2014 Shashank Rao

Aprende o Portugus!
By Shashank Rao

 2014 Shashank Rao

Section 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 dont 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. Now
that we have the history out of the way, lets get started on pronunciation!

!
Foreign consonants:
!

j = French j sound
lh = Same as Italian gli
nh = Spanish
= 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 its before a weak vowel, it is pronounced as the s sound, but if its
before a strong vowel, its pronounced as the sk sound.
ch = sh sound
g = French j sound before weak vowels
h = silent
x = sh sound before o, the x sound before most other vowels, and the s sound before i sometimes
m = nasalized at the end of words (Note: the ending -am is pronounced a bit like the ow sound)
r = Terminal rs are silent in Brazil and in Portugal, they are slightly or completely voiced,
depending on the region. Initial rs are sounded from the throat, like the r in meri in French.
rr = A sound made from the throat, rather like the French r sound in meri (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)

 2014 Shashank Rao

o - The o sound when stressed, and the u sound when unstressed

ou - Drawn out, open o sound
oi - The oy sound
e - 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
e - Nasalized ai sound
ei - Ay sound in Brazil, and strong i sound in Portugal (Stressed es 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)
/ - Puts stress on the vowel (The grave accent only goes on ); 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.
- Nasalizes vowel
- Lengthens and closes vowel (say the vowel with a more closed mouth shape)

In European Portuguese, terminal and unstressed as and os tend to get swallowed up or dropped
off of the word. Sometimes, this is the case with terminal ss. Es 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 o are not as pronounced.

Both countries teach children in school of the other countrys 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 texts 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, and can be a little unclear to the untrained ear. Its 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, pronounced, or formed. The Portuguese
Academy often preserves older spellings (even if theyre not pronounced) and forms, whereas
the Brazilian Academy prefers more simplified spellings and rules, as Brazilian Portuguese has
incorporated significant contributions from Italian, Spanish, and indigenous languages.

 2014 Shashank Rao

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 ptimo in Portugal, are spelled as timo 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 Quizlet is available for reviewing
vocabulary via flashcards here: http://quizlet.com/join/efunsGBCV.

!
Vocabulary: Basic Phrases
!

Oi/Ol - Hello (Br./Eu.)

Tchau - Hi (Br. only)
*Eu sou o/a - I am (Men use o and Women use a)
O meu nome - My name is
Como voc se chama?/Como chamas-te? - What do you call yourself (variant of the above
expression; Br./Eu.)
Como est (voc)?/Como ests (tu)? - How are you? (Br./Eu.)
Estou bem. - Im 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 est(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 conhec-lo). - (A) pleasure./Pleased to meet you.
Muito prazer (a conhec-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.)
At logo/mais. - See you later.
At amanh. - See you another day. (amanh actually means tomorrow, but this phrase can be
used in reference to a point a few days from the present)
At j. - See you soon.
At a prxima. - See you next time.
Sim - Yes
No - No
(Se) faz favor/por favor - please
Bem-vindo/Boa-vinda - Welcome (male/female) Plurals: Bens-vindos/Boas-vindas (male or
mixed/female)
No h de qu. - Youre welcome.
De onde (voc /tu s)? - Where are you from? (Br./Eu.)
Eu sou de - Im from

 2014 Shashank Rao

No ? - Isnt 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 . This
expression is sometimes shortened to n, especially in informal spoken Brazilian Portuguese.)
(As) congratulaes/felicitaes! - Congratulations!
engano. - Its a mistake. (Used to tell someone they have the wrong number)
o/a prprio(a). - Speaking. (Said on the phone to indicate the person called is speaking)
Perdo! - Excuse me!
T 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 use the definite article o and a before someones name in indirect
address, to imply some familiarity with that person. You would never use the definite article
before someones 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 nataco - swimming

!
Vocabulary: Food and Drink
!

a pizza - pizza
a massa - pasta
o sanduche - 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 ma - 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 gua - water
o refrigerante - soda (colloquially referred to as o refri)

 2014 Shashank Rao

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
danar - 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 qu - 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 youre busy)
onde - where
**por qu/por que - why/because

*When using this word to find a specific answer, such as asking for someones address or a price,
you use qual instead of que. Ex. Qual () o preo? It is not incorrect to leave out the verb for to
be from such questions.

 2014 Shashank Rao

**These two versions of the word are used in the following ways:

Youre going home? Why? (This, why, is por qu.)

Why are you going home? (This one is por que; Here, it refers to for what or by what cause.)

!
Conjugations:
!

The first thing you need to know about verbs is that there is a base form that youll find in the
dictionary, called the infinitive, which doesnt 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 youre speaking Brazilian or
European Portuguese. The Portuguese pronouns are listed in the table below, according to person
(1st, 2nd, 3rd).

eu - I

ns/a gente - we

tu - you (informal)

vs - you all (informal)

ele/ela/voc* - he/she/you (formal)

eles/elas/vocs* - they (m./f.)/you all (formal)

!
*Voc and vocs 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 voc 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 vs 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 vocs.

Also, about ns and a gente: these two words are both used to mean, we, but in slightly
different situations. Ns is a bit more formal, but the primary difference is the ns is inclusive,
where as a gente, which technically means the people, is exclusive. This means if youre talking
to someone else, the former would mean, 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.

 2014 Shashank Rao

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 it comes to words or phrases that refer to people in groups; if
the group is mixed, then use the masculine form.

Now, lets 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 well get to later on.
-ar Verbs - falar - to talk/speak

eu falo

ns falamos

tu falas
ele/ela/voc fala

eles/elas/vocs falam

eu corro

ns corremos

!
-er Verbs - correr - to run
!
tu corres
ele/ela/voc corre

eles/elas/vocs correm

-ir Verbs - partir - to leave

eu parto

ns partimos

tu partes
ele/ela/voc parte

eles/elas/vocs 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.

!
!
!
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

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. Well 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
-o.

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

 2014 Shashank Rao

o ingls -> 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 -is, 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 doesnt change
as a result of pluralizing it.

(1) o pastel -> os pastis

(2) o telemvel -> 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 fssil > os fsseis

!
There are two exceptions to this rule:
!
o mal -> os males
o cnsul -> os cnsules

!
Ending in -x
!
Nouns ending in -x do not undergo any changes when made plural.
!
o clmax -> os clmax
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

Ending in -o

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 avio -> os avies

a deciso -> as decises

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

o cidado -> os cidados

a cidad -> as cidads

o cristo -> os cristos

a crist -> as crists

o irmo -> os irmos

a irm -> as irms
o mo -> os mos

!
o rgo -> os rgos
!
Some nouns ending in -o pluralize by changing -o to -es.
!
o alemo -> os alemes
o co -> os ces
o capito -> os capites
o escrivo -> os escrives
o sacristo -> os sacristes

!
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 m. This is the case for all nouns ending in -au. There are a few
words that end in -u, whose feminine singular forms end in -ia. For words that have endings
with a circumflex, such as portugus, drop the circumflex in the feminine form, and just add -a.

 2014 Shashank Rao

Conjunctions

e - and
que - that (youll learn the use of this as a conjunction later on)
mas/porm - but (porm 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 mas. = I like to eat apples.
!

To negate this statement, to say that you dont like something, you simply add no before the
conjugated form of gostar. Look at the example below.
(Eu)* No gosto de comer mas. = I dont like to 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
tera-feira - Tuesday
quarta-feira - Wednesday
quinta-feira - Thursday
sexta-feira - Friday
sbado - Saturday
domingo - Sunday
janeiro - January
fevereiro - February
maro - March
abril - April
maio - May
junho - June
julho - July
agosto - August
setembro - September
outubro - October

 2014 Shashank Rao

novembro - November
dezembro - December
a primavera - spring
o vero - summer
o outono - autumn/fall
o inverno - winter

*The ending -feira is often dropped in conversation.

