verbs that are considered “regular” because they all follow the same consistent pattern of

conjugation.
For example, for a regular verb ending in -ar, like falar (“to speak”), if the pronoun eu (“I”) is the
subject, or the one doing the speaking, you drop the -ar ending from the verb and add the
ending -o to the remaining verb "stem," giving eu falo, or “I speak.” For the pronoun ele (“he”),
falar becomes ele fala, or “he speaks.” Each subject has its own special conjugation, or verb
ending, associated with it, and this applies for all verbs, whether they end in -ar, -er, or -ir —
though the conjugations are slightly different for each ending.
There are, however, many Portuguese verbs — and important ones at that — whose
conjugations are irregular and must be learned and memorized separately. These verbs
include ones like ir (“to go”), ver (“to see”) and ser and estar (“to be”).

Knowing how to conjugate Portuguese verbs is essential to being able to express yourself in
Portuguese, and you’ll likely spend a large part of your Portuguese learning journey focusing
on the grammar of Portuguese verbs. Once you master them, you’ll be well on your way to
speaking Portuguese with fluency.

Portuguese Nouns And Portuguese Gender

Each Portuguese noun has a gender, meaning it’s classified as either masculine (masculino) or
feminine (feminino). This doesn’t mean that every person, place, object or idea is inherently
male or female; it’s just a system of grammatical categorization that exists in Portuguese and
many other world languages that affects how speakers use these languages.

Often, Portuguese gender marking maps to words in ways you’d expect; la mulher (“the
woman”) is a feminine noun, so it requires the singular feminine definite article a (“the”),
whereas o homem (“the man”) is a masculine noun that requires the singular masculine
definite article o. But sometimes these gender assignments can be pretty arbitrary; why is la
cadeira (“the chair”) feminine while o sofá (“the sofa”) is masculine? A major part of learning
Portuguese nouns involves memorizing their gender classifications, so it’s important to
practice this concept.
When discussing
Portuguese nouns, we
must also talk about
Portuguese adjectives.
Adjectives in Portuguese,
or words that describe the
properties and
characteristics of nouns,
usually follow nouns in the
sentence and must “agree”
with the nouns they
modify. This means that
their endings must reflect
the gender (masculine or
feminine) and the number (singular or plural) of the noun to which they refer. An adjective like
frio (“cold”) can modify a singular, masculine noun like o prato (“the dish”) to give us o prato
frio (“the cold dish”). But if the noun is feminine, like a bebida (“the drink”), we get the
expression a bebida fria (“the cold drink”). If the nouns are plural, the adjective endings
change to reflect that, usually by adding an -s and we get expressions like os pratos frios (“the
hot dishes”) and as bebidas frias (“the cold drinks”).

There are many types of Portuguese adjectives whose endings have slightly different
variations from this example, but the idea is the same — Portuguese adjectives must reflect
the gender and number of the nouns they’re describing.

Basic Portuguese Phrases And Portuguese Greetings

To speak like a native Portuguese speaker, there are certain must-know Portuguese phrases
and expressions that will help you navigate your way through a conversation.
The best place to start, of course, is with “hello”! There are many common greetings in
Portuguese to choose from, the most popular of which include Oi! in Brazil and Olá
throughout all the Portuguese-speaking world. You can also choose among bom dia (literally
“good day”) if it’s before noon, boa tarde (“good afternoon”) between noon and evening, and
if it’s even later, boa noite (“good evening” or “good night”).
You’ll get familiar with basic Portuguese phrases like Como vai (“How are you?”) or the popular
Tudo bem? (“Everything good?”), to which you can reply Tudo bem! (It’s an expression so
versatile, it can even be used just to mean “Hi!”)

If you’re meeting someone for the first time, you’ll want to talk about who you are and
perhaps where you’re from. To say your name, you can say Eu me chamo X, or “I call myself X.”
You can also say Eu sou o/a X, or “I am X.” To find out other people’s names, you can ask Como
você se chama? or Como te chamas? (literally “How do you call yourself?”).

The way to say where you come from in Portuguese is Eu sou de X (literally “I am of X”), and to
ask where someone is from, you can say De onde você ê? or De onde és tu?
To say goodbye in Portuguese , a tchau! is the classic go-to, but there are plenty of other great
options like Até a próxima! (“Until next time!”) and Até logo! (“See you later!”).
There are many other other useful conversational Portuguese words, phrases and expressions
you’ll get to know as you learn Portuguese, from se faz favor and por favor (“please”), muito
obrigado/a (“thank you very much”) and de nada (“you’re welcome”) to Onde fica X? (“Where
is X?”) and Você fala inglês?, or “Do you speak English?” When you learn these Portuguese
phrases and hundreds more like them, you’ll be better able to communicate with native
Portuguese speakers with ease.
 
 

11 Useful Portuguese Phrases

 
 
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Ways To Learn Portuguese
There is no right answer when it comes to how to learn Portuguese — or any new language.
With so many options for your language journey, it’s no surprise that choosing a learning style
or method can be overwhelming!
Of the millions of people who speak and study Portuguese as a non-native language, you’ll
find folks who have used all sorts of resources to learn the language, some free, some fairly
cheap, and some more of a financial investment. There’s no right combination, and it’s up to
you to decide which methods work best for you to learn Portuguese.

What's The Quickest And Easiest Way To Learn Portuguese?

You’ll find that the fastest and easiest way to learn Portuguese is the way that offers you the
least amount of friction — so if you can’t stand shuffling through textbook pages or you get
bored flipping Portuguese flashcards, you might want to stick to a method that’s more
exciting or engaging. Knowing yourself is key to success. Here are just a few of the ways to
learn Portuguese quickly:
in a classroom setting or with one-on-one instruction from a Portuguese teacher or tutor
with paid or free online Portuguese courses, classes, software or apps
with Portuguese media resources like podcasts, playlists, books, movies and TV shows

Learning Portuguese In The Classroom

Portuguese is among the top studied languages in school systems and universities around the
world. Portuguese classroom learning is the most popular option for learners in grade school
or university settings. It allows more intensive, regular study with feedback from teachers who
know the Portuguese language and can correct mistakes as they happen and teach content in
an interactive way. Depending on how large a class is and how engaged the teacher is, learning
in a classroom might be a less personalized experience, but having other students to talk to
and practice with is a valuable resource for a learner of any language.
Though full-time students make up a large proportion of Portuguese classroom learners,
plenty of adults enroll in Portuguese classes, too. Many cities and communities offer free or
fairly cheap language classes, and you’ll be very likely to find them in popular languages like
Portuguese. Though a full-time job might limit your schedule, a commitment to a once- or
twice-weekly Portuguese class after work or on the weekends can really improve your
Portuguese language skills in a measurable way.

Learning
Portuguese With A
Portuguese Tutor

Private Portuguese
tutoring offers a
more tailored
learning experience
than traditional
classroom learning
with many of the
advantages. Having
a skilled Portuguese
tutor at hand who
can help you
perfect your