|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 12:10 pm
Lições de Português
Portuguese Lessons
Welcome!
Hello! You may call me Cyn. I will be your Portuguese teacher throughout your time here. ^^
Portuguese is the seventh most spoken language in the world, with 205 to 230 million native speakers. It is the official language of Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and a lot of other countries scattered throughout the five continents.
It has roots in Latin and Greek, and influences from Arabic and Germanic, so those who already know languages like Spanish, French or Italian should find similarities everywhere and have an easier time learning it. You may find the phonetics hard to master, but I will be sure to record a lot of examples so you can all hear what it sounds like and practice!
If you want to know more about the History of this language, you can head over to this lovely wikipedia page. They know a lot more about it than I do, hehe. If you're still unsure whether or not Portuguese might interest you and don't feel like opening that link, though, here's an excerpt:
Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes once called Portuguese "the sweet language", while Brazilian writer Olavo Bilac poetically described it as a última flor do Lácio, inculta e bela: "the last flower of Latium, wild and beautiful".
How can you not want to learn it after this? 3nodding
A few notes about these lessons before we start:
1. I will try to structure the various subjects as simply as possible, but bear in mind that, being a native speaker, my knowledge is more instinctual than academical. I don't always know the proper rules to do something, or the proper names, but the concepts will be there.
2. I will avoid giving you pre-constructed sentences (like the ever so popular 'how are you?', 'what's your name?', etc.). Instead, I will do my best to teach you how to build your own sentences. It might take you longer to actually start speaking Portuguese, but I believe your knowledge will be all the more solid afterwards this way.
3. These lessons will concern the Portuguese that is spoken in Portugal. The differences in grammar between this and Brazilian Portuguese are very slight (just some spelling differences and favouring some verb forms over others, basically). The main difference lies in the pronunciation. If you use European Portuguese in Brazil or any other Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) country, though, everyone will still be able to understand you perfectly.
4. As I said before, my skill as a teacher is limited, so consider this a mini course on the basics of this beautifully versatile language. If anyone has any questions about other subjects related to Portuguese not covered in these lessons, though, feel free to ask them and I will do my best to answer them!
I wish you luck and hope you enjoy learning this language! biggrin xxxxxxLesson plan: (subject to change)
xxxxxxLesson 00: Pronunciation and writing
xxxxxxLesson 01: Nouns
xxxxxxLesson 02: Determinants
xxxxxxLesson 03: Adjectives
xxxxxxLesson 04: Verbs 1 (to be)
xxxxxxLesson 05: Simple sentences
xxxxxxLesson 06: Verbs 2 (present tense)
xxxxxxxxxInterlude 01: Music!
xxxxxxLesson 07: Pronouns 1
xxxxxxLesson 08: Verbs 3 (past tenses)
xxxxxxLesson 09: Prepositions
xxxxxxLesson 10: Verbs 4 (more irregular verbs)
xxxxxxxxxInterlude 02: Introductions (vocabulary)
xxxxxxxxxInterlude 03: Gastronomy (vocabulary)
xxxxxxxxxInterlude 04: Time (vocabulary)
xxxxxxLesson 11: Pronouns 2
xxxxxxLesson 12: Adverbs and quantifiers
xxxxxxLesson 13: Verbs 5 (future tense)
xxxxxxLesson 14: Circumstancial complements
xxxxxxLesson 15: Verbs 6 (compound tenses)
xxxxxxLesson 16: Complex sentences
xxxxxxLesson 17: Verbs 7 (other moods)
Students:xxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 12:14 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 12:17 pm
Lição 0 - Pronúncia e escrita
Lesson 0 - Pronunciation and writing
Portuguese is a relatively simple language to read, because what you see is what you get. Writing is a different matter, because there are several letter combinations that can result in the same sound, so you need to be careful and pay attention to certain rules.
A note of warning: phonetics is an area I know next to nothing about, so there shall be no fancy name-calling anywhere in the following lesson. X)O alfabeto, ou abecedário, português (The Portuguese alphabet)
A (á) B (bê) C (cê) D (dê) E (é) F (éfe) G (gê) H (agá) I (i) J (jota)
K (kapa) L (éle) M (éme) N (éne) O (ó) P (pê) Q (quê) R (érre) S (ésse)
T (tê) U (u) V (vê) W (duplo-vê) X (xis) Y (i-grego, ipsilón) Z (zê)
'K', 'W' and 'Y' are only used in foreign names, or words adapted from foreign languages, so you'll never use them in Portuguese words. Up until recently, these three letters weren't even considered part of the alphabet.Vogais (Vowels)
The five vowels 'A', 'E', 'I', 'O', and 'U' can be read in fourteen different ways, total. Because of this, Portuguese is phonetically one of the richest languages, but it can make it a bit tricky to read something when you don't know a thing about the word.
A:
1. 'Facilita' (make something easier)
This is the general reading.
2. 'Rato' (mouse)
If the 'A' is in a stress syllable, or if it's accented as 'Á' or 'À'.
3. 'Mandar' (to order)
The nasal version of 'A'. Also read like this when accented as 'Ã'.
 Hear the recording!
E:
1. 'Menino' (boy)
This is the general reading.
2. 'Tela' (canvas)
If the 'E' is in a stress syllable, or if it's accented as 'É'.
3. 'Medo' (fear)
If the 'E' is in a stress syllable, or if it's accented as 'Ê'.
4. 'a**ento' (sitting place)
The nasal version of 'E'.
Hear the recording!
I:
1. 'Atirar' (to shoot, to throw)
The general reading, regardless if it's a stress syllable or not. Also read this way when accented as 'Í'.
2. 'Ministro' (minister)
When there's an 'I' in two sequencial syllables, the first is read as if it were the general 'E'.
3. 'Fim' (end)
The nasal version of 'I'.
Hear the recording!
O:
1. 'Porco' (pig)
The general reading. Also read this way when accented as 'Ô'.
2. 'Moro' (I live/reside)
It's generally read this way if the 'O' is in a stress syllable, and always if it's accented as 'Ó'.
3. 'Quanto' (how much)
When the 'O' is at the end of the word (or the word itself), it's read as 'U'.
4. 'Tonto' (silly)
The nasal version of 'O'.
Hear the recording!
U:
1. 'Muro' (wall)
'U' is always read this way, even when accented, 'Ú', except when it occurs in 'QUE', 'QUI', 'GUE' and 'GUI', where it's silent.
2. 'Fundo' (deep)
The nasal version of 'U'.
Hear the recording!Consoantes (Consonants)
B:
Same reading as in English. It is one of the few consonants that can appear at the end of a syllable, but never at the end of a word.
Example 1: 'Básico' (basic)
Example 2: 'Abcesso' (abcess)
Hear the recording!
C:
'C' is one of the letters that will give you the most headaches. It is read as 'SS' if it precedes an 'E' or an 'I'. For the 'K' sound before these vowels, you need to use 'QUE' and 'QUI' respectively. 'C' is always read as 'K' before an 'A', 'O' or an 'U'. There is also the variant 'Ç' ('cê de cedilha') that is used to put the 'SS' sound before 'A', 'O' or 'U' in the middle of a word. 'ÇE', 'ÇI', 'QA', 'QE', 'QI' and 'QO' are never used. 'C' can also be mute if it comes at the end of a syllable (but not always), in which case it has the same effect as an acute accent (´) on the vowel that precedes it. A word never ends with 'C'.
Example 1: 'Oceano' (ocean)
Example 2: 'Cabeça' (head)
Example 3: 'Acção' (action)
Example 4: 'Facto' (fact)
Hear the recording!
D:
Read as in English. It never appears at the end of a word.
Example: 'Dado' (dice)
Hear the recording!
F:
Read exactly as in English. It never appears at the end of a word.
Example: 'Afecto' (affection)
Hear the recording!
G:
'G' is always pronounced the same way as in 'great' before 'A', 'O' and 'U'. For the 'G' sound similar to 'genetic' before these vowels, use 'J'. Once again, 'E' and 'I' are the exceptions. 'GE' and 'GI' are read the same way as 'JE' and 'JI'. The 'G' sound of 'great' before these vowels requires the spelling 'GUE' and 'GUI'. It never appears at the end of a word.
Example 1: 'Garrafa' (bottle)
Example 2: 'Guarda' (guard)
Example 3: 'Girafa' (giraffe)
Example 4: 'Guerra' (war)
Hear the recording!
H:
It is always mute. The 'H' sound of the English word 'hospital' does not exist in Portuguese. It either appears at the beginning of the word, or combined with the vowels 'C', 'L' and 'N' to form the special sounds: 'CH', 'LH' and 'NH'. It never appears at the end of a word.
Example 1: 'Hospital' (hospital)
Example 2: 'Achado' (discovery)
Example 3: 'Olho' (eye)
Example 4: 'Minha' (my)
Hear the recording!
J:
It has a very similar sound to the English 'J'. The difference is that in English, it's read as 'DJ', while in Portuguese that initial 'D' is ommited so that it kind of resembles 'SH'. It never appears at the end of a word.
Example: 'Hoje' (today)
Hear the recording!
L:
It's read very much as in English. It's one of the few consonants that can appear at the end of a syllable and at the end of a word.
Example 1: 'Alimento' (food)
Example 2: 'Último' (last)
Example 3: 'Painel' (pannel)
Hear the recording!
