isco, -ilho, and -ela. And other augmentatives include
-anzil, -aréu, and -orra.
Be careful if you decide to use a masculine ending on a feminine noun, or the other way
around, because sometimes it gives the new word an offensive or pejorative undertone.
Sometimes, it may even have only a loose connection to the original word.
Take the word mulher. Ordinarily, if you wanted to indicate that a woman was particularly
large or perhaps aggressive, you would say mulherona. But, there is also another version,
mulherão. This does not mean a woman who is very masculine in her behavior or a tomboy.
This is a somewhat vulgar, if not pejorative way of referring to a particularly sexy woman.
Endings for Professions
These endings are more about recognition than being able to add them to words, because most
of time, a word for a profession already exists. The most common endings for professions are:
-eiro(a)
-or(a)
-grafo(a)
-ista (invariable in gender)
Now, there is also the ending -aria. This is very similar to the Spanish equivalent, -aría and the
Italian equivalent, -eria. This ending describes the location where a particular product or
service is provided. To make such words, drop the final vowel (if the word has one), and tack
on -aria. These words are always feminine.
A. Translate the following sentences into Portuguese, making correct use of the future
subjunctive and the future perfect subjunctive.
1. I hope that you (informal) will remember me.

2. Is it possible that he will have left already?
3. What do you (informal) think she will have eaten today?
4. May you (formal) prosper in the future.
5. We will hope that we get home safely (a salvo).
6. He has to do whatever his wife wants.
7. If there is no food, how will we survive?
8. May God have mercy (misericórdia)!
9. May you (formal) have achieved (realizar/alcançar) your goals in ten years.
10. I doubt that you (informal) will come home once (uma vez que) you’re (female) rich. 
Secção 13: Advanced Terminology and Colloquial Speech
Vocabulary: Political Terminology
o partido - party (political)

