Portuguese Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 10-21-2022

If you want to speak with your Brazilian neighbor, friend, or business associate, knowing the basics of Portuguese can help. Find out how to recite the Portuguese alphabet, how to ask simple questions and carry on a conversation, and how to show enthusiasm for what you're experiencing. The following helps with speaking formally, conjugating verbs, and pronouncing some of the trickier words in the Portuguese language.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-22-2022

If you want to speak with your Brazilian or Portuguese neighbor, friend, or business associate, knowing the basics of Portuguese can help. Find out how to recite the Portuguese alphabet, how to ask simple questions and carry on a conversation, and how to show enthusiasm for what you're experiencing. These articles offer help with speaking formally, conjugating verbs, and pronouncing some of the trickier words in the Portuguese language.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Introducing yourself in Portuguese is easy as torta de morango (toh-tah jee moh-dahng-goh; strawberry pie). Here are a couple different ways to do it: O meu nome é . . . (ooh meh-ooh noh-mee eh; My name is . . .) Eu sou o/a . . . (eh-ooh soh ooh/ah; I'm . . .) Use the o in front of your name if you're male and the a if you're female. Because o is the masculine way of saying the and a is the feminine the, saying Eu sou a Karen is like saying, "I'm the Karen." It sounds estranho (eh-stdahn-yoh; weird) in English. But that's the fun of learning another language — you get to be estranho and say coisas divertidas (koy-zahz jee-veh-chee-dahz; fun stuff). To ask someone his or her name, say Cual é seu nome? (kwah-ooh eh seh-ooh noh-mee; What's your name?). After someone asks you for your name, you can say E o seu? (ee ooh seh-ooh; And yours?). Here are some common introductions: Este é o meu amigo. (es-chee eh ooh meh-ooh ah-mee-goo; This is my friend. — male) Esta é a minha amiga. (eh-stah eh ah ming-yah ah-mee-gah; This is my friend. — female) Estes são os meus amigos. (es-cheez sah-ooh ooz meh-ooz ah-mee-gooz; These are my friends. — group of all men or men and women) Estas são as minhas amigas. (eh-stahz sah-ooh ahz ming-yahz ah-mee-gahz; These are my friends. — group of all women) First names, last names, and nicknames, Brazilian-style First names are primeiros nomes (pdee-may-dohz noh-meez; names), and last names are sobrenomes (soh-bdee nah-meez; surnames. Literally: over-names). So when someone says Qual é seu nome? she's after your first name. If she says Qual é seu nome completo? (kwah-ooh eh seh-ooh nah-mee kohm-pleh-too; What's your full name? Literally: What's your complete name?), then she's after both your primerio nome and sobrenome. Most Brazilians just have one plain old first and last name. But a few use two last names — one from their dad and one from their mom. The longer the name, the more likely the person is from a familia rica (fah-mee-lee-ah hee-kah; rich family) that enjoys preserving tradicão (tdah-dee-sah-ooh; tradition). If the name does include two last names, the mom's last name goes before the dad's last name. Sometimes names come with a de (jee; of — before a masculine name) or da (dah; of — before a feminine name): Vinicius de Moraes (vee-nee-see-oohz jee moh-dah-eez; one of the composers of the famous song "Girl From Ipanema"). Do you know what the Brazilian version of Smith is? The most common last name in Brazil is da Silva (dah see-ooh-vah). In fact, there are way more da Silvas in Brazil than there are Smiths in English-speaking countries. Brazilians have an obsession with nicknames. Brazilians also prefer to stick to first names in general. Some Bralilians may not even know many of their friends' last names after a while of knowing them! Dividing the world between formal and informal You can sort of divide the world into people you call Mr. or Mrs. and people you call by their first names. Brazilians use the terms Senhor (seen-yoh; Mr.) and Senhora (seen-yoh-dah; Mrs.) pretty much just like you use Mr. and Mrs. in English. Brazilians always use o/a (the) before saying Mr. or Mrs. It's like saying "the Mr. Oliveira." Weird, right? Another strange difference is that in Brazil, it's common to use Senhor and Senhora for young people — even teenagers. There's no term like Miss for younger women. And it's also normal for people to say Senhor David or Senhora Luciana — using the first name instead of the last name. Imagine you're talking to the concierge of your hotel. He treats you with respect because it's his job to serve you. He asks you the following questions if you're a man: O senhor mora aqui? (ooh seen-yoh moh-dah ah-kee; Do you live here?) O senhor está cansado? (ooh seen-yoh eh-stah kahn-sah-doo; Are you tired?) O senhor é brasileiro? (ooh seen-yoh eh bdah-zee-lay-doh; Are you Brazilian?) O senhor gosta do restaurante? (ooh seen-yoh goh-stah doo heh-stah-oo-dahn-chee; Do you like the restaurant?) And he asks you these questions if you're a woman: A senhora gosta de dançar? (ah seen-yoh-dah goh-stah jee dahn-sah; Do you like to dance?) A senhora é americana? (ah seen-yoh-dah eh ah-meh-dee-kah-nah; Are you American?) A senhora vai para praia? (ah seen-yoh-dah vah-ee pah-dah pdah-ee-ah; Are you going to the beach?) A senhora está de férias? (ah seen-yoh-dah eh-stah jee feh-dee-ahz; Are you on vacation?) Now imagine that the speaker who asked you all these questions is just another fellow traveler — a Brazilian one. All the o senhor's and the a senhora's become você (voh-seh; you — informal). Você is what you call people when you don't need to be formal. If you vacation to Brazil, most people you come into contact with will be people in the tourism industry, who will be calling you o Senhor or a Senhora. For practical purposes, the only time you should really try to lembrar (lehm-bdah; remember) to use o Senhor or o Senhora is if you meet um idoso (oong ee-doh-soh; an elderly person). It's nice to show respect.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

