Learn about sentence structure in European Portuguese. These lessons include typical word order (Subject–Verb–Object). How sentences are formed. And how elements like pronouns, questions and negation affect the structure of a sentence. This tag also includes lessons on language usage in Portugal.
Olá pessoal! In this lesson, I bring you yet another sentence structure that doesn’t translate into English neatly. If you want to describe starting to do something as a new situation, habit or way of doing things in European Portuguese, you’ll often come across: passar a + infinitive For example: Passei a estudar português todos … Read more
Often, languages don’t translate into each other neatly. The sentence structure I bring in this lesson is one of them. If you want to say “to no longer do something” in European Portuguese, you’ll often come across this structure: deixar de + infinitive For example: Deixei de fumar.I stopped smoking. Ela deixou de trabalhar aqui.She … Read more
The verb voltar means “to return” or “to go back”, but the preposition that follows it can change what we mean. Two very common structures are: voltar a + infinitivevoltar a/para + place At first, these can be confusing because voltar a can have two different meanings. Let’s look at how they work. Voltar a … Read more
If you want to say that someone started doing something in Portuguese, you probably already know the structure: começar a + infinitivo Comecei a estudar português.I started studying Portuguese. But there is another very useful construction that can sometimes be translated similarly: passar a + infinitivo Passei a estudar português. At first, these two structures … Read more
These two Portuguese structures, Estar a fazer vs andar a fazer, don’t exactly mean the same thing. If you’re learning European Portuguese, you’ve probably seen both of these: They both look like “to be doing” in English. But they are not interchangeable. And if you use them randomly, you’ll sound slightly… off. Let’s fix that … Read more
Portuguese prepositions can be tricky, especially when several expressions seem to mean “below” or “under.” In this lesson, you’ll learn the difference between abaixo, debaixo, em baixo and por baixo and how to use them naturally in European Portuguese. We’ll break down each expression with clear explanations, practical examples, and common mistakes learners make. For … Read more
Portuguese prepositions can be tricky, especially when several expressions seem to mean “above” or “over.” In this lesson, you’ll learn the difference between acima, em cima, and por cima and how to use them naturally in European Portuguese. We’ll break down each expression with clear explanations, practical examples, and common mistakes learners make. In this … Read more
One of the first verbs people meet in Portuguese is ser, and it can feel intimidating straight away. But at the beginner level, you really don’t need all the theory. Let’s keep it practical. At its core, ser is used to express three very basic things. 1️⃣ QUEM alguém é (WHO someone is) We use … Read more
After ser, the next verb learners usually meet is estar. And again: no need to overcomplicate it. At the beginner level, estar is mainly used to talk about two things: 👉 how someone is👉 where someone is👉 the weather That’s it. 1️⃣ COMO alguém está (HOW someone is) We use estar to talk about states, … Read more
Both “há” and “existe” can be translated as “there is” or “there are” in English, but they’re used slightly differently and carry different tones. Let’s find out more about the diffrences in this post. ✅“Há” This comes from the verb haver, which is used impersonally (it doesn’t change with singular or plural in this context). … Read more