Geared toward Absolute Beginners, this course gives you a solid start and foundation to build upon.
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.
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Beginners A2
This intensive course is for language learners striving toward the A2 level.
This intensive course is for language learners striving toward the A1level.
If you have just started your learning journey, you may find this course too challenging. 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
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Portuguese possessive pronouns and determiners indicate possession. In English, these are words like my, your, his, her, our, their (possessive determiners) and mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs (possessive pronouns).
Both possessive pronouns and determiners look exactly the same in Portuguese. However, possessivedeterminers precede the noun they qualify, whereas possessive pronouns replace the noun altogether and thus stand alone.
Here’s an example:
Possessive determiners (precede the noun) O meucarro é novo em folha. My car is brand new.
Possessive pronouns(stand-alone) Aquele carro ali é meu. That car over there is mine.
What’s more, Portuguese possessives agree in gender and number with the thing possessed (and not with the possessor):
O teurelógio é elegante. (o relógio) Your watch is elegant.
A tuacamisa está engelhada. (a camisa) Your shirt is wrinkled.
Let’s look into Portuguese possessives in greater detail.
Reading tips! Learn more about gender and number in Portuguese:
Possessive determiners precede the noun they qualify and are normally preceded by a definite article:
Masculine singular
Feminine singular
Masculine plural
Feminine plural
my
o meu amigo
a minha amiga
os meus amigos
as minhas amigas
your
o teu amigo
a tua amiga
os teus amigos
as tuas amigas
his/her *; your (formal)
o seu amigo
a sua amiga
os seus amigos
as suas amigas
our
o nosso amigo
a nossa amiga
os nossos amigos
as nossas amigas
your
o vosso amigo
a vossa amiga
as vossas amigas
os vossos amigos
their *
o seu amigo
a sua amiga
os seus amigos
as suas amigas
* Refer to the “3-person de-possessives” below
Here’re a few examples where it is clear that these determiners agree in gender and number with the possessed things:
Trouxeste os nossoslivros? Did you bring our books?
Gostei muito de conhecer os teuspais. It was a pleasure to meet your parents.
Não sei onde pus as minhaslentes. I don’t know where I put my lenses.
We often skip the possessive adjective when the relationship between the possessor and the possessed is implicit or obvious:
Vim de carro. I came in my car.
A Joana falou ao telefone com a prima do Brasil. Joana spoke on the phone with her cousin from Brazil.
Veste as calças! Put your trousers on!
Portuguese possessive pronouns
Portuguese possessive pronouns replace the noun they refer to standing therefore alone.
Masculine singular
Feminine singular
Masculine plural
Feminine plural
mine
(o) meu
(a) minha
(os) meus
(as) minhas
yours
(o) teu
(a) tua
(os) teus
(as) tuas
his/hers*; yours (formal)
(o) seu
(a) sua
(os) seus
(as) suas
ours
(o) nosso
(a) nossa
(os) nossos
(as) nossas
yours
(o) vosso
(a) vossa
(as) vossas
(os) vossos
theirs*
(o) seu
(a) sua
(os) seus
(as) suas
* Refer to the “3-person de-possessives” below
Notice how possessive pronouns, like possessive determiners, agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to and replace:
A minha guitarra soa melhor do que a tua. My guitar sounds better than yours.
Os meus pais estão bem. E os teus? My parents are well. What about yours?
Estas maçãs não são más, mas eu prefiro as nossas. These apples are not bad but I prefer ours.
Now, in conjunction with the verb ser, possessive pronouns don’t require the preceding definite article (in this case, the article is optional and acts only as a reinforcement):
Aquele carro ali é (o)meu. That car over there is mine.
Essas malas são (as)nossas. Those suitcases are ours.
3-person de-possessives: dele(s), dela(s)
The possessives seu/sua/seus/suas can refer to the 2-person singular formal (você), 3-person singular (ele/ela), or 3-person plural (eles/elas). Thus, their usage often gives rise to confusion as to whom they refer to.
Instead, we tend to use de-possessives when referring to the 3-person (singular and plural):
Masculine
Feminine
his/her
dele (de + ele)
dela (de + ela)
their
deles (de + eles)
delas (de + elas)
Contrarily to the possessives covered above, 3-person de-possessivesagree in gender and number with the possessor, not the possessed (as his/her/their do).
Also, they came after the possessed thing, not before. Here a few examples:
Já vi a casa dele. I have already seen his house.
Ainda não conheceste a mãedela? Haven’t you met her mother yet?
Gosto mais da culturadeles do que da nossa. I like their culture better than ours.
One last thing.
Some verbs are often followed by the particle de, for instance, gostar de. Thus, dele/dela/deles/delas can be a mere contraction between de and an object pronoun, which has nothing to do with de-possessives.