Portuguese I Tutorial- Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

Marinotti 1 / 15
Portuguese I Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar
1. BASIC PHRASES
Bom dia!
Hello! / Good morning!
Boa tarde!
Good afternoon!
Boa noite!
Good evening! / Good night!
Oi/Olá! Tchau!
Hi! / Bye!
Adeus.
Good bye.
Por favor.
Please.
Até mais.
See you / See you later.
Até logo.
See you soon.
Até amanhã.
See you tomorrow.
(Muito) Obrigado.
Thank you (very much).
Não há de quê.
You're welcome. / Don't
mention it.
Bem-vindo
Welcome
Desculpe-me
I'm sorry
Com licença / Perdão.
Excuse me / Pardon
Vamos!
Let's go!
Como o senhor está?
How are you? (formal)
feminine: a senhora
Como vai?
How are you? (informal)
E aí?
How's it going? (Only in
Brazil)
Bem / Muito bem
Well / Very well
Mal / Muito mal / Mais ou
menos
Bad / Very bad / More or less
Sim / Não
Yes / No
Como o senhor se chama?
What is your name? (formal)
Qual é seu nome?
What is your name? (informal)
Me chamo...
My name is...
Prazer em conhecê-lo
Nice to meet you.
Igualmente.
Same here.
Senhor / Senhora /
Senhorita
Mister / Mrs. / Miss
De onde o senhor é?
Where are you from? (formal)
De onde você é?
Eu sou de...
Where are you from? (informal) I'm from...
Quantos anos o senhor tem?
How old are you? (formal)
Quantos anos você tem?
How old are you? (informal)
Eu tenho _____ anos.
I am _____ years old.
O senhor fala português?
Do you speak Portuguese?
(formal)
Você fala inglês?
Do you speak English?
(informal)
(Não) Falo...
I (don't) speak...
Compreende? / Entende?
Do you understand? (formal /
informal)
(Não) Compreendo. / (Não)
Entendo.
I (don't) understand.
Eu (não) sei.
yoh noh loh seh
I (don't) know.
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Pode me ajudar?
Can you help me?
Claro que sim
Of course
Como?
What? Pardon me?
Onde está / Onde estão... ?
Where is ... / Where are ... ?
Aqui
Here.
Há / Havia...
There is / are... / There was /
were...
Como se diz ____ em
português?
How do you say ___ in
Portuguese?
O que é isto?
What is that?
Qual é o problema?
What's the matter (with you)?
Não importa.
It doesn't matter.
O que aconteceu?
What's happening?
Não tenho idéia.
I have no idea.
Estou cansado / doente.
I'm tired / sick.
Estou com fome / sêde.
I'm hungry / thirsty.
Estou com calor / frio.
I'm hot / cold.
Estou chateado.
I'm bored.
Não me importa.
I don't care.
Não se preocupe.
Don't worry
Tudo bem / 'Tá bom.
That's alright.
Me esqueci.
I forgot.
Tenho que ir agora.
I must go now.
Saúde!
Bless you!
Parabéns!
Congratulations!
Boa sorte!
Good luck!
É a sua vez.
It's your turn. (informal)
Cale-se! / Cala a boca!
Shut up!
Eu te amo.
I love you. (informal and
singular)
Notice that Portuguese has informal and formal ways of saying things. This is
because there is more than one meaning to "you" in Portuguese (as well as in
many other languages.) The informal you is used when talking to close friends,
relatives, animals or children. The formal you is used when talking to someone
who is older than you or someone for whom you would like to show respect (a
professor, for example.) There are also two ways to say you in the plural, used
when speaking to more than one person.
All adjectives in Portuguese have masculine and feminine forms. In general,
the masculine form ends in -o and the feminine form ends in -a.
