A Guide for European Portuguese Learners
When you start learning European Portuguese, you quickly find out there is a hidden additional language you need to learn right alongside it. And this is one of the most common struggles I hear from learners: grammar terminology.
Words like sujeito, verbo, objeto, formas verbais, preposição, pretérito and the list goes on can suddenly appear everywhere. The problem is that many learners don’t remember exactly what these terms mean in their own language — and now they are expected to understand them in Portuguese too!
Don’t worry. You do not need to become a grammar expert to learn Portuguese, but understanding some basic grammar vocabulary will make your lessons much easier to follow.
This guide explains the most common grammar terms you will encounter when studying European Portuguese.
Why do Portuguese courses use grammar terms?
Grammar terminology is simply a way of describing how a language works. Many adult learners haven’t studied grammar since school, so terms that seem obvious to teachers can feel completely new.
For example, instead of saying:
“the word that does the action”
a teacher can say:
“the subject”
Instead of:
“the word that receives the action”
a teacher can say:
“the object”
These terms make explanations shorter and clearer – but only if you understand what they mean!
Grammar terms you will meet in your first lessons
Here are just a few you’ll come into contact with almost immediately.
- palavra = word
- frase = sentence
- nome = noun
- artigo definido = definite article
- artigo indefinido =indefinite article
- género = gender (grammatical)
- preposição = prepositions
- advérbio = adverb
- conjugação = conjugation
- pronome = pronoun
- verbo = verb
- sujeito = subject
- objeto = object
- adjetivo = adjective
- singular = singular
- plural = plural
- masculino = masculine
- feminino = feminine
- tempo verbal = verb tense
- infinitivo = infinitive
Now, let’s move on to what these mean and for some I have dedicated posts for.
Noun, Articles, Gender
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing or idea. In Portuguese, nouns are usually learned together with their artigo because the article shows their grammatical gender. Let’s look at a few examples of nouns first:
- pessoa (person)
- cidade (city)
- livro (book)
- amor (love)
Portuguese nouns are either:
- masculino (masculine)
- feminino (feminine)
An article is a small word that comes before a noun. In other words, it’s the Portuguese versions of “the” and “a/an”. Now, because nouns are gendered, there are four definite articles:
- o (masculine singular)
- a (feminine singular)
- os (masculine plural)
- as (feminine plural)
Indefinite articles (artigos indefinidos) meaning “a/an/some”:
- um (masculine singular)
- uma (feminine singular)
- uns (masculine plural)
- umas (feminine plural)
Let’s put all that together, going back to our original 4 examples:
- a pessoa (the person) / uma pessoa (a person)
- a cidade (the city) / uma cidade (a city)
- o livro (the book) / um livro (a book)
- o amor (the love) / um amor (a love)
The plural versions would be:
- as pessoas (the persons) / umas pessoas (some/a few persons)
- as cidades (the cities) / umas cidades (some/a few cities)
- os livros (the books) / uns livros (some/a few books)
- os amores (the loves) / uns amores (some/a few loves)
A very common misconception is that grammatical gender is connected to social or cultural ideas about gender. It isn’t. A chair being feminine or a sofa being masculine does not mean we associate those objects with women or men. Grammatical gender is simply a feature of the language.
For example, if Maria is a woman and she is a nurse, the words woman and nurse will be feminine:
A Maria é mulher e é enfermeira.
I have other more detailed posts on gender and articles:
Verbs and actions
A verb describes an action, state or event. Because there is so much to unpack regarding verbs in Portuguese and a lot of technical language, it has its own dedicated section.
But for quick examples of Portuguese verbs, see below:
- ser (to be)
- estar (to be)
- falar (to speak)
- comer (to eat)
Portuguese verbs change depending on who is doing the action.
Words that connect ideas: Adjectivos, Advérbios & Preposições
An adjectivo describes a noun.
Examples:
- uma casa grande (a big house)
- um carro novo (a new car)
In Portuguese, adjectives usually change to agree with the noun:
- um amigo português (A Portuguese friend – who is a man)
- uma amiga portuguesa (A Portuguese friend – who is a woman)
An advérbio gives more information about a verb, adjective or another adverb.
Examples:
- rapidamente (quickly)
- muito (very)
- sempre (always)
Example:
Ela fala muito bem português. (She speaks Portuguese very well.)
A preposição is a small word that shows relationships between words.
Examples:
- em (in/on/at)
- de (from/of)
- a (to)
- para (to/for/towards)
- por (through/via/by/for)
I have many lessons and dedicated preposition posts on my Portuguese Grammar Page. But if you’re completely confused and lost with these, start with my free mini preposition course.
Grammar concepts you will see often in Portuguese courses
Tempo verbal (verb tense)
A tempo verbal shows when an action happens: in the present, past or future.
Examples:
- Presente: Eu estudo português. (I study Portuguese.)
- Pretérito: Eu estudei português. (I studied Portuguese.)
- Futuro: Eu vou estudar português. (I am going to study Portuguese.)
As you continue learning Portuguese, you will meet different verb tenses and learn when to use each one.
Pronome (pronoun)
A pronome replaces a noun, usually to avoid repeating the same word.
For example:
A Maria é professora. A Maria vive em Faro.
Instead, we can say:
Ela é professora. Ela vive em Faro.
The pronoun Ela means “she” and replaces A Maria.
Portuguese also allows the subject to be omitted in many sentences. This is called a null subject language.
Pronome de complemento direto (direct object pronoun)
A pronome de complemento direto replaces the person or thing receiving the action of the verb.
Example:
Eu vejo o filme.
The object is o filme.
We can replace it with a pronoun:
Eu vejo-o.
Common Portuguese direct object pronouns are:
- me
- te
- o / a
- nos
- vos
- os / as
This topic can feel confusing at first, but it becomes much easier with practice and repetition.
Verbo reflexivo (reflexive verb)
A verbo reflexivo is used when the person doing the action and the person receiving the action are the same.
Example:
Eu chamo-me Adelina.
Literally: “I call myself Adelina.”
Common reflexive verbs include:
- chamar-se (to be called)
- levantar-se (to get up)
- vestir-se (to get dressed)
Conjuntivo (subjunctive)
The conjuntivo is a verb mood used for situations that are uncertain, desired, possible or dependent on something else.
Example:
Espero que tenhas um bom dia.
(I hope you have a good day.)
You will usually study this grammar later in your Portuguese journey, but it is a very important concept that appears frequently in Portuguese.
Remember: grammar terms are just labels
Grammar terminology can feel overwhelming at first, especially when you are learning a new language and a new set of vocabulary at the same time.
You do not need to memorise every definition immediately. These words are simply labels that help your teacher explain how Portuguese works.
The most important thing is using Portuguese, understanding messages and building confidence. If you come across a grammar term during your A1/A2 course that you don’t recognise, come back to this guide and use it as a quick reference.
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