M:
It's read mostly as in English. Like 'L', it's one of the few consonants that can appear at the end of a syllable and at the end of a word. In the last two cases, though, it takes on a nasal sound. For the nasal sound in the middle of the word 'M' only appears when the next syllable begins with a 'B' or a 'P'.
Example 1: 'Comida' (food)
Example 2: 'Bombeiro' (fireman)
Example 3: 'Comam' (eat up!)
Hear the recording!
N:
Same reading as in English. When it appears at the end of a syllable, it transforms the vowel before it into a nasal vowel (before 'B' or 'P', 'M' should be used instead in these cases). It very rarely comes at the end of a word (most cases are foreign words), but when it does it is not read as a nasal.
Example 1: 'Ninguém' (no one)
Example 2: 'Pólen' (pollen)
Hear the recording!
P:
Exactly the same as in English. It never comes at the end of a word, unless that word is foreign, but it can come at the end of a syllable. In those cases, sometimes, it is mute.
Example 1: 'Prata' (silver)
Example 2: 'Aptência' (skill)
Example 3: 'Óptimo' (great)
Hear the recording!
Q:
It has the same sound as 'K' and it is always followed by an 'U'. When the vowels after that are 'E' or 'I' that 'U' is silent. Before 'A' or 'O' it is read. 'QA', 'QE', 'QI' and 'QO' are never used. 'Q' never comes at the end of a word.
Example 1: 'Quando' (when)
Example 2: 'Quem' (who)
Hear the recording!
R:
At the beginning of a word, 'R' is always read as 'RR'. The same sound can appear in the middle of a word if the 'R' is preceded by a consonant or if, between vowels, it is doubled ('RR'). It has a soft sound if it is next to a consonant, if it is alone between vowels, or if it appears at the end of the word.
Example 1: 'Rato' (mouse)
Example 2: 'Arroz' (rice)
Example 3: 'Honra' (honour)
Example 4: 'Árbitro' (referee)
Example 5: 'Comer' (to eat)
Hear the recording!
S:
'S' is another letter that will give you trouble when writing. At the beginning of a word, 'S' is always read as 'SS'. The same sound can appear in the middle of a word if the 'S' is preceded by a consonant or if, between vowels, it is doubled ('SS'). If it comes before a consonant or if it appears at the end of the word, it takes on the sound 'SH'. It can also take on the sound 'Z' if it is alone between vowels.
Example 1: 'Sábado' (saturday)
Example 2: 'Estes' (these)
Example 3: 'Assim' (so)
Example 4: 'Asa' (wing)
Hear the recording!
T:
The same as in English. It never finishes a word, unless that word is foreign.
Example: 'Tanto' (so much)
Hear the recording!
V:
The same as in English. It never finishes a word, unless that word is foreign.
Example: 'Ouve' (listen)
Hear the recording!
X:
It can sound as either 'SH', 'Z' or 'KS' depending on the word. It can appear at the beginning or in the middle, but never at the end of the word, unless that word has been borrowed from a foreign language.
Example 1: 'Lixo' (trash)
Example 2: 'Exacto' (exactly)
Example 3: 'Táxi' (taxi)
Hear the recording!
Z:
When it appears at the end of the word, it usually takes on the sound 'SH'. When it's at the beginning or in the middle, it should sound as 'Z'.
Example 1: 'Capaz' (capable)
Example 2: 'Capazes' (capable, pl.)
Example 3: 'Zebra' (zebra)
Hear the recording!Uso de acentos (Use of accents)
1. When necessary, accents are only ever used in the last three syllables of a word. If you have a word that has a particularly stressed syllable before that, too bad - the most stressed syllable of the word will be in the last three.
2. A word can have no more than one accent in it. There are exceptions, but they are very, very rare. The only commonly used words that I can think of that break this rule are 'sótão' (attic) and 'órgão' (organ).
3. Words with the stress syllable on the third-from-last syllable, ALWAYS have accents. These words are called 'esdrúxulas', which, funnily enough, is 'esdrúxula' itself. It's a nice way to remember that.
4. Considering rule number 1, the following is redundant, but keep it in mind all the same. Adverbs that end in '-mente', however tempting they may be, are never accented.
5. The 'acento grave', ` (grave accent), is only used in contractions of the preposition 'a' (to) with something else that start with an 'A'.
Example 1: 'Eu fui a a Europa' becomes 'eu fui à Europa' (I went to Europe).
Example 2: 'Eles falaram a aquele senhor' becomes 'eles falaram àquele senhor' (they spoke to that man).
All other words requiring that type of tonic carry an 'acento agudo', ´ (acute accent). They're both read the same way, so people confuse them sometimes.
6. There are two ways to make a nasal: use a 'til', ~ (tilde) on the vowel or insert an 'N' after the vowel. Note that you can only use tildes on the vowels 'A' and 'O', and that before consonants 'P' or 'B', 'M' should be used instead of 'N'.
7. Portuguese also uses the 'acento circumflexo', ^ (circumflex). It no longer uses the 'trema', ¨ (diaeresis). Brazilian Portuguese, however, uses both.Sílabas tónicas (Stress syllables)
1. The most stressed syllable of a word can only be one of the last three.
2. Syllables containing accented vowels are always the most stressed.
3. If there are no accents, words are usually stressed in the second-to-last syllable.
4. Words without accents can also be stressed on the last syllable, but they'll usually end in either a consonant, an 'I' or a combination of vowels (diphthong).Vocabulário (Vocabulary)
Números (m, pl.) - numbers
Um (m) - one
Dois (m), duas (f) - two
Três (m and f) - three
Quatro (m and f) - four
Cinco (m and f) - five
Seis (m and f) - six
Sete (m and f) - seven
Oito (m and f) - eight
Nove (m and f) - nine
Dez (m and f) - ten
Onze (m and f) - eleven
Doze (m and f) - twelve
Treze (m and f) - thirteen
Catorze (m and f) - fourteen
Quinze (m and f) - fifteen
Dezasseis (m and f) - sixteen
Dezassete (m and f) - seventeen
Dezoito (m and f) - eighteen
Dezanove (m and f) - nineteen
Vinte (m and f) - twenty
Vinte e um (m) - twenty-one
Vinte e dois (m) - twenty-two
...
Trinta (m and f) - thirty
Quarenta (m and f) - fourty
Cinquenta (m and f) - fifty
Sessenta (m and f) - sixty
Setenta (m and f) - seventy
Oitenta (m and f) - eighty
Noventa (m and f) - ninety
Cem (m and f) - one hundred
Hear the recording!Exercícios (Exercises)
1. Write the numbers from 24 to 34.
2. Listen to the recordings and try to write the words without looking at how they're spelled.
3. Practice saying the numbers.
This was a long lesson and I'm sure some parts of it went over your head, but don't worry. You don't have to memorise every single rule listed here. Most of these are more helpful to determine the correct spelling of a word you hear, rather than to figure out how something is read, so consider this a reference if you're ever in doubt in the future. Keep practicing the right way to say the words as you learn them, one at a time, and you should be fine.
Feel free to post any questions you might have!
Good luck! wink Last revised: 23 June 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 12:39 pm
Lição 1 - Substantivos (Nomes)
Lesson 1 - Nouns Género (Gender)
At first glance, there's one big obvious difference between Portuguese and English: words can vary according to gender as well as number. There are some cases in English where this happens too, but they are rare and falling out of use, it seems (for example, the French-borrowed words 'blond/blonde' and 'brunet/brunette').
The second big difference that stands out is that there is no neutral gender (no equivalent to 'it'). As curious as it may seem, our lamps and chairs are male and female, respectively. I'm sorry to say that, as you learn vocabulary, you'll have to memorise which gender is attributed to each particular object (inanimate objects only have one), but don't worry. The words usually have endings that can help tell them apart.
The general rule is:
Words ending with 'O' are masculine.
Words ending with 'A' are feminine.
For example, the word for lamp is 'candeeiro'. It ends with an 'O', therefore it's masculine. The word for chair is 'cadeira', ending in 'A', which makes it feminine. There are a lot of exceptions to this rule, but you will find out about them as you learn more vocabulary.
How to form the feminine of each noun:
1. If a word ends with 'O', replace that with an 'A'.
Example 1: 'menino' (boy) becomes 'menina' (girl).
Example 2: 'amigo' (friend) becomes 'amiga'.
2. If a word ends with a consonant, add an 'A'.
Example 1: 'professor' (professor) becomes 'professora'.
Example 2: 'Português' (Portuguese) becomes 'portuguesa'. (As an additional note, if the word ends with 'ês', you also drop the circumflex on the 'e'. This is because Portuguese words are naturally stressed on the second-to-last syllable, so the circumflex is no longer necessary to mark that stress.)
3. If a word ends with 'ÃO', replace that with either 'Ã' or 'OA', depending on the word.
Example 1: 'irmão' (brother) becomes 'irmã' (sister).
Example 2: 'patrão' (boss, employer) becomes 'patroa'.
There are other ways to form the feminine, but for now I think these will do. Just a few extra notes:
1. Some nouns have identical feminine and masculine forms. The only way to tell them apart is through the words that accompany them. For example: 'chefe' (boss), 'cliente' (client), 'dentista' (dentist).
