Learning Notes

Let’s go over the times of day in Portuguese! These are the from sunrise to sunset: – from until 6am/dawn (around ) – from about 6am until – from noon until about 6pm (or around when it gets dark) – from about 6pm to midnight

Remember definite articles? They’re the little words that mean the in Portuguese. They correspond to the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the item in reference, so there are 4 possibilities: o, a, os, and as. However, it’s not always as simple as just replacing the with o, a, os, or as. […]

In the Numbers 1 unit, we gave you an overview of many different types of numbers, and we practiced with just 0-19. Now it’s time to pick up where we left off, so we can start using higher numbers. The lessons in this unit will focus on Portuguese numbers in the tens, hundreds, and thousands.

After learning the rules for conjugating verbs, you may have noticed that certain Portuguese verbs are not spelled the way you would expect… If a verb is spelled and spoken completely differently, this is because it’s an irregular verb. But if it’s still spoken as expected, it probably just means it’s a regular verb with […]

In this Learning Note, we’ll present a lot of Portuguese vocabulary related to different family members and loved ones. Then you can practice using these new words in the Lessons that follow. You may wish to add some of these words to your Smart Review, depending on which members of you like to talk about […]

When you start learning about Portuguese prepositions, you’ll quickly realize that the translation is very dependent on context. This makes it tricky for non-native speakers to determine which preposition to use. In this Learning Note, we’ll review some commonly confused prepositions to help clarify these distinctions. Place: When to Use “A” vs “Em” The preposition […]

In addition to being one of the most difficult Portuguese words for foreigners to pronounce correctly, is Portugal’s most treasured dish and it is highly associated with its national identity.

~ Written by Edyta of the blog Say Yes to Madeira. Explore her blog for a complete guide to what Madeira has to offer! When visiting the Madeira archipelago, you will have a chance to learn some interesting vocabulary. Here are some useful words you will often encounter, plus a pronunciation guide to the island’s […]

can be seen pretty much all over Portugal, especially in those cute little souvenir shops. Usually the galo comes in ceramic form, but you will also see it embroidered on towels and aprons, in woodwork, and even on key-chains! The most common version of the Galo de Barcelos is black with colourful dots and red […]

Ever wondered how to start and end an email in Portuguese? It’s not always as simple as translating the phrases you would use in your native language. What sounds friendly or formal in one language might sound rude or unusual in another. And you don’t want to greet a friend the same way you greet […]

This Learning Note was designed to serve as a very condensed overview of basic Portuguese grammar. We hope this will help give you a “big picture” view of the language before you dive into the details. You’ll notice there are many links throughout, in case you want to explore a particular topic, or bookmark it […]

Whether you’re going shopping for new clothes or you just want to talk about what you’re wearing, it’s helpful to know some vocabulary for basic clothing items in Portuguese. Get Dressed! First, let’s cover which verbs we can use to talk about getting dressed. Usar can be confusing because it also means to use, but […]