Dulce Marcello.-Living Language Complete Brazilian Portuguese. The Basics PDF [PDF]

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PORTUGUESE LEARN IN 4 SIMPLE STEPS! W O R D S -P N R A S E S -S E N T E N C E S -C O N V E R S A T IO N S

C O M P L E T E COURSE

THE

B A S IC S

COURSE OUTLINE How to use this course.............................................................................. xi Language learning tips ............................................................................xv Portuguese spelling and pronunciation ................................................... xxv

UNIT It Saying h e llo ................................................. ......................... 1 Lesson 1 (words) ................................................................................... 1 Gender of nouns and definitearticles . . . . 2 Plural of nouns and definite articles . . . . . 4 Lesson 2 (phrases)...............................................................................6 Subject pronouns ........................................7 Set (to be)...................................................... 9 Lesson 3 (sentences) .......................................................................11 Numbers 1-2 0 .................... ....................... 11 Negation ................................................... 13 Lesson 4 (conversations) ...................................................................14 Pronunciation and specialsymbols............16 Asking yes/no questions...........................17

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U N I T 2 : Talking a b o u t the f a m i l y .................

21

Lesson 5 (w o rd s ) ................................................

22 23

Indefinite articles . Há (there is/there are) Lesson 6 (p h rases )

................................................................................. 24 E star (to be) ................................................... 25 Adjective agreement ..................................... 27

Lesson 7 (sen ten ces ) .............................................................................. 30 Possessive adjectives ( 1 ) .............................. 30 Ser vs. e s t a r .................................................33

Lesson 8 (conversations ) ........................................................................35 Possessive adjectives (2 ) .............................. 36 The num bers 20-100 ................................ 39

U N IT 3 : Everyday l i f e ........................... .................................................43

Lesson 9 (w o rd s )........................................................................................43 Telling t i m e ................................................... 44 The prepostion de (of) .............................. 46

Lesson l O (p h ra se s ) .................................................................................49 Regular -ar v e r b s ............................................ 50 The verb gostar dc (to like) ..........................54

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Lesson 11 (sen ten ces) ................................................................................ 56 Question w o r d s ..............................................57 The verb fazer (to do, to make) .....................59 Lesson 12 (conversations) ...................................................................... 62 More question words ................................... 63 The verb te r (to have) ..................................... 67

U N IT 4: Talking ab ou t h e a l t h ................................................................. 73 Lesson 13 (words) ....................................................................................... 73 Num bers 100 and a b o v e .............................. 74 D e m o n stra tiv e s...............................................77 Lesson 14 (p h rases) .................................................................................. 81 Regular -er v e r b s ............................................ 81 The verbs v er (to see) and ler (to read) .. .84 Lesson 15 ( s e n te n c e s ) ............................................................................... 87 Expressions w ith estar c o m ........................ 88 The infinitive as a noun ............................ 91 Lesson 16 (conversations) ...................................................................... 92 D ever (should) and p o d e r (can) .................... 94 Q u e re r (to want to), te r que (to have to), and precisar (to need t o ) .................................97

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Complete Brazilian Portuguese: The Basics

U N I T 5 : O n th e phone ..................................................................

101

Lesson 17 ( w o r d s ) ...................................................................................I0J Regular -ir verbs ........................................104 The verb ir (to go) and contractions w ith a (to) .................................................. 107

Lesson 18 (p h rases) .............................................................................. 109 Em and other p re p o s itio n s ..................... 110 Days, dates, and prepositions o f time . . 113

Lesson 19 ( s e n te n c e s ) ............................................................................ 117 The verbs vir (to come), p ed ir (to askfor), and trazer (to b rin g)...................................118 Courtesy expressions and gostaria de (would lik e )................................................... 121

Lesson 2 0 (conversations ) .................................................................125 The present c o n tin u o u s............................127 Uses o f definite and indefinite articles ........................................................129

U N IT 6 : A round t o w n ........................................................................... 135 Lesson 21 (words ) ..................................................................... ............. 135 O rdinal n u m b e rs ........................................136 The verb ficar (to stay) and phrases o f location and d ire c tio n .................................139

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Lesson 22 (phrases)........................................................................ 142 The imperative ........................................ 142 Object pronouns......................................146 Lesson 23 (sentences).................................................................... 149 The verbs pôr (to put), sair (to go out), dizer (to say), and dar (to give) .. : ........ 150 Use and position o f object pronouns .. 155 Lesson 24 (conversations)..............................................................160 The preposition para................................ 162 Personal infinitives .................................. 165

UNIT 7: Shopping.........................................................................169 Lesson 25 (words) .......................................................................... 169 Comparatives .......................................... 170 Superlatives...............................................174 Lesson 26 (phrases)........................................................................ 178 Diminutives and augmentatives ............. 179 Position of adjectives .............................. 181 Lesson 27 (sen ten ces).................................................................... 183 Reflexive verbs ( 1 ) .....................................184 Reflexive verbs ( 2 ) .................................... 187 Lesson 28 (conversations)...........................................................190 The immediate future........................... 191 The preposition por ............................. 194 v iii