2. There are nouns that do not vary in gender (usually the ones referring to inanimate objects, but there are others too). They have either a masculine or a feminine form and that's it. It would be pretty stupid to differentiate between the lamp and the she-lamp, haha.
3. Some nouns have completely unrelated masculine and feminine forms. This is not completely strange for English speakers. For instance, the words for man and woman are 'homem' and 'mulher', and cow and ox are 'vaca' and 'boi'.
4. Sometimes, the feminine and masculine forms of a word can relate to different concepts. For instance, 'melão' and 'meloa' are two different types of melon, and 'lixo' (trash) has nothing to do with 'lixa' (sandpaper).Número (Number)
Varying the number of a word is very similar in Portuguese and English. Generally speaking, all you have to do to form the plural is add an 'S' to the end. There are a few nuances, however, because this language does not like it when there are two consonants in a row on the same syllable.
1. If the word ends with a vowel, add 'S'.
Example 1: 'Menino' becomes 'meninos'.
Example 2: 'Pai' (father) becomes 'pais'.
2. If the word ends with 'R', 'Z' or 'S', add 'ES'.
Example 1: 'Mar' (sea) becomes 'mares'.
Example 2: 'Luz' (light) becomes 'luzes'.
Example 3: 'Mês' (month) becomes 'meses'.
3. If a word ends with 'L', look at the previous letter. If it's an 'I', replace it with 'S', else replace it with 'IS'.
Example 1: 'Funil' (funnel) becomes 'funis'.
Example 2: 'Painel' (pannel) becomes 'paineis'.
4. If a word ends with 'M', replace it with 'NS'.
Example 1: 'Nuvem' (cloud) becomes 'nuvens'.
Example 2: 'Bem' (good, item) becomes 'bens'.
5. If a word ends with 'ÃO', replace it with either 'ÃOS', 'ÃES' or 'ÕES', depending on the word.
Example 1: 'Irmão' becomes 'irmãos'.
Example 2: 'Cão' (dog) becomes 'cães'.
Example 3: 'Questão' (question) becomes 'questões'.
As always, be mindful that there are exceptions (for example, some words do not have a singular form, only a plural), but don't worry about those for now.
One final note: mixed groups (where there are both male and female elements) are referred to in masculine form. Therefore, when you say 'irmãos', this can include brothers and sisters. On the other hand, if you say 'irmãs', there is no mistaking that you're only talking about sisters.Vocabulário (Vocabulary)
Menino (m) - boy
Rapaz (m), rapariga (f) - boy, girl
Homem (m), mulher (f) - man, woman
Pai (m), mãe (f) - father, mother
Irmão (m) - brother
Tio (m) - uncle
Primo (m) - cousin
Amigo (m) - friend
Aluno (m) - student
Professor (m) - professor
Pintor (m) - painter
Escritor (m) - writer
Gato (m) - cat
Cão (m), cadela (f) - dog
Pássaro (m only) - bird
Peixe (m only) - fish
Casa (f only) - house, home
Quarto (m only) - room, bedroom
Sala (f only) - room, sitting room
Dia (m only) - day
Noite (f only) - night
Hear the recordings!
List + gender variation
List + number variationExercícios (Exercises)
1. Form the feminine of the words that only have their masculine forms listed.
2. Form the plural of all the words on the vocabulary list.
3. Listen to the recordings and practice saying the words.
4. Listen to the recordings and write the words without looking at the list.
You will find all the solutions to the tricky words throughout the lesson, but feel free to post your answers if you want me to take a look at them anyway. If you have any other questions, just ask!
Good luck! wink Last revised: 14 June 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 4:31 pm
Lição 2 - Determinantes
Lesson 2 - Determinants
In a nutshell, determinants are words that precede nouns and tell you things about them, like gender, number, location, etc.. Think of the English equivalents: the meaning of 'a pencil' differs from that of 'the pencil'.
I just said that one of the things they give information on is gender and number. If you remember the contents of the last lesson, though, you might be wondering, 'if the nouns have different forms for masculine and feminine, singular and plural, why should I care about determinants?' The thing is, the gender and number are not always apparent in the noun. For example: the word 'lápis' (pencil) is exactly the same in singular and plural, and 'pianista' (pianist) could be either masculine or feminine. Determinants help clear up ambiguities like these.
There are several kinds of determinants, depending on what type of information they give you, but one thing they all have in common is that they are always accompanied by a noun and their number and gender are the same as those of the noun they refer to.Artigos Definido e Indefinido (Definite and Indefinite Articles)
Definite articles are used when you want to talk about a specific object out of many of its kind. For example, 'o livro' (the book) refers to just one book, that one, regardless of how many other books exist throughout the world.
If you didn't care whether it was this or that book, and just wanted to reference a token object of its kind, you would use an indefinite article. For example, 'um livro' (a book) is a lot less specific.
Definite Articles (the):
O (masculine singular)
A (feminine singular)
Os (masculine plural)
As (feminine plural)
Indefinite Articles (a, an, some):
Um (masculine singular)
Uma (feminine singular)
Uns (masculine plural)
Umas (feminine plural)
As you can see, the articles follow the gender and number rules of the previous lesson to a 't'. Rejoice! It's rare to find words as well-behaved as these.
Example 1: 'Um vestido' (a dress)
Example 2: 'As calças' (the pants)
Example 3: 'Uns botões' (some buttons)Determinantes Demonstrativos (Demonstrative Determinants)
These determinants indicate the location of the referred object in relation to the speaker and the listener. In English, the equivalents would be 'this' and 'that', but since determinants vary according to number and gender, these words also come in quadruplicate in Portuguese. Don't worry, it will become second nature - eventually, hehe.
1. When something is close to the speaker (this, these):
Este (masculine singular)
Esta (feminine singular)
Estes (masculine plural)
Estas (feminine plural)
2. When something is close to the listener (that, those):
Esse (masculine singular)
Essa (feminine singular)
Esses (masculine plural)
Essas (feminine plural)
3. When something is far from both (that, those):
Aquele (masculine singular)
Aquela (feminine singular)
Aqueles (masculine plural)
Aquelas (feminine plural)
English does not differentiate between the last two forms, so here is an impromptu chart to explain the difference (the symbol 'S' denotes the speaker, 'L' is the listener, and '1', '2', and '3' are different items):
S 1xxxxxL 2xxxxxx3
The speaker would say:
About 1: 'Este objecto' (this object)
About 2: 'Esse objecto' (that object)
About 3: 'Aquele objecto' (that object)
How far away 3 has to be to no longer be considered a 2 is completely subjective, so don't sweat it if you can't decide between one or the other. Item 3 could be completely out of the listener's reach, or it could be really close but fall under the third category because there was an item 2 between 3 and the listener.
Additionally, note that these determinants also follow the gender and number rules that we applied to nouns in the previous lesson. If you keep those rules in mind, you only really have to memorise three words: 'este', 'esse' and 'aquele'.Determinantes Possessivos (Possessive Determinants)
This is where it gets tricky. As the name indicates, possessive determinants indicate who owns the object in question. I've been using the word object in these brief definitions, but this does not mean that they only apply to inanimate objects. All of these determinants are used equally for animals and people.
First person singular: meu, minha, meus, minhas (my)
Second person singular: teu, tua, teus, tuas (your, when refering to a single individual)
Third person singular: seu, sua, seus, suas (his, her)
First person plural: nosso, nossa, nossos, nossas (our)
Second person plural: vosso, vossa, vossos, vossas (your, when refering to more than one individual)
Third person plural: seu, sua, seus, suas (their)
Those are a lot of words, right? But it's simple once you get into it.
Out of all these 'first person singular', 'second person plural', etc., you choose the one that matches the owner of the item. For example, if 'we' own the item, then you need to use the 'first person plural'.
Then, out of the four forms of 'first person plural' (nosso, nossa, nossos, nossas), you pick the one that matches the item in gender and number. For example, if you're talking about a single pen ('a caneta') - you need to use the feminine and singular form 'nossa'.
The end result: 'a nossa caneta' (our pen).
A couple of extra notes:
1. Possessive determinants have to be preceded by either an article or a demonstrative determinant. There are exceptions to this, but they are very specific cases, so don't worry about them for now.
2. 'Seu' is a rather ambiguous form. It doesn't distinguish between third person singular or plural and sometimes, in more formal conversations, it can even indicate second person! It can be confusing for the listener to understand who the owner is, so we tend to reserve its use to more formal situations and writing. When speaking, we generally use an alternative to the determinants for the third person. Rather than saying 'his pen', we literally say 'pen of he' (which is done using a contraction of a preposition and a personal pronoun, if you want to know the gritty details). Here's the alternate portion of the table:
Third person singular: dele, dela (his, her)
Third person plural: deles, delas (their)
Now, you wonder: why are there only two forms for each person? Like I said, these aren't determinants, so they don't have anything to do with the object they're appended to. They relate only to the owner. If 'he' owns it, you'll want to use third person singular, masculine form: 'dele'. If a bunch of girls own it ('they') you use the third person plural in its feminine form: 'delas'. (Remember that in mixed groups you should use the masculine form, even if there are 99 girls and just 1 boy.)
Also note that whereas determinants precede a noun, these alternate forms always come afterwards.
