Earlier in this unit, we focused on in the indicative and conditional moods. Now we’ll cover the compound tenses in the , as well as . Don’t worry, the basic formula is still the same 😉: auxiliary verb ter + past participle of the main verb.
Compound Tenses – Subjunctive Mood and Nominal Verb Forms
Compound Tenses – Indicative and Conditional Moods
A Portuguese verb form can appear in a simple tense (only the main verb) or in a compound tense, which is a combination of an auxiliary verb and the past participle of the main verb. The most common used in is the verb ter. For example:
English Expressions in Portuguese
One challenge of learning Portuguese, or any language, is that you can’t simply translate literally. Each language has its own conventions for how to word different concepts. This is known as idiomatic language. In this Learning Note, we’re focusing mostly on how to translate English “phrasal verbs” into Portuguese. (If you’re looking for other types […]
Choosing Between Portuguese Prepositions
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. Location: When to Use “A” vs “Em” The preposition […]
“With” In Portuguese – How To Use It Correctly
In today’s episode you’ll learn about a very important preposition — “com”, which means “with” in Portuguese. “Com” can be tricky because of how it combines with personal pronouns. For example, you can’t say “com mi” ❌. You have to say “comigo” ✅ – “with me”. Some pronouns take on a new form like this […]
The 3 Most Important Portuguese Conjunctions
Conjunctions are words that link other words, phrases, or sentences together. You’ll need them to start connecting your thoughts and forming more complex sentences in Portuguese. There are many different Portuguese conjunctions, but we’ll start you off with the 3 most common. Can you guess what they are? Stay tuned until the end for a […]
How to Say No in Portuguese
Let’s learn how to say “no” in Portuguese! To say “no” or to make a statement negative, just remember this one word and add it before the verb. This video is a part of European Portuguese for Beginners series that covers basic Portuguese grammar, vocabulary and common European Portuguese expressions. If you want to learn […]
Indefinite Articles in Portuguese Grammar
In today’s video we’re going to introduce you to indefinite articles in Portuguese. Watch and learn how to say “a” or “some” in Portuguese, when you want to refer to a less specific instance of something. Stay tuned until the end for a short demo lesson, featuring activities from the Practice Portuguese learning platform, plus […]
Definite Articles in Portuguese Grammar
In today’s video we’ll introduce you to definite articles in Portuguese. Did you know there are 4 different ways to say “the”?? 😱 This video is a part of our European Portuguese for Beginners video series that covers basic Portuguese grammar, vocabulary, and common European Portuguese expressions. Stay tuned until the end for a short […]
Se o Plano Correr Bem
If The Plan Goes Well
Luís and Rita come up with a hare-brained scheme to rob a jewellery store. As they discuss their plans, take note of how the futuro do conjuntivo is used throughout.
Basic Portuguese Grammar
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 […]
O Dilema
The Dilemma
Júlia has to decide whether or not to reveal a secret. Notice how the personal infinitive, imperfect subjunctive, and the conditional are used throughout the dialogue.
Os Vários Empregos do Senhor Ramiro
The Various Jobs Of Sr. Ramiro
Luísa stops at the bakery to buy some bread and chat with Sr. Ramiro, an old family friend who seems to have had every profession imaginable! Notes for this episode: Notice how Luísa treats Sr. Ramiro with the formal form of “you” and he treats Luísa with the informal form (tu). Learn more about informal […]
Passa-se Cá um Briol
It's Very Cold in Here
Rodrigo complains to Adelaide about how cold their home is. Familiarize yourself with a number of reflexive verbs throughout the dialogue.
The Gerund
It’s time to learn how to use the gerund in European Portuguese! 🥳 Simples vs. Composto So what is the exactly? For English speakers, it generally corresponds to the verb form ending in -ing, when it is used as a noun (e.g. “I like cooking“). However, the Portuguese gerund plays a different role, which is […]
Relative Determiners – Cujo
Let’s talk about relative determiners! There is only one relative determiner – cujo (and its variants). This is a relatively recent change to the terminology, so you may find a lot of articles that list cujo as either a relative pronoun or a quantifier, but this is incorrect. Relative determiners always agree in number and […]
How to Use the Verb Andar
The simplest translation for the Portuguese verb andar is “to walk”, but the fun doesn’t stop there! Andar can take on many different meanings, depending on the context. As opposed to , which is pretty straightforward, refers more to the general act of moving, acting, or changing places. It can indicate that an action is […]
Word Order in Portuguese Questions
Word order is fairly flexible when it comes to Portuguese questions, so let’s review the possibilities. Then we’ll introduce one more option that you haven’t seen yet. Yes/No Questions Word Order 1. Add a question mark to the end of a statement 2. Add a phrase like “não é?” to the end of a statement […]
Coisas Do Destino
Things Of Fate
Jorge tells Soraia about meeting up with an old “friend” over the weekend. Notice the use of many regular and irregular verbs in the simple past tense.
Diminutives in European Portuguese
Today we’re going to look at diminutives. But what exactly are they? are usually used to describe an object or a person as small or cute. They can also be used to express affection or pity towards someone/ something. Depending on the tone, they can also be used sarcastically. We often use diminutives when we […]
Augmentatives in European Portuguese
We learned a bit about diminutives earlier, so now it’s time to look at their opposites: augmentatives. Augmentatives in Portuguese are usually used to add emphasis when describing a person or object as strong, large, or ugly. Sometimes they can be quite pejorative (and funny)! In the Diminutives’ Learning Note we mentioned that the augmentative […]
Relative Pronouns
This unit will cover relative pronouns in Portuguese. Relative pronouns are used to connect a dependent clause to the main clause of a sentence. A dependent clause refers to someone or something mentioned previously. The relative pronoun establishes a relationship with an antecedent and it’s that relation that allows us to understand who or what […]
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 […]
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 […]