In using these phrases, not only can you sound like a native Brazilian, but you may be able to recognize these commonplace expressions. Brazilian Portuguese is a fun language. It's humorous and full of spice and emotion. Think of these phrases as clues to Brazilian culture. They start to paint a picture of a nation full of lively, friendly, and laid-back people. Que saudade! The word saudade (sah-ooh-dah-jee) has no direct translation in English, and it's a major source of linguistic pride for Brazilians. Use Que saudade! (kee sah-ooh-dah-jee) when you miss something so desperately, you have a heartache over it. People say Que saudade! when they remember their best friend who's now living far away, or their childhood beach. Brazilians also often say simply Saudades! at the end of e-mails to tell you they're missing you terribly. Fala sério! Say Fala sério (fah-lah seh-dee-oh) to mean You're kidding! or You're joking! or No way! Brazilians also say Não acredito! (nah-ooh ah-kdeh-jee-toh; I can't believe it!) in the same situations. But Fala sério has a funnier tone to it. It literally means Talk seriously. . . . pra caramba! Here's a great way to emphasize how off-the-charts something is. Pra caramba (pdah kah-dahm-bah) is most often used at the end of a sentence to exaggerate something. Use this phrase instead of putting muito (moh-ee-toh; very) or bem (bang; very) in front of these same words. Take the classic phrase É boa pra caramba (eh boh-ah pdah kah-dahm-bah). Boa by itself means good. When pra caramba comes after good, it transforms It's good to It's amazing. Engraçado means funny. Engraçado pra caramba (ang-gdah-sah-doo pdah kah-dahm-bah) means hilarious. Muito frío means very cold. So how cold was it? Frío pra caramba! (fdee-oh pdah kah-dahm-bah; Really, really cold!). Lindo maravilhoso! Lindo maravilhoso! (leen-doh mah-dah-veel-yoh-zoo) is a Brazilian saying that literally translates to Beautiful, marvelous! Brazilians like to gush about beauty and how amazing things are. The weather can be lindo maravilhoso! — Hoje esteve um dia lindo maravihoso! (oh-zhee eh-steh-vee oong jee-ah leen-doh mah-dah-veel-yoh-zoo; Today the weather was fantastic!). A place can be lindo maravihoso! — O local é lindo maravihoso! (ooh loh-kah-ooh eh leen-doh mah-dah-veel-yoh-zoo; The place is amazing!). If you admire someone's work, that can be lindo maravilhoso! too. And try to remember to use an -a at the end of each word instead of the -o if the word you're talking about is feminine. A gorgeous woman is linda maravilhosa! And a handsome man is lindo maravilhoso! É mesmo? É mesmo? (eh mehz-moh) means Really? It's usually used to react to some interesting new fact. You tell someone: Did you know that Portuguese is the fifth most-spoken language in the world? She answers back: É mesmo? You tell someone: Did you know that Karla is dating Paulinho? He answers back: É mesmo? You tell someone that you're learning Portuguese. What does she answer back? Sometimes it's an enthusiastic É mesmo! Really! Um beijo! or Um abraço! Brazilians are very affectionate people. They often end a conversation with a friend or acquaintance they feel friendly toward by saying Um beijo! (oong bay-zhoh; a kiss) or Um abraço! (oong ah-bdah-soh; a hug). In general, women use Um beijo! to male and female friends, and men use Um beijo! to women and Um abraço! to male friends. These expressions are also common ways to end an e-mail. Imagina! Brazilians are also very hospitable. After telling you thank you — obrigado (oh-bdee-gah-doh) if you're male and obrigada (oh-bdee-gah-dah) if you're female — a Brazilian often says Imagina! (mah-zhee-nah; Literally: Imagine!) to mean It's no trouble at all! The initial i is chopped off in spoken language. It