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U N I T 8 : In a re sta uran t

Lesson 2 9 (words) .................................................................................19{) Pronouns used after prepositions ............200 The im personal s e ........................................ 202

Lesson 3 0 (p h rases) ............................................................................... 204 A d v e rb s .......................................................... 205 The preterite o f estar (to b e )....................... 209

Lesson 31 ( s e n te n c e s ) ............................................................................... 212 The preterite o f regular -ar v e r b s ............213 The im m ediate past with acabar de . . . 215

Lesson 3 2 (conversa t i o n s ) ..................................................................... 217 The preterite o f regular -er v e r b s .............. 219 The preterite o f te r (to have) and p o d er (to be able t o ) ................................................... 222

U N I T 9 : Work and s c h o o l ..................... .............................................. 227

Lesson 3 3 (words) ................................................................................... 227 The preterite o f ser (to be) and ir (to go) . 228 The preterite o f regular -ir verbs ............230

Lesson 3 4 (p h rases ) .................................................................................232 Irregular verbs in the p re te rite ...................233 Indefinites 1 ................................................ 237

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Lesson 3 5 ( s e n t e n c e s ) ............................................................................ 241 The im perfect o f ser and estar ................242 The imperfect o f regular verbs ................246 Lesson 3 6 (c o n v e rsa tio n s)..................................................................... 249 The past continuous with e s t a r ................ 251 The preterite and the im perfect ............. 254

U N I T l O : S p o rts and leisure ...............................................................261 Lesson 3 7 (words) ................................................................................... 261 Indefinites 2 .................................................262 Idiomatic expressions ................................ 265 Lesson 3 8 ( p h r a s e s ) .................................................................................268 Relative p r o n o u n s ....................................... 269 The perfect tenses ........................................272 Lesson 3 9 (sentences) ............................................................................ 276 The future te n s e ............................................ 277 The present conditional ............................ 281 Les son 4 0 (conversations) ................................................................... 285 The present subjunctive ............................ 286 The future subjunctive .............................. 292

Portuguese in a c tio n ........................................................................................ 299 Supplemental vocabulary lists......................................................................... 307 Internet resources.............................................................................................. 327 Summary o f Portuguese gram m ar...................................................................329

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C o m p l e t e B r a z il ia n P o r t u g u e s e : T h e B a s ic s

H o w to use this course

Welcome to Living Language Complete Brazilian Portuguese: The Phi sicsl We know you’re ready to jum p right in and start learning Brazilian Portuguese, but before you do, you may w ant to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the structure o f this course. This will make it easier for you to find your way around, and will really help you get the m ost o ut o f your studies. UNITS AND LESSONS Living Language Complete Brazilian Portuguese: The Basics is a course in Brazilian Portuguese that includes ten Units, each o f which fo­ cuses on a certain practical topic, from talking about yourself and making introductions to asking directions and going shopping. Each U nit is divided into Lessons that follow four simple steps: 1. Words, featuring the essential vocabulary you need to talk about the topic o f the Unit; 2. Phrases, bringing words together into more complex structures and introducing a few idiomatic expressions; 3. Sentences, expanding on the vocabulary and phrases from previous lessons, using the grammar you’ve learned to form complete sentences; and, 4. Conversations, highlighting how everything works together in a realistic conversational dialogue that brings everything in the U nit together. The lessons each comprise the following sections: W o r d l is t / p h r a s e l is t / s e n t e n c e l is t / c o n v e r s a t io n

Every lesson begins with a list o f words, phrases, or sentences, or a dialogue. The grammar and exercises will be based on these com ponents, so it’s im portant to spend as m uch tim e reading and rereading these as possible before getting into the hear! ol the lesson. How to use this fount

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stiirtoil and prefer to head straight to U nit 1, you can always come back to this section for tips on getting more out o f your learning experience. G ood luck!

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L a n g u a g e le a rn in g tips

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If you’re not sure about the best way to learn a new language, take a m om ent to read this section. It includes lots o f helpful tips ami practical advice on studying languages in general, im proving vo cabulary, mastering grammar, using audio, doing exercises, and expanding your learning experience. All o f this will make learn­ ing more effective and m ore fun. GENERAL TIPS Let’s start with some general points to keep in m ind about learn­ ing a new language. 1. F in d y o u r pace

The m ost im portant thing to keep in m ind is that you should al­ ways proceed at your own pace. D on’t feel pressured into think­ ing that you only have one chance to digest inform ation before m oving on to new material. Read and listen to parts o f lessons or entire lessons as m any times as it takes to make you feel com fort­ able with the material. Regular repetition is the key to learning any new language, so don’t be afraid to cover material again, and again, and again! 2. T ake n o te s

Use a notebook or start a language journal so you can have some­ thing to take with you. Each lesson contains material that you’ll learn m uch m ore quickly and effectively if you write it down, or rephrase it in your own words once you’ve understood it. That in­ cludes vocabulary, grammar points and examples, expressions from dialogues, and anything else that you find noteworthy. Take your notes with you to review wherever you have time to k ill-o n the bus or train, waiting at the airport, while dinner is cooking, or whenever you can find the time. Rem em ber-practice (and lots o f review!) makes perfect when it comes to learning languages.