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2. PRONUNCIATION
Portuguese Letter
a
e
i
o
u
lh
h
nh
r
rr
d
j
g
gue, gui
qua, quo
s
x
ç
z
ã
â
á
ê
é
í
ô
ó
ú
ch
õe
English Sound
like a in after
like e in empty or if it's at the end of a word, like ee in cheese
always like ee
like the sound of all but without the l sound
always like oo in fool
like lli in million but shorter
silent
like ny in canyon
in beginning of word like h in hot. Between two letters like the Italian
r in Maria
always like h in hot
like in English
like in English but without the d sound. Something like zh or a hard
sh
before e and i like j. Otherwise like g in go
the g in go followed by e or i
are always pronounced separately, like kwa, kwo
between vowels, like z in zoo; otherwise like z. (In Portugal, like sh
when at the end of a word.)
sometimes like sh in shift or like z in zoo
like ss
like z in English (In Portugal, like zh when at the end of a word.)
like oe in does
like ã but shorter
like a in Artic
like e but shorter
like a in apple
like i but longer
like o but shorter
like o in more
like u but longer
like sh in shift
like "oen"
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3. ALPHABET
a
a
k
ká
u
u
b
bê
l
éle
v
vê
c
cê
m
ême
w
dábliu
d
dê
n
êne
x
xis
e
ê
o
o
y
ípsolon
f
éfe
p
pê
z
zê
g
gê
q
quê
h
agá
r
érre
i
i
s
ésse
j
jota
t
tê
The letter ç (cê cedilha) is not considered a separate letter in the alphabet.
Spelling changes as of January 2009:
The letters K, W and Y are now officially part of the alphabet, though they had
always been used anyway;
The deletion of diaeresis (trema: ¨) in words with gue, gui, que and qui, as:
aguentar, arguir, cinquenta, tranquilo, etc;
The deletion of differential accent in the words "pára/para", "péla/pela",
"pêlo/pelo", "pólo/polo" and "pêra/pera" is gone also, but it stands unchanged
in the verbs "pôr", "poder" and others that use the accent as way to
differentiate from singular and plural (i.e.: tem/têm);
The deletion of acute accent in open diphthongs ói and éi from paroxytones
(i.e.: alcaloide, apoia, boia, colmeia);
The deletion of acute accent on stressed i and u after diphthongs in
paroxytone words (i.e.: feiura);
The deletion of circumflex accent on words with êem and ôo(s) endings (i.e.:
leem, voo, enjoo);
The deletion of hyphen in compound words whose second element begins
with S or R, which shall be doubled (i.e.: antirracismo, antissocial), and in
cases where there are vowels in both the first element's ending and the
second element's beginning (i.e.: antiaéreo, autoestrada).
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4. DEFINITE / INDEFINITE ARTICLES & DEMONSTRATIVES
the
a, an
this
that
that
Masc. Singular
o
um
este
esse
aquele
Fem. Singular
a
uma
esta
essa
aquela
the
some
these
those
those
Masc. Plural
os
uns
estes
esses
aqueles
Fem. Plural
as
umas
estas
essas
aquelas
Two ways to say that/those:
1.you use esse when you see something that is not with you but it's near
2.you use aquele when you see something that is far from you or that is
not near you at that moment.
5. SUBJECT PRONOUNS
eu
I
you (not used in popular
tu
speech)
ele / ela / você he / she / you (informal)
nós
vós
eles / elas / vocês
we
plural of tu (also not used in
popular speech)
they / they / you (plural informal)
As tu and vós are not used nowadays, I will not use them to explain the
declensions of the verbs. We use the word você for the same meaning if
you're talking to someone from your family or friends. If you're talking to
someone you don't know, you must use "o senhor" or "a senhora" (Mr or Mrs.).
The word tu is only used in the region of southern Brazil, where they normally
don't use você.
In Portugal, o senhor and a senhora are very formal ways to say you. Você is
considered semiformal and tu is considered informal.
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6. TO BE & TO HAVE
ser - to be
eu sou
ele/ela/você é
nós somos
eles/elas/vocês são
ter - to have
eu tenho
ele/ela/você tem
estar - to be
eu estou
ele/ela/você está
nós estamos
eles/elas/vocês estão
nós temos
eles/elas/vocês têm
In Portugal, the tu form of ser is és, the tu form of estar is estás, and the tu
form of tener is tens. Ser is used to say when you are something, and Estar is
used to say when you are in somewhere:
Eu sou o novo aluno. I am the new student.
Eu estou no meu novo carro. I am in my new car.