 2014 Shashank Rao

Section 2: School

!
Vocabulary: School
!

o lpis - 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 escola primria/elementar - primary/elementary school
o ensino mdio - middle school
o colgio - high school
a faculdade - college/faculty (college here refers to university divisions or a small university)
a universidade - university
o ginsio - gymnasium
a biblioteca - library
a sala de informtica - computer lab
a casa - house
o apartamento - apartment
a aula - class (a course subject or an instruction period)
a classe - class (group of students)
a turma - graduating 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)
o beb/nen/nenm - baby (human only)
a criana - 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 moo(a) - mister/miss (something like college or late high school age; strictly Brazilian)

 2014 Shashank Rao

o senhor - sir/Mr. (~51+)

a senhora - madam/Mrs. (~51+)
a senhorita - miss (unmarried woman)
o pai/a me or o papai/a mame - (father/dad)/(mother/mom) or daddy/mommy
o dever de casa - homework/task
o teste - quiz
a prova - test
o projeto - project
a redao - essay
a srie - grade (in school)
a nota - grade (as in marks in school)
a interrupo/parada - break (short)
a folga - break (long, in the context of school only)
a matemtica - mathematics
a lgebra - algebra
o clculo - calculus
a anlise - analysis
a estatstica - statistic
o nmero - number
o ingls - English
a composio - composition
a cincia - science
a qumica - chemistry
a fsica - physics
a biologia - biology
a informtica - computer science/information technology
o espanhol/castelhano - Spanish
o francs - French
o chins - Chinese
o idioma/a lngua - language (pluralize idioma as feminine, but treat as masculine otherwise)
a educao fsica - physical education
o treino - practice (sports
a arte - art
a msica - music
a geografia - geography
a histria - history

!
Vocabulary: Household and Classroom Objects
!
o lugar - place
a mesa - desk/table
o escritrio - study/office (as in the room)
o quadro - board

 2014 Shashank Rao

a janela - window
a porta - door
o computador - computer
a cadeira - chair
o disco - disc
a bandeira - flag
o pster - poster
a lixeira - waste basket
o relgio - clock
o calendrio - 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, lets look at criana, menino(a), and garoto(a).
Criana and menino(a) are unquestionably little kids, of elementary school age, and
sometimes, mothers will affectionately call their children menino or menina, even if theyre
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 moo or moa, which have a bit of an
informal connotation, at least in Brazil. Rapaz and rapariga are more or less the European
equivalents of moo(a). A good rule is that once someones getting into their thirties, you can
start saying o senhor or a senhora/senhorita, especially if that persons 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 pra, to indicate the dropping of the vowel. Be aware that this is more

 2014 Shashank Rao

common in Brazil than in Portugal. Otherwise, it is never seen in formal and/or written
Portuguese.

!
Vocabulary: Adjectives
!

maante - boring
fcil/simples - easy
difcil - difficult
favorito(a) - favorite
divertido(a) - fun
interessante - interesting
bem - well/good (adverb)
bom/boa - good
ruim - bad (in quality)/incorrect
mau/m - 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.
trs - 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 dzia = a dozen)
treze - 13
quatorze/catorze - 14 (Br./Eu.)

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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 trs - 23

trinta - 30
quarenta - 40
cinqenta - 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
milho - 1,000,000,000
bilho - 1,000,000,000,000
trilho - 1,000,000,000,000,000
quadrilho - 1,000,000,000,000,000,000

!
Vocabulary: Ordinal Number Adjectives
!
primeiro(a) - 1st
segundo(a) - 2nd
terceiro(a) - 3rd
quarto(a) - 4th
quinto(a) - 5th
sexto(a) - 6th
stimo(a) - 7th

 2014 Shashank Rao

oitavo(a) - 8th
nono(a) - 9th
dcimo(a) - 10th
vigsimo(a) - 20th
trigsimo(a) - 30th
quadragsimo(a) - 40th
quinquagsimo(a) - 50th
sexagsimo(a) - 60th
septuagsimo(a) - 70th
octagsimo(a) - 80th
nonagsimo(a) - 90th
centsimo - 100th

To form numbers such as twenty-first, you put the tens place, then ones place, using the ordinal
numbers. Like so: vigsimo (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 undcimo, duodcimo, and tredcimo.

Note: From here, some verbs may be marked as transitive or intransitive. A transitive verb is a
verb that can act upon on a direct or indirect object. An intransitive verb cannot. For example,
the word dance is intransitive, because the action of dancing doesnt act upon anything. The
word eat, however, is transitive, because the action of eating acts upon foods.

!
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 peo)
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

 2014 Shashank Rao

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 (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 dont 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

ns vamos

tu vais
ele/ela/voc vai

!
!
!

eles/elas/vocs vo

 2014 Shashank Rao

fazer

eu fao

ns fazemos

tu fazes
ele/ela/voc faz

eles/elas/vocs fazem

eu sou

ns somos

!
ser
!

tu s
ele/ela/voc

!
estar
!

eu estou/t*

eles/elas/vocs so

ns estamos/(tamo)*

tu ests
ele/ela/voc est/t*

eles/elas/vocs esto/to*

*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 look exactly the same as the
conjugations for ter.

!
vir
!

eu venho

ns vimos

tu vens
ele/ela/voc vem

eles/elas/vocs vm

eu sei

ns sabemos

!
saber
!

tu sabes
ele/ela/voc sabe

eles/elas/vocs sabem

 2014 Shashank Rao

!
dizer
!
eu digo

ns dizemos

tu dizes
ele/ela/voc diz

eles/elas/vocs dizem

ouvir

eu ouo/oio*

ns ouvimos

tu ouves
ele/ela/voc ouve

eles/elas/vocs ouvem

*Ouo is used primarily in Brazil and Northern Portugal, whereas oio 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

ns temos

tu tens
ele/ela/voc tem

eles/elas/vocs tm

eu leio

ns lemos

!
ler
!

tu ls
ele/ela/voc l

eles/elas/vocs lem

eu saio

ns samos

!
sair
!

tu sais
ele/ela/voc sai

!
!

eles/elas/vocs saem

 2014 Shashank Rao

frigir

eu frijo

ns frigimos

tu friges/freges*
ele/ela/voc frige/frege*

eles/elas/vocs 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
Verbixs 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

ns dormimos

tu dormes
ele/ela/voc dorme

eles/elas/vocs dormem

eu sirvo

ns servimos

!
servir (e -> i) (to serve)
!
tu serves
ele/ela/voc serve

!
!

eles/elas/vocs servem

 2014 Shashank Rao

subir (u -> o) (to rise/go up/ascend)

eu subo

ns subimos

tu sobes
ele/ela/voc sobe

!
Possessive Clauses
!

eles/elas/vocs sobem

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

!
Ex.
!

seu/sua

My apple = A minha ma
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 youre
talking about a family member, you dont need to attach the definite article.

!
Telling Time
!

To tell the time, you say so + the hour number + the number of minutes. For example, 3:26
would be so trs e vinte e seis. However, if the hour is singular, then you say uma hora, and
you can add whatever number of minutes you need to. To say how minutes remain until the
next hour, you say so + 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 manh:
afternoon is da tarde; and for night, da noite.

 2014 Shashank Rao

Section 3: Health and Food

!
Vocabulary: Foods, Mealtime, Etc.
!

o caf da manh/o pequeno-almoo - breakfast (Br./Eu.)

os cereais - cereal (singular o cereal means, grain)
o po - bread
a torrada - toast
o arroz - rice
a lingia - sausage
o toicinho/toucinho defumado - bacon (Br./Eu.)
o almoo - lunch
a salada - salad
a batata - potato
o morango - strawberry
o biscoito - biscuit/cookie
o presunto - ham
o limo - lemon
a laranja - orange
a casca - peel (of a fruit or vegetable)
a semente - seed
o caroo - pit (of a fruit)
o queijo - cheese
as aves domsticas - 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 avel - hazelnut
a amndoa - 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

 2014 Shashank Rao

a pastelaria - pastry/sweet
a porcaria - junk food/rubbish/filthiness
o caf - coffee
o leite - milk
a limonada - lemonade
o ch - 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 organo - oregano
o manjerio - basil
o aucr - sugar
a riceita - recipe/prescription
a prescrio - prescription

!
Vocabulary: Adjectives
!

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
ftido(a) - bad-smelling
insalubre - unhealthy

 2014 Shashank Rao

saudvel - healthy
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
higinico(a) - hygienic
vegetariano(a) - vegetarian
alrgico(a) - allergic
anorxico(a) - anorexic
bulmico(a) - bulimic

!
Vocabulary: Health
!

a sade - health
a gordura - fat
a verdura - vegetable
a protena - protein
a doena - sickness
a gripe - flu
a tosse - cough
a xarope para tosse - cough syrup
a injeo/pica - injection (Br./Eu.)
a vacina - vaccine
a pilula - pill
o tablete/a pastilha - tablet
o sabo/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.)

 2014 Shashank Rao

cor-de-laranja/laranja - orange
cor-de-rosa - pink
lavanda - lavender
roxo(a)/prpura/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
descaroar - to pit (a fruit)
prescrever - to prescribe
fazer dieta - to diet
tossir - to cough (o->u; eu form)
manter/conservar a sade - 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
pr - to put/place
colocar - to place (figuratively)
alimentar - to feed
morrer de fome/sede - to die of hunger/thirst
dar - to give
precisar - to need to
trazer - to bring
acabar de + infinitive - to have finished/just have (verb)

!
pr
!

eu ponho

ns pomos

tu pes
ele/ela/voc pe

!
!
!
!

eles/elas/vocs pem

 2014 Shashank Rao

dar

eu dou

ns damos

tu ds
ele/ela/voc d

eles/elas/vocs do

eu trago

ns trazemos

!
trazer
!

tu trazes
ele/ela/voc traz

eles/elas/vocs 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
razo - 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
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 cabea nas nuvens - the head in the clouds

 2014 Shashank Rao

pena (de) - pity (used to mean to be sorry (for))

preguia - 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)
no (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 terrvel! - How terrible!
entre - between
a coisa - thing
exceto (por)/menos - except for
j - already
ento - then
a - similar to ento, 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)
at/mesmo - even (As in: Even if I did that or Even you can do it..)
tem/h - There is/are (informal/formal)

!
!
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

Time Expressions: Ago

To say (x amount of time) ago, you say h (x amount of time) or (x amount of time) atrs, 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 youll learn later on, to mean, Its 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, lets. 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
!

ns falemos
tu fala
ele/ela/voc fale

!
-er Verbs - correr - to run
!

eles/elas/vocs falem

ns corramos
tu corre
ele/ela/voc corra

eles/elas/vocs corram

-ir Verbs - partir - to leave

ns partamos
tu parte
ele/ela/voc parta

eles/elas/vocs partam

To issue a negative command, the process is quite simple: place no at the beginning, then take
the third-person command, and tag on an -s. This only applies to negative tu commands, and
therefore only in European Portuguese.