a fa(c)ção - faction (Eu. spelling uses the c)
o movimento - movement
a república - republic
a democracia - democracy
a oligarquia - oligarchy
a plutocracia - plutocracy
o/a presidente - president
o/a primeiro(a) ministro(a) - prime minister
o/a ministro(a) - minister
o congresso - congress
o senado - senate
a câmara - houses (of a legislative body)
a assembléia - assembly (Eu. spelling has no accent)
o/a representante - representative
o/a senador(a) - senator
a legislação - legislation
a política - policy
a constituição - constitution
a esquerda - left-wing (esquerdo(a) is used as an adjective for a left-wing person)
a direita - right-wing (da direita is used as an adjective for a right-wing person)
a independência - independence
a neutralidade - neutrality
a autonomia - autonomy
o bem-estar - well-being
o auxílio/a previdência social - welfare/public subsidies
o programa - program/policy
o subsídio/a subvenção - subsidy/funding
o governo - government
a opinião/o preconceito - opinion/bias
a parcialidade/tendenciosidade/propensão - prejudice/inclination/bias
a eficácia - efficacy
a aptidão - aptitude
a conseqüência - consequence (as in effect)
a importância - importance
o efeito/resultado - effect
a intervenção - intervention
a eleição - election
o/a candidato(a) - candidate (aspirante for a job applicant)
o incumbente - incumbent
a concessão/permissão - concession (the act of conceding)
a concessão/o privilégio - concession (as in a privilege)
a subvenção/bolsa - financial grant
a doação - land grant
o estado - state/status
a união - union
o sindicato - labor union
o exílio - exile
o banimento - banishment
o trabalho - labor/work
a interdição - ban
o aborto - abortion
a liberdade - liberty/freedom
a liberdade de expressão - freedom of speech
a liberdade de imprensa - freedom of the press
a liberdade de pensamento - freedom of thought (more or less is the same as freedom of
religion or worship)
a liberdade acadêmica - academic freedom (the freedom of inquiry by faculty, and the freedom
to teach any and all ideas, including those inconvenient to political groups or authorities)
o/a eleitor(a) - voter
o interesse - interest
a maioria - majority
a minoria - minority
o voto - vote
o dever - duty
a representação - representation
a justiça - justice
o/a juiz(a) - judge
a corte de justiça/o tribunal - court
o capitalismo - capitalism
o socialismo - socialism
o racismo - racism
o comunismo - communism
o fascismo - fascism
o/a republicano(a) - republican (a person who supports a republic or the US term,
“Republican”)
o/a democrata - democrat
Vocabulary: Economic Terminology
a recessão - recession
a crise - crisis
o salário - wage
a companhia de seguros - insurance company
o lobby - lobby (as in a political interest group)
o/a empreendedor(a) - entrepreneur
o/a consumidor - consumer
o/a acionista - shareholder
a hipoteca - mortgage
o desemprego - unemployment
o regulamento - regulation
a dívida - debt
o empréstimo - loan
a conta - account
o saque a descoberto - overdraft (also o débito)
o cheque - cheque
o extrato - statement
o bem/ativo/haver - asset (as in possessions)
o empreendimento - asset (as in stocks)
o déficit - deficit
o excedente - surplus
o orçamento - budget
a crise econômica - credit crunch (accumulation of debt due to loans)
o lucro/ganho/proveito - profit/earnings
a perda - loss
a quebra - market crash
a ação - stock (as in market stock)
a bolsa de valores - stock market
o capital - capital/assets (as in money)
Vocabulary: Social Terminology
o nacionalismo - nationalism
o/a patriota - patriot
a injustiça - injustice
a desigualdade - inequality
a igualdade - equality
o igualitarismo - egalitarianism
o/a igualitário(a) - egalitarian
o/a filantropo(a) - philanthropist
a filantropia - philanthropy
a quadrilha - mob
o laço - tie/link (figurative)
o censo - census
a unanimidade - unanimity
o consenso - consensus
o preconceito - prejudice
a discriminação - discrimination
o/a anarquista - anarchist
o/a ditador(a) - dictator
a ditadura - dictatorship
a tirania - tyranny
o/a progressista - progressive (person)
Verbs:
conceder - to grant/cede
desculpar - to pardon/excuse
separar-se/cindir-se/afastar-se - to secede
proibir - to ban
expulsar/banir - to expel/banish
legislar - to legislate
passar - to pass (a law, intransitive)
aprovar - to approve/pass a law
intervir/mediar - to intervene/mediate
recuperar - to regain/reclaim/pick up (as in grow)
quebrar - to crash (can be figurative)
ligar - to tie/link (figurative)
lutar contro - to struggle against
esforçar-se - to struggle (intransitive)
lutar/brigar - to fight (lutar is strictly physical)
sustentar/defender - to sustain/uphold (law)
sustentar/apoiar - to sustain/uphold (physically)
suprimir - to suppress
oprimir - to oppress
reprimir - to repress
revocar/revogar - to revoke/repeal
recusar/rejeitar - to refuse/reject
negar-se a/recusar - to refuse to (do something)
eleger - to elect
abdicar - to abdicate
acusar/culpar - to impeach
desacreditar - to discredit
descrer - to disbelieve
claro(a) - clear
racional/razonável - rational/reasonable
lógico(a) - logical
ilógico(a) - illogical
corrupto(a) - corrupt
honesto(a) - honest
desonesto(a) - dishonest
duvidoso(a)/suspeito(a) - shady/of disreputable nature
ambíguo(a) - ambiguous
desacreditado(a) - disreputable
popular - popular
famoso(a) - famous
cruel - cruel
benevolente/caridoso(a) - benevolent
discutível - debatable
injusto(a) - unjust
evidente/óbvio(a) - evident/blatant
democrático(a) - democratic
republicano(a) - republican
fascista - fascist (invariable in gender)
comunista - communist (invariable in gender)
socialista - socialist (invariable in gender)
ignorante - ignorant
detestável - hateful
tolo(a)/bobo(a) - foolish (In Brazil, bobo can be somewhat offensive)
preconceituoso(a)/parcial - partial/biased
conservador(a) - conservative
tolerante/flexível - tolerant
liberal - liberal
progressivo(a) - progressive
subversivo(a) - subversive
autônomo(a) - autonomous
Portuguese Idioms and Slang
Now, every language has its idiomatic expressions. Portuguese slang words, called as gírias in
Portuguese, are quite colorful in the variety of slang it has, particularly Brazilian Portuguese.
Brazilian Portuguese uses more estrangeirismos, which means, “loan words.” If you decide to
look up Brazilian Portuguese profanity, you’ll find that it has many words to offend women, so
do be careful.
We’re going to keep it pretty clean, and go over those commonly used or heard, with limited
discussion unsavory topics. So no, there will be no swear words covered in this text. We’ll start
with the slang. The list below covers only general slang. Regions of Portugal and Brazil will
use their own colloquial slang as well, or may not use the general slang.
legal/(giro(a)/fixe) - cool/awesome (Br./Eu.)

