Catalog / Portuguese Language Essentials Cheat Sheet

Portuguese Language Essentials Cheat Sheet

A handy reference guide to Portuguese grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, designed to help learners quickly grasp the fundamentals.

Basic Grammar

Nouns and Articles

Gender

Nouns are either masculine or feminine. This affects article and adjective agreement.

Masculine Article

o (the), um (a)

Feminine Article

a (the), uma (a)

Example (Masculine)

o livro (the book), um livro (a book)

Example (Feminine)

a casa (the house), uma casa (a house)

Plural Forms

Generally, add -s to singular nouns. Add -es to nouns ending in -m, -r, or -z.

Plural Examples

o livro -> os livros, a mulher -> as mulheres

Pronouns

Eu

I

Tu

You (informal, Portugal)

Você

You (formal/informal, Brazil)

Ele/Ela

He/She

Nós

We

Vós

You (formal, plural, Portugal)

Vocês

You (formal/informal, plural, Brazil)

Eles/Elas

They (masculine/feminine)

Basic Verb Conjugation (Present Tense of 'Ser' - To Be)

Eu

Sou (I am)

Tu

És (You are - Portugal informal)

Você/Ele/Ela

É (You/He/She is)

Nós

Somos (We are)

Vós

Sois (You are - Portugal formal plural)

Vocês/Eles/Elas

São (You/They are)

Essential Vocabulary

Greetings and Basic Phrases

Olá

Hello

Bom dia

Good morning

Boa tarde

Good afternoon

Boa noite

Good evening/night

Como está? (formal) / Como você está? (Brazil)

How are you?

Tudo bem?

Everything okay? / How’s it going?

Obrigado/Obrigada

Thank you (masculine/feminine)

De nada

You’re welcome

Por favor

Please

Common Verbs

Ser

To be (permanent characteristics)

Estar

To be (temporary states)

Ter

To have

Fazer

To do/make

Ir

To go

Querer

To want

Poder

To be able to/can

Dizer

To say/tell

Useful Nouns

Homem

Man

Mulher

Woman

Criança

Child

Casa

House

Trabalho

Work/Job

Dinheiro

Money

Tempo

Time/Weather

Comida

Food

Pronunciation Guide

Vowel Sounds

a - Usually pronounced like the ‘a’ in ‘father’. In some dialects, it can be more open like the ‘a’ in ‘cat’.

e - Can be pronounced like the ‘e’ in ‘bed’ or like the ‘a’ in ‘say’, depending on the word and dialect.

i - Pronounced like the ‘ee’ in ‘see’.

o - Can be pronounced like the ‘o’ in ‘go’ or like the ‘o’ in ‘hot’, depending on the word and dialect.

u - Pronounced like the ‘oo’ in ‘moon’.

Consonant Sounds

c - Soft like ‘s’ before ‘e’ and ‘i’ (e.g., ‘cidade’ - city). Hard like ‘k’ before ‘a’, ‘o’, ‘u’ (e.g., ‘casa’ - house).

ç - Always pronounced like ‘ss’ in ‘miss’.

j - Pronounced like the ‘s’ in ‘measure’.

nh - Pronounced like the ‘ny’ in ‘canyon’.

lh - Pronounced like the ‘lli’ in ‘million’.

r - Can be rolled (especially at the beginning of a word) or pronounced like the ‘h’ in ‘house’ in some dialects (Brazil).

s - Voiced like a ‘z’ between vowels. Otherwise, typically like the ‘s’ in ‘sun’. At the end of a word (especially in Brazil) often sounds like ‘sh’.

Diphthongs

ão - Nasal sound, similar to the ‘ow’ in ‘how’ followed by a nasal ‘n’.

ei - Pronounced like the ‘ay’ in ‘say’.

ou - Pronounced like the ‘oa’ in ‘boat’.

Useful Phrases for Travel

Getting Around

Onde fica…?

Where is…?

Como chego a…?

How do I get to…?

À direita

To the right

À esquerda

To the left

Em frente

Straight ahead

Perto

Near

Longe

Far

At a Restaurant

A carta, por favor.

The menu, please.

Eu gostaria de…

I would like…

A conta, por favor.

The bill, please.

Água

Water

Vinho

Wine

Cerveja

Beer

Café

Coffee

Emergency Phrases

Socorro!

Help!

Preciso de ajuda.

I need help.

Chame a polícia.

Call the police.

Chame uma ambulância.

Call an ambulance.

Perdi-me.

I am lost.

Estou doente.

I am sick.