Are you thinking about traveling, studying, or working in Portugal or Brazil, but you don’t know any Portuguese? Want to improve your conversation skills with the Portuguese-speaking people in your life? Portuguese Phrases for Dummies is the perfect diving board for anyone looking to communicate and even become fluent in the language.
As the fifth-most widely spoken language in the world, Portuguese can be heard in South America, Africa, Asia, and of course, Portugal. If you want to know basic Portuguese but don’t want a boring textbook that unloads tons of conjugation rules or long lists of words to memorize, then this quick-and-easy phrasebook will get your feet wet without overwhelming you. This friendly book covers a wide array of subjects both helpful and interesting, including:
Knowing these fundamentals, you’ll be able to communicate with Portuguese-speaking people and continue learning about the language and culture. With hundred of useful phrases at your fingertips, Portuguese Phrases for Dummies will give you a basic comprehension of this beautiful language and have you speaking instantly!
Introduction.
About This Book.
Conventions Used in This Book.
Foolish Assumptions.
Icons Used in This Book.
Where to Go from Here.
Chapter 1: Say It How? Speaking Portuguese.
Exploring the Roots of Portuguese.
Reciting Your ABCs.
Conquering Consonants.
The letter C.
The letter D.
The letter G.
The letter H.
The letter J.
The letter L.
The letters M and N.
The letter Q.
The letter R.
The letter S.
The letter T.
The letter W.
The letter X.
Exercising Your Jowls with Vowels.
The letters A and Ã.
The letters E and Ê.
The letter I.
The letters O and Ô.
The letter U.
Chapter 2: Grammar on a Diet: Just the Basics.
Constructing Simple Sentences.
Nouns.
Adjectives.
Articles.
Pronouns.
Verbs.
The Simple Tenses: Present, Past, and Future.
Present tense.
Past tense.
Future tense.
Conjugating the tenses.
Connecting It All Together.
Making Contractions: It’s a Cinch!
To Me, to You: Indirect Objects.
Commanding an Audience.
Getting Possessive.
Chapter 3: Numerical Gumbo: Counting of All Kinds.
Numbers to Know: When Everything Counts.
The Big Countdown: Ordinal Numbers.
Telling Time.
Monday, Tuesday: Weekdays.
Tracking the Calendar: Months and Dates.
Naming the months.
Picking a date.
Money, Money, Money.
Currency and prices.
Getting money from banks and ATMs.
Measuring Distances and Other Stuff.
Chapter 4: Making New Friends and Enjoying Small Talk.
A Few Ways to Say Hello and Goodbye.
Introducing Yourself.
First Names, Last Names, and Nicknames.
Knowing Who, What, and Where.
“Where Are You From?"
Describing the World around You.
Describing permanent qualities: Ser.
Describing temporary qualities: Estar.
Speaking about Speaking.
The Good, the Bad, and the Humid: Weather.
Figuring Out Family Connections.
Giving Out Your Contact Information.
Chapter 5: Enjoying a Drink and a Snack (or Meal!).
Bom Apetite! Enjoy Your Meal!.
At the Restaurant: Trying Local Foods.
Ordering at a restaurant.
Ordering a drink.
First foods up: Salads and condiments.
On to the main course.
Basking in Brazilian barbeque.
Doing dessert.
Paying the bill.
Chapter 6: Shop ’Til You Drop.
Finding Places to Shop.
Out for the Perfect Outfit.
Skirts and shirts: Which to choose.
Trying it on.
Exploring Brazilian Treasures.
Shopping for Food and Necessities at the Market.
Getting some practical items.
Shopping at the outdoor market.
Making Comparisons and Expressing Opinions.
Paying for Your Purchases.
Chapter 7: Making Leisure a Top Priority.
Talking about Going Out.
Inviting someone and being invited.
Asking what the place or event is like.
Asking People What They Like to Do.
Taking in Brazil’s Musical Culture.
Playing an instrument.
Dancing around and singing out loud.
Exploring Carnaval in Brazil.
Exploring Art Galleries and Museums.
Going to the Movies.
Hanging Out at the Beach.
What to take to the beach.
Talking about beach safety.
Expressing beauty: “It’s so beautiful!”
Getting Out for a Walk (or a Hike).
Playing Soccer — Brazil’s National Pastime.
Falling in Love — in Portuguese.
Chapter 8: When You Gotta Work.
Picking Up the Phone.
Saying hello and goodbye.
Making a call.
Dealing with verbal mush.
Talking in the past.
Talking about Work.
Dealing with Computers.
Chapter 9: I Get Around: Transportation.
On the Move: Transportation.
Making a plane reservation.
Taking buses.
Hailing táxis.
Renting a car.
Onde? Where? The Question for Going Places.
Understanding Spatial Directions.
Navigating Cityscapes.
Over Here, Over There.
How Far? Perto ou longe?
Chapter 10: Finding a Place to Lay Your Weary Head.
Finding a Place to Live.
Checking Out the Hotel or Pousada.
Deciding where to stay.
Making reservations.
Checking in and checking out: Registration procedures.
Talking about Sleep.
Chapter 11: Dealing with Emergencies.
Stick ’em Up: What to Say If You’re Robbed.
Asking for and receiving help.
Reporting a problem to the police.
Handling Health Emergencies.
Getting sick.
Handling broken bones and other injuries.
Discussing Legal Problems.
Chapter 12: Ten Favorite Brazilian Portuguese Expressions.
Que saudade!
Fala sério!
. . . pra caramba!
Lindo maravilhoso!
É mesmo?
Um beijo! or Um abraço!
Imagina!
Pois não?
Com certeza!
Fique tranqüilo.
Chapter 13: Ten Phrases That Make You
Sound Like a Local.
Né?
Tá.
Ah é?
Então.
Sabe?
Meio.
Ou seja/E tal.
Cê Instead of Você.
Pra Instead of Para a.
Tô instead of Estou.
Index.
Karen Keller is a journalist who lived and worked in São Paulo, Brazil, for three years. Before moving to Brazil, the California native taught Spanish at a New York City–based foreign-language-education Web site. Keller is also a published travel-guide writer. She currently lives in New Jersey, where she is a local newspaper reporter.
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