do pioril - Synonym of péssimo and ruim (Portugal only)
o tédio/a seca - Something boring or tedious (Br./Eu.)
brutal - Synonym of fantástico(a) (fantastic) and incrível (incredible) (Portugal only)
(mauricinho/patricinha)/betinho(a) - Someone who likes to wear nice clothes, particularly
brand-name clothes (mauricinho is strictly a guy, and patricinha is strictly a girl) (Br./Eu.)
bué - Synonym of muito(a) (Portugal only)
fogo! - Oh goodness! (Portugal only)
Pá - Dude/man (as in What are doing, man?) (Portugal only)
Porreiro! - Great!/Excellent! (Portugal only)
bagulho - drug/ugly woman (very offensive) (Brazil only)
Beleza?/Qualé? - What’s up? (Brazil only)
Cê - Short form of você (Brazil only) (Note: Never seen in writing)
chapado(a) - drunk/stoned (Brazil only)
o/a gato(a)/gatinho(a) - Equivalent of, “babe,”; an attractive person (Brazil only)
a grana - money (Brazil only)
o/a gringo(a) - foreigner (Brazil only)
o/a mano(a) - brother/sister (Kind of like, “bro,” and, “sis,”)
massa - Synonym of legal (Brazil only)
muito louco - cool/funny (Brazil only)
nossa! - Wow! (Brazil only)
os homi - the cops (Brazil only)
o/a parceiro(a) - “bro/sis,”/mate/buddy (Brazil only)
a perua - rich woman (offensive)/station wagon car
X-9 - snitch; pronounced “shees no-vee” (a literal pronunciation of the letter and number)
There are also various words that have (sometimes vastly) different meanings in Brazil and
Portugal. Words will be given in the order: Brazilian version VS European version. If there is
no explanation beyond the meaning of a word, that means each version of a word is unfamiliar
or non-existent in the other country.
a fila VS a bicha - queue/line; Bicha is an offensive word for a homosexual man in Brazil
a cueca VS a calcinha - underwear; Cueca is female underwear in Portugal, and men’s
underwear in Brazil, where a calcinha is female underwear
a injeção VS a pica - injection/shot; Pica in Brazil is a vulgar way to refer to a man’s genitals
o menino VS o puto - boy; Puto is one way to refer to a boy in Portugal, but in Brazil, is a male
prostitute (though michê is more common to mean that); Note: You may want to stick with o
menino, which is innocent in both countries.
a peruca VS o capachinho - wig; Capachinho is a little mat in Brazil (original form is o
capacho, which is doormat)
o açougue VS o talho - butcher shop

a aeromoça VS a hospedeira de bordo - flight attendant
a água sanitária VS a lixívia - bleach
a água-viva VS a alforreca - jellyfish
a antiguidade VS a velharia - antique; In Brazil, velharia is a derogatory way of referring to an
antique, and implies that it holds less value than the person selling it claims it does
o aposentado VS o reformado - retiree; Reformado in Brazil is furniture that has been
refurbished or is retired army personnel
a apostila VS a sebenta - course pack; Sebenta in Brazil is a woman who doesn’t bathe often
o banheiro VS a casa de banho - bathroom
o/a salva-vidas VS o banheiro - lifeguard
a blusão VS a camisola - windbreaker
o bonde VS o eléctrico - tram
brego(a) VS piroso(a) - tacky; Piroso doesn’t mean anything in Brazil technically, but can
sound like a cross between pirado (Brazilian slang for crazy) and gostoso (tasty and in
Brazilian slang, sexy)
o conversível VS o descapotável - convertible
o encanador VS o picheleiro - plumber
o esparadrapo VS o penso rápido - adhesive plaster
aparcar VS estacionar - to park
o grampeador VS o agrafador - stapler
as meias VS as peúgas - socks
inflável VS insuflável - inflatable
a multa VS a coima - fine/ticket
o pedestre VS a peão - pedestrian; In Brazil, peão is a farm worker, or a person with a lower
job in a factory
o abridor de garrafas VS a tira-cápsulas - bottle opener
o cafezinho VS a bica - a small cup of coffee (like an espresso); bica is most common in
Lisbon; bica is a source of drinking water in Brazil
For the idioms, only the meaning of the idiom will be given.
Brazilian Portuguese Idioms
para caramba - used to emphasize an idea; Está frío para caramba! (It’s frickin’/ so cold!);
This is kind of informal.
Não tô nem aí! - I don’t care/give a damn!
Tô fora! - I’m out!/Don’t count on me!
Valeu - Thanks (informal); Used mostly by men and young people.
Já era! - It’s history!; Basically indicates that something is gone.
bater perna - to take a stroll/walk around
dar um pulo - to drop by/come by
Quem me dera! - I wish! Quem me dera poder ir a Itália! (I wish to go to Italy!)
tirar de letra - to sail through the experience; to do something easily