!
Ex.
!

No partas!

 2014 Shashank Rao

Dont leave!

!
Irregular Verbs in the Imperative
!
ter
!
ns tenhamos
tu tem
ele/ela/voc tenha

!
dar
!

eles/elas/vocs tenham

ns dmos
tu d
ele/ela/voc d

!
dizer
!

eles/elas/vocs dem

ns digamos
tu diz(e)
ele/ela/voc diga

!
ir
!

eles/elas/vocs digam

ns vamos
tu vai
ele/ela/voc v

!
!
fazer
!

eles/elas/vocs vo

ns faamos
tu faz(e)
ele/ela/voc faa

eles/elas/vocs faam

 2014 Shashank Rao

estar

ns estejamos
tu est
ele/ela/voc esteja

!
sair
!

eles/elas/vocs estejam

ns saiamos
tu sai
ele/ela/voc saia

!
ser
!

eles/elas/vocs saiam

ns sejamos
tu s
ele/ela/voc seja

!
pr
!

eles/elas/vocs sejam

ns ponhamos
tu pe
ele/ela/voc ponha

!
vir
!

eles/elas/vocs ponham

ns venhamos
tu vem
ele/ela/voc venha

eles/elas/vocs venham

To make a negative command, take the eu form of the present tense, drop the -o, and then add -es
for -ar verbs, and -as for -er/-ir verbs. Then, add no to the front.

!
!
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

Ex.

No digas isso!
Dont say that!

!
Additional Vocabulary: The Body
!

a parte do corpo - part of the body

o brao - arm
a cabea - head
o cabelo - hair
os lbios - lips
o nariz - nose
o ouvido/a orelha - ear (inner/outer)
a face/cara - face
a boca - mouth
a lngua - tongue
o pescoo - neck
a garganta - throat
os dentes - teeth
os olhos - eyes
a sobrancelha - eyebrow
o corpo - body
o crebro - brain
o pescoo - 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 corao - heart
os pulmes - lung
o dedo - finger
o p - foot
o dedo do p - toe
o tornozelo - ankle
a mo - hand
o calcanhar - heel
o pulso - wrist
o estmago - stomach

 2014 Shashank Rao

a barriga - belly
a unha - nail
o dedo indicador - index finger
o dedo mnimo - 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 doesnt 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 voc. You will sometimes hear people use o senhor or o senhora/senhorita to
refer to someone, as a third level of formality after voc. This might occur in situations such as
in a waiter talking to a client or in exchanges between peasants and a king in a historical
dialogue. 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.

 2014 Shashank Rao

Section 4: Emotional and Physical Conditions

!
Vocabulary: Locative Prepositons
!

ao lado de - next to
sob - under
diante de/perante - in front of
atrs 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
l/ali/a - there
para baixo - downward
antes de - before
aps/depois de - after
at - 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
livre - free
limpo(a) - clean
sujo(a) - dirty
ligeiro(a)/rpido(a) - fast

 2014 Shashank Rao

lento(a) - slow
talentoso(a) - talented
ordinrio(a) - ordinary
medocre - mediocre
ousado(a)/corajoso(a) - bold/daring (ousado only describes an act that is expressed as a noun)
atrevido(a) - daring
capaz - capable
mau/m - evil
irritante - annoying
maravilhoso(a) - marvelous
cheio(a) - full
vazio(a) - empty

!
Vocabulary: Animals
!

o animal - animal
o gato - cat
o cachorro/co - dog (Br./Eu.)
o porco - pig
a vaca - cow
o frango/a galinha - chicken (rooster/hen)
o pssaro - 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 tubaro - shark
a medusa - jellyfish
o polvo - octopus
o rato - mouse/rat
o macaco - monkey
o cisne - swan
o leo - lion
o melro - blackbird
o pardal - sparrow
o pato - duck
a tigre - tiger
a raposa - fox
a cobra - snake
o elefante - elephant

 2014 Shashank Rao

o sapo/a r - 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 isnt actually word for bug, because
Portuguese speakers generally refer to an insect by the actual name of its species)

!
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

ns polimos

tu pules
ele/ela/voc pule

eles/elas/vocs pulem

eu valho

ns valemos

!
valer
!

tu vales
ele/ela/voc vale

!
Ser VS Estar VS Ficar
!

eles/elas/vocs valem

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)

 2014 Shashank Rao

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 linda = She is beautiful (always, it's her nature to be beautiful)

Ela est linda = She is beautiful (at this moment, with these clothes, with this haircut, she
looks beautiful now)

Ela fica linda = She becomes beautiful

Ela est 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 - Indicates the location of an unmovable thing.

Estar - Hardly used, because unmovable objects dont have the transitory meaning.

Ficar - Indicates the location of an unmovable thing

!
The choice between "ser" and "ficar" has no rule, and there is no difference.
!
Examples

A casa naquela rua = the house is on that street transit

A casa fica naquela rua = the house is on that street

Meu escritrio 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 est 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/The
kitchen's wall is where the keys are commonly kept.

!
Additional Vocabulary: The Weather and the Sky
!
o tempo - weather/time

 2014 Shashank Rao

o cu - sky
o sol - sun
a luz solar - sunlight
a lua - moon
a luar - moonlight
o estrela - star
o planeta - planet
o pr-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 nvoa - mista
a bruma - fog
a brisa - breeze
a geada - frost
o relmpago/raio - lightning
o trovo - thunder
mido(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 dont
know what the noun youre talking about it is. And by definition, in that situation, you dont
know the gender. See the table below.

Category

This

That

That (Away)

Definite

este/esta

esse/essa

aquele/aquela

 2014 Shashank Rao

Indefinite

isto

isso

!
Articulated Prepositions
!

aquilo

In the vocabulary list, you learned several important prepositions, some of which can combine
with the definite articles to make articulated prepositions, which is simply a fancy way of
saying, contractions. (Ex. its = it is; they will = theyll)

Definite
Articles

Em

Por

De

Para*

no

ao

pelo

do

p()r

na

pela

da

p()r

os

nos

aos

pelos

dos

p()rs

as

nas

pelas

das

p()rs

It is also important to note that the prepositions em, de, and para have more contractions,
which combine with the indefinite articles and some of the demonstrative pronouns. Note: the
plurals of the articles and pronouns have been excluded from this table, but it is implied that
you can make the contractions with the plurals as well.

Indefinite Article/
Demonstrative
Pronoun

Em

De

Para*

um

num

dum

pr()um

uma

numa

duma

pr()uma

este

neste

deste

N/A

esta

nesta

desta

N/A

esse

nesse

desse

N/A

essa

nessa

dessa

N/A

aquele

naquele

daquele

N/A

aquela

naquela

daquela

N/A

 2014 Shashank Rao

isto

nisto

disto

N/A

isso

nisso

disso

N/A

aquilo

naquilo

daquilo

N/A

aqui

N/A

daqui

N/A

*The contractions of para 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.
!
Im 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 ns = conosco/connosco (Br./Eu.)
com ti = contigo
com voc/o senhor/a senhora/a senhorita = consigo (The contracted form is used more in
Portugal, and the non-contracted form is often said in full 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.

 2014 Shashank Rao

Section 5: Travel and Tourism

!
Vocabulary: Modes of Travel and Signs
!

o carro - car
o nibus/autocarro - bus (Br./Eu.)
o txi - taxi
o trem/comboio - train
o metr - metro
a moto(cicleta) - motorcycle (often shortened to moto)
a bicicleta - bicycle
o trfego - traffic
o barco - boat (a big boat specifically; smaller boats are called os botes)
a balsa - ferry
a gndola - gondola boat
o canal - canal
o modo de transporte - mode/medium of transport

!
Vocabulary: Giving Directions
!

a dire(c)o - 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)
direita - to the right
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 signal de trnsito/semforo - 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 agncia di turismo - tourist agency
a esttua - statue

 2014 Shashank Rao

a praa - plaza
o quarteiro/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, its perfectly harmless
o teatro - theater
o cinema - movie theater
o mercado - market
a feira - stall
o caf - cafe
*o/a motorista - driver (as in operator of a vehicle)/chauffeur
o euro - euro
o real - Brazilian currency
a caixa ele(c)trnica - ATM machine (The c is used, but not pronounced in the Eu. spelling)
o mapa - map
as frias - vacation (general period) (o feriado can mean, holiday, as well)
a reserva - reservation
a multido - crowd
a gente - people (collective noun)
o povo - inhabitants/members of a nation (collective noun)
a lembrana - souvenir
o ingresso - ticket (for a performance)

*All nouns ending in -ista are invariable with respect to gender, meaning that the spelling
doesnt change due to a change in gender.

