A man talks about what he did yesterday and today. Notice how different forms of the past tense are used throughout the story.
Semana Produtiva
Productive Week
A Mulher que Adormece em Todo o Lado
The Woman Who Falls Asleep Everywhere
Nuno talks to Helena about her sleeping problem.
Estás A Ser Sarcástica?
Are You Being Sarcastic?
Rivals Joaquim and Rita catch up and discuss their careers. How many Portuguese-English cognates do you notice throughout their dialogue?
O Quadruplo Castigo
Quadruple Punishment
Four punishments in one day?! Note: pôr de castigo basically means to punish (someone). In this Shorty, the phrase takes on a few different meanings given the different contexts (detention, time-out, grounded, etc.).
Viver Para Dar aos Outros
Living To Give To Others
Martim finds his calling. Verbs practice: irregular Portuguese verbs in the simple past tense (pretérito perfeito).
Memórias De Ontem
Memories Of Yesterday
Sofia and André talk about everything they did yesterday with their friends. Notice how different forms of the past tense are used throughout the dialogue.
Recordações De Uma Infância Feliz
Memories Of A Happy Childhood
A brother and sister reminisce on happy memories before clearing out their parents’ home.
Uma Batata no Tubo de Escape
A Potato In The Exhaust Pipe
A man spends the day at the mechanic.
A Primeira Casa Da Matilde
Matilde's First House
After inheriting her grandparents’ cherished home, Matilde decides to do some renovations.
Carapaus de Corrida
Racing Mackerels (i.e. Getting Cocky)
Rodrigo reminisces about his favourite tavern: Tasquinha do Zé Pipo. Notice how the imperfeito do indicativo (past continuous) is used throughout the dialogue.
The End of an Era
O Fim De Uma Era
After almost a decade of Practice Portuguese, it’s time for us to move onto the next phase…
As Recordações Da Rita
Rita's Memories
The arrival of spring reminds Rita of the weekends spent at her grandparents’ farm. As you hear about her favourite memories, you can practice your “R” pronunciation and the pretérito imperfeito do indicativo tense.
Segredo Desvendado
Secret Unveiled
In today’s European Portuguese Listening Practice, a brother confronts his sister about an exciting job offer she has been keeping a secret. Why has she been trying to hide it from everyone? 🚀 Explore the difference between the verbs dizer, falar, and contar.
Um Roubo e um Rombo
A Robbery And A "Leak"
Jorge tells Rute about all the bad luck he’s had lately. As a pronunciation challenge, see if you can notice all the similar sounding words (i.e. Minimal Pairs) spread throughout the dialogue.
Pôr Tudo em Pratos Limpos
Setting The Record Straight (Putting Everything On Clean Plates)
Adriana tells Nuno about how her last relationship ended. Verbs practice: irregular verbs in the simple past
Segredo Desvendado
Secret Revealed
Explore the difference between the verbs dizer, falar, and contar in this dialogue between a brother and sister.
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.
O Fim De Semana Da Joana
Joana's Weekend
Joana had a wonderful weekend! Listen for the simple past tense as she describes all the fun she had with her family.
Uma Carta Enviada Ao Engano
A Letter Sent By Mistake
Mauro is panicking after mistakenly sending a private letter to his mother!
Past Continuous Tense
In this learning note, we’ll discuss the , which is the Portuguese equivalent to the past continuous tense (a.k.a. the past progressive). For simplicity, we’ll refer to it as the . This tense refers to something that took place in the past that was ongoing or did not have a clear endpoint. It imparts this […]
O Mundo Antes de Nós
The World Before Us
Hugo’s son Tiago wonders how the world was before his time, causing his father to take a trip down memory lane.
Regular -ER/-IR Verbs in the Simple Past
-ER Verbs in the Simple Past Regular verbs in the -ER group include and . Let’s see how they would be conjugated in the :
Regular -AR Verbs in the Simple Past
The English simple past tense (e.g. “I went”, “We ate”, “You finished”) corresponds to the Portuguese . As with the present tense, conjugating regular Portuguese verbs in this tense is easier once you learn the patterns for each verb group. Examples of some regular verbs in the -AR group include , , and . Let’s […]