sounds like Magina! Pois não? Here's a common phrase you may hear when you enter a shop or call a service-oriented company over the phone, like a restaurant. Pois não? (poh-eez nah-ooh) means Can I help you? It's a funny phrase, because it literally means "Because no?" It's pretty nonsensical, and Brazilians have a hard time saying where the phrase originated. Com certeza! This is another fun, common phrase. Com certeza! (koh-oong seh-teh-zah; Literally: With certainty!) translates to Of course! or Definitely! If someone asks you Vai para a festa? (vah-ee pah-dah ah fehs-tah; Are you going to the party?), you can answer Com certeza! Fique tranquilo If Brazilians value any single trait, it's optimism; it's being able to solve problems. And if the problem can't be fixed, just relax and forget about it. At the first signs of someone's stress, a Brazilian often says Fique tranquilo (fee-kee kdang-kwee-loh; Don't worry). It has a very calming effect. If the bus takes off just as you arrive to the bus stop, don't worry. Fique tranquilo: There'll be another one in ten minutes. And you can make friends while you wait.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Grammar. Remember that word from high school? Figuring out how to categorize types of words and understanding where they go in a sentence is like putting together a puzzle. And here's some good news: Portuguese and English use only several pieces, and they're the same. Each piece refers to a category of word that's used to put together the sentence — the parts of speech. Agreeing with nouns and adjectives Like in English, nouns are one of the main parts of Portuguese speech — the most important pieces of the puzzle. They're used to name people, places, and things, like casa (kah-zah; house), amigo (ah-mee-goo; friend), Maria (mah-dee-ah; the name of a woman), caneta (kah-neh-tah; pen), and Brasil (bdah-zee-ooh; Brazil). Portuguese nouns come in two types: masculine and feminine. Masculine nouns usually end in an -o, and feminine nouns usually end in an -a. If a noun ends in a different letter, you can look up the word's gender in a Portuguese-English dictionary. At first, imagining that a door, a key, a chair and other "things" can be masculine or feminine can be very weird. Keep the gender of the thing you're talking about in mind: In Portuguese, every time you describe the noun with an adjective — like bonita (boo-nee-tah; pretty), simpático (seem-pah-chee-koo; nice), or grande (gdahn-jee; big) — you change the end of the adjective to make it either masculine or feminine. The adjective's gender should match the gender of the noun. Like nouns, masculine adjectives normally end in -o, and feminine adjectives end in -a. Another little trick: In Portuguese, the adjective normally comes after the noun. This word order is the opposite of what it is in English, in which people first say the adjective and then the noun (red dress; beautiful sunset). It's one of the few differences in word order between Portuguese and English. Here's how the nouns and adjectives get paired off. In the first couple examples, notice how the ending of lindo (leen-doo; good-looking) changes, depending on the gender of the noun it follows: homem lindo (oh-mang leen-doo; good-looking/handsome man) mulher linda (mool-yeh leen-dah; good-looking/beautiful woman) quarto limpo (kwah-too leem-poo; clean room) casa suja (kah-zah soo-zhah; dirty house) comida gostosa (koh-mee-dah goh-stoh-zah; delicious food) Some adjectives are neutral and stay the same for both masculine and feminine nouns. These adjectives often end in -e rather than -o or -a. Adjectives in this group include inteligente (een-teh-lee-zhang-chee; intelligent) and grande (gdahn-jee; big). Notice how the word inteligente