!
Vocabulary: Domestic/International Travel
!

o campo/interior - countryside
o pas - country
o visto - visa (travel permit)
a carteira de motorista - license
o passaporte - passport
a maleta - suitcase
a passagem/o tquete/bilhete - ticket (for transport
o/a passeggeiro(a) - passenger
o embaixada - embassy
a viagem interestatal/interestadual - interstate travel
a provncia - province

 2014 Shashank Rao

a cidade - city
o guia - guide
a polcia - police
a entrada/o porto - entrance (a building of admission)/entrance (a door)
a sada - exit
o avio - plane
o aeroporto - airport
a classe econmica - economy class
a primeira classe - first class
a companhia de aviao - 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 cmbio/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 -> o)
fechar - to close/seal

 2014 Shashank Rao

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

ns podemos

tu podes
ele/ela/voc pode

eles/elas/vocs podem

eu quero

ns queremos

!
querer
!

tu queres
ele/ela/voc quer

!
traduzir
!

eu traduzo

eles/elas/vocs querem

ns traduzimos

tu traduzes
ele/ela/voc traduz

eles/elas/vocs traduzem

eu rio

ns rimos

!
rir
!

tu ris
ele/ela/voc ri

!
!

eles/elas/vocs riem

 2014 Shashank Rao

sorrir

eu sorrio

ns sorrimos

tu sorris
ele/ela/voc sorri

!
Affirmative Words
!

eles/elas/vocs sorriem

algum - someone
algo/alguma coisa - something
sempre - always
algum(a) - some
qualquer - any
geralmente/frequentamente - often
at/mesmo - also/even
tudo(a) - all
cada - every/each (as in every day)
s/somente- only
apenas - simply (as in I simply want a sandwich)
de alguma forma - in some way
de algum modo - by some means
to - so (to such an extent)
tanto(a) - so much/many

!
Negative Words
!

ningum - 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

!
!
!
!
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

Additional Vocabulary: Nationalities and Countries

!
Format: Country Name (Portuguese) - Country Name (English) - Nationality (Portuguese)
!
Inglaterra - England - ingls
Frana - France - francs
Espanha - Spain - espanhol
Portugal - Portugal - portugus
Brasil - Brazil - brasileiro
Alemanha - Germany - alemo
Itlia - Italy - italiano
Rssia - Russia - russo
Polnia - Poland - polons
Romnia - Romania - romeno
China - China - chins
ndia - India - indiano
Coria* - Korea - coreano
Japo - Japan - japons
Ir - Iran - iraniano
Iraque - Iraq - iraquiano
Egito - Egypt - egpcio
Arbia Saudita - Saudi Arabia - rabe-saudita (invariable in gender)
Camboja - Cambodia - cambojano
Tailndia - Thailand - tailands
Vietn - Vietnam - vietnamita
Laos - Laos - laosiano

!
*Words that end in -ia in Brazil are often spelled without the acute accent in Portugal.
!
Negative VS Affirmative Expressions
!

In Portuguese, like Spanish, double negatives are acceptable and actually quite common. Even
triple negatives can appear. Lets look at some examples.

!
Ex.
!

Eu como muitas frutas.

I eat many fruits.

!
Now lets look at the negative version of that sentence.
!
!
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

Ex.

No como nenhumas frutas.

I dont eat any fruits.

!
Notice how there are two negative words, no and nenhumas. Lets look at the next example.
!
Ex.
!
Tem/H algumas sadas aqu? (Br./Eu.)
No, no tem/h nenhumas sadas.

Are there any exits here?

No, there arent any exits.

Notice how three negative words, two instances of no and one of nenhumas, appear in the
sentence. Technically, you can drop the first no 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.

me/para mim

nos/para ns

te/para ti
lhe/para ele*/ela*/voc

lhes/para eles/elas/vocs

*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 trs frutas (ao Joo).

I give him (John) three fruits.

!
Now, there is another way to phrase this sentence.
!
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

Ex.

Eu dou-lhe trs frutas (ao Joo)*.

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 persons 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.
2.
3.
4.

When the verb comes after an adverb

In a negative statement
In a question
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 lhe escreve.
5. After a preposition

!
O Futuro Pequeno - The Little Future
!

At this point, you havent learned to use the actual future tense, so youre 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.
Im going to buy some tickets.

Vou para casa.

Im going (to go) home.

 2014 Shashank Rao

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, Im going to go home, because,
Im 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 dialects and regions of Brazil and
Portugal, people will say vou ir, and although it is technically incorrect, it is accepted as a
regional construct.

!
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 pr is pondo.

-ar Verbs

-er Verbs

-ir Verbs

-ando

-endo

-indo

!
Ex.
!

Estou jogando.
Ests correndo.
Estamos partindo.

I am playing.
You are running.
We are leaving.

!
Now, lets look at the other form of the present progressive.
!
Ex.
!
Estou a jogar.
Ests a correr.
Estamos partir.

 2014 Shashank Rao

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 use the pronoun, you, and, they, very frequently, and particularly without
referring to a specific person. If you say, Youre supposed to go home after school, you
express a general truth or something that everyone does, as the, you, in this sentence may not
refer to the person youre talking to. It would be better written as, One is supposed to go
home after school. This is actually how its said in Portuguese.

!
!
Ex.
!

Se fala/Fala-se o espanhol em Espanha. (Br./Eu.)

They speak Spanish in Spain. (Better said as: One speaks Spanish in Spain.)

!
The se in this sentence serves as an impersonal subject.
!

Now, even though you use the third person singular conjugation of whatever verb youre using,
if you use the verb in reference to a noun, you have make the conjugation plural if the noun is
plural.

!
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.)

Youll see this form used quite a bit in public places, where a sign might say, Se vendem/
vendem-se frutas aqu, which would translate as, Fruits for sale here, or, They sell fruits
here.

 2014 Shashank Rao

Section 6: Events and Celebrations

!
Vocabulary: Events and People
!

o casamento - wedding
a recepo - reception
a cerimnia - 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 audio - audition
o compromisso/a hora marcada - appointment
o encontro - date
o concerto - concert
a dana - dance
o jogo - game
a brincadeira - a scheduled game (can be a synonym of o jogo)
a partida - match (as in a portion of a sports game)
o/a noivo(a) - fianc/fiance
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 msico(a) - musician
o/a a(c)tor/atriz - actor/actress (c used in Eu. spelling)
o/a cantor(a) - singer
o/a danarino(a) - dancer (male/female)
o padroeiro - patron (saint)
o Dia de Todos os Santos - All Saints Day
O Ano Novo - New Year
A Vspera de Ano Novo - New Years Eve
O Dia de Reis - Epiphany/Day of Kings (refers to the Three Wise Men in Christianity)
O Dia dos Namorados - Valentines Day (Day of the Lovers)
O Carnaval - Carnevale
a Pascoa - Easter Sunday
O Natal - Christmas
Pai Natal - Santa Claus/Father Christmas

 2014 Shashank Rao

a vspera - eve
a mscara - mask
a parada/o desfile - parade
o carro alegrico - float
o confete - confetti
o presente - present
a fofoca - gossip

!
Vocabulary: Time Expressions and Days
!
o ms - 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) amanh - tomorrow
ontem - yesterday
a manh - 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 es)
acontecer/ocorrer - to take place/happen/occur
fofocar - to gossip
ganhar - to win

 2014 Shashank Rao

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 lev-los para casa. (Eu.)
Vais oferecer las frutas? -> Vais oferec-las? (Eu.)
Me vai proibir a festa. -> Me vai proibi-la. (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.

 2014 Shashank Rao

Ex.

!
Tu comes os bolos. -> Tu come-los. (Eu.)
!
Ele traz o sanduche. -> Ele tr-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

ns falmos

tu falaste
ele/ela/voc falou

!
-er Verbs - correr
!

eu comi (stress on i)

eles/elas/vocs falaram

ns comemos

tu comeste
ele/ela/voc comeu

eles/elas/vocs comeram

eu parti

ns partimos

!
-ir Verbs - partir
!
tu partiste

ele/ela/voc partiu

eles/elas/vocs partiram

!
Irregular Verbs in the Preterite
!

Note: Youll notice that, if youve 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.