abusar da sorte - to push one’s luck
A vaca foi pro brejo. - Things went south; Everything went wrong.
cair do cavalo - To fail miserably at something; to fall flat on one’s face
ficar com um pé atrás - to be careful or suspicious of something
dar murro em punta de faca - to insist in vain
dar uma de joão-sem-braço - to play dumb
Escreveu, não leu, o pau comeu. - If you misbehave, you’ll suffer the consequences.
Uma mão na roda - a big help/something very convenient
A esperança é a última que morre! - Hope dies last!
Antes tarde do que nunca. - Better late than never.
Faz o que eu digo, não o que eu faço. - Don’t do as I do, do as I say.
De grão em grão, a galinha enche o papo. - If you look after the pennies, the pounds will look
after themselves. (This English idiom you might not know; Take care of the little things, and
everything will fall into place, essentially.)
Deus ajuda quem cedo madruga. - The early bird gets the worm.
Há males que vêm para bem. - Every cloud has a silver lining./Everything happens for a
reason.
Em casa de ferreiro, o espeto é de pau. - You don’t do at a home what you do at work.
Em terra de cego, quem tem um olho é rei. - In the land of blind, the one-eyed man is king.
(This is best given literally, but you can probably get the meaning anyway.)
Gato escaldado tem medo da água fria. - Once bitten, twice shy.
Quem ama o feio, bonito lhe parece. - Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
European Portuguese Idioms:
A cavalo dado não se olha o dente. - Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
A esperança é a última a morrer. - Hope dies last.
Mais vale tarde do que nunca. - Better late than never.
Bem prega Frei Tomás: fazei o que ele diz, não o que ele faz. - Don’t do as I do, do as I say.
Cada um por si, Deus por todos. - Every man for himself and Devil take the hindmost.
Grão a grão, enche a galinha o papo. - If you look after the pennies, the pounds will look after
themselves.
Deus escreve direito por linhas tortas./Há males que vêm por bem. - Every cloud has a silver
lining./Everything happens for a reason.
Diz-me com quem andas, e te direi quem és. - Birds of a feather flock together.
Dos fracos não reza a história. - History does not report the actions of the defeated.
Em casa de ferreiro, espeto de pau. - You don’t do at home what you do at work.
Em Roma sê como os romanos. - When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Em terra de cegos, quem tem olho é rei. - In the land of blind, the one-eyed man is king.
Entre marido e mulher não metas a colher. - Don’t interfere in a couple’s affairs.
Gato escaldado da água fria tem medo. - Once bitten, twice shy.
Não se pode tocar os sinos e andar na procissão. - You can’t do two things at once.
Quem feio ama, bonito lhe parece. - Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Quem semeia ventos, colhe tempestades. - As you sow, so shall you reap.
Idioms Common to Both Brazilian and European Portuguese
Enquanto há vida, há esperança. - While there is life, there is hope.

A galinha da vizinha é sempre melhor do que a minha. - The grass is always greener on the
other side of the fence.
Água mole em pedra dura, tanto bate até que fura. - Insistence will wear one down.
Cada um dá o que tem, a mais não é obrigado. - One should give in proportion to what one has.
Cada cabeça, sua sentença. - To each his own.
De pequenino se torce o pepino. - Good habits must be instilled at a young age.
Devagar se vai ao longe. - If you persevere, you’ll eventually attain your goals.
Longe dos olhos, longe do coração. - Out of sight, out of mind.
Mais vale só que mal acompanhado. - Better alone than in bad company.
Mais vale um pássaro no mão do que dois a voar. - A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. 
Answer Key for Exercícios de prática
Secção 1:
A. Conjugate the following verbs in all six forms.
1. falo, falas, fala, falamos, falam

2. escrevo, escreves, escreve, escrevemos, escrevem
3. corro, corres, corre, corremos, correm
4. cheiro, cheiras, cheira, cheiramos, cheiram
5. como, comes, come, comemos, comem
6. brinco, brincas, brinca, brincamos, brincam
7. toco, tocas, toca, tocamos, tocam
8. atendo, atendes, atende, atendemos, atendem
9. danço, danças, dança, dançamos, dançam
10. sirvo, serves, serve, servimos, servem
B. Pluralize the following singular nouns.
1. os ovos
2. as frutas
3. as couves
4. os níveis
5. as natações
6. os vinhos
7. as maçãs
8. as rãs
9. os milhões
10. as cervejas
Secção 2:
A. Write out how the given time would be told in Portuguese.
1. São seis e dez da manhã.

2. São quinze para as quatro da tarde.
3. É uma e vinte da manhã/madrugada.
4. São sete e quarenta e três da noite.
5. São nove e doze da manhã.
6. São doze e cinco da tarde.
7. São quatro e dezoito da manhã/madrugada.
8. São cinco e trinta e dois da tarde.
9. São quinze para as onze da noite.
10. São duas e meia da tarde.
B. Write the following nouns in possessive clauses for each possessive adjective.
1. a escola
2. as classes
3. as mesas
4. os estudantes
5. o caderno
6. as pastas
7. os livros
8. a nota
9. o professor
10. os relógios
C. Write the number associated with the given noun out in Portuguese.
1. duzentos
2. milhão
3. três mil quatrocentos e cinqüenta
4. setenta e oito mil novecentos quarenta e três
5. quatrocentos cinqüenta e dois
6. novecentos e trinta mil quatrocentos
7. dois mil novecentos quarenta e três
8. mil quatrocentos noventa e três
9. oitenta e nove
10. dez mil trezentos noventa e dois
Secção 3:
A. Conjugate the given verb in all the present indicative forms and the imperative forms.
1. vou, vais, vai, vamos, vão; vai, vá, vamos, vão