stays the same, whether the noun is male or female: Ela é muito inteligente. (eh-lah eh moh-ee-toh een-teh-lee-zhang-chee; She is very intelligent.) Ele é muito inteligente. (eh-lee eh moh-ee-toh een-teh-lee-zhang-chee; He is very intelligent.) If the noun is plural, just add an s to the end of the adjective: cachorros pequenos (kah-shoh-hooz peh-keh-nooz; small dogs). Looking at some articles Just like with Portuguese nouns and adjectives, the gender game is also at play when it comes to articles, the words like the, a, an, and some. Now's the time to ooh and ah over grammar — o (ooh) means "the" for masculine nouns, and a (ah) means "the" for feminine nouns. In the following phrases, check out how the first and last letters match: o homem lindo (ooh oh-mang leen-doo; the handsome man) a mulher linda (ah mool-yeh leen-dah; the beautiful woman) o quarto limpo (ooh kwah-too leem-poo; the clean room) a casa suja (ah kah-zah soo-zhah; the dirty house) Brazilians use the word the in front of nouns much more often than people do in English. When you'd say Books are fun, they'd say Os livros são divertidos (oohz leev-dooz sah-ooh jee-veh-chee-dooz; Literally: The books are fun). Brazil is big would be O Brasil é grande (ooh bdah-zee-ooh eh gdahn-jee; Literally: The Brazil is big). Brazilians always use o or a before a person's name: A Mónica (ah moh-nee-kah), a Cláudia (ah klah-ooh-jee-ah), o Nicolas (ooh nee-koh-lahs), o Roberto (ooh hoh-beh-too). It's like saying the Steve, the Diane. If a noun is plural, use os (ooz) if the noun's masculine and as (ahz) if it's feminine: os barcos grandes (ooz bah-kooz gdahn-jeez; the big boats) as flores amarelas (ahz floh-deez ah-mah-deh-lahz; the yellow flowers) To say a, as in a hat or a table, say um (oong) for masculine nouns and uma (ooh-mah) for feminine nouns: um banheiro (oong bahn-yay-doh; a bathroom) uma pessoa (ooh-mah peh-soh-ah; a person) um livro (oong leev-doh; a book) uma mesa (ooh-mah meh-zah; a table) To say some, use uns (oonz) if the noun's masculine or umas (ooh-mahz) if it's feminine: uns sapatos (oonz sah-pah-tooz; some shoes) umas garotas (ooh-mahz gah-doh-tahz; some girls) umas praias (ooh-mahz pdah-ee-ahz; some beaches) When you make the plural of a word ending in m, such as um, the m always changes to an n: Um homem (oong oh-mang; a man) becomes uns homens (oonz oh-mangz). Introducing pronouns: You and I both You use pronouns to refer to people when you don't say their names. Here's the way Brazilians do it: eu (eh-ooh; I) você (voh-seh; you) ele (eh-lee; he/him) ela (eh-lah; she/her) nós (nohz; we/us) eles (eh-leez; they/them — all males or males and females) elas (eh-lahz; they/them — all females) Brazilians don't have an equivalent of the English word it. Because "things" are either masculine or feminine in Portuguese, Brazilians refer to the thing or things as ele/ela/eles/elas when the thing isn't named. You don't hear this too often, because more often than not, Brazilians use the name of what they're talking about. But a mala (ah mah-lah; the suitcase) can become ela (Literally: she) if both speakers understand the context. Eu perdi ela (eh-ooh peh-jee eh-ah; I lost it) can mean I lost the suitcase. If you're talking to a person who's a lot older than you (especially the elderly) or to an important person like a boss or a politician, instead of using você, use o senhor (ooh seen-yoh; Literally: the gentleman) or a senhora (ah seen-yoh-dah; Literally: the lady) to show respect. Here are some sentences using pronouns: Eu falo português. (eh-ooh fah-loh poh-too-gez; I speak Portuguese.) Você escreve. (voh-seh ehs-kdeh-vee; You write.) A senhora é brasileira? (ah seen-yoh-dah eh bdah-zee-lay-dah; Are you Brazilian? — to an older woman)