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a k ü a r e g u l a r c o m m it m e n t

M.ikc lime for your new language. The concept o f “hours o f ex­ posure” is key to learning a language. W hen you expose yourself to a new language frequently, you’ll pick it up m ore easily. O n the ojther hand, the longer the intervals between your exposure to a language, the more you’ll forget. It’s best to set time aside regu­ larly for yourself. Imagine that you’re enrolled in a class that takes place at certain regular times during the week, and set that time aside. O r use your lunch break. It’s better to spend less time sev­ eral days a week than a large chunk o f time once or twice a week. In other words, spending thirty or forty m inutes on M onday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday will be better than spending two and a half or three hours just on Saturday. 4 . D o n ’t h a v e u n r e a l i s t i c e x p e c t a t i o n s

D on’t expect to start speaking a new language as if it were your na­ tive language. It’s certainly possible for adults to learn new lan­ guages with amazing fluency, but that’s not a realistic immediate goal for m ost people. Instead, make a com m itm ent to become “functional” in a new language, and start to set small goals: getting by in m ost daily activities, talking about yourself and asking about others, following TV and movies, reading a newspaper, expressing your ideas in basic language, and learning creative strategies for getting the m ost out o f the language you know. Functional doesn’t m ean perfectly native fluent, b ut it’s a great accomplishment! 5. D o n ’t g e t h u n g u p o n p r o n u n c i a t i o n

“Losing the accent” is one o f the m ost challenging parts o f learn­ ing a language. If you think about celebrities, scientists, or politi­ cal figures whose native language isn’t English, they probably have a pretty recognizable accent. But that hasn’t kept them from becom ing celebrities, scientists, or political figures. Really young children are able to learn the sounds o f any language in the world, and they can reproduce them perfectly. That’s part o f the process o f learning a native language. In an adult, or even in an older child, this ability has diminished, so if you agonize over sounding like a native speaker in your new language, you’re just xvi

C o m p l e t e B r a z il ia n P o r t u g u e s e : T h e B a sics

setting yourself up for disappointm ent. T hat’s not to say that yuii can’t learn pronunciation well. Even adults can get pretty l.u through mimicking the sounds that they hear. So, listen carefully to the audio several times. Listening is a very im portant part ol this process: you can’t reproduce a sound until you learn to dis­ tinguish the sound. Then m im ic what you hear. D on’t be afraid o f sounding strange. Just keep at it, and soon enough you’ll de­ velop good pronunciation. 6 . D o n ’t b e s h y

Learning a new language inevitably involves speaking out loud, and it involves making mistakes before you get better. D o n ’t be afraid o f sounding strange, or awkward, or silly. You w on’t: you’ll impress people with your attempts. The more you speak, and the more you interact, the faster you’ll learn to correct the mistakes you do make. TIPS ON LEARNING VOCABULARY You obviously need to learn new words in order to speak a new language. Even though that may seem straightforward com pared with learning how to actually p u t those words together in sen­ tences, it’s really n o t as simple as it appears. M emorizing words is difficult, even just m em orizing words in the short term. But long term m em orization takes a lot o f practice and repetition. You w on’t learn vocabulary simply by reading through the vocabulary lists once or twice. You need to practice. There are a few different ways to “lodge” a word in your memory, and some m ethods m ay work better for you than others. The best thing to do is to try a few different m ethods until you feel that one is right for you. Here are a few suggestions and pointers: i. A

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Fix your eye on the written form o f a word, and listen to the audio several times. Remind yourself o f the English translation as you do this. language learning li/>\

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I . SPOKUN REPETITION

S.iy .1 word several times aloud, keeping your eye on the written word as you hear yourself speak it. It’s n o t a ra c e -d o n ’t rush to blurt out the word over and over again so fast that you’re distort­ ing its pronunciation. Just repeat it, slowly and naturally, being careful to pronounce it as well as you can. A nd run your eye over the shape o f the word each time you say it. You’ll be stim ulating two o f your senses at once that w ay-hearing and sight-so you’ll double the im pact on your memory. 3. W r i t t e n r e p e t itio n

Write a word over and over again across a page, speaking it slowly and carefully each time you write it. D o n ’t be afraid to fill up en­ tire sheets o f paper with your new vocabulary words. 4. F la s h c a r d s

