Brazilian Portuguese/Lesson 3
In this lesson, you will learn:
- How to describe yourself
- How to conjugate verbs in the present tense
- Common adjectives
Describing yourself
[edit | edit source]Everyone is familiar with myspace. It's pretty much your own space on the web to fill in information about you. Who you are, where you live, what you like, etc. The Brazilian equivalent of myspace is Orkut. Wouldn't it be cool to be able to write about yourself in Portuguese? Well, by the end of this lesson, you may just be able to (and make a lot of new Brazilian friends to practice your Portuguese with in Orkut ^^).
First, let's talk about your outward appearance and personal information. What color is your hair? What is your nationality? What is your profession? To describe all of these you would use the verb 'ser.'
So here are some words that you might use:
cabelo hair
louro(a) blond
morena brunette
vermelho(a) red
preto black
alto(a) tall
baixo short
jovem young
velho(a) old
nacionalidade nationality
americano(a) American
brasileiro(a) Brazilian
canadense Canadian
Português(esa) Portuguese
profissão profession
professor(a) teacher/professor
doutor doctor
advogado, jurisconsulto lawyer
caminhoneiro truck driver
estudante/aluno(a) student
Asking for/Giving Names
[edit | edit source]There are two different ways in Portuguese to ask someone or tell someone their/your name. In English, we just say "My name is..." but in Portuguese you can not only say that but also "I am called..."
Here's how to ask for/give names.
- Ask: Como se chama? = lit. how are you called?
Answer: Me chamo... = I am called...
- Ask: Qual é o seu nome?
Answer: Meu nome é...
By now, you should be able to fill in these blanks:
Oi! Meu nome é ____________. Eu sou _(nationality)_. Eu sou um(a) __(profession)__.
Note: In Portuguese it is not necessary to use the indefinite article 'um(a)' for professions. Ex. Sou professor(a).
Grammar: Conjugating present tense -AR verbs
[edit | edit source]In Portuguese there are three types of infinitive verb endings: -AR verbs, -ER verbs and -IR verbs. the way you conjugate them is that you drop the infinitive ending and add the conjugated ending according to the subject pronoun used. Here's a table to conjugate -AR verbs, followed by an example.
| Subject | Ending |
|---|---|
| I | -o |
| You | -a |
| He | -a |
| She | -a |
| We | -amos |
| They | -am |
An example of -ar conjugation:
- Falar is a regular -ar verb in the infinitive form. We want to conjugate it so that it means, "I speak" instead of "to speak."
- Drop the -ar ending, leaving just fal-
- Add the -o ending and you get falo which now translates to "I speak" or "I am speaking."
| English | Portugues |
|---|---|
| I speak | Eu falo |
| You speak | Você fala |
| He speaks | Ele fala |
| She speaks | Ela fala |
| We speak | Nos falamos |
| They speak | Eles falam |
Here are some more of the countless -AR verbs that this conjugation applies to...
ajudar (to help), comprar (to buy), descansar (to rest), estudar (to study), jogar (to play a sport), tocar (to play an instrument), tomar (to take/drink), trabalhar (to work), viajar (to travel)
Eu te ajudo = I help you
Ele compra umas laranjas = He buys some oranges
Ela joga o futebol = She plays football
Nos tomamos cerveja = We drink beer
Eles trabalham em Londres = They work in London