2. ando, andas, anda, andamos, andam; anda, ande, andamos, andem
3. ponho, pões, põe, pomos, põem; põe, ponha, ponhamos, ponham
4. sou, és, é, somos, são; sê, seja, sejamos, sejam
5. bebo, bebes, bebe, bebemos, bebem; bebe, beba, bebamos, bebam
6. danço, danças, dança, dançamos, dançam; dança, dance, dancemos, dancem
7. leio, lês, lê, lemos, lêem; lê, leia, leiamos, leiam
8. sirvo, serves, serve, servimos, servem; serve, sirva, sirvamos, sirvam
9. tenho, tens, tem, temos, têm; tem, tenha, tenhamos, tenham
10. saio, sais, sai, saímos, saem; sai, saia, saiamos, saiam
B. Make a diagram of the human body, and label all the body parts in Portuguese.
Answers may vary.
C. Translate the following sentences into Portuguese.
1. Tenho frio.
2. João tem muito calor.
3. Ela tem vergonha.
4. (Você tem/Tu tens) peito.
5. Eles tem jeito para isso/isto, não é?
6. Ele sempre tem (tanta) pressa.
7. Nós/A gente temos vontade de comer ovos.
8. Vocês têm razão.
9. Tens costas quentes, não é?
10. Vocês tem preguiça.
Secção 4:
A. Translate the given phrase into Portuguese, using the correct demonstrative pronouns.
1. Esses/Estes livros azuis (Br./Eu.)

2. Essas meninas felizes
3. Esse/Este (pôr-do-sol/ocaso/poente) laranja (Br./Eu.)
4. Esse homem triste
5. Esse/Este mulher cansada (Br./Eu.)
6. Esses/Estes meninos talentosos (Br./Eu.)
7. Essas seis pessoas
8. Esse/Este homem velho
9. Estas nuvens cinzas/cinzentas
10. Essas/Estas pessoas maravilhosas.
B. Rewrite the following nouns to include the prepositions a, em, de, por and para using the
contractions.
1. ao livro, no livro, do livro, pelo livro, p’rò/prò livro

2. às couves, nas couves, das couves, pelas couves, p’ràs/pràs couves
3. aos céus, no céus, dos céus, pelos céus, p’ròs/pròs céus
4. à nuvem, na nuvem, da nuvem, pela nuvem, p’rà/prà nuvem
5. às brisas, nas brisas, das brisas, pelas brisas, p’ràs/pràs brisas
6. à luar, na luar, da luar, pela luar, p’rà/prà luar
7. ao sol, no sol, do sol, pelo sol p’rò/prò sol
8. aos ventos, nos ventos, pelos ventos p’ròs/pròs ventos
9. à maçã, na maçã, da maçã, pela maçã, p’rà/prà maçã

10. aos queijos, nos queijos, dos queijos, pelos queijos, p’ròs queijos/pròs queijos
C. Translate the following sentences into Portuguese, making correct use of ser, estar, and
ficar.
1. Eu sou uma mulher.

2. Ela está na casa de Francisca.
3. Onde fica (essa/esta) bolsa/sacola? (Br./Eu.; bolsa vs sacola is a personal choice)
4. Como (está você/estás tu)? (Br./Eu.)
5. Ficamos cansados à noite.
6. As crianças estão na escola.
7. Você é a professora?
8. Quem é (essa pessoa)?
9. Ele fica na casa tudo dia.
10. Vocês ficam tristes.
Secção 5:
A. Translate the following sentences into Portuguese, giving both the Brazilian and European
versions, if they are different.
1. Eu (lhe dou/dou-lhe) três pardais. (Br./Eu.)

2. Ela (me faz/faz-me) uma pergunta.
3. Ainda não ofereça o vinho.
4. Eu não lhe vou comprar o jantar.
5. Vai/Vais enviar-lhe a passagem/o tíquete/bilhete?
6. Meu pai escreve vistos para a gente.
7. Ele frequentemente lhe compra uma bebida. OR: Ele compra-lhe uma bebida
frequentemente (Eu. only)
8. A polícia trabalhava para o embaixada.
9. Espanha raramente dá algo/alguma coisa a Italia?/Espanha dá algo/alguma coisa a Italia
raramente?/ (Note: using coisa alguma in the answer would imply that Spain usually does
give something.)
10. Eu quero escrever-lhe/escrever-te uma carta.
B. Write sentences in Portuguese using the given subjects and verbs, using the present
progressive, writing both the Brazilian and European versions.
1. A minha mãe está cozinhando/a cozinhar. (Br./Eu.)

2. Laura está comendo/a comer. (Br./Eu.)
3. Os moços/Os rapazes estão caminhando/a caminhar. (Br./Eu.)
4. O professor está ensinando/a ensinar. (Br./Eu.)
5. Maria está tocando/a tocar o clarinete. (Br./Eu.)

6. Fernão e os seus amigos estão (assistindo/olhando)/a (assistir/olhar) a televisão. (Br./Eu.)
7. Você/Tu e João estão jogando/a jogar o basquete. (Br./Eu.)
8. Você/Tu; está viajando/a viajar para Espanha. (Br./Eu.)
9. Eu estou danzando/a danzar. (Br./Eu.)
10. Maria e Vicente estão dormindo/a dormir. (Br./Eu.)
Secção 6:
A. Rewrite the given sentence using a direct object.
1. Estou comendo-la/a comê-la. (Br./Eu.)