They m ay seem childish, but they’re effective. C ut out small pieces of paper (no need to spend a lot o f m oney on index cards) and write the English word on one side and the new word on the other. Just this act alone will put a few words in your mind. Then read through your “deck” o f cards. First go from the target (new) language into E n g lish -th at’s easier. Turn the target language side face up, read each card, and guess at its meaning. O nce you’ve guessed, turn the card over to see if you’re right. If you are, set the card aside in your “learned” pile. If you’re wrong, repeat the word and its m eaning and then put it at the bottom o f your “to learn” pile. C ontinue through until you’ve m oved all o f the cards into your “learned” pile. O nce you’ve com pleted the whole deck from your target lan­ guage into English, turn the deck over and try to go from English into your target language. You’ll see that this is harder, but also a better test o f whether or not you’ve really mastered a word. 5. M n e m o n ic s

A m nem onic is a device or a trick to trigger your memory, like “King Phillip Came Over From Great Spain,” which you may xviii

C o m p l e t e B r a z il ia n P o r t u g u e s e : T h e B a sic s

li.ivc lc.irncd in high school biology to rem em ber that spei ie.s .nr i l.i.ssifit'd into kingdom, phylum , class, order, family, genus, ami spivics. They work well for vocabulary, too. W hen you hear ami i f.id .1 new word, look to see if it sounds like any th in g -a place, a name, a nonsense phrase. Then form an image o f that place or person or even nonsense scenario in your head. Imagine it as you say and read the new word. Rem ember that the m ore sense trig­ gers you have-hearing, reading, writing, speaking, imagining a crazy im age-the better you’ll remember. 6. G r o u p s

Vocabulary should be learned in small and logically connected groups whenever possible. M ost o f the vocabulary lists in this course are already organized this way. D on’t try to tackle a whole list at once. C hoose your m ethod-repeating a word out loud, writing it across a page, etc., and practice with a small group. 7. P r a c t i c e

D on’t just learn a word out o f context and leave it hanging there. Go back and practice it in the context provided in this course. If the word appears in a dialogue, read it in the full sentence and call to m ind an image o f that sentence. If possible, substitute other vocabulary words into the same sentence structure (“John goes to the library” instead o f “John goes to the store’). As you ad­ vance through the course, try writing your own simple examples o f words in context. 8. C o m e b a c k t o i t

This is the key to learning vocabulary—n o t just holding it tem ­ porarily in your short term m em ory, but m aking it stick in your long term memory. Go back over old lists, old decks o f flash cards you m ade, or old example sentences. Listen to vocabulary audio from previous lessons. Pull up crazy m nem onic devices you created at some point earlier in your studies. A nd always be on the lookout for old words appearing again throughout the course. language learning tips

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I IPS ON USING AUDIO I Ii< .tiuIn> in this course doesn’t only let you hear how native spr.ikns pronounce the words you’re learning, but it also serves as .1 set ond kind o f input to your learning experience. The printed words serve as visual input, and the audio serves as auditory input. There are a few different strategies that you can use to get the most out o f the audio. First, use the audio while you’re looking at a word or sentence. Listen to it a few times along with the visual input o f seeing the material. Then, look away and just listen to the audio on its own. You can also use the audio from previously stud­ ied lessons as a way to review. Put the audio on your com puter or an MP3 player and take it along with you in your car, on the train, while you walk, while you jog, or anywhere you have free time. Remember that the more exposure you have to and contact you have with your target language, the better you’ll learn. TIPS ON USING DIALOGUES Dialogues are a great way to see language in action, as it’s really used by people in realistic situations. To get the m ost out o f a di­ alogue as a language student, think o f it as a cycle rather than a linear passage. First read through the dialogue once in the target language to get the gist. D o n ’t agonize over the details just yet. Then, go back and read through a second time, but focus on in­ dividual sentences. Look for new words or new constructions. Challenge yourself to figure out what they m ean by the context o f the dialogue. After all, th at’s som ething you’ll be doing a lot o f in the real world, so it’s a good skill to develop! O nce you’ve worked out the details, read the dialogue again from start to fin­ ish. Now that you’re very familiar with the dialogue, turn on the audio and listen to it as you read. D o n ’t try to repeat yet; just lis­ ten and read along. This will build your listening comprehension. Then, go back and listen again, but this time pause to repeat the phrases or sentences that you’re hearing and reading. This will build your spoken proficiency and pronunciation. Now listen again w ithout the aid o f the printed dialogue. By now you’ll know m any o f the lines inside out, and any new vocabulary oi constructions will be very familiar. KK

