If you want to avoid learning conjugation of irregular verbs in English you may say "I did sell it" instead of "I sold it" or "I did sleep well" instead of "I slept well". So you just learn "did" instead of all the irregular verbs in past tense. Yes, the meaning will be slightly different but this will allow you to start speaking without learning all tenses and people will understand you. Are there similar magic words in Portuguese which change the tense of a verb next to it?

Edit: Yes, I know about 'ir' but is there anything for the past tense?

I’m a native English speaker learning Brazilian Portuguese and I’ve reached the point in my practice book where the past tense is the main focus.

When I was introduced the past imperfect forms of “ser” and “estar” I understood them and their uses fairly easily. But, when the past perfect forms were introduced I started getting confused as to which ones to use.

The examples given in my book make it even more confusing:

(Per) Eu fui sincera com ele - “I was honest with him”

(ImPer) Eu era uma criança tímida - “I was a shy child”

and

(Per) Onde você e seus amigos estiveram na última vez que saíram juntos? - “Where were you and your friends the last time you went out together?”

(ImPer) Onde você estava as 10h da noite ontem? - “Where were you at 10pm last night?”

It might be a silly question, but what are the differences between the two forms of “estar” and the two forms of “ser” in the past tense?

Obrigado!

My question is about whether it's correct to use plural or single verb conjugations for words like povo, galera, gente, etc. For example, I've seen "o povo estão" in writing but I'm pretty sure I hear "a gente está (or tá)" in regular speech. Which is correct, or are there rules depending on context? Thanks for any advice!

Olá! I’m looking for recommendations for a concise grammar book. I really like this one that I have but it’s a little old and there have been some formal changes since it was published: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/823088

If anyone knows of anything similar I would appreciate it. I am not looking for a textbook or a longer work, but rather something small and concise.

I am a second generation immigrant with my entire family being Brazilian, I speak Portuguese to an extent but struggle sometimes with vocab and preterits. I plan on just speaking more with family members but I wanted to also add in some more formal lessons, preferably ones that don't start at absolute beginner. I'm looking for a good course with videos like Udemy or something. Any suggestions are welcome though.

Im a native English speaker and don’t use Portuguese at all in my daily life, but I’m trying to learn the language, so what are the best ways to become more fluent and learn phrases etc? Thanks

Words like algum, nenhum, and I think muito are sometimes seen before the noun they accompany, and sometimes after. Is there any rule to this?

I understand that D becomes J before an E or an i. Why in the word "femenine dog" (cadela) we have to pronounce CaDela and not CaJela?

Hey guys!! Need your suggestion on some famous Brazilian anime youtubers! 🫶🫶

I know for instance, between Mainland Mandarin & Taiwanese Mandarin:

• EG. Os seus olhos contraíram-se.

她的眼睛抽搐着。

In China: 抽搐 is pronounced as chōu chù

In Taiwan: 抽搐 is pronounced as chōu qù

More phonological differences (in bold) between both variants of Mandarin for the same word:

In hindsight:

• Do you know examples of sentences that use the same word (while also baring the same spelling) found in both PT-PT & PT-BR however their pronunciations are different?

There’s a song by a wonderful Brazillian musician artist, Haru Kuntanawa, that I would like to learn how to sing but I can’t find the lyrics anywhere. I’m wondering if someone might be willing to transcribe it. The song is called Yara

https://youtu.be/cKTpheonuCw?si=KmuvdLc2po0v0ne8

I don’t speak Portuguese, but I love this song and this music.

Cheers!

i’ve been using this word when talking to a friend for ages thinking it means “bro” and today i put a sentence with that word in a translator by chance and it translated to the n-word help??? Did i just fuck up my life? i’m white by the way

What's the difference between nós and a gente? They both mean "we" and I can't figure out the difference between the two.

I have a Portuguese speaking exam (intermediate level). How can I impress? I will try to include the subjunctive where possible and will also try to respond with just the verb (Você gosta dessa comida -> Gosto!). What else can I do?? Any tips are appreciated

Still trying to get a grasp on accent rules, but why does "chapéu" have an accent, and "nasceu" doesn't? And gonna get in before the open/close explanation, because if that were the reason, then ela should be spelled éla. So what gives? Did it just slip through the cracks of the spelling reform?

Oh na moral parece uma mendiga Torta

vou estar em salvador por 2 meses pra estudar mas não sei nada sobre as gírias baianas. algumas dicas ou gírias que eu deveria saber ou usar?

I am trying to get to conversational in 3 weeks to add some Portuguese to my sister's wedding, which I am officiating, without sounding stupid. (She's marrying a Brazilian man.)

I am studying 10 - 16 hours a day. Mostly Duolingo, but I'm probably going to switch to Pimsleur and/or Babbel in short order as Duolingo's pronunciation feels terrible to me. Slow replay, almost always makes an ending 'r' into 'sh'. Mulher is muh • lesh. Dormir is jor • mesh. I can't find anything that agrees with this pronunciation online and I believe it is really starting to hinder me.

