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Olá, queridos alunos! (Hello, dear students!)
Today’s topic is a bit controversial because I’m here to tell you that you should make some small mistakes to speak like a Brazilian.
If you speak perfect Portuguese, following all the rules of prescriptive grammar, you’ll sound very formal.
In this lesson, you’ll learn the three mistakes almost all Brazilians make every day in colloquial language.
Make These 3 Mistakes to Sound Like a Brazilian
1. Amo-te vs. Te amo (I love you)
According to standard grammar, we should say “amo-te,” but please don’t do that! You’ll kill the mood! Brazilians don’t say “amo-te” because it sounds very formal and even strange. The most natural way to say you love someone is “te amo” or “eu te amo.”
What rule are we breaking here?
Prescriptive grammar says we shouldn’t start sentences with object pronouns, which are those little words used as objects in a sentence.
I think that in Portugal, they say “amo-te” because, for the Portuguese, using object pronouns after the verb sounds natural. For Brazilians, it sounds very formal.
Let’s see another example. How do you ask someone to call you? “Liga-me” or “me liga” (call me)?
Again, the correct form according to prescriptive grammar would be “liga-me,” but most people would say “me liga.”
Brazilians break many other rules when it comes to object pronouns.
For example: how do you say that you love your brother? “Eu o amo” or “eu amo ele” (I love him)?
According to standard grammar, we should say “eu o amo,” but most people would say “eu amo ele.”
Another example: how do you say that you’re going to meet a friend at the party? “Eu vou encontrá-la” or “eu vou encontrar ela” (I’ll meet her)?
Again, the correct form according to prescriptive grammar would be “vou encontrá-la,” but most people would say “vou encontrar ela.”
2. Cheguei a casa vs. Cheguei em casa (I arrived home)
According to prescriptive grammar, we should say “cheguei a casa” when we mean we’ve arrived at our own home, but I swear I’ve never heard a Brazilian say it that way. The form used in Brazil is “cheguei em casa.”
What rule are we breaking here?
Prescriptive grammar says the verb “chegar” (arrive) should be used with the preposition “a” in this context: to arrive at some place. However, it’s very common to use the preposition “em” instead of “a” with the verb “chegar.”
Cheguei em casa. (I arrived home.)
Cheguei no trabalho. (I arrived at work.)
Cheguei na universidade. (I arrived at the university.)
The same happens with the verb “ir” (to go).
“Vou ao supermercado” or “vou no supermercado” (I go to the supermarket)?
Just like the verb “chegar,” the verb “ir” should be used with the preposition “a”: to go to some place. However, in Brazil, it’s very common to use the preposition “em” instead of “a” with the verb “ir.”
Vou na praia. (I go to the beach.)
Vou no trabalho. (I go to work.)
Vou na universidade. (I go to the university.)
3. Tu vais vs. Tu vai (you go)
According to prescriptive grammar, we should say “tu vais,” meaning that when we use the pronoun “tu,” we must conjugate the verb in the second person singular. However, most Brazilians use the third-person conjugation because it’s simpler.
Tu vai, tu foi, tu é, etc. (You go, you went, you are, etc.)
The pronoun “tu” is conjugated correctly in some regions of Brazil and in Portugal, but generally, you’ll rarely see this pronoun being used in its standard form in Brazil.
Since the conjugation for “tu” is really more complicated, I recommend that my students use the pronoun “você,” which has a simpler conjugation and can be used in almost all situations across Brazil.
The use of the pronoun “você” (you) with verbs in the third person singular is grammatically correct:
Você vai, você foi, você é, etc. (You go, you went, you are, etc.)
Why am I teaching you “wrong Portuguese”?
In my classes and videos, I always try to cover all versions of Portuguese spoken in Brazil. As a teacher, of course, I want my students to use standard language because it’s the one you can use in all situations. However, I’d be failing as a teacher if I didn’t teach the variations in how our language is used.
Brazil is big and diverse, and there are many versions of Portuguese spoken in our country. If you only learn standard Portuguese, you’ll struggle to communicate with a large part of Brazilians.
I’m not saying that all Brazilians break all the rules I mentioned in this lesson. It depends a lot on each person and group. I have Brazilian friends who speak fairly standard Portuguese, and I also have friends who speak Portuguese very differently from what’s considered standard.
I don’t think speaking non-standard Portuguese is wrong. I used the term “mistake” in this lesson to refer to mistakes according to prescriptive grammar. In my opinion, all variations of our Portuguese language are beautiful and make our language richer. Many things that were considered wrong in the past are now considered correct. And many things that are considered wrong today might come to be considered correct in the future. Language is alive and constantly changing.
So, which Portuguese should you use?
The one you want, depending on your goal.
If you’re learning Portuguese for work, I recommend focusing on standard Portuguese, as it’s the most appropriate for professional settings.
If you’re learning Portuguese to communicate with friends or family, I recommend paying attention to how these people speak and trying to imitate them. Learning through imitation is one of the strategies that, in my opinion, works best.
Free PDF!
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Até a próxima!
Virginia & Speaking Brazilian Team