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I IPS ON DOING EXERCISES I In- exercises are m eant to give you a chance to practice the v i .ibulary and structures that you learn in each lesson, and l course to test yourself on retention. Take the time to write out the entire sentences to get the m ost out o f the practice. D o n ’t limit yourself to just reading and writing. Read the sentences and an­ swers aloud, so you’ll also be practicing pronunciation and spo­ ken proficiency. As you gain m ore confidence, try to adapt the practice sentences by substituting different vocabulary or gram­ matical constructions, too. Be creative, and push the practices as lar as you can to get the m ost o ut o f them. TIPS ON LEARNING GRAMMAR I .ach grammar point is designed to be as small and digestible as possible, while at the same time complete enough to teach you what you need to know. The explanations are intended to be sim­ ple and straightforward, but one o f the best things you can do is to take notes on each grammar section, putting the explanations into your own words, and then copying the example sentences or tables slowly and carefully. This will do two things. It will give you a nice clear notebook that you can take with you so you can review and practice, and it will also force you to take enough time with each section so that it’s really driven hom e. O f course, a lot o f grammar is m em orization-verb endings, irregular forms, pro­ nouns, and so on. So a lot o f the vocabulary learning tips will come in handy for learning grammar, too. i. A

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Listen to the audio several times while you’re looking at the words or sentences. For example, for a verb conjugation, listen to •ill o f the forms several times, reading along to activate your vi­ sual m em ory as well. i. S p o k e n r e p e titio n

I isten to the audio and repeat several times for practice. For ex­ ample, to learn the conjugation o f an irregular verb, repeat all o f tlu- forms o f the verb until you’re able to produce them without language learning tips

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looking ii Ilit- sc reen. It’s a little bit like m em orizing lines for a pl.iv p i .11 lu r until you can make it sound natural. Practice the «■s.impli- sentences that way as well, focusing o f course on the >',i,inini.i! section at hand. j. W r it t e n r e p e t it io n

Write the new forms again and again, saying them slowly and carefully as well. Do this until you’re able to produce all o f the forms w ithout any help. 4. F la s h c a r d s

C opy the grammar point, w hether it’s a list o f pronouns, a con­ jugation, or a list o f irregular forms, on a flash card. Stick the cards in your pocket so you can practice them when you have time to kill. Glance over the cards, saying the forms to yourself several times, and when you’re ready to test yourself, flip the card over and see if you can produce all o f the inform ation. 5. G r a m m a r

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Do you want to see an amazing num ber o f example sentences that use some particular grammatical form? Well, just type that form into a search engine. Pick a few o f the examples you find at random , and copy them down into your notebook or language journal. Pick them apart, look up words you don’t know, and try to figure out the other grammatical constructions. You may not get everything 100% correct, but you’ll definitely learn and prac­ tice in the process. 6. C o m e b a c k t o i t

Just like vocabulary, grammar is best learned through repetition and review. Go back over your notes, go back to previous lessons and read over the grammar sections, listen to the audio, or check out the relevant section in the grammar summary. Even after you’ve com pleted lessons, it’s never a bad idea to go back and keep the “old” grammar fresh.

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IIOW IO EXPAND YOUR LEARNING EXPERIENCE Vi mi experience with your new language should not be limited lc > 11us course alone. Like anything, learning a language will be more enjoyable ii you’re able to make it a part o f your life in some way. And you’d be surprised to know how easily you can do that these days! i. U se t h e in t e r n e t

Hie internet is an absolutely amazing resource for people learn­ ing new languages. You’re never more than a few clicks away from online newspapers, magazines, reference material, cultural sites, Iravel and tourism sites, images, sounds, and so m uch more. De­ velop your own list o f favorite sites that match your needs and in­ terests, whether it’s business, cooking, fashion, film, kayaking, rock climbing, or . . . well, you get the picture. Use search engines i reatively to find examples o f vocabulary or grammar “in the wild.” Find a favorite blog or periodical and take the time to work your way through an article or entry. Think o f what you use the internet for in English, and look for similar sites in your target language. i. C h e c k o u t c o m m u n ity r e s o u r c e s Depending on where you live, there may be plenty o f practice opportunities in your own com m unity. There may be a cultural organization or social club where people meet. There may be a local college or university with a departm ent that hosts cultural events such as films or discussion groups. There may be a restau­ rant where you can go for a good meal and a chance to practice a hit o f your target language. O f course, you can find a lot o f this information online, and there are sites that allow groups o f peo­ ple to get organized and m eet to pursue their interests. 3. F o r e ig n film s

l-'ilms are a wonderful way to practice hearing and understanding a new language. W ith English subtitles, pause, and rewind, they’re practically really long dialogues with pictures! N ot to

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im nlion the cultural insight and experience they provide. And nowadays it’s simple to rent foreign DVDs online or even access films online. So, if you’re starting to learn a new language today, Ho online and rent yourself some movies that you can watch over the next few weeks and m onths.

