This intensive course is for language learners striving toward the B1level. The language of instruction is Portuguese. I will speak in English only if needed.
Geared toward Absolute Beginners, this course gives you a solid start and foundation to build upon. The language of instruction is almost entirely in English.
This is an introductory course to the Portuguese language as spoken in Portugal. Throughout the course, we will focus on the Portuguese sound system and basic Portuguese grammar.
You will also learn how to introduce yourself and day-to-day, useful phrases. Finally, we will discuss learning resources and strategies to support your learning journey.
After the course, you will have a basic understanding of European Portuguese pronunciation and grammar. You will also be capable of engaging in simple, short oral interactions. Last but not least, you will be aware of a variety of learning resources and strategies to help you succeed at learning the language.
Any questions?
Can't you attend any courses this season? Fill up this form and I will keep you posted on upcoming Intensive Courses.
Beginners A2
This intensive course is for language learners striving toward the A2 level. The language of instruction is English/Portuguese, typically in a 35/65 ratio.
This intensive course is for language learners striving toward the A1level. The language of instruction is English/Portuguese, typically in a 70/30 ratio.
If you've just started your learning journey, it may be that you will find this course a bit challenging. Nothing wrong with that.
However, if you think you'd have trouble coping with a challenging learning environment, consider enrolling for the Clean Slate A0 instead (if available).
There are plenty of interesting options for our accommodation. It will most likely be a countryside house near Tavira.
I haven't booked it yet because I want to get a better idea of the group's composition (how many couples/singles) and your preferences before I do so. That will for instance help me understand how big a house we might need.
I look forward to soon talking to you about this and much more. Até breve, p
Surprise surprise!
Do you know what constipado means in Portuguese? Probably not what you are thinking...
Get a list of 50+ English-PortugueseFalse Friends and be surprised.
Did you notice that some of the most frequently used verbs in Portuguese happen to have irregular conjugation?
These verbs are not only high-frequency but they also tend to have a wide usage – they mean different things in different contexts. Developing a solid grasp of their conjugation and usage will considerably improve your speaking skills and idiomatic feel for Portuguese.
Here’s a list of 8 Portuguese Irregular Verbs language learners should master as soon as possible:
Ser
Estar
Ter
Haver
Ir
Poder
Fazer
Dar
Here’s what their conjugation looks like for the Present and Past tenses (following the same order as above):
Ser
Present
Preterite Pretérito perfeito
Imperfect Pretérito imperfeito
eu
sou
fui
era
tu
és
foste
eras
você ele, ela
é
foi
era
nós
somos
fomos
éramos
vocês eles, elas
são
foram
eram
Estar
Present
Preterite Pretérito perfeito
Imperfect Pretérito imperfeito
eu
estou
estive
estava
tu
estás
estiveste
estavas
você ele, ela
está
esteve
estava
nós
estamos
estivemos
estávamos
vocês eles, elas
estão
estiveram
estavam
Ter
Present
Preterite Pretérito perfeito
Imperfect Pretérito imperfeito
eu
tenho
tive
tinha
tu
tens
tiveste
tinhas
você ele, ela
tem
teve
tinha
nós
temos
tivemos
tínhamos
vocês eles, elas
têm
tiveram
tinham
Haver
Present
Preterite Pretérito perfeito
Imperfect Pretérito imperfeito
eu
hei
houve
havia
tu
hás
houveste
havias
você ele, ela
há
houve
havia
nós
havemos
houvemos
havíamos
vocês eles, elas
hão
houveram
haviam
Ir
Presente
Preterite Pretérito perfeito *
Imperfect Pretérito imperfeito
eu
vou
fui
ia
tu
vais
foste
ias
você ele, ela
vai
foi
ia
nós
vamos
fomos
íamos
vocês eles, elas
vão
foram
iam
Poder
Present
Preterite Pretérito perfeito
Imperfect Pretérito imperfeito
eu
posso
pude
podia
tu
podes
pudeste
podias
você ele, ela
pode
pôde
podia
nós
podemos
pudemos
podíamos
vocês eles, elas
podem
puderam
podiam
Fazer
Present
Preterite Pretérito perfeito
Imperfect Pretérito imperfeito
eu
faço
fiz
fazia
tu
fazes
fizeste
fazias
você ele, ela
faz
fez
fazia
nós
fazemos
fizemos
fazíamos
vocês eles, elas
fazem
fizeram
faziam
Dar
Present
Preterite Pretérito perfeito
Imperfect Pretérito imperfeito
eu
dou
dei
dava
tu
dás
deste
davas
você ele, ela
dá
deu
dava
nós
damos
demos
dávamos
vocês eles, elas
dão
deram
davam
If you want to dive into the Usage of these Must-Know Verbs,take a peek at my course series Portuguese Verb Gems.
You should learn them as soon as possible to readily expand your language skills.
Put simply, irregular verbs are verbs that don’t follow regular conjugation patterns. In this article, I will walk you through 8 must-know Portuguese irregular verbs while explaining how and when to use them.
Being highly versatile, we use these verbs non-stop in day-to-day life. Learning their conjugations and, above all, how and when to use them, will considerably add to your ability to express yourself in Portuguese.
As you see, the sentences above express facts and traits that wouldn’t change overnight – they are long-lasting.
Passive voice
Also, the Portuguese verb ser, like to be in English, is used to form passive-voice sentences.
active voice O Manuel escreveu um livro. Manuel wrote a book.
passive voice O livro foi escrito pelo Manuel. The book was written by Manuel.