2. O meu avô as escreve/escreve-as. (Br./Eu.)
3. As moças/raparigas os beberam/beberam-nos. (Br./Eu.)
4. As mulheres espanholas o dançam/dançam-no. (Br./Eu.)
5. Lourenço mo dá/dá-mo. (Br./Eu.)
6. Carme o toca/toca-o. (Br./Eu.)
7. Você a prefere/Tu preferes-a. (Br./Eu.)
8. Vocês têm-no limpado. (Br./Eu.)
9. Quem o faz/fá-lo? (Br./Eu.)
10. Eu estou procurando-o/a procurá-lo (Br./Eu.)
B. Rewrite the given sentence with the preterite.
1. Fiz o bolo para o Primeiro-Ministro (the Prime Minister).

2. A menina (se sentou/sentou-se) na cadeira. (Br./Eu.)
3. (Me deu/Deu-me) uma carta. (Br./Eu.)
4. Mariana quis tocar o seu violino ontem.
5. Adão e eu jogámos o basquete.
6. A minha mãe e o meu pai foram ao casamento de Estêvão e Eufémia.
7. Bebi o vinho à primeira vez (for the first time).
8. O meu amigo precisou de sair dà festa logo.
9. (Participou/Participaste) (male) no desfile de Carnaval? (Br./Eu.)
10. Os meus avôs (my grandparents) foram a missa (Mass) no Natal (at Christmas).
C. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, making correct use of comparative clauses
and superlatives.
1. Eu sou mais inteligente (do) que você/tu. (Br./Eu.)

2. É você tão talentoso na música quanto/como Aleixo? (Br./Eu.)
3. Essa/Esta é a ótima/óptima caldeirada que tenho comido! (Br./Eu.)
4. Ele gosta de frutas mais que de verduras.
5. Eles jogam mais esportes que tocam música.
6. Joaquim come tanto quanto/como o seu pai. (Br./Eu.)

7. Ele crê/acredita que o bolo de chocolate é a sobremesa péssima.
8. Ana e Maria queriam ir para a Lisboa mais que para Madeira.
9. Esse/Este cômodo é mais pequeno (do) que o meu.
10. Você e Jorge gostam da carne mais que da massa?
Secção 7:
A. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, making correct use of the imperfect and
preterite.
1. Eu escrevia redações para escola quando eu tinha dezessete anos.

2. (A) minha irmã era uma dançarina professional quando eu era uma criança.
3. (Os) nossos avôs foram ao parque hoje.
4. Quando eu estudava, (a) minha avó cozinhava o jantar para nós/a gente.
5. Os moços/rapazes de Costa trouxeram os mantimentos essa/esta tarde.
6. Quando (o) meu irmão retornou/voltou a casa, (a) minha irmã e eu assistíamos/olhávamos à
televisão.
7. O irmão de você e eu fazíamos lições de música na casa da senhora da Silva.
8. Estiveram na escola (você/tu) e Cristina hoje? (Br./Eu.)
9. Leonardo e Alexandra (se casaram/casaram-se) em 1972. (Br./Eu.)
10. Tu foste a jogar na casa de Miguel o sábado.
B. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, and making correct use of reflexive
pronouns.
1. Agora eu vou tomar banho/chuveirada. (Second is Brazilian only)

2. Maria (se quer casar/quer casar-se) com Bernardo em janeiro.
3. Os dois namorados (se beijaram/beijaram-se) no casamento.
4. Quando o irmão e a irmã (se encontraram/encontraram-se), (se abraçaram/abraçaram-se).
(Br./Eu.)
5. Na reunião da família, as irmãs [(se cumprimentaram/saudaram)/(cumprimentaram-se/
saudaram-se)].[Br./Eu.]
6. Uso uma camiseta hoje.
7. Você (se sente/sente-se) pouco triste, não é? (Br./Eu.)
8. Você/Tu e a criança (se comportam/comportam-se) mal. (Br./Eu.)
9. Ela e eu nos recuperámos/recuperámo-nos das nossas lesões. (Br./Eu.)
10. Você e João (se penteiam/penteiam-se) o cabelo cada dia.
C. Assemble a genealogical table of all your relatives, and try to sort them into a family tree,
labeling them with terms from the vocabulary list.
Answers may vary.

Secção 8:
A. Rewrite the given sentence using double objects.
1. Estou (lha escrevendo/a escrever-lha).

2. (Mo dá/Dá-mo). (Br./Eu.)
3. (Lhas quero pegar/Quero pegar-lhas). (Br./Eu.)
4. Nossa filha (no-la quer tocar/quer tocar-no-la). (Br./Eu.)
5. A senhora Costa (lho deu/deu-lho).
6. (Lhos têm/Têm-lhos) enviado.
7. (Você sabe/ Tu sabes) que Maria (lhas está comprando/a comprar-lhas). (Br./Eu.)
8. Mateus tem ido para lhos pegar.
9. O padre lho (conduziu/conduziu-lho). (Br./Eu.)
10. (Lhos dou/Dou-lhos). (Br./Eu.)
B. Rewrite the following sentences using the present perfect.
1. Eu tenho escrito muitas redações na universidade.