Common Expressions with "to be"
to be afraid - ter medo
to be against - estar contra
to be at fault - ter culpa
to be careful - ter cuidado
to be cold - estar com frio
to be curious - ser curioso/a
to be happy - estar contente
to be hot - estar com calor
to be hungry - estar com fome
to be in a hurry - ter pressa, estar com pressa
to be jealous - ter ciúmes
to be lucky - ter sorte
to be patient - ser paciente
to be successful - ter sucesso
to be thirsty - estar com sêde
to be tired - estar cansado/a
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7. QUESTION WORDS
what
o que*
which
qual (quais)
who
quem
how
much
quanto (-a) (-s)
how
como
how
many
quanto (-a) (-s)
when
quando whom
where onde
why
whose
a quem
de quem
por
que*
The word que always receives the circumflex when it is placed at the end of a sentence.
Você está procurando o quê? You’re looking for what?
Ele acha isso por quê? (Why) does he think so?
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8. NUMBERS
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1000
zero
um
dois
três
quatro
cinco
seis
sete
oito
nove
dez
onze
doze
treze
catorze/quatorze
quinze
dezesseis
dezessete
dezoito
dezenove
vinte
vinte e um
vinte e dois
trinta
quarenta
cinqüenta / cincoenta
sessenta
setenta
oitenta
noventa
cem/cento
mil
first
second
third
fourth
fifth
sixth
seventh
eighth
ninth
tenth
eleventh
twelfth
thirteenth
fourteenth
fifteenth
sixteenth
seventeenth
eighteenth
nineteenth
twentieth
twenty-first
twenty-second
thirtieth
fortieth
fiftieth
sixtieth
seventieth
eightieth
ninetieth
hundredth
thousandth
primeiro
segundo
terceiro
quarto
quinto
sexto
sétimo
oitavo
nono
décimo
décimo primeiro/undécimo
décimo segundo/duodécimo
décimo terceiro
décimo quarto
décimo quinto
décimo sexto
décimo sétimo
décimo oitavo
décimo nono
vigésimo
vigésimo primeiro
vigésimo segundo
trigésimo
quadragésimo
qüinquagésimo
sexagésimo
septuagésimo
octogésimo
nonagésimo
centésimo
milésimo
If you are just saying 100, you use just cem. If it's over 100, you use cento. So 101 is cento e um.
And 156 would becento e cinqüenta e seis. The words for 16, 17, 18 and 19 are pronounced like
dzesseis, dzessete, dzoito and dzenove respectively. The only numbers that have a feminine form
are 1 (um/uma) and 2 (dois/duas). All other numbers are masculine.
Marinotti 9 / 15
9. DAYS OF THE WEEK
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
tday
week
weekend
today
tomorrow
segunda-feira
terça-feira
quarta-feira
quinta-feira
sexta-feira
sábado
domingo
o dia
a semana
o fim de semana
hoje
amanhã
The days from Monday to Friday have this name because they were called according to the fair (feira) that
used to take place in that day a long time ago. A "Feira" is a set of tents pitched in the street where you can
buy vegetables, fruits, and other foods.
10. MONTHS OF THE YEAR
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
month
the first of [a month]
year
janeiro
fevereiro
março
abril
maio
junho
julho
agosto
setembro
outubro
novembro
dezembro
o mês
primeiro de [month]
o ano
To say a specific day of a month, use cardinal and not ordinal numbers. Also noticed that the date is
written with the day first, and then the month: 16/04/2005 - Dezesseis de abril de dois mil e cinco.
Marinotti 10 / 15
11. SEASONS
spring
summer
primavera
verão
autumn
winter
outono
inverno
To say in the summer, spring, etc. use na or no and the season. No
verão means in the summer.
12. TIME
Que horas são?
É uma hora.
São duas, três, quatro... horas
É meio dia.
É meio dia e meia*
É meia noite.
São cinco e cinco.
São oito e quinze.
São quinze para as dez.
São dez para as nove.
São vinte e cinco para as seis
São três e meia.
What time is it?
It's one.
It's two/three/four...
It's noon.
It's half past noon.
It's midnight.
It's 5:05
It's 8:15
It's 9:45
It's 8:50
It's 5:35
It's 3:30
You say meio dia e meia because it’s midday and a half hour (that is feminine). Don’t say meio dia e meio,
though many people used to say this.