Like in English, the verb ser is followed by the past participle * of the action verb. In Portuguese, however, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the passive subject it refers to.
The Portuguese verb haver is used to (1) express duration and time flow. It is also used for (2) saying that someone or something exists, or that something happens (much like there is in English).
Additionally, haver can replace ter (as auxiliary) to (3) form perfect tenses.
Conjugation
Here’s what haver looks like in the present and past simple tenses:
Present
Preterite Pretérito perfeito
Imperfect Pretérito imperfeito
eu
hei
houve
havia
tu
hás
houveste
havias
você ele, ela
há *
houve
havia
nós
havemos
houvemos
havíamos
vocês eles, elas
hão
houveram
haviam
* Note that those first two usage situations of haver mentioned above only use haver’s third-person singular (therefore highlighted in bold).
Time flow
Here’re a couple of examples where haver (há) is expressing duration and time flow:
Vivo em Lisboa há 3 anos. I have been living in Lisbon for 3 years.
O José visitou a Rússia há 2 anos. José visited Russia 2 years ago.
Note that in the first sentence, the main verb is in the present tense (vivo) – in that case, há refers to the passage of time concerning a durative action between a point in the past and the present moment (for 3 years).
In the second sentence, however, the main verb is in the past tense (visitou) – then, há denotes the passage of time between the present moment and a punctual action that took place in the past (2 years ago).
There is …
Now, look at a few examples of haver (há) used as there is/are:
Há alguém aqui com pressa? Is there anyone here in a hurry?
Na vida há momentos bons e maus. In life, there are good and bad moments.
Note that, unlike in English, we continue to use the singular form há even when it refers to a plural noun, as is the case for the second sentence above.
Forming perfect tenses (instead of ter)
Finally, here’s an example with haver being used as an auxiliary verb to form a perfect tense (in this case, we conjugate haver to conform with the subject):
Nós havíamos vivido com dificuldades antes de termos ficado ricos. We had lived with difficulties before we got rich.
The Portuguese verb ir is the equivalent of the English verb go. It is also used as an auxiliary verb to express future time.
Conjugation
Here’s what it looks like in the present and past simple tenses:
Presente
Preterite Pretérito perfeito *
Imperfect Pretérito imperfeito
eu
vou
fui
ia
tu
vais
foste
ias
você ele, ela
vai
foi
ia
nós
vamos
fomos
íamos
vocês eles, elas
vão
foram
iam
* Note that the perfeito past tense of ir has the same verb conjugations as the perfeito past tense of ser. Then, of course, it is the context telling you which verb is being used.
Here’s an example:
– Onde vais? – Vou ao supermercado. – Where are you going? – I’m going to the shop.
Future time
Ir is also used as an auxiliary to express a future time, much like the English structure be + going to:
– O que vaisfazer logo à noite? – Vou fazer um bolo. – What are you going to do this evening? – I’m going to bake a cake.
We often use the Portuguese verb fazer where, in English, we say make, do, or take. Besides, the verb fazer is extensively used in colloquial expressions and set phrases.
Conjugation
Here’s what fazer looks like in the present and past simple tenses:
Present
Preterite Pretérito perfeito
Imperfect Pretérito imperfeito
eu
faço
fiz
fazia
tu
fazes
fizeste
fazias
você ele, ela
faz
fez
fazia
nós
fazemos
fizemos
fazíamos
vocês eles, elas
fazem
fizeram
faziam
Do, make, take
Here are some examples where fazer corresponds to either do, make, or take:
– O que estás a fazer? – Estou a fazer o almoço. – What are you doing? – I am making lunch.
Faz uma pausa! Take a break!
Set phrases
And now, a few examples of set phrases with fazer:
Fazer idea (to have a clue) Não faço ideia! I have no idea!
Fazer de conta (pretend) Ela fez de conta que não me viu. She pretended that she didn’t see me.
Fazer a barba (to shave) Faço a barba uma vez por semana. I shave once a week.
The Portuguese verb dar – give in English – is incredibly versatile and used in countless idioms and set phrases.
Conjugation
Here is what it looks like conjugated in the present and past simple tenses:
Present
Preterite Pretérito perfeito
Imperfect Pretérito imperfeito
eu
dou
dei
dava
tu
dás
deste
davas
você ele, ela
dá
deu
dava
nós
damos
demos
dávamos
vocês eles, elas
dão
deram
davam
Give
Here’re some examples of dar when used as in give:
Ele deu-me uma prenda. He gave me a gift.
Este problema está a dar-te dores de cabeça! This problem is giving you a headache!
Expressing possibility
Now, dar followed by the preposition para is often used to express possibility, much like poder above is:
Desculpa, mas não deu para chegar a tempo. Sorry, but I couldn’t make it in time.
Dápara me ajudares? Can you help me?
Noticing
We also say dar followed by conta to say that we notice/realize something:
O Joaquim deu conta que se esqueceu do telemóvel em casa. Joaquim realized that he had forgotten his mobile at home. Quando me dei conta já passava da meia-noite. When I realized, it was already past midnight.
Idioms
Here’re a few idioms with dar:
Dar um jeito (do a favor) Podes dar-me um jeito? Can you do me a favor?
Quem me dera (I wish) Quem me dera que estivesses aqui. I wish you were here.
Dar com o gato (finding out the problem) Já deste com o gato? Did you already find what was bugging you?