Examples:
'O seu carro' can mean either one of these:
1. 'O carro dele' (his car)
2. 'O carro dela' (her car)
3. 'O carro deles' (their car, m or mixed group)
4. 'O carro delas' (their car, f)
5. 'O teu carro' (your car, sing.) *
6. 'O vosso carro' (your car, pl.) *
* I'm just illustrating how tricky it is to use 'seu'. Don't bother trying to understand why 5 and 6 are there for now. We'll get back to this later on, once we cover verbs.Vocabulário (Vocabulary)
O (m) - the
Um (m) - a, an
Este (m) - this
Esse (m) - that
Aquele (m) - that (farther away)
Meu (m), minha (f) - my
Teu (m), tua (f) - your (single owner)
Seu (m), sua (f) - his, her, their
Nosso (m) - our
Vosso (m) - your (more than one owner)
Dele (m) - his
Hear what these words sound like!Exercícios (Exercises)
1. Write ten 'determinant + noun' combinations (use the vocabulary from lesson 1 or look up some new words if you like).
2. After completing the first exercise, take a break, have some ice-cream, then go back and see if you can translate everything you wrote back to English.
3. Listen to the recording and practice saying the words.
4. Listen to the recording and try to write the words without looking at the lesson.
Feel free to post your answers or PM them to me if you want me to correct them. And if you have any other questions, ask away!
Good luck! wink Last revised: 24 June 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 4:47 pm
Lição 3 - Adjectivos
Lesson 3 - Adjectives
Adjectives are words that express a certain quality about a noun. Like determinants, they vary in number and gender, according to the noun they describe. The feminine is formed the same way as in nouns and so is the plural.
Adjectives come after the noun. You can also place them before, but that can alter the meaning slightly, so forget about it for now.
In English, each adjective has three forms (for example: 'big', 'bigger' and 'biggest'). In Portuguese, something similar happens for when you want to make comparisons or emphasise a quality.Graus Comparativos (Comparative Degrees)
Grau Comparativo de Superioridade (Comparative Degree of Superiority): used when you want to say that something is more (adjective) than something else. For example, 'I am taller than you'.
1. 'Mais' + (adjective) + 'que'
2. 'Mais' + (adjective) + 'do que'
Grau Comparativo de Igualdade (Comparative Degree of Equality): used when you want to say that something is just as (adjective) as something else. For example, 'I am as tall as you'.
1. 'Tão' + (adjective) + 'quanto'
2. 'Tão' + (adjective) + 'como'
Grau Comparativo de Inferioridade (Comparative Degree of Inferiority): used when you want to say that something is less (adjective) than something else. For example, 'I am less tall than you'.
1. 'Menos' + (adjective) + 'que'
2. 'Menos' + (adjective) + 'do que'
In each case, both forms are perfectly equivalent. Just pick whichever you like best. smile
Example 1: 'A minha tia é mais velha que o Pedro.' (My aunt is older than Pedro.)
Example 2: 'A Rita e o João são tão inteligentes quanto a Sofia.' (Rita and João are as smart as Sofia.)
Example 3: 'O Luís é menos ágil do que a tua prima.' (Luís is less agile than your cousin.)
You should recognise all of the words in these sentences from previous lessons with the exception of 'e' (and), 'é' ([he] is) and 'são' ([they] are). There will be a lesson on the verb 'to be' soon.Graus Superlativos (Superlative Degrees)
Grau Superlativo Relativo de Superioridade (Relative Superlative Degree of Superiority): used when you want to say that something is the most (adjective) of all. For example, 'I am the tallest'.
'O mais' + (adjective) *
Grau Superlativo Relativo de Inferioridade (Relative Superlative Degree of Inferiority): used when you want to say that something is the least (adjective) of all. For example, 'I am the least tall'.
'O menos' + (adjective) *
* The 'O' in both of these cases is an article and therefore should vary in number and gender according to each case. 'Mais' (more, most) and 'menos' (less, least) always remain the same.
Example 1: 'A Vanessa é a mais inteligente.' (Vanessa is the smartest.)
Example 2: 'O Jorge é o mais novo.' (Jorge is the youngest.)
Example 3: 'A Sofia é a menos alta.' (Sofia is the least tall.)
Example 4: 'Os teus irmãos são os menos ágeis.' (Your brothers/siblings are the least agile.)
Grau Superlativo Absoluto a**lítico (Analytical Absolute Superlative Degree): used when you want to say that something is very (adjective). For example, 'I am very tall'.
'Muito' + (adjective)
Example 1: 'Esta casa é muito antiga.' (This house is very old.)
Example 2: 'Esse quarto é muito grande.' (That room is very big.)
Grau Superlativo Absoluto Sintético (Syntetic Absolute Superlative Degree): used when you want to say that something is very (adjective). It's more or less equivalent to the previous, but using this form adds a bit more emphasis.
Replace the last vowel of the adjective with, or append, '-íssimo'
Two notes:
1. Since this ending becomes a part of the adjective, '-íssimo' varies in number and gender too ('-íssimo', '-íssima', '-íssimos', '-íssimas').
2. If the last consonant before '-íssimo' is a 'C', it should be replaced with 'QU'. (Remember lesson 0?)
Example 1: 'A sala é lindíssima.' (The room is very beautiful.)
Example 2: 'Os candeeiros são branquíssimos.' (The lamps are very white.)
There are exceptions to all of these rules and I don't recommend that you use the '-íssimo' form of an adjective unless you already know what it is, as that is the most irregular degree of all. Here are a few common adjectives to watch out for:
1. 'Bom' (good) - mais bom que 'melhor que' - o mais bom 'o melhor' - bonsíssimo 'óptimo'
2. 'Mau' (bad) - menos mau que 'pior que' - o menos mau 'o pior' - mausíssimo 'péssimo'
3. 'Grande' (big) - mais grande que 'maior que' - o mais grande 'o maior'
4. 'Pequeno' (small) - 'mais pequeno que' or 'menor que' - 'o mais pequeno' or 'o menor'Vocabulário (Vocabulary)
Bom (m), boa (f) - good
Mau (m), má (f) - bad
Grande (m and f) - big
Pequeno (m) - small
Novo (m) - new, young
Velho (m) - old
Alto (m) - tall
Baixo (m) - short
Magro (m) - thin
Gordo (m) - fat
Inteligente (m and f) - smart
Vermelho (m) - red
Amarelo (m) - yellow
Verde (m and f) - green
Azul (m and f) - blue
Branco (m) - white
Preto (m) - black
Cinzento (m) - grey
Cor-de-laranja, laranja (m and f) - orange
Cor-de-rosa, rosa (m and f) - pink
Hear what these words sound like!Exercícios (Exercises)
1. Write ten 'determinant + noun + adjective' combinations ('e' means 'and' if you wish to use it).
2. Put the adjectives in those ten combinations in each of the different degrees (use the verb 'to be' as presented in the examples: '[he] is' = 'é', '[they] are' = 'são').
3. Listen to the recording and try to write the words without looking at the list.
4. Practice reading your sentences.
Feel free to post your answers if you want me to correct them. As always, if you have any other questions, ask away!
I won't have time to write the next lesson until the end of the month, so expect it by the first week of July at the latest. Meanwhile, look up vocabulary and practice! These first four lessons may not look like much, but one of the first things to give away whether someone is a native speaker or not (besides the accent, hehe) is the ability to maintain gender and number accordance between the words in a sentence.
Good luck! wink Last revised: 14 June 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 10:13 am
Lição 4 - Verbos 1 (Ser / Estar)
Lesson 4 - Verbs 1 (To Be)
You should know enough by now to go around pointing at things and naming them, possibly adding a bit of description, but the world would be a pretty dull place without action: that's the cue for verbs.
Verbs are more complicated to use in Portuguese than in English because there are a lot more variations in conjugation. (This means you'll be spending some time memorising verb endings sometime in the future.) Another little piece of bad news is that there are irregular verbs to watch out for. Google tells me that there are 20 truly irregular verbs in Portuguese.
Given that there's really not much to do about irregular verbs other than to present them for memorisation, this lesson will simply introduce two of the most important irregular verbs in the simple past and present tense: the two equivalents of the verb to be, 'ser' and 'estar'.
Knowing when a situation requires one over the other can be a little tricky, and you can alter the meaning of a sentence just by switching between those two verbs. I'll try to keep it as simple as possible. 'Ser' refers to an intrinsic state of being. For example, I am a human being and that is a part of me. On the other hand, 'estar' describes a transient state, or something that wasn't always so: I might be tired at the moment, but a good night's sleep will fix that.
I think this is a good way to tell the two apart and, to be honest, I can't think of any exceptions at the moment. It's not always obvious which of the two to use, though.
Example 1: 'Ele está morto.' (He is dead.)
Death is a very permanent state, but since it wasn't always so, since what truly characterises an individual is the life they once had, we use 'estar' to describe this condition.
Example 2: 'Eu sou adulta.' (I am an adult.)
Even though adults weren't always so, they had to have been children at some point, once they're adults, that's the state that defines them. Therefore, 'ser' is the verb to use in this case.
Example 3.1: 'ser' - 'Tu és uma menina.' (You are a girl.)
Example 3.2: 'estar' - 'Tu estás uma menina!' (You are being girly!)