4. M usic Even if you have a horrible singing voice, music is a great way to learn new vocabulary. After hearing a song just a few times, the lyrics somehow manage to plant themselves in the m ind. And with the internet, it’s often very easy to find the entire lyric sheet for a song online, print it out, and have it ready for whenever you’re alone and feel like singing. 5. T e l e v i s i o n

If you have access to television program ming in the language you’re studying, including o f course anything you can find on the internet, take advantage o f that! You’ll m ost likely hear very natural and colloquial language, including idiomatic expressions and rapid speech, all o f which will be a healthy challenge for your com prehension skills. But the visual cues, including body lan­ guage and gestures, will help. Plus, you’ll get to see how the lan­ guage interacts with the culture, which is also a very im portant part o f learning a language. 6. F o o d A great way to learn a language is through the cuisine. W hat could be better than going out and trying new dishes at a restau­ rant with the intention o f practicing your newly acquired lan­ guage? Go to a restaurant, and if the names o f the dishes are printed in the target language, try to decipher them . Then try to order in the target language, provided o f course that your server speaks the language! At the very least you’ll learn a few new vo­ cabulary items, not to m ention sample some wonderful new food.

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P o rtu g u e s e sp e llin g a n d p ro n u n c ia tio n

Portuguese words are written phonetically for the m ost part, which means that you pronounce words the way they’re written. |>.io/os pães (the bread/s)

o alem ão/os alemães (the German/s)

! I"iiiis ending in -m change the -m to -n and add -s. hom em /os hom ens (the m,m/men)

o som /os sons (the sound/s)

Nt >uns ending in -r, -z, and -s add -es. o doutor/os doutores (the doctor/s)

a luz/as luzes (the light/s)

o professor/os professores (the teacher/s)

o m ês/os m eses (the month/s)

And finally, nouns ending in -1 drop the -1 and add -is. A n accent mark is often added to show the stress. a capital/as capitais (the capital/s)

o espanhol/os espanhóis (the Spaniard/s)

o h otel/os hotéis (the hotel/s)

o papel/os papéis (thepaper/s)

PRACTICE 2 Translate the following: I os hotéis

4. os livros

L os carros

5. os escritórios

I. as praias Xèssott i

ii

Now give the plural forms o f these nouns. 6. a ação 7. o hom em

9. o mês 10. o professor

8. o jornal

Culture note T h e ap e rto d e mãos (ha nd shake ) is c o m m o n in Brazil, b u t it’s usually re s e rv e d f o r m o re fo rm a l occasions. A m o n g frie n d s , o r even c o l­ leagues, it's cu s to m a ry fo r w o m e n to beijar (to kiss) each o th e r as w e ll as m ale frie n d s and re la tive s on b o th cheeks. Brazilians m ay also give each o th e r um abraço fa h u g) w h e n saying g o o d -b ye . S peaking o f p h ysica l c o n ta c t, it ’s co m m o n fo r frie n d s o r collea gu es to stand q u ite clo se and to to u c h o n e a n o th e r lig h tly w h en speaking.

ANSWERS PRACTICE 1: 1. o; 2. o; 3. a; 4. o; 5. a; 6. a; 7. a; 8. o; 9. o; 10. a] PRACTICE 2: 1. the hotels; 2. the cars; 3. the beaches; 4. the books; 5. the offices; 6. as ações; 7. os hom ens; 8. os jornais; 9. os meses; 10. os professores. Lesson 2 (phra se s)

7

PHRASE LIST 1 a mulher e o homem sou americano ela é italiana sou casada daqui Que legal! e você?

the woman and the man I ’m American (m.) she’s Italian I ’m married (f.) from here How nice! (infml.)

este/esta é

andyou? this is (m./f.)

estes/estas são

these are (m./f.)

U n it i : Saying hello

Muni* pit»/, cr! n tit. it amigo

•

dirrtora

Ailitiii Nova Iorque.

I t’s a pleasure! my friend (m.) our director (f.)

-» . -t-.., gi.iiule

I love New York. the bighouse

n jji.ii i.inicnto p eq u e n o

the small apartment

A Hi l l S & BOLTS 1 Nunn ona are com m only used in speech, and they’re usually followed by a first name. In writing, the abbreviations Sr. (Mr.) and Sra. (Mrs.) are used. Also note that in formal conversation, o Senhor 1 1 11 I a Senhora are used in place o f você, and os Senhores and as V nhoras in place o f vocês.

