The Portuguese Verb Ficar – Conjugation and Usage
Ficar is a high-frequency and versatile Portuguese verb that every language learner should master as soon as possible. Depending on the context, Ficar may mean ‘stay’, ‘get’,…
Portuguese Prepositions and Contractions
In general, prepositions have an infamous reputation among language learners. Judging by all the whining and moaning I’ve heard from students throughout the years, Portuguese prepositions are…
Portuguese Question Words
Intrepid language learners start using Portuguese nearly from day one. I love the attitude and hope you are one of them. Besides bravery, to keep conversations going…
Portuguese Perfect vs. Imperfect Tense: Know When to Use Either
The Portuguese Perfect and Imperfect past tenses (aka Pretérito Perfeito and Pretérito Imperfeito in Portuguese) are often a headache for language learners whose native tongue doesn’t make…
Forming the Plural in Portuguese
In Portuguese, not only nouns are spelled differently according to number (singular/plural), but also words belonging to other word classes such as adjectives, demonstratives, or possessive pronouns.…
Gender of Portuguese Words
Like other Romance languages, Portuguese nouns are gender-marked as masculine or feminine. This gender dimension in Portuguese extends nonetheless well beyond nouns. For instance, word classes such…
The Portuguese Verb Haver
If you’ve been learning Portuguese for a while, you’ve probably noticed that little word há popping up everywhere. Indeed, há is a verb form of Haver, which…
Letter X in Portuguese – How to Pronounce It
Regarding pronunciation, the letter X is quite challenging for those learning Portuguese. Here is why: In Portuguese, the letter X stands for four different language sounds, namely,…
Portuguese Modal Verbs
Modal verbs help us convey things like necessity, possibility, certainty, doubt, and ability. We use them all the time. You’d agree that the English sentences You must…
Portuguese Word Stress and Accent Marks
If you care about Portuguese pronunciation and want to get good at it, you’ll need to come to grips with its word stress patterns. That’s it. Here’s…
Portuguese Verb “Dar”: An Idiomatic Gem
If you asked me to list the most frequently used, idiomatically rich verbs in Portuguese, I’d certainly put Dar on top of that list. Dar means ‘give’,…
Portuguese-English Cognates: Boost Your Portuguese Vocab Overnight
Here you are, learning a new language and probably assuming you are starting from ground zero. What if that’s not the case at all? What if you…
Portuguese Verb Tenses and Moods Explained: A Usage Rundown Anchored to English
With so many conjugations, Portuguese verbs are a hard-to-chew bit for anyone learning the language, especially for those not acquainted with any Romance language from before. Now,…
The Portuguese Verb Fazer
The Portuguese verb Fazer means different things depending on the context. Depending on the context, its English equivalent can be Make, Do, or Take. Additionally, there are…
Two Worlds, One Language: Unveiling the Differences Between European and Brazilian Portuguese
You are probably aware that there are two well-established standards of Portuguese – the European and the Brazilian. Most language learners, though, don’t know much about their…
Portuguese Verbs Ser vs. Estar: How and When to Use Either
In Portuguese, there are two To Be verbs: Ser and Estar. Not fully understanding their differences, language learners will often hesitate between using one or the other.…
Portuguese vs. Spanish: How Similar Are They Actually?
Portuguese and Spanish are Romance languages that share a common root: they both stem from Vulgar Latin. But how similar are they? Portuguese and Spanish are different…
Master European Portuguese Pronunciation: Essential Guide for Beginners and Beyond
I often hear people say that Portuguese sounds different from other Romance languages. And that’s because it’s true! So, what is so special about European Portuguese pronunciation?…