!
!
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

ser/ir - to be (permanent conditions)/go

eu fui

ns fomos

tu foste
ele/ela/voc foi

eles/elas/vocs foram

!
estar - to be (impermanent conditions)
!
eu estive

ns estivemos

tu estiveste
ele/ela/voc esteve

!
ter
!

eu tive

eles/elas/vocs estiveram

ns tivemos

tu tiveste
ele/ela/voc tivemos

eles/elas/vocs tiveram

eu vim

ns viemos

!
vir
!

tu viestes
ele/ela/voc veio

!
poder
!

eu pure

eles/elas/vocs vieram

ns pudemos

tu pudeste
ele/ela/voc pde

!
!
!
!
!
!

eles/elas/vocs puderam

 2014 Shashank Rao

fazer

eu fiz

ns fizemos

tu fizeste
ele/ela/voc fez

!
dizer
!

eu disse

eles/elas/vocs fizeram

ns dissemos

tu disseste
ele/ela/voc disse

eles/elas/vocs disseram

!
trazer
!
eu trouxe

ns trouxemos

tu trouxeste
ele/ela/voc trouxe

eles/elas/vocs trouxeram

!
saber
!
eu soube

ns soubemos

tu soubeste
ele/ela/voc soube

!
pr
!

eu pus

eles/elas/vocs souberam

ns pusemos

tu puseste
ele/ela/voc ps

!
!
!
!
!

eles/elas/vocs puseram

 2014 Shashank Rao

querer

eu quis

ns quisemos

tu quiseste
ele/ela/voc quis

eles/elas/vocs quiseram

!
sair
!

eu sa

ns samos

tu saste
ele/ela/voc saiu

eles/elas/vocs saram

eu dei

ns demos

!
dar
!

tu deste
ele/ela/voc deu

eles/elas/vocs deram

!
Comparisons of Equality
!

To compare two nouns or adjectives as equal in degree or quantity, there are two words for
these expressions: to 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 to interessante quanto/como a classe de Maria. (Br./Eu.)

My class is as interesting as Marias class.

H 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.

!
!
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

Ex.

Cristiano trabalha to 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.
Ex.

Roberto mais/menos forte (do) que Cristiano.

Robert is stronger/less strong than Christian.

Adriana l 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 youre
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, -ssimo(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
-ssimamente 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 o mais/menos intelligente.

Christian is the most/least intelligent.

Ana altssima! = Ana muito alta!

Ana is so very tall!

!
Note: The -ssimo form of muito is multssimo(a).
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

There are several words that have irregular comparatives and superlatives. The second
superlative listed is the equivalent of the -ssimo(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

timo/ptimo (Br./Eu.)

mau

pior

o pior

pssimo

muito

mais

o mais

N/A

pouco

menos

o menos

N/A

alto

mais alto (physical)/

superior (abstract)

o mais alto (physical)/o

supremo (abstract)

supremo

baixo

mais baixo (physical)/

inferior (abstract)

o mais baixo (physical)/

o nfimo (abstract)

nfimo

grande

mais grande (physical)/

maior (abstract)

o mais grande
(physical)/o maior
(abstract)

o mximo

pequeno

mais pequeno (physical/ o mais pequeno

menor (abstract)
(physical)/o menor
(abstract)

!
Verbal Nouns
!

o mnimo

Sometimes, in English, you might refer to the act of a certain verb as a noun, using the present
participle. This means a sentence like, Painting is a nice hobby. Look at the example, which
translates this sentence.

!
Ex.
!
O pintar um passatempo bom.
!

Essentially, just add on o before the infinitive to make a verbal noun.

 2014 Shashank Rao

Section 7: Family

!
Vocabulary: Family-Related Words
!

a vida - life
a morte - death
a famlia - family
a rvore genealgica - 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 av/av - grandfather/grandmother
o/a bisav/bisav - great-grandfather/great-grandmother
o parto/nascimento - birth
o irmo - brother
a irm - sister
o meio-irmo - stepbrother
a meia-irm - 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 divrcio - divorce
a propriedade - property
o testamento - will (a document leaving ones possessions to designated family members)
a tradio - tradition
o casamento arranjado - arranged marriage
a idade - age

!
Vocabulary: Adjectives
!
nobre - noble
pobre/humilde - poor
rico(a) - rich
real - royal
imperial - imperial
importante - important

 2014 Shashank Rao

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)/ancio - ancient (drop o from ancio to make feminine)
mesmo(a) - same
verdadeiro(a) - true
falso(a) - false/untrue

!
Vocabulary: Adjectives Describing Personality
!
perfeito(a) - perfect
energtico(a) - energetic
corts - courteous/kind
simptico(a) - nice
inteligente - intelligent
preguioso(a) - lazy
tmido(a) - timid
rude - rude
indelicado(a) - unkind
malvado(a) - mean
agradvel - pleasant
desagradvel - unpleasant
estpido(a) - stupid
tonto(a)/burro(o) - foolish/silly
calmo(a) - calm
socivel - 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

 2014 Shashank Rao

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

abraar-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 - to recover (as in ones 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

 2014 Shashank Rao

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. Youll 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 pgina - 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 notcia - to hit the headlines
virar as costas para (IOP para form) - to turn ones 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 youre 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 dont exist in a non-reflexive form, because they may not make sense

 2014 Shashank Rao

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

!
The Imperfect Past
!

se

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.

s/por vezes - sometimes

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

 2014 Shashank Rao

!
eu falava

ns falvamos

tu falavas
ele/ela/voc falava

eles/elas/vocs falavam

eu corria

ns corramos

!
-er Verbs - correr
!
tu corrias

ele/ela/voc corria

!
-ir Verbs - partir
!
eu partia

eles/elas/vocs comiam

ns partamos

tu partias
ele/ela/voc partia

eles/elas/vocs partiam

eu era

ns ramos

!
ser
!

tu eras
ele/ela/voc era

eles/elas/vocs eram

!
ter
!
eu tinha

ns tnhamos

tu tinhas
ele/ela/voc tinha

!
!
!
!
!

vir

eles/elas/vocs tinham

 2014 Shashank Rao

!
eu vinha

ns vnhamos

tu vinhas
ele/ela/voc vinha

eles/elas/vocs vinham

!
pr
!
eu punha

ns pnhamos

tu punhas
ele/ela/voc punha

eles/elas/vocs 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 persons age, or an indefinite period of time)

You should know that the imperfect doesnt 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 me 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.
!
Voc 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 h 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

 2014 Shashank Rao

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. Youll 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. Itll be easier to remember them
as you learn the rules for constructing each conjugation.

h/tem - present indicative

houve/tive - preterite
havia/tinha - imperfect indicative
haver/ter - future indicative
haveria/teria - conditional
tem havido/tido - present perfect indicative
tinha havido/tido - pluperfect indicative
ter 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

!
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 dont 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

!
!
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

Ex.

Ns damos um louro a ti. -> Ns 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 ma 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 isnt 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, youre 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 youll learn in the
next section, you cant 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.

 2014 Shashank Rao

Section 8: The Arts

!
Vocabulary: Fine Arts Terminology
!

a era/poca - era/time period

a cultura - culture
o teatro - theater
o espe(c)tculo- show/performance (Eu. spelling uses c)
a interpretao - acting
a orquestra - orchestra
a pera - 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 obo - oboe
a corneta inglesa/francesa - English/French horn
o violoncelo - cello
o contrabaixo - contrabass
o bal - 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 lricos - lyrics
a cano - song (a msica 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 esttua - statue
o/a pintor(a) - painter
o/a escultor(a) - sculptor
o/a poeta - poet
a crtica/resenha - review (an article)

 2014 Shashank Rao

a catedral - cathedral
o mosaico - mosaic
o vernacolo - vernacular
o diale(c)to - dialect (Eu. spelling uses c)
a palavra - word
a pr(c)tica/o hbito - 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

!
Vocabulary: Adjectives
!

clssico(a) - classical
barroco(a) - baroque
romntico(a) - romantic
contemporneo(a) - contemporary
avanado(a) - advanced
gradual - gradual
coloquial - colloquial
vernacular - vernacular
dial(c)tico - dialectical (Eu. spelling uses c)
rstico(a) - rustic
virtuoso(a) - masterful or of great artistic talent

!
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

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, j 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 cant 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 youll
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

tm falado

tenho corrido

temos corrido

!
correr
!

tens corrido
tem corrido

!
!
!
!

tm corrido

 2014 Shashank Rao

partir

tenho partido

temos partido

tens partido
tem partido

tm partido

As things go with verb conjugations, there are are always some irregularities, and naturally,
many useful and common 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
pr - posto
satisfazer (to satisfy) - satisfeito
ver - visto
vir - vindo

Now, youll 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 were going to call a, build-in, because its 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 obtns, ele/ela/voc obtm,
obtemos, eles obtm). Notice that accents are added to maintain the location of the stress.

!
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

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.
Lets look at some examples.

!
Ex.
!

difcil 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 youll 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

Youll 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 youll learn later on. For now, well 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.
!

importante beberes mais gua.

It is important (for you) to drink more water.

 2014 Shashank Rao

The second example uses the preposition sem. A way to think about this sentence is to first
remove the the second subject (which doesnt have to be the same as the first subject, which in
this case is eu, in all instances), and use a pronoun instead. Now, well 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, its more similar to the way youd 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, well look at one more example:

!
Ex.
!
No caso de partirmos hoje, por favor, no compre nenhuns bilhetes.
!
In the case of us leaving today, please, dont buy tickets.
!