/csson 4

15

NUTS & BOLTS 1 P

r o n u n c ia t io n a n d

s p e c ia l s y m b o l s

You’ve probably noticed that some words in Portuguese us| special orthographic symbols or accents. The til (tilde) indicate .1 nasal vowel: não (no), ações (actions). The acento agudo (acuii accent) is used to show stress, and in the case o f á, é, and ó tis caixas quadradas

the brown hair the gray hair the dark eyes theyoung woman the comfortable armchair the round tables the imported cars thefriendly neighbor the old book the French cousins the tall people the square boxes

NUTS & BOLTS 2 A d je c t iv e a g r e e m e n t

When you use an adjective to describe a noun in Portuguese, you have to make the adjective agree with the noun. That usually means that adjectives will have the familiar endings -o (m. sg.), -a (f. sg.), -os (m. pi.) and -as (f. pi.). Take a look at these examples, and notice that the adjective typically follows the noun in Portuguese.

masculine

singular

plural

o carro p eq u en o

os carros p eq u en os (the

(the small car)

small cars) feminine

a casa pequena

as casas pequenas

(the small house)

(the small houses)

This is the typical pattern o f endings for adjectives that end in -o in the masculine singular form, which is what you’ll see in dictio­ naries, because it’s considered the basic form. Some other exam­ ples are: o livro v elh o (the old book), os livros velh os (the old Wesson 6

27

L

books), a filha bonita (the pretty daughter), as filhas bonitas (th pretty daughters), o barco rápido (thefast boat), os barcos rápido^ (thefa st boats), a revista nova (the new magazine), and as revista novas (the new magazines). There are a few irregular adjectives, fo example bom (good) and mau (bad).

o filme bom (the goodfilm)

os filmes bons (the goodfilms) '

a festa boa (the good party)

as festas boas (the good parties) 1

0

m enino mau (the bad boy)

a menina má (the bad girl)

os m eninos maus (the bad boys) as meninas más (the bad girls) 1

Adjectives that end in -e or in a consonant usually have just one form for the singular, and one form for the plural. Just as is the] case with nouns, if an adjective ends in -1 in the singular, it will! drop the -1 and add -is, and if it ends in -m in the singular, it will end in -ns in the plural. 0 banheiro grande (the big bathroom)

os banheiros grandes (the big 1 bathrooms)

a banheira grande (the big bathtub)

as banheiras grandes (the big 1 bathtubs)

a cadeira confortável (the comfortable chair)

as cadeiras confortáveis (the comfortable chairs)

0 sofá confortável (the comfortable sofa)

os sofás confortáveis (the comfortable sofas)

café ruim (the bad coffee)

os cafés ruins (the bad coffees) ,

a maçã ruim (the bad apple)

as maçãs ruins (the bad apples) I

0

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U n i t 2: Talking ab o u t th e fam ily

PRACTICE 2 Fill in the blanks with one o f the following adjectives: cheias (full), boa (good), fechados (closed), altas (tall), caro (expensive), frio (cold), confortável (comfortable), redondas (round), ameri­ cana (American), castanhos (brown). I As mesas s ã o _____ . I. Os cabelos s ã o _____ . ' O café não e s tá _____ , o café está quente. 4 Os bancos e stã o _____ . 5. Há umas m u lh eres_____ na loja. (i. O BM W é um c a rro ______ . 7. A revista “Time” é inglesa? Não, a revista “Time” é _____ . K. Há uma c a m a _____ ? As xícaras e stã o _____ ? Não, as xícaras estão vazias. 10. A praia é _____ ? Não, a praia é ruim. .

[)ool lin k C h e c k o u t th e fo llo w in g lin k to th e C IA W o rld F a c tb o o k . It has a w e a lth o f fa cts, fig u re s and u p d a te d in fo rm a tio n on Brazil. h ttp s ://c ia .g o v /c ia /p u b lic a tio n s /fa c tb o o k /g e o s /b r.h tm l A n d h e re ’s a lin k to th e sam e in fo rm a tio n on P o rtu g a l. h ttp s ://c ia .g o v /c ia /p u b lic a tio n s /fa c tb o o k /g e o s /p o .h tm l B u t d o n ’t s to p th e re ! T h e re are p le n ty o f o th e r P o rtu g u e s e ­ s p e a k in g c o u n trie s to e x p lo re : A n g o la , C a p e V e rd e , E ast T im or, G u in e a -B issa u , M o z a m b iq u e , and São Tom é and P rin cip e .

jÇesson 6

29

ANSWERS PRACTICE 1: la . está; lb . estou; 2a. estão; 2b. estão, estão; .la. estão; 3b. estamos, estamos; 4a. está; 4b. está, está; 5a. estã 5b. estão, estão PRACTICE 2: 1. redondas; 2. castanhos; 3. frio; 4. fechados; 5. altas; 6. caro; 7. americana; 8. confortável; 9. cheias; 10. boa

0 .6

Lesson 7 (sentences)

SENTENCE LIST 1 O meu passaporte é americano.

M y passport is American.

A minha mulher é advogada. M y wife is a. lawyer. Os meus olhos são castanhos. M y eyes are brown. As minhas primas são solteiras.

M y cousins are single, (f.)

Os meus pais são velhos. O meu país é moderno.

M y parents are old.

Os seus documentos estão em ordem. Os nossos pratos são velhos.

