Let’s learn how to tell time in Portuguese! That way you’ll know whether you are , , or . 🙂 If you don’t have a phone or watch with you, you could ask someone , or the more formal/polite: While many countries favour the 12-hour clock system, Portugal usually uses the 24-hour clock, especially in more […]
Hours and Telling Time
Aprender Português? Vejo-me Grego! (Video)
Learning Portuguese? I'm Seeing Myself Greek (I'm Struggling)!
In this video, Joel (o Canadiano) interviews Pedro, a personal trainer in Lisboa. When he saw which videos and website his Greek girlfriend was using to learn Portuguese, he immediately recognized Rui and Joel as members of the gym!
Instead of just taking a photo together, we decided it would be a bigger surprise for her to see her boyfriend pop up in her YouTube activity feed! So we recorded this interview to make it happen…
During the conversation, we discuss:
• Common challenges that make Portuguese difficult for non-natives to master
• Learning your partner’s language while in a relationship
• Specific grammar and pronunciation peculiarities in European Portuguese
Disclaimer: Since this interview is spontaneous and Joel is not a native speaker, he makes a few mistakes (eg. “Isto é” instead of “Este é” when introducing Pedro!) Members who see the subtitles / transcription will see the corrections, and hopefully learn from these common errors. But for those who just hear the audio or view the video without subtitles, just make sure to take Joel’s grammar with a grain of salt and focus more on Pedro! 🙂
Aprender Português? Vejo-me Grego! (Video)
Learning Portuguese? I'm seeing myself Greek (I'm struggling)!
In this video, Joel (o Canadiano) interviews Pedro, a personal trainer in Lisboa. When he saw which videos and website his Greek girlfriend was using to learn Portuguese, he immediately recognized Rui and Joel as members of the gym!
Instead of just taking a photo together, we decided it would be a bigger surprise for her to see her boyfriend pop up in her YouTube activity feed! So we recorded this interview to make it happen…
During the conversation, we discuss:
• Common challenges that make Portuguese difficult for non-natives to master
• Learning your partner’s language while in a relationship
• Specific grammar and pronunciation peculiarities in European Portuguese
Disclaimer: Since this interview is spontaneous and Joel is not a native speaker, he makes a few mistakes (eg. “Isto é” instead of “Este é” when introducing Pedro!) Members who see the subtitles / transcription will see the corrections, and hopefully learn from these common errors. But for those who just hear the audio or view the video without subtitles, just make sure to take Joel’s grammar with a grain of salt and focus more on Pedro! 🙂
Combining "A" With Demonstratives
As previously mentioned, the preposition can be combined with the articles o, a, os, and as to become ao, à, aos, and às. As far as demonstratives are concerned, a can only form contractions with aquele(s), aquela(s), and aquilo. A + Variable Demonstratives a + aquele = a + aqueles = a + aquela = […]
The Preposition "A"
A is a very important and versatile Portuguese preposition. It can correspond to many different English words, depending on the context. For example: – i.e. “From here to a week” – Within the time frame from now until a week from now More often than not, it means “to”, but it’s important not to get […]
Combining "Em" with Demonstratives
The preposition can be combined with variable and invariable demonstratives to form a number of very useful contractions. Remember that all the same rules for demonstratives remain valid when they appear in the following contractions. Em + Variable Demonstratives Relative Position Demonstrative Contraction Near the speaker: Near the listener: Away from both: These contractions can be used […]
Combining "De" with Demonstratives
You learned in The Preposition “De” (from the first Prepositions unit) that de has several different meanings and can be joined together (contracted) with: articles (do, da, dos, das), and pronouns (dele, dela, deles, delas) De + Variable Demonstratives Another very common combination is with demonstratives. Let’s look at the contractions formed by combining with variable demonstratives: […]
Digging Deeper into Prepositions
You have learned that prepositions are usually small, but important, words that usually come before a noun to show how it relates to other elements in the sentence. An important part of mastering European Portuguese is not only learning the meaning of each of these prepositions, but also the nuances of when each one should […]
Invariable Demonstrative Pronouns
In the previous lessons of this unit, you learned about variable demonstratives, which change depending on the gender and number of the objects(s) they describe. Here’s some good news for you: invariable demonstrative pronouns are much easier to learn, because as you can see below, there are only 3 of them. You still have to consider the […]
Variable Demonstratives
As we mentioned, when you say this, that, these, or those in Portuguese, you have to be a little more specific… Variable demonstratives are used to indicate all of the following at once: a person or object’s gender the number (one or more) the position in space or time The gender and number part is […]
Introduction to Portuguese Demonstratives
The European Portuguese demonstratives are este(s), esta(s), esse(s), essa(s), aquele(s), aquela(s), isto, isso, and aquilo. identify a particular person or object and establish its location in relation to the speaker, the listener, or simply within the general context. They can tell us, for example, whether something is close or distant, in either space or time. […]
The Preposition "Em"
In The preposition is usually a bit easier to understand compared to others. Although there are multiple uses, em most commonly refers to being “in” something, either physically or conceptually: Other Meanings Em can also have other meanings, such as about, on, and at.