As you can see, these two sentences are identical apart from the verb being used. Can you see how the meaning changed?
As all things, you'll get the hang of it with experience.
One last thing: we haven't covered personal pronouns yet, but they're rather essencial to displaying the conjugation of verbs. There will be a whole lesson on pronouns in the future, but for now, here's a list of them and their English equivalents:
First person singular: Eu - I
Second person singular: Tu - you (one individual)
Third person singular: Ele / Ela - he / she
First person plural: Nós - we
Second person plural: Vós - you (collective)
Third person plural: Eles / Elas - they
Verbs generally don't change according to the subject's gender, so 'ele' and 'ela' have the same conjugation. The same thing happens with all the other verbal persons.
So, for this lesson, just focus on the verbs 'ser' and 'estar' and on getting a good grasp of the distinction between the two. Later on, when regular verbs are covered, I'll be giving a more in-depth explanation on verb tenses and moods. Don't worry too much about sentence structure either or how verbs coordinate with the other words already studied. That will be the subject of the next lesson.Ser (To be - for intrinsic states)
Presente do Indicativo (Indicative Present): used when you want to state a fact that relates to the present time.
Eu sou
Tu és
Ele é
Nós somos
Vós sois
Eles são
Pretérito Perfeito do Indicativo (Indicative Simple Past): used to state a fact about something that happened in the past.
Eu fui
Tu foste
Ele foi
Nós fomos
Vós fostes
Eles foramEstar (To be - for transient states)
Presente do Indicativo (Indicative Present): used when you want to state a fact that relates to the present time.
Eu estou
Tu estás
Ele está
Nós estamos
Vós estais
Eles estão
Pretérito Perfeito do Indicativo (Indicative Simple Past): used to state a fact about something that happened in the past.
Eu estive
Tu estiveste
Ele esteve
Nós estivemos
Vós estivestes
Eles estiveramUso de 'vós' (Use of 'vós')
The second person plural, 'vós', is rarely used these days. You might find people still using it regularly in certain areas of Portugal, particularly in the North of the country, and friends might use it jokingly, but it's considered pretty archaic. If you were to go around using it in a big city, you'd probably get some strange looks. It's very, very formal - the way you'd address a noble or a King or the Pope! - so, unless you have a deep interest in Portuguese and would like to take your studies to a more advanced level in the future, you're safe forgetting that 'vós' even exists.
Instead of 'vós', what we normally use is 'vocês', which is conjugated the exact same way as 'eles' (one less thing for you to memorise!). I'll keep including the conjugation of 'vós' in future lessons on verbs, but only for the sake of completeness and curiosity.Exercícios (Exercises)
1. Write ten 'determinant + noun + verb + adjective' sentences in the present tense.
2. Put those sentences in the past tense.
3. Translate the following sentences to English:
xxx O meu primo mais velho é um pintor.
xxx O gato dele foi gordo.
xxx Essa sala esteve cheia.
xxx Aquele teu caderno é o mais pequeno.
xxx Os vossos irmãos são mais novos que eu.
4. Translate the following sentences to Portuguese:
xxx I was tired.
xxx Your house is very big!
xxx That pen of ours was yellow.
xxx My parents are older than his aunts.
xxx Those girls are students.
5. Write the verbs without looking at the conjugation lists.
6. Practice reading all of the sentences above.
No vocabulary list this once, so you can dedicate your time to learning those verbs. (No recordings either, as my sister is holding the microphone hostage, grrr! ^^) As always, feel free to post your exercise answers or send them in via PM if you would like me to correct them. If you have any questions, just ask.
Good luck! wink Last revised: 23 June 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 8:52 pm
Lição 5 - Frases simples
Lesson 5 - Simple sentences
There is no one fixed order into which the words must go on a sentence in Portuguese. I, for one, have the awful habit of mixing things up when talking and putting words in awkward places that sometimes confuse the hell out of the person I'm talking to (that's one of my quirks). However, Portuguese is not completely chaotic either. There are certain rules that must be observed and there are standard ways to build affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences which are used most of the time. Those will be the object of this lesson.
You should accept the following structures as law if you're just starting out. Do not stray from them and do not improvise. As you grow more proficient and more comfortable in using the language, you can let go of them and start taking advantage of the freedom Portuguese can afford you (but never before then!).Frases Afirmativas (Affirmative Sentences)
Sentences are comprised of two big blocks:
Subject + predicate
The subject indicates the person/animal/thing that is performing the action stated in the predicate. As such, simple subjects only contain determinants, nouns and adjectives, in that order. Lessons 1 to 3 have everything you need to know in order to create such a subject for a sentence.
You can also replace all that with pronouns, which were introduced in lesson 4 or, alternatively, omit the subject altogether if it's clear what it is you are talking about (all the different verb conjugations for each person come in very handy for this). In short:
Subject type 1: Determinant + noun + (optional) adjective
Subject type 2: Pronoun
Subject type 3: (Ommited)
Example 1: 'A minha irmã fez o jantar.' (My sister made dinner.)
Example 2: 'Nós comemos tudo!' (We ate everything!)
Example 3: 'Estava muito bom.' ([Dinner] was very good.)
The predicate is a more complex entity. It can be subdivided into even more fundamental groups according to the type of information that they add to the overall sentence. Along with the verb, there are optional direct and indirect objects and a whole bunch of circumstancial complements (of time, place, manner, etc.).
Predicate: Verb + direct object + indirect object
Verbs are the fundamental part of the predicate and their conjugation must always agree with the subject in person and number. You can't have a sentence without a verb. (Well, you can, but it's not saying much of anything.)
Depending on the verb, you might be forced to provide a bit more information to the sentence. For example, 'O Carlos deu' (Carlos gave) is absolutely begging that you answer the question 'gave what?' The answer to that implicit question is the direct object. You might also ask 'gave to whom?' Or, in this other sentence, 'o cão mordeu' (the dog bit) - 'bit who?' In order to indicate who the action was meant for, you have to use the indirect object.
Now, here is why I'm bothering with all this boring talk of syntax: direct objects generally don't require a preposition; indirect, do.
Direct objects are composed of the same building blocks as subjects. They can also be composed of a verb in the infinitive form accompanied (or not) of its own direct/indirect object. (Don't worry about this latter option for now if you don't understand it. We'll get back to it.)
Direct object type 1: Adjective
Direct object type 2: Determinant + noun + (optional) adjective
Direct object type 3: Verb 2 + direct object 2 + indirect object 2
Indirect objects are similar, but only when answering the question 'who?' When the question is 'to whom?', you need to put the preposition 'a' (to) before that.
Indirect object type 1: Determinant + noun + (optional) adjective
Indirect object type 2: 'A' + determinant + noun + (optional) adjective
About the preposition 'a':
1. If the first determinant in the indirect object begins with an 'A' ('aquele', 'a', etc.), it combines with the preposition and becomes 'À'. (Do you remember lesson 0? This is the only use the grave accent has in Portuguese.)
2. If the first determinant in the indirect object is a definite article, that article will combine with 'a' in the following manner:
'A' + 'o' = 'ao'
'A' + 'a' = 'à'
'A' + 'os' = 'aos'
'A' + 'as' = 'às'
Example 1: 'O David é teimoso!' (David is stubborn!)
Example 2: 'O cão mordeu a Maria.' (The dog bit Maria.)
Example 3: 'O Carlos deu uma flor àquela rapariga.' (Carlos gave a flower to that girl.)
Circumstancial complements cover any and everything else you can think of that might belong in a simple sentence. Where was Carlos? When did this happen? How? Who was with him at the time? There will be a lesson in the future dedicated just to these complements, so I won't go any further into them for the moment. Just be aware that they exist.Frases Negativas (Negative Sentences)
Forming a negative is extraordinarily simple. All you have to do is add 'não' (no, not) right before the verb.
You should note that, unlike English, double negatives are very much allowed in Portuguese and have a different meaning than simple negatives. I won't go much into them. Look up examples or ask me specific questions if you'd like to know more about this. I don't think it's essential knowledge for a beginner's level.
Example 1: 'Ele não comeu tudo.' (He didn't eat everything.)
Example 2: 'Ele não comeu nada.' (He didn't eat anything.)
('Tudo' = 'everything'; 'nada' = 'nothing')Frases Interrogativas (Interrogative Sentences)
Portuguese is simpler than English when it comes to forming questions. Just tack a question mark '?' at the end of a sentence and it's done!
Interrogative words and expressions (with the exception of those that end in 'é que', they take the subject's place):
Quem - who
Que / O quê / O que é que - what
Qual (sing.) / Quais (pl.) - what, which one(s)
Quanto - how much
Quando - when
Onde - where
Como - how
Porquê / Porque é que - why
Example 1: 'Ele comeu a sobremesa?' (Did he eat the dessert?)
Example 2: 'O Carlos deu uma flor à Susana?' (Did Carlos give Susana a flower?)
Example 3: 'Qual é o teu nome?' (What is your name?)
Example 4: 'Que fazes?' (What do you do? or What are you doing?)
Example 5: 'O que é que ele faz?' (What is it that he does?)
Example 6: 'Porquê estudar línguas?' (Why study languages?)
Example 7: 'Porque é que tu estás aqui?' (Why are you here?)
Answering a question:
Sim - yes
Não - no
Example 8 (answering example 1): 'Sim, ele comeu a sobremesa.'