Your documents are in order.

As nossas amigas são húngaras. A sua colher está suja.

Ourfriends are Hungarian.

As nossas facas estão limpas.

Our knives are clean.

M y country is modern.

Our plates are old.

Your spoon is dirty.

} / Í N U T S & BOLTS 1 P o ssessiv e a d je c t iv e s ( i )

A possessive adjective is a kind o f adjective that shows posses sion, like the English my, your, her, our, and so on. A possessiv pronoun is similar, but it actually stands in for a noun, like mine yours, hers, ours, and so on. Thankfully, possessive nouns and pro nouns in Portuguese have the same forms:

in

U n i t 2: Talking a b o u t th e fam ily

Possessive adjectives

Possessive pronouns

o m eu livro (my hook)

O livro é m eu. (The book is mine.)

os m eus livros (my books)

O s livros são m eus. (The books are mine.)

o seu livro (your book)

O livro é seu. (The book is yours.)

os seus livros (your hooks)

O s livros são seus. (The books areyours.)

os nossos livros (our books)

O s livros são nossos. (The books are ours.)

As you can probably guess, possessives have to agree in num ber and gender. But keep in m ind that they agree with the thing pos­ sessed, rather than the possessor. Below you’ll see the full chart for my,your, and our. We’ll come b^ck to the forms for his, her, and their a bit later.

Singular

Plural

o m eu carro (my car)

os m eus carros (my cars)

a m in h a casa (my house)

as m inhas casas (my houses)

o seu carro (your car)

os seus carros (your cars)

a sua casa (your house)

as suas casas (your houses)

o n o sso carro (our car)

os nossos carros (our cars)

a nossa casa (our house)

as nossas casas (our houses)

Wesson 7

31

The use o f the article with the pcssessive adjective is optional, buj m ost native speakers use it. However, with possessive pronouns i is usually om itted: o m eu carro ; im p o rtad o , o carro im portac é m eu (my car is imported, the imp)rted car is mine). PRACTICE 1 Use the translations to fill in thf blanks with the correct posses! sive.

1. A .

. tia é americana. (My am t is American.)

2. O

_ tio é brasileiro. (My unde is Brazilian.)

3. Os _

_ irmãos são altos. (My bothers are tall.)

4. A s _

_ irmãs são jovens. (My sisters areyoung.)

5. Os _

_ pais são brasileiros? (Are your parents Brazilian?)

6. O _____carro e im portado? (Isyour car imported?) 1. A _____ poltrona e confortável? 'Isyour armchair comfortable?) 8. A s _____ praias são lindas. (Our leaches are beautiful.) 9. O s _____ escritórios são modernos. (Our offices are modern.) 10. A _____ professora é legal. (Our ttacher is nice.) SENTENCE LIST 2 Os nossos maridos estão aqui.

Our husbands are here.

A minha prima é italiana.

M y cousin is Italian.

A minha prima está em casa. O banheiro está ocupado.

M y cousin is at home.

O meu quarto é pequeno, mas é confortável. Os sofás são caros, mas são lindos.

M y room is small, but it is comfortable.

Os seus olhos são castanhos?

Are your eyes brown?

32

U n i t 2 : Talking ab o u t th e family

The bathroom is occupied.

The sofas are expensive, but they are nice.

O meu carro está na minha casa.

My car is in my house.

O meu quarto não está Iimpo.

My room is not clean.

Os nossos quartos são ótimos.

Our rooms are great.

NUTS & BOLTS 2 Ser v s .

estar

Let’s take a m om ent to compare ser and estar, both o f which mean to be. Ser is used to express inherent or more or less perm a­ nent qualities, including nationalities, occupations, and fixed or geographical locations. It is also used to express possession and to tell the time. 0 Sr. Pçdro é professor, e a Dona Mariana é doutora. Mr. Pedro is a teacher, and Ms. Mariana is a doctor. A porta é grande. The door is big. Maria é alta. Maria is tall. Eu sou americana. 1 am American, (f) A Itália é na Europa. Italy is in Europe. O escritório é na Rua Dutra. The office is on Dutra Street. O livro é meu. The book is mine. Ii uma hora. It’s one o’clock. je s so n y

33

I star is used to express more temporary or changeable characterr.tii s, like transient conditions or states, tem porary locations, and the weather. A porta está aberta. The door is open.

Maria está doente. Maria is sick.

O lápis está na mesa. 'lhe pencil is on the table.

O carro está na Rua Dutra. The car is on Dutra Street.

Está quente. It’s hot.

PRACTICE 2 Choose ser or estar in each o f the sentences below. I A piscina (está/é) cheia. 2. Peter e John (são/estão) americanos. I C om o você (está/é)? Eu (estou/sou) bem. I As m inhas irmãs (são/estão) altas. V O seu pai (está/é) engenheiro ou arquiteto?