Hello, there!<\/p>\n
Today’s post was suggested by a reader and it covers one aspect of learning Portuguese that has students somewhat confused: the contractions.<\/p>\n
Contractions come mostly with prepositions and articles so here they are!<\/p>\n
01. Em<\/strong> – in, on or at<\/p>\n em + o = no<\/strong> Minha mochila est\u00e1 no quarto. – My backback is in the bedroom. In some cases contractions are facultative, you can either use them or not. In spoken Portuguese they are always used.<\/p>\n em + um = num<\/strong> Ele mora num apartamento. – He lives in an apartment. 02. De<\/strong> – of or from<\/p>\n de + o = do<\/strong> Este carro \u00e9 do meu cunhado. – This car is my brother-in-law’s. Facultative contractions using de<\/em><\/p>\n de + um = dum<\/strong> 03. Por<\/strong> – by, through or for<\/p>\n por + o = pelo<\/strong> O artigo foi escrito pelo professor. – The article was written by the teacher. Facultative contractions using por<\/em><\/p>\n por + os \/ por + eles = pelos<\/strong> Note: por<\/em> does not combine with um, uma, uns<\/em> or umas<\/em><\/p>\n 04. A<\/strong> – at or to<\/p>\n a + o = ao<\/strong> Voc\u00ea foi ao teatro ontem? – Did you go to the theater yesterday? Note: a<\/em> does not combine with um, uma, uns<\/em> or umas<\/em>.<\/p>\n 05. Para<\/strong> – for, to, so that, in order to<\/p>\n We don’t have standard contractions with para. It contracts colloquially with o, a, os, as, um, uma, uns, umas<\/em>:<\/p>\n para o = pro<\/strong> *very informal and not found in written texts<\/p>\n Golden tip!<\/strong><\/p>\n Trying to understand and use these contractions is not an easy task at first so here’s my golden tip: don’t beat yourself up if you can’t get it right the first time – it surely takes a lot of practicing. Also, make sure to pay close attention when you read these contractions in a text or listen to them in a dialogue, TV program, radio, music, etc. The more you read and listen, the better you will speak.<\/p>\n What about you? Can you give us some more examples with the contractions above? Leave them in the comment area!<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nem + a = na<\/strong>
\nem + os = nos<\/strong>
\nem + as = nas<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nSuas coisas est\u00e3o na sala de aula? – Are your things in the classroom?
\nN\u00e3o acredite nas coisas que ele diz. – Don’t believe the things he says.
\nIsso s\u00f3 acontece nos casos de pol\u00edcia. – This only happens in police cases.<\/p>\n
\nem + uma = numa<\/strong>
\nem + uns = nuns<\/strong>
\nem + umas = numas<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nEla mora numa casa. – She lives in a house.<\/p>\n
\nde + a = da<\/strong>
\nde + os = dos<\/strong>
\nde + as = das<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nA padaria fica perto da minha casa. – The bakery is near my house.
\nIsso \u00e9 assunto dos professores, n\u00e3o dos alunos. – This is the teachers’ matter, not the students’.<\/p>\n
\nde + uma = duma<\/strong>
\nde + uns = duns<\/strong>
\nde + umas = dumas<\/strong>
\nde + este = deste<\/strong>
\nde + esta = desta<\/strong>
\nde + estes = destes<\/strong>
\nde + estas = destas<\/strong>
\nde + esse = desse<\/strong>
\nde + essa = dessa<\/strong>
\nde + esses = desses<\/strong>
\nde + essas = dessas<\/strong><\/p>\n
\npor + a = pela<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nVou te dizer isso pela \u00faltima vez. – I’m going to tell you this for the last time.<\/p>\n
\npor + as \/ por + elas = pelas<\/strong><\/p>\n
\na + a = \u00e0<\/strong>
\na + os = aos<\/strong>
\na + as = \u00e0s<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nEla foi \u00e0 escola de carro. – She went to school by car.
\nEsta m\u00fasica \u00e9 dedicada aos meus colegas de classe. – This song is dedicated to my classmates.
\nOs alunos entregaram a tarefa \u00e0s professores. – The students handed their homeworks to the teachers.<\/p>\n
\npara a = pra<\/strong>
\npara os = pros<\/strong>
\npara as = pras<\/strong>
\npara um = prum<\/strong>*
\npara uns = pruns<\/strong>*
\npara umas = prumas<\/strong>*<\/p>\n