Here are some more expressions with which the personal infinitive (and also the subjunctive)
is used:

necessrio - Its necessary

bom - Its good that
importante - Its important that
difcil - It's difficult
possvel - It's possible that
provvel - It's probable that
No 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
At until/up to the point that
No caso de in case
Depois de after
Antes de before
Apesar de despite/in spite of

 2014 Shashank Rao

Section 9: Storytelling

!
Vocabulary: Stories
!

a histria - story
a fantasia - fantasy
a fi(c)o cientfica - science fiction (Eu. spelling uses c)
a no-fi(c)o - nonfiction (Eu. spelling uses c)
o romance histrico - historical fiction
o drama - drama (dont mix up with a trama, which means, plot (of a story),)
o mistrio - mystery
o horror/terror - horror (to refer to the genre, you say noun + de terror)
o/a rei/rainha - king/queen
o prncipe/princesa - prince/princess
o/a mago/bruxa - wizard/witch
o/a caador(a) - hunter/huntress
o padre - priest
o/a deus(a) - god/goddess (capitalize deus to Deus to make, God)
Cinderela - Cinderella
Hrcules - Hercules
o/a trito/sereia - merman/mermaid
o dete(c)tive - detective (Eu. spelling uses c)
o monstro - monster
o/a criminoso - criminal
o delinqente - delinquent
o/a sbio(a) - sage/wise person
o cavaleiro - knight
o soldado - soldier
o exrcito - army
o drago - dragon
a besta - beast
o pesar/remorso - regret
o tesouro - treasure
a alegria - joy
a felicidade - happiness
a mgica/magia - magic
o/a inimigo(a) - enemy
o veneno - poison
a mentira - lie
a vi(c)tria - victory (Eu. spelling uses c)
a derrota - defeat/loss
a carruagem - carriage (a baby carriage, however, is o carrinho)
o sculo - century

 2014 Shashank Rao

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
enfeitiar - 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
comear - 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 p - 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

 2014 Shashank Rao

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

!
crer
!

eu creio

ns cremos

tu crs
ele/ela/voc cr

!
perder
!

eu perco

eles/elas/vocs crem

ns perdemos

tu perdes
ele/ela/voc perde

eles/elas/vocs perdem

!
Vocabulary: Important Words/Phrases
!

atravs/do outro lado/de um lado ao outro - across (preposition/location/adverb)

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

 2014 Shashank Rao

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)
subseqentemente - 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 invs - 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 youve studied Spanish, youll 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, lets 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 someones behalf (I called Peter for you)
Movement (through a space, not specific)
Expressing motive or reasoning (in the past)
Passive constructions (well 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, its 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)

!
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

The Passive Voice

The passive voice is a relatively simple, and very useful construction. If you havent studied
any other foreign language before, its 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.
Youll also notice that the past participle agrees with the object of the verb, because its 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

 2014 Shashank Rao

soltar (to release) - solto

suspender (to suspend) - suspenso
frigir (to fry) - frito

!
The Present Subjunctive
!

The subjunctive mood is perhaps the most confusing mechanic of any language, and many
students struggle with getting it down. To start, lets examine what the typical subjunctiveusing 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... - Im 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, dont try to rule out things based on whether they
are hypothetical, because that is slightly different, and used for a different grammatical setup
that well cover later on. Look at the example.

!
Ex.
!

Espero que voc coma conosco.

I hope that youll* 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
No duvido que - I dont doubt that
provvel que - Its probable that
No nego que - I dont 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

 2014 Shashank Rao

clause is unlikely. This also applies to personal opinions, such as acho que, and thus are never
followed by the subjunctive.

However, it doesnt 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.
!

impossvel que tu faas os teus deveres de casa to 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 well 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

Youll 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 importante que or 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, its sort of an
indirect command.

The word talvez, which means maybe or perhaps, is always followed by the subjunctive, in any
tense.

!
!
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

Ex.

Comprei umas pastelarias. Talvez, minha irm 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. Youll also realize that two of the
conjugations are identical, so youll have to indicate the subject if its not implied.

!
-ar Verbs - falar
!
eu fale

ns falemos

tu fales
ele/ela/voc fale

eles/elas/vocs falem

eu corra

ns corramos

!
-er Verbs - correr
!
tu corras
ele/ela/voc corra

eles/elas/vocs corram

eu parta

ns partamos

!
-ir Verbs - partir
!
tu partas

ele/ela/voc parta

eles/elas/vocs partam

eu seja

ns sejamos

!
Irregular Verbs in the Present Subjunctive
!
ser
!
tu sejas
ele/ela/voc seja

eles/elas/vocs sejam

 2014 Shashank Rao

estar

eu esteja

ns estejamos

tu estejas
ele/ela/voc esteja

eles/elas/vocs estejam

eu v

ns vamos

!
ir
!

tu vs
ele/ela/voc v

!
dar
!

eu d

eles/elas/vocs vo

ns demos/dmos (Br./Eu.)

tu ds
ele/ela/voc d

!
querer
!

eu queira

eles/elas/vocs dem

ns queiramos

tu queiras
ele/ela/voc queira

eles/elas/vocs queiram

eu saiba

ns saibamos

!
saber
!

tu saibas
ele/ela/voc saiba

eles/elas/vocs 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

 2014 Shashank Rao

home, is technically grammatically incorrect in Portuguese. Well 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 doesnt abide by the same rules as the
imperfect and preterite do in the indicative mood. Lets look at the following example:

!
Ex.
!

-Maria, sabes onde foi Senhor Encarnao?

-Acho que o senhor tenha ido para Lisboa.

-Mary, do you know where Mr. Encarnao 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

 2014 Shashank Rao

Section 10: The Future

!
Vocabulary: University
!

a universidade - university
*a especializao universitria - major
a especializao secundria - minor
a profisso/carreira - profession/career
o programa de intercmbio - foreign exchange program
a economia - economy
as finanas - finance
o direito - law (subject of study)
a lei - law (legislation or rules)
a poltica - politics/policy
o idioma/a lingua - language
a engenharia - engineering
a artes culinarias - culinary arts
a medicina - medicine
a gentica - genetics
a moda/tendncia - fashion/trend
o estudo - study
a sociedade - society
o grupo - group
o proletariado - proletariat/working class
a classe mdia/a burguesia - middle class
o/a burgus/burguesa - a person of the middle class
o comerciante - merchant
a classe alta - upper class
o gr-fino/a dondoca - wealthy upper class man/woman, snob, high-hat (offensive slang)
a habitao/residncia/moradia - housing
a propriedade - property
a nobreza - nobility
o funcionrio pblico - official
o destituio - destitution
a pobreza - poverty
a realeza - royalty
a taxa de mortalidade - death rate
a taxa de nascimento - birth rate
a frugalidade - frugality
o comrcio - trade
a a(c)o - action/stock (Eu. spelling uses c)
o mercado das aes - stock market
a bancarrota - bankruptcy (the company is still around)

 2014 Shashank Rao

a falncia - bankruptcy (the company has failed)

a quebra - crash (stock market)
o embargo - embargo (trade blockade/ban/prohibition)
a interdio - shipping ban
a sano econmica - economic sanction
o/a investidor(a) - investor
a perda - financial loss
o financiamento - financial support/funding
o se(c)tor (pblico/(privado/particular)) - public/private sector (Eu. spelling uses c)
o perdulrio - spendthrift
o direito - right (as in a civil right)

!
Vocabulary: Professions
!

o/a diplomado(a)/graduado(a) - graduate

o/a mdico(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 mecnico(a) - mechanic
o/a trabalhador(a) - worker
o/a cabelereiro(a) - hairdresser
o/a atleta - athlete (invariable in gender)
o/a poltico(a) - politician
o/a policial - policeman/policewoman
o/a homem/mulher de negcios - 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 bab - 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

 2014 Shashank Rao

Vocabulary: Workplace

a filial/sucursal - office
o hospital - hospital
a loja - shop/store
o oficina - workshop
a padaria - bakery
a fbrica - factory
o banco - bank
o negocio/a empresa - enterprise/business/company
o formulrio/a ficha de inscrio - application

!
Vocabulary: More Abstract Concepts
!

a greve - strike
a marcha - march
o emprego/trabalho - job
o salrio - salary
a segurana - safety
o apoio - support
o benefcio - benefit
o classificado - classified ad
a experincia - experience
o requisito - requirement
a entrevista - interview
o conhecimento - knowledge
a habilidade - ability/skill
a capacidade - ability (as in a capacity or function)
a recomendao - letter of recommendation
de tempo integral - full-time
de meio perodo - part-time
a taxa - tax
o imposto - (income) tax (usually refers to income tax)
o fundo - fund
o avano - advance
a tecnologia - technology
a cura - cure
A Previdncia Social - Social Security
o fracasso - failure
o sucesso - success
o tratado - treaty
a prote(c)o - protection

 2014 Shashank Rao

Vocabulary: Alternative Energy

a energia solar - solar energy

a energia hidrel(c)trico - hydroelectric power (Eu. spelling uses c)
a energia geotrmica - 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

 2014 Shashank Rao

avanar - 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

!
Vocabulary: Other
!

contra - against
prximo(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 youll learn later on)

!
Vocabulary: Adjectives
!