Example 9 (answering example 2): 'Não, não deu.' (subject and objects are implicit)
Example 10: (answering example 3): 'O meu nome é Cyn!' (My name is Cyn! :D)Exercícios (Exercises)
1. Complete the following sentences:
xxx O meu primo deu... (my cousin gave...)
xxx Aquele gato foi...
xxx Ela gosta de... (she likes...)
xxx O teu chefe é...
xxx Nós estamos...
2. Write the previous sentences in the negative form.
3. Make questions out of those five sentences (try to use some interrogative words/expressions too) and answer them.
4. Practice reading all of the examples above.
I feel like this was a very long lesson, so I'm worried if perhaps it was too much to take in at once. If you have any questions or comments, please speak up!
As always, feel free to post your answers to the exercises if you would like me to correct them.
Good luck! wink Last revised: 5 August 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2010 4:32 am
Lição 6 - Verbos 2 (presente)
Lesson 6 - Verbs 2 (present tense)
So now we know how to make sentences, but not so much about how to put verbs in them. Shall we get to it?
Verbs can be spotted a mile away by their endings. All verbs in their infinitive state (the form that appears in a dictionary) end in either '-ar', '-er', '-ir' or '-or' (verbs ending in '-or' are actually considered irregular, but I'll treat them here as if they were regular, because their endings are always the same). Since all regular verbs have one of these four endings, there are four sets of suffixes you'll need to know in order to conjugate them.
Verbs can also be conjugated in four different moods, according to the intention you want to relay in a sentence. These are:
1. The indicative mood: when the action is certain and/or real.
2. The imperative mood: when the verb expresses a command.
3. The conditional mood: used to express a condition (the if-then kind).
4. The subjunctive mood: used to express a possibility, a desire.
Out of these four, the indicative is the one you'll use most (and the conditional, the one you'll probably use least), so that's the first one we'll go into. Unlike what happens in English where it is falling out of use, Portuguese love their subjunctive, so I'm afraid there's no way to get around learning all the moods at some point if you want to be fluent.
Each mood also contains different verbal times. For the indicative mood, these are:
1. Presente (Present)
2. Pretérito Perfeito (Perfect Past)
3. Pretérito Imperfeito (Imperfect Past)
4. Pretérito Mais-Que-Perfeito (More-Than-Perfect Past)
5. Futuro (Future)
Let's forget about 2-5 for now and see how to form the Indicative Present.Verbos acabados em -ar (Verbs ending with -ar)
Let's look at the verb 'cantar' (to sing). What you basically do is take out the '-ar' from the infinitive form of the verb and replace it with each of the following endings, according to the person:
Eu canto
Tu cantas
Ele canta
Nós cantamos
Vós cantais
Eles cantam
Another example - the verb 'falar' (to talk):
Eu falo
Tu falas
Ele fala
Nós falamos
Vós falais
Eles falam
Works every time. wink Verbos acabados em -er (Verbs ending with -er)
The process is the same as in '-ar' verbs. Here's the verb 'viver' (to live, to reside):
Eu vivo
Tu vives
Ele vive
Nós vivemos
Vós viveis
Eles vivem
As you can see, the only difference is that where there was an 'A' in '-ar' verbs, now there is an 'E'. Easy to memorise.Verbos acabados em -ir (Verbs ending with -ir)
The verb 'partir' (to break, to leave):
Eu parto
Tu partes
Ele parte
Nós partimos
Vós partis
Eles partem
Not quite as straightforward as the other two, but still simple enough, right?Verbos acabados em -or (Verbs ending with -or)
The verb 'pôr' (to put):
Eu ponho
Tu pões
Ele põe
Nós pomos
Vós pondes
Eles põem
Completely different, I know. That's why they're considered irregular. On the bright side, these verbs are quite rare.Vocabulário (Vocabulary)
Andar - to walk
Estudar - to study
Cantar - to sing
Falar - to talk, to speak
Gostar (de) - to like, to be fond (of)
Adorar - to love, to adore
Detestar - to hate
Perguntar - to ask
Chamar - to call, to be named
Aprender - to learn
Comer - to eat
Beber - to drink
Escrever - to write
Viver - to live, to reside
Abrir - to open
Dormir - to sleep
Conseguir - to be able to, to succeed
Partir - to leave, to break
Pôr - to put
Note on 'gostar': this verb is one of the exceptions to the 'no prepositions in direct objects' rule of last lesson. When you want to explicit what it is that's liked, you need to add the preposition 'de' (literally, it means 'of') before the rest of the direct object. Like the preposition 'a' of indirect objects, 'de' can also be combined with the determinants and pronouns that follow it:
'De' + 'a(...)' = 'da(...)'
'De' + 'e...' = 'de...'
'De' + 'i...' = 'di...'
'De' + 'o(...)' = 'do(...)'
'De' + 'u...' = 'du...'
(Do you still remember the lesson on possessive determinants? 'Of he' = 'dele'?)Exercícios (Exercises)
1. Conjugate the verbs 'andar', 'comer' and 'partir' in the indicative present tense.
2. Write ten simple sentences using the verbs in the vocabulary.
3. Translate:
xxx Eles estudam Português.
xxx O João não gosta destes livros velhos.
xxx Onde ponho esta caneta?
xxx Consegues partir estes pratos?
xxx Eu detesto beber água muito fria.
4. Practice reading all of the examples above.
If you have any questions or comments, do let me know! You can also post your answers to the exercises in this thread if you would like me to go over them.
Good luck! wink Last revised: 24 June 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2010 5:08 am
Interlúdio 1 - Música!
Interlude 1 - Music!
Can you understand the lyrics to this song by the Portuguese pop band Entre Aspas? smile Criatura da NoiteEsta noite eu quero cantar,
Dançar e voar,
Uô, uô...
E...
Quero ver luzes, muitas,
Quero ser um pássaro,
Uô, uô, uô, uã...
Quero ver os peixes a bailar
E as ideias a gritar,
Quero voar, voar até ver
O mar pegar fogo
E tipo incendiar
Até a luz, a luz me cercar
E eu voltar p'ró meu lugar. Vocabulário (Vocabulary)
Criatura (f only) - creature
Querer - to want (irregular verb)
Dançar - to dance
Voar - to fly
Ver - to see (irregular verb)
Bailar - to dance
Ideia (f only) - idea
Gritar - to scream
Até - preposition: until
Pegar - to catch
Fogo (m only) - fire
Tipo - like, such as
Incendiar - to burn
Cercar - to surround
Voltar - to return
P'ró (slang) = para o - to
Lugar (m only) - place
Enjoy! wink Last revised: 24 June 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 4:07 pm
Lição 7 - Pronomes 1
Lesson 7 - Pronouns 1
Simply put, pronouns are words that can replace nouns. They're very useful to shorten sentences and to avoid continuously repeating yourself.
To be honest, I had hoped to cover all about pronouns in this lesson, but after I started thinking about it, I realized that there was simply too much to be said about them. There are a lot of pronouns and their use is not always easy to explain, so I decided not to go into everything right now.
When we learned about simple sentence structure, we saw that basic sentences in Portuguese are comprised of the following elements:
Subject + verb + direct object + indirect object
Since pronouns replace nouns, they can, therefore, appear at the subject, the direct object or the indirect object.Substituindo o sujeito (Replacing the subject)
On this category, we have, among others, the ever popular personal pronouns, which were introduced on the first lesson about verbs.
Eu - I
Tu - you (one person)
Ele - he
Ela - she
Nós - we
Vós - you (several people)
Eles - they (male or mixed groups)
Elas - they (group of females)
Você - you (single person)
Vocês - you (several people)
'Você' is a more formal and respectful way to address someone. You'll want to use it when talking to a superior, or someone you don't know very well or to whom you want to show respect. 'Tu' is the corresponding familiar version, which is used to address family, friends, children or people you already have some familiarity with.
'Vocês', on the other hand, is the most commonly used form of 'vós'. I already explained that 'vós' is considered archaic and very rarely used, so you can forget all about 'vós' and stick to 'vocês'.
When you use verbs along with 'você' and 'vocês', you should always conjugate them as the third person. For example:
1. 'Você fala' (you talk)
'Tu falas' (you talk)
'Ele fala' (he talks)
2. 'Vocês falam' (you all talk)
'Vós falais' (you all talk)
'Eles falam' (they talk)Substituindo o complemento directo (Replacing the direct object)
Consider the sentence:
'Os meus amigos vão levar as malas.' (My friends will take the bags.)
The subject is 'Os meus amigos', which can be replaced by a personal pronoun: 'eles'. The verb is the compound 'vão levar' and the direct object (take what?) is 'as malas'. Unfortunately, you can't use personal pronouns to replace the direct object. There are special pronouns for that: direct object pronouns.
Me - me
Te - you (one person)
O (lo, no) - him
A (la, na) - her
Nos - us
Vos - you (several people)
Os (los, nos) - them (male or mixed groups)
As (las, nas) - them (group of females)
These pronouns can appear before or after the verb, but after is generally prefered. In this case, they should be 'attached' to the verb by a hyphen.
If the sentence is in the negative form, however, the pronouns come between 'não' and the verb.
