Archive for 'Grammar'
Vir and Ir, Coming and Going Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 8, 2007
It is very important in Portuguese not to confuse the verbs Vir to come and Ir to go. It is incorrect to say “Vou aqui de novo a semana que vem”, you would need to be sure to say “Veio…” By the same token, be careful not to translate in your head phrases such as…
X marks the sound Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 1, 2007
Pronunciation in Portuguese can be tricky, and there are several areas in which language learners are frequently confused. One such area in Portuguese is the letter X. This one letter has four different sounds! In the word Xangô, the ‘x’ is pronounced like the ‘sh’ in shampoo. In proximidade, it sounds like the ‘s’ in…
Avoiding the verb Pôr Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 1, 2007
The verb pôr is a common, useful verb in Portuguese, both Brazilian and European. Pôr means ‘to put or place,’ and in it’s reflexive form, pôr-se means to become. Though useful, the verb is highly irregular, and many forms of the verb are on the difficult side for beginner speakers to pronounce, since they involve…