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)
responsvel - responsible
irresponsvel - irresponsible
cauteloso/prudente - cautious
descuidado(a)/negligente - careless
justo(a) - just
injusto(a) - unjust
flexvel - flexible
escrupuloso(a) - dedicated
masculino(a)/macho(a) - masculine/male
msculo(a)/varonil - manly
feminino(a)/feminil - female/feminine

 2014 Shashank Rao

The Future Tense

The future tense is important for people who plan to speak with European Portuguese people,
so you can skip this section if you dont plan on going to Portugal.

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, its 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 pr: drop the
circumflex before adding the endings.

!
-ar Verbs - falar
!
eu falarei

ns falaremos

tu falars
ele/ela/voc falar

eles/elas/vocs falaro

eu correrei

ns correremos

!
-er Verbs - correr
!
tu corrers

ele/ela/voc correr

eles/elas/vocs correro

eu partirei

ns partiremos

!
-ir Verbs - partir
!
tu partirs

ele/ela/voc partir

!
!
!

eles/elas/vocs partiro

 2014 Shashank Rao

Irregular Future Tense Verbs

!
dizer
!

eu direi

ns diremos

tu dirs
ele/ela/voc dir

eles/elas/vocs diro

eu farei

ns faremos

!
fazer
!

tu fars
ele/ela/voc far

eles/elas/vocs faro

eu trarei

ns traremos

!
trazer
!

tu trars
ele/ela/voc trar

eles/elas/vocs traro

With the future tense, you can now form the future perfect indicative tense, which expresses
the notion of will have done.

!
Ex.
!

Ado ter comeado 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. Well
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.

!
Now, heres an example with the future of probability:
!
!
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

Ex.

Onde estar os meus chaves?

Where might my keys be?

!
Mesoclisis
!

Ah, a fancy word that youve probably never heard before. And even better, its a name for a
construction that doesnt 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 somewhat common.

To construct this form, before adding the endings -ei, s, , -emos, or -ro, place the object or
reflexive pronoun between hyphens, and then attach the ending.

!
Ex.
!

Verb: ver; Future stem: ver

Object Pronoun: o Ferno (lo)
Subject: elas

Elas vero o Ferno amanh.

Simplified: Elas ver+lo+o amanh. = Elas ver-lo-o amanh.

!
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, its a largely literary form, and a very old literary form at that, so you dont
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 irmo j tinha comido o jantar quando retornei da escola.

My brother had already eaten dinner when I returned from school.

 2014 Shashank Rao

Section 11: Shopping

!
Vocabulary: Stores
!

o supermercado - supermarket
a farmcia/drogaria - pharmacy/drug store
a loja de departamentos - department store
o emprio/mercado/armzem - general/grocery store
a livraria - bookstore
o shopping center - mall (a loan word; a bit rare)
a joalheria - jewelry store
a loja de convenincias - convenience store
a loja de ferragens - hardware store
a geladaria - ice cream parlor
a agncia de viagem - travel agency
a loja de mveis - 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 sacolo/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

!
Vocabulary: Items for Sale and Other Terms
!

a jia - jewel
a aliana/o anel - ring
o bracelete - bracelet
o colar - necklace
o brinco - earring
o relgio de pulso - wristwatch
a roupa - clothing/garment/outfit/clothes (Note: when youre referring to what multiple people
are wearing, you say as roupas, because a roupa only refers to one persons clothes)
o terno/o facto - suit
a gravata - tie
o cinto - belt
a saia - skirt
a cala - pants
o jeans - jeans (as in denim trousers)

 2014 Shashank Rao

a cueca/calcinha - underwear (mens/womens; Dont 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 palet - (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 (mens/womens; though a carteira is usable for both genders)
o par - pair
o jogo/conjunto - set (of items)
o lenol - bed sheet
o sistema ele(c)trnico - electronic system (Eu. spelling uses c)
a sof - sofa
a cadeira - chair
o carpete - carpet
o ladrilho/azulejo - tile (ladrilho only applies to floor tiles, whereas azulejo is more general)
o preo - 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 liquidao - 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
pagare - to pay

 2014 Shashank Rao

fazer compra - to shop

ir s 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

ns cabemos

tu cabes
ele/ela/voc cabe

!
Preterite
!

eu coube

eles/elas/vocs cabem

ns coubemos

tu coubeste
ele/ela/voc coube

!
Vocabulary: Adjectives
!

eles/elas/vocs couberam

gratuito(a) - free (of charge)

econmico(a) - economic
frugal/sbrio(a) - frugal/thrifty
caro(a) - expensive/costly
barato(a) - cheap/inexpensive/of poor quality
di alta qualidade - of high quality
variado(a)/vrio(a) - various
mltiplo(a) - multiple
limitado(a) - limited

!
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 its best to learn them both at the same time. But first, lets
see how the imperfect subjunctive goes on its own.

 2014 Shashank Rao

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, were going to look at
the imperfect subjunctive with the conditional.

!
Ex.
!

Sem tu tivesses mais dinheiro, comprarias muitas jias para tua namorada.
If you had more money, you would buy many jewels for your girlfriend.

!
Heres an example of the imperfect subjunctive with the como sem expression.
!
Ex.
!
Minha irm 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/vocs 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/ssemos, and -ssem.

!
-ar Verbs - falar
!
eu falasse

ns falssemos

tu falasses
ele/ela/voc falasse

eles/elas/vocs falassem

eu corresse

ns corrssemos

!
-er Verbs - correr
!
tu corresses

ele/ela/voc corresse

eles/elas/vocs corressem

 2014 Shashank Rao

-ir Verbs - partir

eu partisse

ns partssemos

tu partisses
ele/ela/voc partisse

eles/elas/vocs partissem

Pay close attention to the class of verb, whether its an -ar, -er, or -ir verb. If you dont, you
wont realize that fssemos 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 youll have to
remember is that ir shares its conjugations with ser. The reason that you use an acute accent in
estivssemos for estar is because its still an -ar verb.

!
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.
!

-Voc 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 no foi ao baile com Florencio?

-Maria teria ido com Florencio se ele no tivesse esquecido de ir s compras com ela.

-Why didnt Mary go to the dance with Florence?

-Mary would have gone with Florence if he hadnt 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.

 2014 Shashank Rao

The conditional form of verbs can be used to make polite requests or ask polite questions.

!
Ex.
!

Voc 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

ns falaramos

tu falarias
ele/ela/voc falaria

eles/elas/vocs falariam

eu correria

ns correramos

!
-er Verbs - correr
!
tu correrias

ele/ela/voc correria

eles/elas/vocs correriam

eu partiria

ns partiramos

!
-ir Verbs - partir
!
tu partirias

ele/ela/voc partiria

eles/elas/vocs partiriam

 2014 Shashank Rao

Section 12: The World

!
Vocabulary: The Natural World
!

a natureza - nature
o mundo - world
o rio - river
o riacho/crrego/ribeiro/ribeiro - stream
o lago - lake
o mar - sea
o oceano - ocean
o tanque/a lagoa - pond
o pntano - marsh/wetland
a cachoeira/queda-dgua - waterfall
a baa - bay
o golfo - gulf
o corpo dgua - body of water
a vastido - 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 fbrica - factory
a represa - dam
a contaminao/poluio - contamination/pollution
a reserva - reserve
o prdio/edifcio - building
a cidade - city
a civilizao - civilization
a humanidade - humanity
a fronteira - border

 2014 Shashank Rao

o parque - park
a usina - power plant
a instalao de pesquisa - research facility
a base militar - military base
o prdio/edifcio do governo - government building
o palao/pao - palace
o castelo - castle
o problema - issue/problem
o cidado - citizen
a cidadania - citizenship
o debate/a discusso - debate
o ambientalismo - environmentalism
o parlamento - parliament
o reino - reign/kingdom
o domnio - realm/dominion
a zona/o distrito - zone/district
a regio - 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 cant 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 esforo - to make an effort
pesquisar - to research
investigar - to investigate

!
!

 2014 Shashank Rao

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 isnt certain or
for whatever reason isnt likely, put in the subjunctive. Its 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

ns falarmos

tu falares
ele/ela/voc falar

eles/elas/vocs falarem

eu correr

ns corrermos

!
-er Verbs - correr
!
tu correres

ele/ela/voc correr

eles/elas/vocs correrem

eu partir

ns partirmos

!
-ir Verbs - partir
!
tu partires

ele/ela/voc partir

!
Ex.
!

eles/elas/vocs partirem

Espero que voc aspirar/tu aspirares uma carreira muita ambiciosa.

I hope that you will pursue a very ambitious career.

 2014 Shashank Rao

Its also important to note that the future subjunctive is about the only rule breaker when it
comes to balancing tenses, because the indicative clause is often in present, but 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 youre 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 ns viramos para o casamento.

He believed that we would come for/to the wedding.

!
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 and toughness (augmentative).

The use of these endings isnt 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: -o/-ona (masc./fem.), but -zo/-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:
!
-acho
-icha
-isco
-ilho
-ela

 2014 Shashank Rao

!
Other Augmentatives:
!
-anzil
-aru
-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,
mulhero. 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, -ara 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.