You may also be wondering: why do 'o' and 'a' have three different forms and when should each of them be used? This is completely dependent on the verb. You see, sometimes the verb ends in a letter that doesn't make it easy to say the pronoun afterwards, that almost makes it sounds like the verb and pronoun are just one word - so we add that extra 'L' or 'N' for the sake of clarity.
1. If the verb ends in 'M', we add an 'N' to the pronoun.
2. If the verb ends with an 'R', 'Z' or 'S', these consonants should be dropped and an 'L' should be added to the pronoun.
3. If the verb ends with an 'R', the vowel before this consonant can also change: 'A' becomes 'Á', and 'E' becomes 'Ê'.
For example:
1. 'Eles levam as suas malas.' (They take their bags.)
...is shortened to 'Eles levam-nas.'
2. 'Ele faz o trabalho de casa.' (He does the homework.)
...is shortened to 'Ele fa-lo.'
3. 'Eles vão levar as malas.' (They will take the bags.)
...is shortened to 'Eles vão levá-las.'
4. 'Nós não queremos esse livro.' (We don't want that book.)
...is shortened to 'Nós não o queremos.'Substituindo o complemento indirecto (Replacing the indirect object)
Like the direct object, there are also special pronouns dedicated to replacing the indirect object. However, there isn't a direct correspondence between indirect object and indirect object pronouns. Sometimes, you use direct object pronouns instead.
Luckily for you, they are very similar and you can tell when to use the indirect object pronouns because the preposition 'a' (to) will be on the sentence.
Me - to me
Te - to you (one person)
Lhe - to him/her
Nos - to us
Vos - to you (several people)
Lhes - to them
The equivalent to 'você' (the formal 'tu') of the indirect object pronouns is 'lhe' (third person, like the verbs). It should be noted however that, unlike 'vós', 'vos' is used (accents are important!).
Like the direct object pronouns, these can come before or after the verb too, but after is generally prefered. In this case, they should be 'attached' to the verb by a hyphen.
If the sentence is in the negative, the pronouns come between 'não' and the verb.
Examples:
1. 'Ele deu o recado à Rosa?' (Did he give the message to Rosa?)
...is shortened to 'Ele deu-lhe o recado?'
2. 'Ela falou ao vosso grupo.' (She spoke to your group.)
...is shortened to 'Ela falou-vos.'Substituindo o complemento directo e indirecto (Replacing the direct and indirect objects)
When you replace both the direct and the indirect object with pronouns, you don't just tack both of them to the end of the verb. It's possible to combine them into a single pronoun:
Me + o = mo - him/it to me
Me + a = ma - her/it to me
Me + os = mos - them to me
Me + as = mas - them to me
The same happens with all the others:
Te + o (a, os, as) = to (ta, tos, tas) - it/him/her/them to you (one person)
Lhe + o (a, os, as) = lho (lha, lhos, lhas) - it/him/her/them to him/her
Nos + o (a, os, as) = no-lo (no-la, no-los, no-las) - it/him/her/them to us
Vos + o (a, os, as) = vo-lo (vo-a, vo-los, vo-las) - it/him/her/them to you (several people)
Lhes + o (a, os, as) = lhos (lhas, lhos, lhas) - it/him/her/them to themExercícios (Exercises)
1. Replace the indicated portion of the following sentences with a pronoun:
xxx O professor dá aulas aos seus alunos. (indirect object)
xxx Aquela actriz tem um bom desempenho. (subject)
xxx O João deu-te os bonbons? (subject, direct object)
xxx Não comeste a sopa, pois não? (direct object)
xxx A gata arranhou a perna à Rita. (subject, indirect object)
2. Write ten sentences using pronouns.
3. Practice reading all of the examples above.
This was a tough lesson to write, but I hope you had an easy time understanding everything. Kalif used to help me make these by asking questions along the way and setting up a dialogue, so I'm kind of afraid I might have forgotten to mention some crucial matter somewhere now that I'm without her feedback.
In any case, the best way for you to learn about pronouns (and a language in general) is to use them, so practice practice practice!
Good luck! wink Last revised: 16 July 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 6:13 pm
Lição 8 - Verbos 3 (pretéritos)
Lesson 8 - Verbs 3 (past tenses)
The examples of the previous lessons have been full of verbs in the past, so for this lesson, I'm going to teach you about the past tenses of the indicative mood.
If you did your homework on lesson 6, you already know that the indicative mood is used to state a fact or a sure occurrence. You should also remember that there are three kinds of past: the perfect, the imperfect and the more-than-perfect past.
What you do to form the past tense is exactly the same thing that you did for the present. You take out the '-ar' / '-er' / '-ir' / '-or' from the infinitive form of the verb and replace it with the appropriate ending.Pretérito Perfeito (Perfect Past)
The perfect past is the equivalent of the English past simple. It's used to describe (one of a kind) actions that belong entirely to the past - they were perfectly completed then.
For example:
1. 'Comprei um computador.' (I bought a computer.)
2. 'Andei nessa escola.' (I went to that school.)
3. 'Não fizeste os t.p.c.?' (You didn't do the homework?)
Verbos acabados em -ar (Verbs ending with -ar)
The verb 'cantar' (to sing):
Eu cantei
Tu cantaste
Ele cantou
Nós cantámos
Vós cantastes
Eles cantaram
Verbos acabados em -er (Verbs ending with -er)
The verb 'comer' (to eat):
Eu comi
Tu comeste
Ele comeu
Nós comemos
Vós comestes
Eles comeram
Verbos acabados em -ir (Verbs ending with -ir)
The verb 'partir' (to break, to leave):
Eu parti
Tu partiste
Ele partiu
Nós partimos
Vós partistes
Eles partiram
Verbos acabados em -or (Verbs ending with -or)
The verb 'pôr' (to place, to put):
Eu pus
Tu puseste
Ele pôs
Nós pusemos
Vós pusestes
Eles puseramPretérito Imperfeito (Imperfect Past)
I don't think there's a perfect equivalent in English to the imperfect past (so there's your mnemonic to remember when to use it). It can either be a past simple or a past continuous, I think. This tense is used to describe actions that repeated regularly in the past, or that happened at a time you can't place, or even that happened simultaneously with another past (perfect) action.
For example:
1. 'A minha mãe contava-me muitas histórias.' (My mother used to tell me a lot of stories.)
2. 'Era uma vez...' (Once upon a time, there was...)
3. 'Li um livro que falava acerca de uns bichos estranhos. (I read a book that spoke about some weird critters.)
A good way to remember/identify this tense is that the verb endings usually include either a 'va' or a 'ia'.
Verbos acabados em -ar (Verbs ending with -ar)
Eu cantava
Tu cantavas
Ele cantava
Nós cantávamos
Vós cantáveis
Eles cantavam
Verbos acabados em -er (Verbs ending with -er)
Eu comia
Tu comias
Ele comia
Nós comíamos
Vós comíeis
Eles comiam
Verbos acabados em -ir (Verbs ending with -ir)
Eu partia
Tu partias
Ele partia
Nós partíamos
Vós partíeis
Eles partiam
Verbos acabados em -or (Verbs ending with -or)
Eu punha
Tu punhas
Ele punha
Nós púnhamos
Vós púnheis
Eles punhamPretérito Mais-Que-Perfeito (More-Than-Perfect Past)
You'll hardly ever use this tense in conversational Portuguese. When speaking, the compound form of this tense (which we'll get to at a later date) is more commonly used. The more-than-perfect past is used to show that one action occurred further back in the past in relation to another past action. It can be compared to the English past perfect (don't confuse it with the 'pretérito perfeito', though!)
For example:
1. 'Ela já saíra quando eu cheguei.' (She had already left by the time I arrived.)
2. 'O João acabara os seus estudos.' (João had finished his studies.)
A good way to remember/identify this tense is that the verb endings usually include a 'ra'.
Verbos acabados em -ar (Verbs ending with -ar)
Eu cantara
Tu cantaras
Ele cantara
Nós cantáramos
Vós cantáreis
Eles cantaram
Verbos acabados em -er (Verbs ending with -er)
Eu comera
Tu comeras
Ele comera
Nós comêramos
Vós comereis
Eles comeram
Verbos acabados em -ir (Verbs ending with -ir)
Eu partira
Tu partiras
Ele partira
Nós partíramos
Vós partíreis
Eles partiram
Verbos acabados em -or (Verbs ending with -or)
Eu pusera
Tu puseras
Ele pusera
Nós puséramos
Vós puséreis
Eles puseramExercícios (Exercises)
1. Conjugate the following verbs in all three past tenses:
xxx Pintar (to paint)
xxx Andar (to walk)
xxx Conseguir (to achieve, to be able to)
xxx Gostar (to like)
xxx Seguir (to follow)
xxx Vender (to sell)
xxx Escrever (to write)
xxx Decidir (to decide)
xxx Dever (should)
xxx Beber (to drink)
2. Practice reading all of the examples above.
No vocabulary this time, because the lesson itself is a lot to memorise. I'd like to ask you guys if you would like to see more vocabulary, though? I could do more 'interlude lessons' dedicated to vocabulary on a certain theme if there is interest.
I'd also like to know your opinion on the lessons! Are they too hard, too long, not explanatory enough, lacking in examples or exercises, just right... what? I'd like them to meet your expectations and interests as much as possible.
