Let’s explore some useful vocabulary: colours in Portuguese! Even if you’re not an artist, it helps to know . How else will you talk about all the beautiful tiles and buildings around you in Portugal? Plus, next time you’re shopping, you’ll have an easier time asking for what you need. You can even use colours […]
Colours in Portuguese
How to Use the Verb Ficar
The verb is a very common, and important, Portuguese verb. Ficar is sort of like a Swiss army knife, as it can take on many meanings… but you also have to be careful with it! In most cases, this verb means to be, to stay, to become, or to keep. It implies that something happened or will […]
Ordering a Beer in Portugal
Wine is clearly the most popular beverage in Portugal, but let’s not forget about !Ordering a draft beer in Portugal will typically cost you about 1€ – 3€ (or even less if you go with a bottle)!
Portuguese Cheese
Portuguese cheese is a frequently found on the table, both at homes and in the restaurants of Portugal. Slices of regional cheese and ham are often served together with bread, olives and pates as starters. Although today there is a huge variety of cheeses and most are made on an industrial scale, traditional cheeses are […]
Christmas in Portugal
It’s almost that time of the year again! Whether you’re experiencing Christmas in Portugal firsthand or celebrating from afar, we want to share a number of our favourite resources to help you learn and communicate about the holiday season.
How to Talk About Likes and Dislikes in Portuguese
I like… The most important verb to learn when talking about likes and dislikes in Portuguese is . Let’s start with a simple example: It’s important to remember that the preposition goes along with the verb gostar. Adding de may seem strange at first to English speakers because we don’t use a preposition in this context. […]
Kissing Etiquette in Portugal
To Kiss or Not to Kiss? There’s more to Portuguese greetings than just what you say, so let’s talk about the cultural aspect as well, plus some other phrases that may come up during introductions. There is quite a bit of variability in appropriate greetings within different contexts, so you can’t rely on any strict […]
Guide to Portuguese Fish
With almost 1000 km of coast (not even counting the islands) and at 200 km wide, it’s only natural that Portuguese cuisine contains an abundance of fish dishes. We are, after all, the country that eats the most fish per capita in Europe! The most emblematic Portuguese fish is , which has been part of […]
Falar, Dizer, and Contar
This guide will focus on the differences between the Portuguese verbs falar, dizer, and contar. The meanings of these words are actually very similar because they all relate to speaking or communicating information. In fact, they’re often considered synonyms and can be used interchangeably in certain contexts. However, it’s important to understand the differences as you […]
Portuguese Contractions
are simply the result of merging two words into one. In English, this includes words like I’m (I + am), you’re (you + are), we’ll (we + will), etc. With Portuguese contractions, however, it typically happens when certain prepositions are combined with certain other types of words. Which Words Form Contractions in Portuguese? When these […]
Verb Phrases & Clitic Pronouns
In our unit on clitic object pronouns in Portuguese, we discussed where to place clitics within a sentence. More specifically, we talked about whether the clitic goes before the verb, after the verb, or in the middle of the verb. When auxiliary verbs get involved, there are now 2 verbs, so the rules change a […]
Pronunciation Guide for European Portuguese Consonants
Portuguese and English share a common alphabet, for the most part, and many of the sounds associated with each consonant are quite similar. If you’re a native English speaker, the pronunciations to pay special attention to are those associated with the vowels, which we will cover in a separate learning note, as well as […]
Pronunciation Guide for European Portuguese Vowels
It’s time to take a deep dive into the pronunciation of vowels in European Portuguese! First we’ll invite you to play around with this interactive guide and then we’ll cover all the factors that go into creating the variety of subtle variations between each vowel sound. Pronunciation of Vowels in European Portuguese Explore the guide […]
European vs Brazilian Portuguese
What’s the difference between European Portuguese vs Brazilian Portuguese? For starters, European Portuguese is the variant spoken in Portugal and is more similar to the dialects spoken in Africa and Asia. (It is sometimes called Continental Portuguese, or even Portuguese Portuguese! 😄 ) Given the size and population of Brazil, however, the Brazilian Portuguese set […]
The European Portuguese Alphabet
This Learning Note will teach you how to spell using the letters of the European Portuguese alphabet, which will likely come in handy if you ever travel or move to Portugal. Receiving packages, making phone calls, and setting up services often require you to spell your name or other personal information, such as the name […]
Future Subjunctive
As previously mentioned, the allows us to talk about the conditions that must be met in order for a potential future action to occur, (i.e. “If this goes well, I will do that” or “When we get home, I will do that”). This tense appears in subordinate adverbial clauses (i.e. clauses which function like an […]
Imperfect Subjunctive
Another tense that makes up part of the conjuntivo is the . You learned about the pretérito imperfeito do indicativo, which references past events that were ongoing. In the conjuntivo, however, the imperfect refers to: past or future wishes and desires; something purely hypothetical in the past or future: i.e. imagining “what could have been” […]
Present Subjunctive
Presente do Conjuntivo As one of the tenses that makes up part of the conjuntivo (subjunctive) mood, the lets you talk about something that may or may not happen, but that is within the realm of possibility. This includes hopes, fears, doubts, and other hypotheticals. It tends to be paired with the presente do indicativo, […]
The Subjunctive Mood in Portuguese (Conjuntivo)
Conjuntivo: What is it? What in English is called the subjunctive mood, in European Portuguese is named . While the mood refers to actions that are certain or real, the conjuntivo, in contrast, indicates something possible, desired, hypothetical, or even unreal. It conveys the idea of uncertainty, doubt, or hope. It is often found in […]
Common Herbs & Spices in Portuguese Cuisine
Before we go any further, it’s best to explain the difference between and . Simply put, herbs are leaves while spices are seeds, bark, roots, and flowers. If you love food like we do, or want to understand the menu at a Portuguese restaurant, we think you’ll enjoy this guide to vocabulary for herbs and […]
Using Prepositions in Portuguese Questions
We’ll cover prepositions in more detail in later units, but for now, let’s go over a few prepositional phrases that come up frequently within Portuguese questions. You’ll notice that the preposition always comes right before the question word: Para Por
Using “é que” in European Portuguese Questions
You may have come across é que in a variety of Portuguese questions and wondered why these extra words are added. The pair of words is technically optional (the meaning stays the same with or without it), but including é que in Portuguese questions is so common that you should typically default to including it. […]
Asking Questions in Portuguese
Yes/No Questions in Portuguese There are a number of different ways to form questions in Portuguese. We’ll start with those for which the answers are either affirmative or negative. These are the easiest Portuguese questions to ask because very few changes have to be made to turn a statement into a question. 1. Add a […]
Saying No
The Basics: No & Not This is how to say no in Portuguese: The simplest way to make a sentence negative in Portuguese is just to place the word before the verb. This is the Portuguese equivalent of adding “no” or “not” to a sentence in English. Examples: Não is also used at the beginning […]