Join the Speaking Brazilian YouTube Club to have access to the transcript of this video and many other videos.
Classes Gramaticais (Parts of speech)
All words in a language belong to a part of speech, that is, a group of words that perform the same function.
Having a basic understanding of the parts of speech will help you understand the language better, which will help accelerate your learning.
There are 10 parts of speech in Portuguese: substantivo (noun), verbo (verb), artigo (article), adjetivo (adjective), advérbio (adverb), pronome (pronoun), numeral (numeral), preposição (preposition), conjunção (conjunction), and interjeição (interjection).
But don’t worry! I’ll explain each one of these terms separately.
My goal with this class is that you gain an overall understanding about the subject, but you don’t need to memorize all the details I’ll teach you today. Ok?
So, let’s get started!
1. Substantivo (Noun)
A noun is a word that names a person, thing, phenomenon, or place.
Nouns can vary mainly in gender (masculine and feminine) and number (singular and plural).
Here are some examples of nouns: Fernanda, casa (house), carro (car), cachorro (dog), amor (love), etc.
Let’s see some examples in sentences:
- Maria foi ao supermercado. (Maria went to the supermarket.)
- O Brasil é um país maravilhoso. (Brazil is a marvelous country.)
2. Verbo (Verb)
A verb is a word that indicates an action, state, or natural phenomenon.
Verbs mainly vary in number (singular and plural), person (1st, 2nd, and 3rd person), and time (present, past, and future).
Here are some examples of verbs: falar (to speak), comer (to eat), dormir (to sleep), beber (to drink), caminhar (to walk), sorrir (to smile), ir (to go), ser (to be), estar (to be), etc.
The verbs above are in the infinitive form, in other words, not conjugated. When we create sentences, we need to conjugate the verb in a way that agrees with the subject of the phrase. We call this verb agreement.
Let’s look at some examples:
- Eu estudo português. (I study Portuguese.)
Here the verb needs to agree with the pronoun “eu” (I) (first person singular). The verb tense is the present indicative.
- Maria estudou português. (Maria studied Portuguese.)
Here the verb needs to agree with the noun “Maria” (third-person singular). The verb tense is the past.
3. Artigo (Article)
An article is a word that is used before a noun and can be classified as definite “a, o, as, os” (the) and indefinite “um, uma, uns, umas” (a, some).
Articles vary in gender (masculine and feminine) and number (singular and plural), and they always agree with the noun to which they refer. We call this nominal agreement.
Let’s look at some examples in sentences:
- O menino pegou a bola. (The boy got the ball.)
- Coloquei uns livros na estante. (I put some books on the shelf.)
4. Adjetivo (Adjective)
An adjective is a word that describes a noun, attributing to it a quality, characteristic, aspect, or state.
Adjectives vary in gender (masculine and feminine) and number (singular and plural) and always agree with the noun to which they refer. We also call this nominal agreement.
Here are some examples of adjectives: feliz (happy), triste (sad), interessante (interesting), bonito (pretty), pequeno (small), corajoso (brave), ensolarado (sunny), etc.
Let’s look at some examples in sentences:
- Ana mora em uma casa pequena e charmosa. (Ana lives in a small and charming house.)
- O discurso foi longo e chato. (The speech was long and boring.)
5. Advérbio (Adverb)
An adverb is an invariable word that modifies a verb, adjective, or even another adverb. Adverbs generally indicate manner, time, place, intensity, among other circumstances.
Here are some examples of adverbs: hoje (today), ontem (yesterday), aqui (here), lá (there), antigamente (formerly), recentemente (recently), lentamente (slowly), muito (very), etc.
Let’s look at some examples in sentences:
- Eu liguei para minha mãe ontem. (I called my mom yesterday.)
- Minhas chaves estão aqui. (My keys are here.)
6. Pronome (Pronoun)
A pronoun is a word that substitutes or accompanies a noun.
There are many types of pronouns, such as personal (eu, você, ele – I, you, he), possessive (meu, seu, nosso – my, your, our), demonstrative (este, aquele – this, that), relative (cujo, o qual – whose, which), indefinite (algum, nenhum – some, none), and interrogative (qual, quanto – which, how much).
Pronouns may vary in gender (masculine and feminine), number (singular and plural), and person (1st, 2nd, and 3rd person).
Let’s look at some examples in sentences:
- Qual é o seu nome? ( What is your name?)
In this sentence, the word “qual” (what) is an interrogative pronoun, and the word “seu”(your) is a possessive pronoun.
- Eu li este livro. (I read this book.)
In this sentence, the word “eu” (I) is a personal pronoun, and the word “este” (this) is a demonstrative pronoun.
7. Numeral (Numeral)
A numeral is a word that indicates a quantity or order of elements.
Some numerals can vary in gender (masculine and feminine) and number (singular and plural); others are invariable.
Let’s look at examples in sentences:
- Eu comprei cinco livros. (I bought five books).
- Rodrigo mora no décimo nono andar. (Rodrigo lives on the nineteenth floor.)
8. Preposição (Preposition)
A preposition is an invariable word that establishes a connection between two elements in a sentence.
Here are some examples of prepositions: de (from/of), em (in/on/at), para (for/to), por (by), entre (between), com (with), etc.
Let’s look at some examples in sentences:
- Estou em casa. (I am at home.)
- Ele é de São Paulo. (He is from Sao Paulo.)
9. Conjunção (Conjunction)
Conjunctions are invariable words used to connect two terms or two sentences.
Here are some examples of conjunctions: e (and), ou (or), mas (but), porque (because), pois (since), assim (so), porém (however), portanto (therefore), se (if), embora (although), conforme (as), etc.
Let’s look at some examples in sentences:
- O dia está frio, mas ensolarado. (Today is cold but sunny.)
- João e Maria estão viajando. (João and Maria are traveling.)
10. Interjeição (Interjection)
An interjection is an invariable word that expresses emotion or feeling.
Here are some examples of interjections: Nossa! (Woah!) Oba! (Yay!) Eba! (Yay!) Ai! (Ouch!) Eca! (Ew!) Olha! (Look!)
Check out some examples in context:
- Nossa! O que aconteceu? (Woah! What happened?)
- Eba! Amanhã tem festa! (Yay! The party is tomorrow!)
That’s it, everybody! I hope this is helpful.
You’ll find more Portuguese lessons at the bottom of the page.
Até a próxima!
Speaking Brazilian Team