Good luck! wink Last revised: 3 August 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 6:50 pm
Lição 9 - Preposições
Lesson 9 - Prepositions
Prepositions are extremely useful little words that define the relation between two portions of a sentence. There will be more on those relations on the lesson about circumstancial complements, but for now I just wanted to do a quick introduction of these so that you'll be able to understand their meaning when that time comes.
As you know (I hope, haha), there are loads and loads of prepositions in English. In Portuguese, though, you can narrow it down to the following:
A - to
Ante - before, in front of
Após - after
Até - until
Com - with
Contra - against
De - from, of
Desde - from, since
Em - in, at
Entre - between, among
Para - for, to
Perante - before, in front of
Por - by, for
Sem - without
Sob - under
Sobre - above, on
Trás - behind
As you can tell from that list alone, there is no direct correspondence between Portuguese and English prepositions, so my advice is to rely on examples of sentences to absorb their meaning.
It should also be noted that some verbs require the complements that accompany them to start with a preposition. For example, you've already seen that the verb 'gostar' (to like) needs to be followed by the preposition 'de' when you want to explicit what it is that you like. There's really no rule to telling which verbs require what, so this is just something you'll have to learn through experience as you use the verbs.
Other examples:
1. 'Concordar com...' (to agree with...)
2. 'Duvidar de...' (to doubt...)
3. 'Acreditar em...' (to believe in...)
4. 'Morar em...' (to live in/at...)
5. 'Distribuir por...' (to distribute among...)
6. 'Dividir por...' (to divide by...)
7. 'Ir a...' (to go to...)
8. 'Assistir a...' (to watch...)
And since the last lesson was a toughie, that will be all for now. Again, there will be more on this subject when we cover circumstancial complements, because to understand prepositions, you need to understand what kind of situations they can be used in.
Study hard and good luck! wink Last revised: 3 August 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2010 5:05 pm
Lição 10 - Verbos 4 (mais verbos irregulares)
Lesson 10: Verbs 4 (more irregular verbs)
Google tells me that there are 20 truly irregular verbs in Portuguese - actually, there are more, but if you know how to conjugate these 20, you immediately know how to conjugate the rest. For example: 'ler' (to read) and 'reler' (to read again) are both irregular, but only 'ler' makes it onto the 20 list because 'reler' is derived from 'ler'.
Another thing that you should note is that an irregular verb might behave irregularly on one tense and regularly on all the others. This is very common, so don't despair!
For the sake of reference, here is the full list of these irregular verbs:
Aprazer - to please
Caber - to fit
Crer - to believe
Dar - to give
Dizer - to say, to tell
Estar - to be
Fazer - to do
Haver - there to be
Ir - to go
Ler - to read
Poder - to be able to
Pôr - to put
Querer - to want
Saber - to know
Ser - to be
Ter - to have
Trazer - to bring
Ver - to see
Vir - to come
Rir - to laugh
You already know about 'ser' and 'estar' and I've been treating 'pôr' as an example of a fourth conjugation, so that verb has already been covered as well. Other verbs here you will rarely need (I personally cannot remember a single time when I have had to say 'aprazer'), so, for this lesson, I will pick only a few of the most commonly used: 'ser', 'estar', 'fazer', 'haver', 'ir', 'querer', 'saber', 'ter', 'ver' and 'vir'.
You can check out the rest on this online conjugation chart. Just click on the name of the verb to be directed to its corresponding table. If you scroll down on that page, you can also see other irregular verbs that are conjugated in the same way listed under 'Verbos conjugados como o verbo...'.Ser (To be - for intrinsic states)
Pretérito Imperfeito do Indicativo:
Eu era
Tu eras
Ele era
Nós éramos
Vós éreis
Eles eramEstar (To be - for transient states)
Pretérito Imperfeito do Indicativo:
'Estar' is conjugated as a regular verb on this tense.
Eu estava
Tu estavas
Ele estava
Nós estávamos
Vós estáveis
Eles estavamHaver (There to be)
In case it isn't clear, 'haver' is more or less equivalent to 'there is/are/...'. It's used in other situations as well, but always to point out the existence of something. For example, you might say, 'há muito tempo que...' (it's been a long time since...)
Presente do Indicativo:
Eu hei
Tu hás
Ele há
Nós havemos
Vós haveis
Eles hão
Pretérito Perfeito do Indicativo:
Eu houve
Tu houveste
Ele houve
Nós houvemos
Vós houvestes
Eles houveram
Pretérito Imperfeito do Indicativo:
'Haver' is conjugated as a regular verb on this tense.
Eu havia
Tu havias
Ele havia
Nós havíamos
Vós havíeis
Eles haviamFazer (To do)
Presente do Indicativo:
Eu faço
Tu fazes
Ele faz
Nós fazemos
Vós fazeis
Eles fazem
Pretérito Perfeito do Indicativo:
Eu fiz
Tu fizeste
Ele fez
Nós fizemos
Vós fizestes
Eles fizeram
Pretérito Imperfeito do Indicativo:
'Fazer' is conjugated as a regular verb on this tense.
Eu fazia
Tu fazias
Ele fazia
Nós fazíamos
Vós fazíeis
Eles faziamIr (To go)
Presente do Indicativo:
Eu vou
Tu vais
Ele vai
Nós vamos
Vós ides
Eles vão
Pretérito Perfeito do Indicativo:
Eu fui
Tu foste
Ele foi
Nós fomos
Vós fostes
Eles foram
Pretérito Imperfeito do Indicativo:
'Ir' is conjugated as a regular verb on this tense.
Eu ia
Tu ias
Ele ia
Nós íamos
Vós íeis
Eles iamVir (To come)
Presente do Indicativo:
Eu venho
Tu vens
Ele vem
Nós vimos
Vós vindes
Eles vêm
Pretérito Perfeito do Indicativo:
Eu vim
Tu viste
Ele veio
Nós viemos
Vós viestes
Eles vieram
Pretérito Imperfeito do Indicativo:
Eu vinha
Tu vinhas
Ele vinha
Nós vínhamos
Vós vínheis
Eles vinhamTer (To have)
The use of 'ter' is not perfectly equivalent to that of 'to have'. For example, we say 'tenho X anos' (I am X years-old) rather than 'estou X anos', which makes no sense in Portuguese.
Presente do Indicativo:
Eu tenho
Tu tens
Ele tem
Nós temos
Vós tendes
Eles têm
Pretérito Perfeito do Indicativo:
Eu tive
Tu tiveste
Ele teve
Nós tivemos
Vós tivestes
Eles tiveram
Pretérito Imperfeito do Indicativo:
Eu tinha
Tu tinhas
Ele tinha
Nós tínhamos
Vós tínheis
Eles tinhamVer (To see)
Presente do Indicativo:
Eu vejo
Tu vês
Ele vê
Nós vemos
Vós vedes
Eles vêem
Pretérito Perfeito do Indicativo:
Eu vi
Tu viste
Ele viu
Nós víamos
Vós vistes
Eles viram
Pretérito Imperfeito do Indicativo:
'Ver' is conjugated as a regular verb on this tense.
Eu via
Tu vias
Ele via
Nós víamos
Vós víeis
Eles viamQuerer (To want)
Presente do Indicativo:
Eu quero
Tu queres
Ele quer
Nós queremos
Vós quereis
Eles querem
Pretérito Perfeito do Indicativo:
Eu quis
Tu quiseste
Ele quis
Nós quisemos
Vós quisestes
Eles quiseram
Pretérito Imperfeito do Indicativo:
'Querer' is conjugated as a regular verb on this tense.
Eu queria
Tu querias
Ele queria
Nós queríamos
Vós queríeis
Eles queriamSaber (To know)
Presente do Indicativo:
Eu sei
Tu sabes
Ele sabe
Nós sabemos
Vós sabeis
Eles sabem
Pretérito Perfeito do Indicativo:
Eu soube
Tu soubeste
Ele soube
Nós soubemos
Vós soubestes
Eles souberam
Pretérito Imperfeito do Indicativo:
'Saber' is conjugated as a regular verb on this tense.
Eu sabia
Tu sabias
Ele sabia
Nós sabíamos
Vós sabíeis
Eles sabiamExercícios (Exercises)
1. Complete the sentences:
xxx Ontem, _____ (ver, pretérito perfeito) o meu primo.
xxx Ele não _____ (querer, pretérito imperfeito) ficar muito tempo, mas _____ (falar, pretérito perfeito) um bocado.
xxx Nós _____ (estar, pretérito perfeito) em minha casa e depois _____ (ir, pretérito perfeito) até à praia.
xxx O tempo _____ (estar, pretérito imperfeito) muito bom.
xxx O irmão dele _____ (ter, presente) a mesma idade que eu.
xxx _____ (haver - ele, presente) muito tempo que eu não o _____ (ver, presente).
xxx Nós também _____ (ser, pretérito imperfeito) muito amigos.
2. Translate the text on the previous exercise to English.
3. Write ten sentences using the irregular verbs in this lesson.
This lesson contained a lot of information, so don't try to take it in all at once. Set yourself a goal to memorise one or two verb tenses per day, for example.
As always, feel free to post your exercise answers or send them in to me via PM if you would like me to look over them. If you have any other questions, just ask.
Good luck! wink Last revised: 4 August 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