13. DIRECTIONS
north
south
northeast
southeast
norte
sul
nordeste
sudeste
east
west
northwest
southwest
leste
oeste
noroeste
sudoeste
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14. COLORS
red
pink
orange
yellow
green
blue
light blue
purple
vermelho
rosa
laranja
amarelo
verde
azul
azul claro
roxo [rosho]
iolet
brown
dark brown
black
gray
white
gold
silver
violeta
marrom
marrom escuro
preto
cinza
branco
dourado
prateado
15. WEATHER
Como está o tempo hoje?
Está bonito.
Está feio.
Está frio.
Está quente.
Está ensolarado.
Está ventando.
Está chovendo.
Está nevando.
Está nublado.
How's the weather today?
The weather's beautiful (nice).
The weather's ugly (bad).
It's cold.
It's hot.
It's sunny.
It's windy.
It's raining.
It's snowing.
It's cloudy.
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16. PREPOSITIONS
a
com
contra
de
em
entre
cerca de
para
por
sobre
sem
at
with
against
of, from
in, on
between, among
towards, about
for, in order, by
for, through, along, via
on, over
without
ao lado de
ao redor de
perto de
longe de
em frente a
em baixo de
em frente de
atrás de
em cima de
até
desde
beside
around
near
far from
in front of
below, under
opposite
behind
above
till, until
from, since
The word after the preposition em and de sometimes needs to have the article,
so you combine the two words.
em + o = no - em + a = na - em + um = num - em + uma = numa
de + o = do - de + a = da - de + um = dum - de + uma = duma
a + o = ao - a + a = à
Estou no escritório.
I'm in the office.
Ficamos numa fazenda. We stayed at a farm.
Marinotti 13 / 15
17. FAMILY & ANIMALS
family
parents
husband
wife
father
mother
son
daughter
children
sister
brother
família
pais
marido/esposo
esposa/mulher
pai
mãe
filho
filha
filhos
irmã
irmão
grandfather
grandmother
grandson
granddaughter
uncle
aunt
nephew
niece
cousin (m)
cousin (f)
relatives
avô
avó
neto
neta
tio
tia
sobrinho
sobrinha
primo
prima
parentes
dog
cat
bird
fish
horse
goat
pig
cow
rabbit
turtle
mouse
cachorro/cão
gato
pássaro
peixe
cavalo
cabra
porco
vaca
coelho
tartaruga
rato
18. TO KNOW PEOPLE & FACTS
conhecer - to know people, places
saber - to know facts
eu conheço
nós conhecemos
eu sei
ele/ela/você conhece eles/elas/vocês conhecem ele/ela/você sabe
nós sabemos
eles/elas/vocês sabem
Conhecer means to be acquainted/familiar with someone or something, and it
cannot be used with abstract things or ideas. Saber is to know facts, even if
those facts involve people or things.
Eu sei quem é esta pessoa. I know who is this person.
Eu sei qual é esta cidade. I know which city is this one.
Eu conheço esta pessoa. I know this person.
Eu conheço esta cidade. I know this city.
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19. FORMATION OF PLURAL NOUNS
1. Words that end in -l : drop the l and put -is if the word does not have an i
before the l. If it has an e you change it to é to make the same sound.
pastel (pastry) - pastéis
2. Words that end in -ão : it has no rule. Sometimes you change it to -ões or
-ães, or just add -s, depending on the word. It's better to memorize the plural
when you learn the word.
coração (heart) - corações
mão (hand) - mãos
cão (dog) - cães
3. Words that end in -s or -z : have no plural form, so the singular and plural
are the same.
ônibus (bus)
óculos (glasses)
arroz (rice)
4. All other words : just add an -s.
pêra (pear) - pêras
maçã (apple) - maçãs
guaraná (soda) - guaranás
Marinotti 15 / 15
20. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES
my
your
your/his/her/its
our
your
your/their
Singular
Masc
meu
teu
seu
nosso
seu
dele
Fem
minha
tua
sua
nossa
sua
dela
Plural
Masc
meus
teus
seus
nossos
seus
deles
Fem
minhas
tuas
suas
nossas
suas
delas
The possessive adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun that they describe.
Adapted from:
http://www.ielanguages.com/portuguese1.html