Learning Notes

In this lesson we’ll explore the first two clitic object pronouns in Portuguese, me and te. A few quick reminders: No hyphens are required if they’re proclitics (placed before the verb) 2 hyphens are required if they’re mesoclitic (placed between two parts of verb) 1 hyphen is required if they’re enclitics (placed after the verb) […]

In Portuguese, when we use a verb that asks for both a direct and indirect object, we can create a contraction by combining the 3rd person direct object pronoun with the indirect object pronoun. Naturally, this only applies to cases in which the objects are known, i.e. it’s clear from the context of the conversation […]

In this lesson, we’ll explore 3rd-person clitic object pronouns in Portuguese. We saved these for last because they are a little bit more complicated. Unlike the others we’ve practiced so far in the Clitic Pronouns unit, there are different forms depending on whether it’s a direct or indirect object pronoun. (Visit the introduction learning note […]

are one of the trickiest subjects to learn and master in Portuguese. But don’t despair — we’re here to help! Throughout these lessons you’ll learn how to use clitic object pronouns correctly, but first you should understand more about the difference between direct and indirect objects. The objects of a sentence can be represented in various […]

In this lesson, we’ll have a look at direct and indirect object pronouns in Portuguese. These fall into the category of , along with reflexive pronouns, which we will cover separately, but which follow many of the same rules. Keep in mind that we are focusing on how to use object pronouns in European Portuguese, as […]

What do cooking, taking a trip, shopping for clothing, and building or furnishing a home have in common? They all involve different types of measurements. To prepare you to discuss sizes and measurements in Portuguese, we’ll cover some basic Portuguese vocabulary related to length, width, height, weight, distance, and so on. Here are a few […]

, sometimes called adverbs of mode, tell us how an action happened or the way in which it was carried out. Easy, right? Adverbs of manner can sometimes be mistaken for adjectives, but one thing that distinguishing an adverb of manner (or any adverb) is that they are always invariable. In other respects, Portuguese adverbs […]

In Portuguese, adjectives change form depending on the gender and number of the noun. Similarly to English, they can also be expressed in different : Positive Degree This is the basic form of each adjective. We use it to qualify a noun without making any comparisons. Comparative Degree You use the comparative degree to… you […]

So far, you’ve learned what prepositions are and you’ve been introduced to quite a few of them. Similar to English, there are dozens of prepositions in Portuguese grammar. There are simple prepositions (single words, some of which form contractions with pronouns and articles) and there are phrasal prepositions. For example: Simple preposition (de): Phrasal preposition […]

In this learning note, we’ll explore 3 tricky Portuguese words that can take on very different meanings depending on their placement in a sentence or the type of word they modify: We’ve mentioned these words before, but let’s take a closer look to get more comfortable with their different uses. The Many Lives of Bastante […]

One of the most common adverbs of time is , which at its core means in this moment. Like all other adverbs of time, já is always invariable. It is one of the most frequently used adverbs, and possibly one of the most confusing for non-native speakers! The meaning of já in Portuguese varies quite […]

Portuguese has several to indicate the relative position of a person or object. These are particularly useful to learn:  . In short, cá and aqui both mean here. Aí, lá, ali, and acolá mean there. Below we’ll explore the finer differences between each of these words.