Olá, queridos alunos!
In this lesson, you will learn the most common and most used sentence structures in Brazilian Portuguese. How do you construct an affirmation, a negation, a question? We’re going to talk about all of this and much more.
I’ve prepared a PDF with exercises so you can practice what you’ve learned in this lesson.
Fill out the form below to download your worksheet.
O que é uma frase? | What is a sentence?
A sentence is a statement (spoken or written) with one or more words that conveys a complete idea. There are many types of sentences in Portuguese. In this lesson, you will learn to create declarative (affirmative or negative), interrogative, and exclamatory sentences.
Portuguese, like English and many other languages, follows the S-V-O structure. What does that mean? It means that the most commonly used structure in the language is subject + verb + object. There are exceptions to this rule, but in a general way, it is the most used sentence structure in Portuguese: subject – verb – object.
For example: Eu amo chocolate. (I love chocolate.)
Eu (subject) + amo (verb) + chocolate (object).
Frases declarativas | Declarative sentences
A declarative sentence is intended to inform or state a fact. Declarative sentences can be affirmative or negative.
Examples of affirmative declarative sentences:
– Eu gosto de caminhar no parque. (I like to walk in the park.)
– João estuda japonês. (João studies Japanese.)
– Nós vamos viajar amanhã. (We’re going to travel tomorrow.)
Examples of negative declarative sentences:
– Eu não gosto de caminhar no parque. (I do not like to walk in the park.)
– João não estuda japonês. (João does not study Japanese.)
– Nós não vamos viajar amanhã. (We’re not going to travel tomorrow.)
Note that the word “não” should be placed right before the verb. We also use other words in negative sentences, such as “nunca” and “jamais.”
For example:
– Eu nunca estudei japonês. (I have never studied Japanese.)
– Eu jamais faria isso. (I would never do that.)
The words “nunca” and “jamais” have exactly the same meaning, but the word “nunca” is much more used in everyday life.
Depending on the region in Brazil, especially in the Northeast, you will hear many people using the word “não” two times in the same sentence. The meaning doesn’t change. It’s just a regionalism.
For example:
– Eu não sei não. (I do not know, no.)
Some people shorten the sentence and say just the verb and the word “não” at the end.
For example:
– Sei não. (I do not know.)
Since the use of the “não” after the verb is more regional, I recommend that you use the more standard form of the language with the word “não” before the verb.
– Eu não sei. (I do not know.)
Another important detail about declarative sentences in Portuguese is that, many times, we can omit the pronouns “eu” or “nós” because the subject is implicit in the conjugation of the verbs.
So, I can say:
– Eu não sei. (I don’t know.)
Or simply:
– Não sei. (Don’t know.)
Frases interrogativas | Interrogative sentences
Interrogative sentences are used to ask for information or ask questions. In spoken language, the intonation is very important to pass on the meaning, especially in interrogative and exclamatory sentences. In written language, the punctuation serves this function.
Examples of interrogative sentences:
– Você sabe falar português? (Do you speak Portuguese?)
– O João gosta de chocolate? (Does João like chocolate?)
Note that we don’t use auxiliary verbs to ask questions in Portuguese, like we use in English. Therefore, the correct intonation is very important. Many times, the only difference between a question and a declaration is intonation.
For example:
– O João gosta de chocolate. (João likes chocolate.)
– O João gosta de chocolate? (Does João like chocolate?)
Watch the video to hear the intonation.
Pronomes interrogativos | Interrogative pronouns
In Portuguese, we also use interrogative pronouns and adverbs that indicate a question, such as: que (what), quem (who), qual (which), por que (why), quanto (how much), onde, quando (where) e como (how).
For example:
– Que horas são? (What time is it?)
– Qual é seu nome? (What is your name?)
– Onde você mora? (Where do you live?)
– Por que você estuda português? (Why do you study Portuguese?)
Frases exclamativas | Exclamatory sentences
Exclamatory sentences express some type of emotion. In written language, we use the exclamation point to indicate this emotion. In spoken language, intonation is important to pass on the meaning.
Examples of exclamatory sentences:
– Que bom que vocês estão assistindo a esta aula! (How nice that you all are attending this class!)
– Tenha uma ótima semana! (Have a great week!)
– Uau, que lindo! (Wow, how pretty!)
– Parabéns! (Congratulations!)
To assimilate what we’ve studied today, you need to keep practicing. That’s why I’ve prepared a PDF with exercises so you can practice what you learned in this lesson. Fill out the form below to download your worksheet.
Até a próxima!
Speaking Brazilian Team