2. Minha mãe tem comido três laranjas.
3. Maria e eu temos visto o filme.
4. (Se tem/Tem-se) vendido muitos ingressos do teatro. (Br./Eu.)
5. Muitos estudantes têm tocado o piano aqui.
6. Ele e ela têm querido mais oportunidades.
7. Temos jogado muitos jogos.
8. Os professores têm dado lições gratuite.
9. Os velhos têm preparado a massa para a Quaresma (esse/este) ano. (Br./Eu.)
10. As dançarinas têm praticado a danza.
C. Translate the following sentences into Portuguese, making correct use of the personal
infinitive.
1. Comeu/Comiste antes de eles chegarem? (Br./Eu.)

2. Introduz-(se/te) sem (ser/seres) rude.
3. É necessario você comer verduras cada dia.
4. Sem você estar aqui, a festa não divertida.
5. No caso de (virmos tarde/tardarmos), não espera para nós/a gente.
6. Depois de sairem da casa, (se esqueceram/esqueceram-se) to close the door. (Br./Eu.) (The
reflexive pronoun is optional in this case)
7. É possível você estar doente.
8. É bom (você vir/tu vires) a casa tão cedo. (You can replace vir a casa with retornar or
voltar as well) (Br./Eu.)
9. Como eu não estar na casa, (você pode/tu podes) dormir tarde hoje. (Br./Eu.)
10. Não vai no escritório dela sem ela dar-lhe/te permissão. (Br./Eu.)
Secção 9:
A. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, and rewrite it using the passive voice.
1. A tigela/bacia de salada tem sido posto na mesa por mim.

2. O livro novo de J. K. Rowling foi comprado por você/ti? (Br./Eu.)
3. A panela/caçarola tem sido coberta da minha mãe.
4. A amiga dele foi dita que ele ia de vacações.
5. O pato tem sido posto no forno pot o meu pai e meu avô.
6. Música clásica tem sido escrita por ele.
7. O lugar foi descrito por ele?
8. A casa foi comprado por você e Cristiano.
9. A conta de luz é paga por eles.
10. Todas as portas foram abertos por eles.
B. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, making correct use of the subjunctive.
1. Você espera que Alexandra venha.

2. Me entristece/Entristece-me que (você/tu não possa/possas) ir (conosco/connosco) ao
cinema. (Br./Eu.)
3. Quero que você ponha as suas coisas na mesa.
4. A mãe se preocupa/preocupa-se que os seus filhos estejam fora da casa tão tarde.
5. Os meus pais temem que os meus avôs morram/vão morrer logo.
6. Você/Tu e Vicente desejam que o primeiro-ministro novo possa fazer decisões boas.
7. Lhes irritam/Irritam-lhes que façam comida tão nojenta.
8. Rezamos/Oramos que Deus nos ajude.
9. Nego que o madrasta se importe com Cinderela.
10. Alícia está furiosa que tenha que ir para o Portugal este verão.
Secção 10
A. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, making correct use of the future tense.
1. O (namorado de você/teu namorado) provavelmente chegará às nove da noite. (Br./Eu.)

2. Você/Tu e Miguel sairão para Inglaterra amanhã, não é?
3. Eu provavelmente ensaiarei no teatro hoje.
4. Os cientistas criarão uma cura para o câncer.
5. Protestaremos para reduzir/o redução das taxas.
6. O filho do senhor Carvalho jogará o futebol para o Brazil.
7. Ele regerá/dirigirá a orquestra no conservatório.
8. Os garotos nunca beberão o vinho ou o chope/imperial. (Br./Eu.)
9. Muitas pessoas verão uma pessoa famosa pelo menos uma vez.
10. A filha de Maria fará o que ela possa fazer para ajudar aos necessitados.
B. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, making correct use of the pluperfect.
1. Quando Jorge retornou/voltou a casa, Laura tinha dormido por duas horas.
2. Não já (tinha/tinhas) tocado essa sinfonia? (Br./Eu.)
3. Você/Tu e a minha mãe tinham ido às compras quando terminei a escola.
4. Eu tinha preparado o jantar quando despertou/despertaste. (Br./Eu.)
5. O balé tinha terminado quando nós/a gente chegámos.
6. O casal tinha sido junto por seis anos.
7. Nós/A gente tinha saído para Europa em 1974.
8. A mãe e a criança tinha comido a massa às quatro da tarde.
9. Lourenço tinha quebrado a sua perna quando tinha doze anos.
10. O irmão dele tinha sido morto por dez anos.
Secção 11:
A. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, making correct use of the imperfect
subjunctive.
1. Esse/Este lugar é como se um tornado/uma furação passasse.

