Table Of ContentPORTUGUESE
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
COMPLETE COURSE T H E B A S I C 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 definitea rticles . . . . 2
Plural of nouns and definite articles . . . . . 4
Lesson 2 (phrases)...............................................................................6
Subject pronouns ........................................7
Set (to be)......................................................9
Lesson 3 (sentences) .......................................................................11
Numbers 1-20.................... ....................... 11
Negation ................................................... 13
Lesson 4 (conversations) ...................................................................14
Pronunciation and specials ymbols............16
Asking yes/no questions...........................17
iv C o m p l e t e B r a z il ia n Po r t u g u e s e : T h e B a sic s
U N I T 2 : Talking about the f a m i l y .................
Lesson 5 (w o rd s) ................................................ 21
Indefinite articles . 22
Há (there is/there are) 23
Lesson 6 (phrases ) ................................................................................. 24
Estar (to be) ................................................... 25
Adjective agreement .....................................27
Lesson 7 (sentences ) .............................................................................. 30
Possessive adjectives (1 ) .............................. 30
Ser vs. e s t a r .................................................33
Lesson 8 (conversations ) ........................................................................35
Possessive adjectives (2 ) .............................. 36
The numbers 20-100 ................................ 39
U N IT 3 : Everyday l i f e ........................... .................................................43
Lesson 9 (w o rd s) ........................................................................................43
Telling t im e ................................................... 44
The prepostion de (of) .............................. 46
Lesson lO (phrases ) .................................................................................49
Regular -ar v e r b s ............................................50
The verb gostar dc (to like) ..........................54
Course ('httme
Lesson 11 (sentences) ................................................................................ 56
Question w o rd 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 about h e a l th .................................................................73
Lesson 13 (words) .......................................................................................73
Numbers 100 and a b o v e .............................. 74
D em onstratives...............................................77
Lesson 14 (phrases) .................................................................................. 81
Regular -er v e r b s ............................................ 81
The verbs ver (to see) and ler (to read) .. .84
Lesson 15 (se n te n c e s ) ............................................................................... 87
Expressions with estar c o m ........................ 88
The infinitive as a noun ............................ 91
Lesson 16 (conversations) ...................................................................... 92
D ever (should) and poder( can)....................94
Q uerer (to want to), te r que (to have to),
and precisar (to need to ) .................................97
vi Complete Brazilian Portuguese: The Basics
U N I T 5 : O n the phone .................................................................. 101
Lesson 17 (w o rd s ) ...................................................................................I0J
Regular -ir verbs ........................................104
The verb ir (to go) and contractions
with a (to) .............. .................................... 107
Lesson 18 (phrases) .............................................................................. 109
Em and other p rep o sitio 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), pedir (to askf or),
and trazer (to bring)...................................118
Courtesy expressions and gostaria de
(would lik e )................................................... 121
Lesson 2 0 (conversations ) .................................................................125
The present con tinuous............................127
Uses o f definite and indefinite
articles ........................................................129
U N IT 6 :A round to w n ........................................................................... 135
Lesson 21 (words ) ..................................................................... ............. 135
Ordinal n u m b ers ........................................136
The verb ficar (to stay) and phrases o f
location and d irec tio n .................................139
Course flHlhM vii
J
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 of 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 (sentences).................................................................... 183
Reflexive verbs (1 ) .....................................184
Reflexive verbs (2 ) .................................... 187
Lesson 28 (conversations)...........................................................190
The immediate future........................... 191
The preposition por ............................. 194
v iii 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
U N I T 8 : In a restaurant
Lesson 2 9 ( words) .................................................................................19{)
Pronouns used after prepositions ............200
The impersonal s e ........................................ 202
Lesson 3 0 (phrases) ............................................................................... 204
A d v erb s .......................................................... 205
The preterite o f estar (to be)....................... 209
Lesson 31 (se n te n c e s ) ............................................................................... 212
The preterite o f regular -ar v e rb s ............213
The immediate past with acabar de . . . 215
Lesson 3 2 (conversa t io n s ) ..................................................................... 217
The preterite o f regular -er v e rb s .............. 219
The preterite o f te r (to have) and poder
(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 (phrases ) .................................................................................232
Irregular verbs in the p re te rite ...................233
Indefinites 1 ................................................ 237
C ou rs e ('fu l l iM f m
Lesson 3 5 ( s e n te n c e s ) ............................................................................ 241
The imperfect o f ser and estar ................242
The imperfect o f regular verbs ................246
Lesson 3 6 (co n v ersa tio n s).....................................................................249
The past continuous with e s ta r ................ 251
The preterite and the imperfect ............. 254
U N I T lO : Sports and leisure ...............................................................261
Lesson 3 7 (words) ................................................................................... 261
Indefinites 2 .................................................262
Idiomatic expressions ................................ 265
Lesson 3 8 (p h ra s e s ) .................................................................................268
Relative p ro n o u n s ....................................... 269
The perfect tenses ........................................272
Lesson 3 9 (sentences) ............................................................................276
The future te n se ............................................ 277
The present conditional ............................ 281
Les son 4 0 ( conversations) ................................................................... 285
The present subjunctive ............................ 286
The future subjunctive .............................. 292
Portuguese in action ........................................................................................ 299
Supplemental vocabulary lists......................................................................... 307
Internet resources.............................................................................................. 327
Summary o fP ortuguese grammar...................................................................329
X C o m pl et e B r a z il ia n P o r t u g u e se : T he Basics
H ow to use this course
Welcome to Living Language Complete Brazilian Portuguese: The Phi
sicsl We know you’re ready to jump right in and start learning
Brazilian Portuguese, but before you do, you may want 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 most out 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 Unit 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
Unit together.
The lessons each comprise the following sections:
W o r d list/ ph r a se list/ se n t e n c e list/ c o n v er sa tio 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
components, so it’s important to spend as much time reading
and rereading these as possible before getting into the hear! ol
the lesson.
How to use this fount
N o t ii
A hurl ■,<•( lion may appear after the list or dialogue to highlight
.m\ points o f interest in the language or culture.
N u t s & b o l t s
This is the nitty-gritty o f each lesson, where you’ll learn the gram
mar o f the language, the nuts and bolts that hold the pieces to
gether. Pay close attention to these sections; this is where you’ll
get the most out o f the language and learn what you need to learn
to become truly proficient in Portuguese.
P ra c tic e
It’s im portant to practice what you’ve learned on a regular basis.
You’ll find practice sections throughout each lesson; take your
time to complete these exercises before moving on to the next
section. How well you do on each practice will determine whether
or not you need to review a particular grammar point before you
move on.
T i p !
In order to enhance your experience, you’ll find several tips for
learning Portuguese throughout the course. This could be a tip
on a specific grammar point, additional vocabulary related to the
lesson topic, or a tip on language learning in general. For more
practical advice, you can also refer to the Language learning tips
section that follows this introduction.
C u ltu re n o tes and languag e lin k s
Becoming familiar with the culture o f Portuguese-speaking coun
tries is nearly as essential to language learning as grammar. These
sections allow you to get to know these cultures better through
facts about Portuguese-speaking countries and other bits o f cul
tural information. You’ll also find the links to various websites
you can visit on the internet to learn more about a particular
country or custom, or to find a language learning tool that may
come in handy.
xii C o m pl et e B r a z il ia n Po r t u g u e s e : T he Basics