!
Ex.
!

leitaria = dairy store

sapataria = shoe store
geladaria = ice cream store
livraria = bookstore

 2014 Shashank Rao

Section 13: Advanced Terminology and Colloquial Speech

!
Vocabulary: Political Terminology
!

o partido - party (political)

a fa(c)o - faction (Eu. spelling uses the c)
o movimento - movement
a repblica - 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 cmara - houses (of a legislative body)
o/a representante - representative
o/a senador(a) - senator
a legislao - legislation
a poltica - policy
a constituio - 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 independncia - independence
a neutralidade - neutrality
a autonomia - autonomy
o bem-estar - well-being
o auxlio/a previdncia social - welfare/public subsidies
o programa - program/policy
o subsdio/a subveno - subsidy/funding
o governo - government
a opinio/o preconceito - opinion/bias
a parcialidade/tendenciosidade/propenso - prejudice/inclination/bias
a eficcia - efficacy
a aptido - aptitude
a conseqncia - consequence (as in effect)
a importncia - importance
o efeito/resultado - effect
a interveno - intervention
a eleio - election
o/a candidato(a) - candidate (aspirante for a job applicant)
o incumbente - incumbent

 2014 Shashank Rao

a concesso/permisso - concession (the act of conceding)

a concesso/o privilgio - concession (as in a privilege)
a subveno/bolsa - financial grant
a doao - land grant
o estado - state/status
a unio - union
o sindicato - labor union
o exlio - exile
o banimento - banishment
o trabalho - labor/work
a interdio - ban
o aborto - abortion
a liberdade - liberty/freedom
a liberdade de expresso - 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 acadmica - 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 representao - representation
a justia - justice
o/a juiz(a) - judge
a corte de justia/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 recesso - recession
a crise - crisis
o salrio - wage

 2014 Shashank Rao

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 dvida - debt
o emprstimo - loan
a conta - account
o saque a descoberto - overdraft (also o dbito)
o cheque - cheque
o extrato - statement
o bem/ativo/haver - asset (as in possessions)
o empreendimento - asset (as in stocks)
o dficit - deficit
o excedente - surplus
o oramento - budget
a crise econmica - credit crunch (accumulation of debt due to loans)
o lucro/ganho/proveito - profit/earnings
a perda - loss
a quebra - market crash
a ao - 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 injustia - injustice
a desigualdade - inequality
a igualdade - equality
o igualitarismo - egalitarianism
o/a igualitrio(a) - egalitarian
o/a filantropo(a) - philanthropist
a filantropia - philanthropy
a quadrilha - mob
o lao - tie/link (figurative)
o censo - census
a unanimidade - unanimity
o consenso - consensus

 2014 Shashank Rao

o preconceito - prejudice
a discriminao - 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
esforar-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

!
Vocabulary: Adjectives
!

claro(a) - clear
racional/razonvel - rational/reasonable

 2014 Shashank Rao

lgico(a) - logical
ilgico(a) - illogical
corrupto(a) - corrupt
honesto(a) - honest
desonesto(a) - dishonest
duvidoso(a)/suspeito(a) - shady/of disreputable nature
ambguo(a) - ambiguous
desacreditado(a) - disreputable
popular - popular
famoso(a) - famous
cruel - cruel
benevolente/caridoso(a) - benevolent
discutvel - debatable
injusto(a) - unjust
evidente/bvio(a) - evident/blatant
democrtico(a) - democratic
republicano(a) - republican
fascista - fascist (invariable in gender)
comunista - communist (invariable in gender)
socialista - socialist (invariable in gender)
ignorante - ignorant
detestvel - hateful
tolo(a)/bobo(a) - foolish (In Brazil, bobo can be somewhat offensive)
preconceituoso(a)/parcial - partial/biased
conservador(a) - conservative
tolerante/flexvel - tolerant
liberal - liberal
progressivo(a) - progressive
subversivo(a) - subversive
autnomo(a) - autonomous

!
Portuguese Idioms and Slang
!

Now, every language has its idiomatic expressions. Portuguese slang words, called as grias 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, youll find that it has many words to offend women, so
do be careful.

Were 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. Well 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.

 2014 Shashank Rao

legal/(giro(a)/fixe) - cool/awesome (Br./Eu.)

do pioril - Synonym of pssimo and ruim (Portugal only)
o tdio/a seca - Something boring or tedious (Br./Eu.)
brutal - Synonym of fantstico(a) (fantastic) and incrvel (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.)
bu - Synonym of muito(a) (Portugal only)
fogo! - Oh goodness! (Portugal only)
P - Dude/man (as in What are doing, man?) (Portugal only)
Porreiro! - Great!/Excellent! (Portugal only)
bagulho - drug/ugly woman (very offensive) (Brazil only)
Beleza?/Qual? - Whats up? (Brazil only)
C - Short form of voc (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 mens
underwear in Brazil, where a calcinha is female underwear
a injeo VS a pica - injection/shot; Pica in Brazil is a vulgar way to refer to a mans 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 mich 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 aougue VS o talho - butcher shop
a aeromoa VS a hospedeira de bordo - flight attendant

 2014 Shashank Rao

a gua sanitria VS a lixvia - bleach

a gua-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 doesnt bathe often
o banheiro VS a casa de banho - bathroom
o/a salva-vidas VS o banheiro - lifeguard
a bluso VS a camisola - windbreaker
o bonde VS o elctrico - tram
brego(a) VS piroso(a) - tacky; Piroso doesnt 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 conversvel VS o descapotvel - convertible
o encanador VS o picheleiro - plumber
o esparadrapo VS o penso rpido - adhesive plaster
aparcar VS estacionar - to park
o grampeador VS o agrafador - stapler
as meias VS as pegas - socks
inflvel VS insuflvel - inflatable
a multa VS a coima - fine/ticket
o pedestre VS a peo - pedestrian; In Brazil, peo is a farm worker, or a person with a lower
job in a factory
o abridor de garrafas VS a tira-cpsulas - 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

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For the idioms, only the meaning of the idiom will be given.
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Brazilian Portuguese Idioms
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para caramba - used to emphasize an idea; Est fro para caramba! (Its frickin/ so cold!);
This is kind of informal.
No t nem a! - I dont care/give a damn!
T fora! - Im out!/Dont count on me!
Valeu - Thanks (informal); Used mostly by men and young people.
J era! - Its 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 Itlia! (I wish to go to Italy!)
tirar de letra - to sail through the experience; to do something easily
abusar da sorte - to push ones luck

 2014 Shashank Rao

A vaca foi pro brejo. - Things went south; Everything went wrong.
cair do cavalo - To fail miserably at something; to fall flat on ones face
ficar com um p atrs - to be careful or suspicious of something
dar murro em punta de faca - to insist in vain
dar uma de joo-sem-brao - to play dumb
Escreveu, no leu, o pau comeu. - If you misbehave, youll suffer the consequences.
Uma mo na roda - a big help/something very convenient
A esperana a ltima que morre! - Hope dies last!
Antes tarde do que nunca. - Better late than never.
Faz o que eu digo, no o que eu fao. - Dont do as I do, do as I say.
De gro em gro, 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.
H males que vm para bem. - Every cloud has a silver lining./Everything happens for a
reason.
Em casa de ferreiro, o espeto de pau. - You dont do at a home what you do at work.
Em terra de cego, quem tem um olho 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 gua fria. - Once bitten, twice shy.
Quem ama o feio, bonito lhe parece. - Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

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European Portuguese Idioms:
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A cavalo dado no se olha o dente. - Dont look a gift horse in the mouth.
A esperana a ltima a morrer. - Hope dies last.
Mais vale tarde do que nunca. - Better late than never.
Bem prega Frei Toms: fazei o que ele diz, no o que ele faz. - Dont do as I do, do as I say.
Cada um por si, Deus por todos. - Every man for himself and Devil take the hindmost.
Gro a gro, enche a galinha o papo. - If you look after the pennies, the pounds will look after
themselves.
Deus escreve direito por linhas tortas./H males que vm por bem. - Every cloud has a silver
lining./Everything happens for a reason.
Diz-me com quem andas, e te direi quem s. - Birds of a feather flock together.
Dos fracos no reza a histria. - History does not report the actions of the defeated.
Em casa de ferreiro, espeto de pau. - You dont do at home what you do at work.
Em Roma s como os romanos. - When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Em terra de cegos, quem tem olho rei. - In the land of blind, the one-eyed man is king.
Entre marido e mulher no metas a colher. - Dont interfere in a couples affairs.
Gato escaldado da gua fria tem medo. - Once bitten, twice shy.
No se pode tocar os sinos e andar na procisso. - You cant 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.

 2014 Shashank Rao

Idioms Common to Both Brazilian and European Portuguese

Enquanto h vida, h esperana. - While there is life, there is hope.

A galinha da vizinha sempre melhor do que a minha. - The grass is always greener on the
other side of the fence.
gua mole em pedra dura, tanto bate at que fura. - Insistence will wear one down.
Cada um d o que tem, a mais no obrigado. - One should give in proportion to what one has.
Cada cabea, sua sentena. - 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, youll eventually attain your goals.
Longe dos olhos, longe do corao. - Out of sight, out of mind.
Mais vale s que mal acompanhado. - Better alone than in bad company.
Mais vale um pssaro no mo do que dois a voar. - A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.