If you’re learning Portuguese in Lisbon or planning to do this, you must read this article about the key points of Portuguese grammar!
LEARN THE MOST IMPORTANT RULES FIRST
As with any skill, there are some things that you should learn first. This is especially true when it comes to grammar rules. You can not memorize all the information that you will learn in your A1 Portuguese course. As a result, you have to make a selection of what is more essential for you.
PORTUGUESE GRAMMAR – KEY POINTS !!!
VERBS – Present tense (in Portuguese). There are regular and irregular verbs. You have to be able to conjugate, by heart and as soon as possible, the three categories of regular verbs (AR, ER, and IR). The list of irregular verbs is very long in the present tense in Portuguese. To begin, you only have to be comfortable with 4 irregular verbs. But can you guess which are the BIG 4 irregular verbs in Portuguese?
KEY VERBS IN PORTUGUESE – SER, ESTAR, TER, and IR
If you can conjugate these verbs well (regular and 4 irregular verbs), we can guarantee you that you will be able to start communicating in Portuguese.
VOCABULARY – Expand your vocabulary, use flashcards and use our E-learning platforms (QUIZLET). Keep yourself in contact with the language, play games and solve activities but make sure you have some fun while you do it.
NUMBERS IN PORTUGUESE – To do some shopping in Lisbon or to solve simple and daily activities, you have to be able to use Portuguese numbers fluently. Spend some time on this topic. Some Portuguese numbers can be challenging (especially numbers between 11 and 19).
11 – Onze
12 – Doze
13 – Treze
14 – Catorze
15 – Quinze
16 – Dezasseis
17 – Dezassete
18 – Dezoito
19 – Dezanove
DAILY VERBS IN PORTUGUESE
To start communicating in Portuguese, you must know all the daily verbs in Portuguese. Most of them are regular, which means that the conjugation is quite simple. Check this activity:
QUESTION WORDS IN PORTUGUESE
Asking questions in Portuguese is a critical part of a normal conversation, as a result, you have to know well the following interrogative pronouns:
Qual (what for closed questions). Example: “Qual é a tua nacionalidade?”
O que (what for open questions) Example: “O que é o universo?”
Que (which)
Onde (where)
Quem (who)
Quando (when)
Como (how)
PRO TIP: DON’T BE AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES
Of all the tips on this list, this one is the most important. When learning any new skill, it’s extremely common to make mistakes, and even more common for those mistakes to make us feel embarrassed or ashamed. The reality is that we all make mistakes, so you shouldn’t let them hold you back. The first step to overcoming this is to make sure that you’re not setting the bar too high. Go into the process knowing that you’re going to make mistakes and that they’re completely normal.
SUMMING UP
When learning Portuguese, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the rules and exceptions that are thrown at you. However, with a bit of focus, you can get through them much more quickly. To do this, you should keep the following in mind: – Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. – Learn the most important grammar rules first. – Focus on speaking, not writing. – Look up any words you don’t know. – Remember that grammar rules are there to help you. If you keep these tips in mind, you’ll be well on your way to mastering the Portuguese language. And once you’ve got the basics down, you can start exploring some interesting and creative ways to expand your vocabulary and improve your writing.