Regardless, the goal of getting to near B2 in my ridiculously short time frame is feeling impossible. I want to put on shows I have watched tons of times (Friends, Modern Family, The Office, Big Bang Theory, Firefly, Avengers movies, Oppenheimer, any Star Trek) in Portuguese with English subtitles in the background while I'm studying... to help immersion. 🤷‍♂️

My services (Hulu with Max, Prime, Vudu/Fandango, YouTube) don't ever have Portuguese as an option for dubbing or subtitles. I use my phone (newer Google Pixel) to cast all my content currently.

I am thinking the best option to try is a VPN, put me in São Paulo or Rio and hopefully get the dubbing naturally (I also imagine they will near always have English option for subtitles.

Before I do this, I'm hoping someone might have a smart hack for me or experience with trying something similar.

TL; DR: Help me make my phone play (all/most) media in Portuguese. VPN is the next option I'm going to try without input.

When someone's sick, what do you say ? (i.e. feel better soon)

Can you say "As melhores" ?

I take part in a game that has many Brazillian players. Theres specific terminology to consider as theres a wide breadth of lore as part of the game. One of the phrases that was translated to English by one of the players was 'status quo.' I'm wondering if there is a different connotation or denotation to this phrase in Brazilian Portuguese. The phrase was used word for word.

"que violaram o status quo várias vezes"

Olá! Quero pedir sugestões de livros e/ou materiais para estudar gramática, porque apesar de falar português fluentemente tenho dúvidas na gramática, e também tenho curiosidade em perceber como é que é que a gramatica funciona nesta língua lindíssima. Aprendi Português só de falar e ouvir, principalmente com a minha mulher que é portuguesa e os meus sogros etc. mas também com vizinhos e pessoas em geral, pois vivo em Portugal. Dizem-me muitas vezes que falo muito bem, e até nem tenho sotaque... A única coisa é que eu encontro-me a atropeçar de vez em quando por causa das dúvidas gramáticais que tenho devidas à maneira que eu aprendi português, que é basicamente só de experiência prática, e não de estudar. OBRIGADÍSSIMO meus lindos lusófonos UMA BOA ASCENSÃO 🇵🇹❤️

Hello! I am wanting to get a tattoo for my grandfather who is Portuguese and has taken me to Portugal many times, unfortunately I do not speak Portuguese but I have fallen in love with the country thanks to him. I am wanting to get a tattoo for him as a tribute and I was wondering if there was a term of endearment similar to “little girl” in English. I asked him myself but it turns out the word he said he would use is one that is rapariga which as some may know is a slang term in Brazilian Portuguese for an insult. I really don’t want to get a word that has two VERY different meanings depending on which dialect you are translating from. Is there another word or words I could use that would satisfy both dialects but convey the same meaning. I care more about how it translates in European Portuguese but I definitely don’t want a derogatory term on me as well. Thanks!

Hey all, I'm looking for any sort of advanced level audio in Brazilian Portuguese that I can download with full transcripts. Currently I'm working with an excellent one called Fala Gringo for intermediate level speakers which does offer full transcripts for a fee, but I find I already understand 95% of his content. On the other hand, I was previously listening to Cafe da Manhã and struggled to make sense of it, especially the interview subjects. Transcriptions would really help with something of that level. Any suggestions? Thanks so much

I’m a Krav Maga instructor in the US. I have a new student that natively speaks Brazilian Portuguese. Can someone help me with some basic translations for boxing terms, such as Jab, Cross, hook, uppercut? I’ve googled with mixed results. Any additional terms that may help would be appreciated.

I'm trying to understand the differences in meaning amongst these sentences in European Portuguese. If you were to hear them said, would you detect separate nuances?

1. Estou a fazer as tarefas.
2. Ando a fazer as tarefas. / Ando fazendo as tarefas.
3. Vou fazer as tarefas. (this is actually quite clear to me. it's much like the futur proche of French)
4. Vou fazendo as tarefas. (Ir + Gerúndio)
5. Venho fazendo as tarefas. (Vir + Gerúndio)

I'm particularly curious about #4 and #5, as I can't quite figure out if there's a difference in meaning or use between them. And do things change if I put them into the imperfect?

Ía fazendo as tarefas vs. Vinha fazendo as tarefas.

Thanks!

Ola! I'm currently learning Portuguese as I've been dating my partner who is from Sintra for nearly a year now. I was on Duolingo for a long time and had almost a 150 days streak but I got really bored and frustrated with it because I felt like I was only slowly learning vocabulary...

I've heard a lot of people say Babbel is the way to go for language learning but I'm wondering whether anyone else has experience with this? You need to pay for it so I was wondering if it is worth it or if I should stick to Duolingo. Or are there other apps/websites that are helpful for learning Portuguese?

Please let me know! Obrigada ♡

I'm having a ton of trouble finding books that are written in European Portuguese. I am also having trouble finding European Portuguese translations of popular, easy English books like Harry Potter that don't cost an arm and a leg.

I am a beginner learner so Young Adult and Children's books are fine, especially if they are part of a series. I don't know what authors and series are popular with Portuguese kids and adults. I'm not particular about the story - I just want to practice my reading skills.

I'm stuck. Any recommendations would be welcome and very much appreciated.

Anything I should know??

I’m not sure if these are all related the way I think they are, but as I learned they all translate to “they/you all” “they (masculine)” and “you” respectively? My language apps aren’t expanding on the differences 😫. Why would I use “estão zangados” instead of eles or você?

Any recommendations? I just started and taking classes once a week but feel like I need some more practice