2. Minha mãe (se preocupava/preocupava-se) que nós/a gente comêssemos demais. (Br./Eu.)
3. A gente em 1935 (se sentiam/sentiam-se) que a guerra fosse demais violento. (Br./Eu.)
4. Na carta, eu achava/acreditava que os meus pais (se negassem/negassem-se) a deixar-me ir
a Espanha porque estavam furiosos. (Br./Eu.)
5. Nós/A gente esperavam que você/tu (nascesse/nascesses) saudável/sadia. (Br./Eu.)
6. Lhes irritavam aos professores que os estudantes não escutassem.
7. (Lhe sorpreendeu/sorpreendeu-lhe) a (você/tu) e Lourenço que dessem uma festa para
vocês. (Br./Eu.)
8. O meu filho odiava que a sua mulher quisesse ir para Turquia em vez de irem para Grécia.
9. Os avôs de Maria estavam felizes que ela se casou/casou-se antes de eles morrerem.
10. Clara disse que ela compareceria/assistiria ao casamento, contanto/desde que fosse a dama
de honra.
B. Translate the given sentence into Portuguese, making correct use of future perfect
indicative and the conditional.
1. Quando tiver/tiveres quarenta anos, (terá/terás tido) um emprego/trabalho e (ter-se-á/ter-te-

ás casado). (Br./Eu.)
2. Se a Revolução Francesa não tinha acontecido, Luís o Dezesseis teria continuado a reger a
França.
3. Eu iria a Grécia para visitar/ver aos meus primos, se a situação fosse mais segura agora.
4. Ele terá jantado, mas ele ficará/vai ficar para falar com vocês.
5. Se você quisesse viajar por Europa quando estava na universidade, poderia inscrever-se no
departamento de estudos ao estrangeiro.
6. Beberíamos o vinho antes de sairmos se tivesse vinho tinto.

7. O padeiro velho ao longo da rua terá vendido todos os seus bolos e pães até o dia de Natal.
8. (Vitória/Victória) gostaria de participar no debate sobre os direitos, se fosse mais velho.
(Br./Eu.)
9. Tu e ela terão saído até às sete da noite.
10. João e Aleixo já estariam no restaurante se fosse às sete da noite.
Secção 12:
A. Translate the following sentences into Portuguese, making correct use of the future
subjunctive and the future perfect subjunctive.
1. Espero que me lembrar/lembrares-me. (Br./Eu.)

2. É possível que ele já tiver saído?
3. O quê acha/achas que ela terá comido hoje? (Br./Eu.)
4. Que você prosperar no futuro.
5. Esperamos que nós/a gente retornarmos/voltarmos a casa a salvo.
6. Ele precisa fazer qualquer coisa que o seu mulher quiser.
7. Se não tiver comida, como sobreviveremos?
8. Que Deus tiver misericórdia!
9. Que (você tiver/tu tiveres) realizado/alcançado os (seus/teus) objetivos em dez anos. (Br./
Eu.)
10. Eu duvido que [(você retornar/voltar)/(tu retornares/voltares)] a casa uma vez que (seja/
sejas) rica.

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© 2014 Shashank Rao

Secção 1: Intro to Portuguese

Foreign vowels and rules for vowels:

Vocabulary: Basic Phrases

Oi/Olá - Hello (Br./Eu.)

(Se) faz favor/por favor - please

Vocabulary: Food and Drink

Vocabulary: Question Words

You’re going home? Why? (This, “why,” is por quê.)

*Você and vocês are often abbreviated as Vc. and Vcs.

The Present Indicative

-ar Verbs - falar - to talk/speak

eu falo nós falamos

-er Verbs - correr - to run

eu corro nós corremos

-ir Verbs - partir - to leave

eu parto nós partimos

Pluralizing Nouns and Definite and Indefinite Articles

o ovo -> os ovos

o homem -> os homens

a mulher -> as mulheres

o deus -> os deuses

o alferes -> os alferes

o animal -> os animais

(1) o pastel -> os pastéis

(1) o fuzil -> os fuzis

There are two exceptions to this rule:

o mal -> os males

Nouns ending in -x do not undergo any changes when made plural.

o clímax -> os clímax

o avião -> os aviões

o cidadão -> os cidadãos

o cristão -> os cristãos

o irmão -> os irmãos

o órgão -> os órgãos

Some nouns ending in -ão pluralize by changing -ão to -ães.

o alemão -> os alemães

Getting the Feminine Form of a Noun or Adjective

The Verb Gostar

Eu gosto de comer maçãs. = I like to eat apples.

(Eu)* Não gosto de comer maçãs. = I don’t like to eat apples.

Vocabulary: Days of the Week, Months of the Year, and Seasons

*The ending -feira is often dropped in conversation.

B. Pluralize the following singular nouns.

Vocabulary: Household and Classroom Objects

Vocabulary: Useful Expressions

atrasado(a)/com um atraso de (amount of time) - late/late by (amount of time)

Vocabulary: Ordinal Number Adjectives

eu vou nós vamos

eu faço nós fazemos

eu sou nós somos

eu estou/tô* nós estamos/(tamo)*

eu venho nós vimos

eu vejo nós vemos

eu sei nós sabemos

eu digo nós dizemos

eu ouço/oiço* nós ouvimos

eu tenho nós temos

eu leio nós lemos