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Brazilian and Portuguese people are known as a friendly and talkative bunch. Knowing how to greet them goes a long way toward helping you make friends. Here are some "hello" and "goodbye" basics: Tudo bem? (too-doh bang?) (How are you?) Como vai? (koh-moh vah-ee?) (How are things?) Tchau! (chah-ooh!) (Bye!) Até logo! (ah-teh loh-goo!) (See you later!) Até amanhã! (ah-teh ah-mang-yah!) (See you tomorrow!)

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

If you’re talking to an authority figure or you want to show respect to an elder, be sure to use the formal title when addressing him or her in Portuguese: o senhor (ooh seen-yoh) (Sir; literally, the gentleman) a senhora (ah-seen-yoh-rah) (Ma’am; literally, the lady)

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Counting from 1 to 10 is a basic skill in any language. Here are the Brazilian Portuguese words for all the numbers you can show on two hands: um (oong) (one) dois (doh-eez) (two) três (trehz) (three) quatro (kwah-troo) (four) cinco (sing-koh) (five) seis (say-eez) (six) sete (seh-chee) (seven) oito (oh-ee-toh) (eight) nove (noh-vee) (nine) dez (dez) (ten)

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

To show excitement or appreciation for something, exclamations come in handy. Exclamations in Brazilian Portuguese are similar to those in English. The following list translates some common expressions of enthusiasm: Legal! (lay-gow!) (Cool!) Ótimo! (oh-chee-moh!) (Great!) Que bonito! (kee boo-nee-too!) (How beautiful!) Adoro! (ah-doh-roo!) (I love it!) Que gostoso! (kee goh-stoh-zoo!) (How delicious!)

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Regular verbs in Portuguese end in -ar, -er, and -ir. Here's an -ar verb: falar (fah-lah) (to speak). For the present tense of the verb, just take off the ending and add -o, -a, -amos, or -am to conjugate it: Eu falo. (eh-ooh fah-loo.) (I speak.) Você fala. (voh-seh fah-lah.) (You [singular] speak.) Ele/ela fala. (eh-lee/eh-lah fah-lah.) (He/she speaks.) Nós falamos. (nohz fah-lah-mooz.) (We speak.) Eles falam. (eh-leez fah-lah-ooh.) (They speak.) Vocês falam. (voh-sehz fah-lah-ooh.) (You [plural] speak.)