The Difference Between Por and Para
This difference between por and para in Portuguese is a topic that is tricky for English speakers. Although both of these words can translate to “for”, you have to choose the correct one depending on the context. As with the other prepositions, it’s best to think about how each word is used, rather than the […]
The Preposition "De"
is one of the first Portuguese prepositions you should learn because it’s extremely common and used in a variety of different situations. De can correspond to many different English translations, depending on the context. Let’s explore some of its many uses: About By On
Prepositions in Portuguese
What is a Preposition? In this Learning Note, we’ll learn about Portuguese prepositions, but first let’s review: what exactly is a preposition? are short words that usually occur before a noun (or pronoun). They show how the noun relates to another element in the sentence in terms of time, location, movement, or other parameters. For […]
Conjunctions That Present An Explanation
Explicative coordinating conjunctions (conjunções coordenativas explicativas), link parts of the sentence to indicate a reason or explanation. The most common are: (at the start of sentences) (in the middle of sentences) (in the middle of sentences) Examples:
Conjunctions That Indicate Cause & Effect
Conclusive coordinating conjunctions (conjunções coordenativas conclusivas), as the name implies, express a consequence or conclusion. More specifically, these Portuguese conjunctions indicate a cause and effect relationship between parts of the sentence. A couple common examples are and . In the right context, pois and logo can also be included in this group. As standalone words […]
Conjunctions That Present A Choice
Disjunctive coordinating conjunctions (conjunções coordenativas disjuntivas) express an idea of choice or alternative, i.e. that only one of the parts of the sentence can be true. The most obvious example is: Here are some other examples:
Conjunctions That Show Contrast
Adversative coordinative conjunctions (conjunções coordenativas adversativas) indicate a contrast between parts of the sentence. The most common ones are and Examples: Some less common adversative conjunctions are: Examples:
Conjunctions With An Additive Effect
Copulative coordinating conjunctions (conjunções coordenativas copulativas), also known as cumulative conjunctions, link parts of the sentence together with a simple additive effect. Here are a few common examples: Let’s see some examples of how to use these in a sentence:
Introduction to Portuguese Conjunctions
are words that connect other words or phrases together. They indicate different types of relationships between parts of the sentence. Unlike adjectives, Portuguese conjunctions do not change form according to a subject’s gender or quantity. They always stay the same (i.e. they are invariable). Conjunctions are important because they help you link your thoughts together […]
5000 Portuguese Words You Already Know
Have you ever noticed that sometimes you can look a Portuguese word you’ve never seen before, but still understand what it means? Or if you have already had a Portuguese conversation, you may have even successfully guessed a word you had never previously studied, just by changing the ending of an English word. When words are similar in […]
Regular vs. Irregular Verbs
As if learning 50 conjugations of each verb wasn’t enough, we also have to watch out for the dreaded irregular verbs! 🙈 In previous lessons, you learned the verb , one of the most common irregular verbs in Portuguese. But why is it called “irregular”? Well, verbs are irregular when they don’t follow the same […]
Portuguese Verbs and Personal Pronouns
Time for some action! 🕺🏻💃🏻 We’ve covered a few basics already, but we won’t get very far without talking about . This Learning Note is a brief overview of how Portuguese verbs work, as well as the personal pronouns associated with each conjugation. Just like in English, a Portuguese verb expresses an action. For example: […]