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In this lesson, you will learn how to easily increase your vocabulary in Portuguese.
Did you know that many English words are almost identical to Portuguese with a slight difference in the suffix?
But, what is a suffix?
A suffix is the ending of a word. For instance, in the word “certamente,” the ending “mente” is called a suffix.
I have good news for anyone who is an English speaker: many suffixes in Portuguese have an equivalent one in English, which makes it much easier translating words from English to Portuguese.
In this lesson, you will learn five common suffixes in Portuguese and their English equivalents.
Let’s get started!
1) The suffix -MENTE in Portuguese is equivalent to -LY in English:
Words ending in -MENTE in Portuguese are adverbs derived from an adjective, just like words ending in -LY in English.
For example:
- Socially – socialmente
- Certainly – certamente
- Legally – legalmente
- Finally – Finalmente
Did you notice how the ending -LY turns into -MENTE, and the stem of the word stays pretty much the same? This happens with many words.
Here are some examples in sentences:
- Este assunto certamente será útil para vocês. (This subject will certainly be helpful to you.)
- Chegar atrasado é socialmente aceito no Brasil. (Arriving late is socially accepted in Brazil.)
2) The suffix -ÇÃO in Portuguese is equivalent to -TION in English:
Usually, words ending in -ÇÃO in Portuguese are feminine nouns, and almost always, the translation of these words into English takes the suffix -TION.
For example:
- Exception – Exceção
- Fiction – Ficção
- Action – Ação
- Nation – Nação
Here are some examples in sentences:
- Toda regra tem uma exceção. (Every rule has an exception.)
- Gosto de livros de ficção. (I like fiction books.)
3) The suffixes -ÁVEL and – ÍVEL in Portuguese are equivalent to -ABLE or -IBLE in English:
Usually, these endings indicate adjectives. For example:
- Incredible – Incrível
- Adorable – Adorável
- Responsible – Responsável
- Durable – Durável
Here are some examples in sentences:
- O filme foi incrível. (The movie was incredible.)
- Ela tem um cachorrinho adorável! (She has an adorable little dog!)
4) The suffix -CIA in Portuguese is equivalent to -CY in English:
Usually, these endings indicate nouns. For example:
- Proficiency – Proficiência
- Fluency – Fluência
- Efficiency – Eficiência
- Transparency – Transparência
Here are some examples in sentences:
- Esta lição vai melhorar a sua fluência em português. (This lesson will improve your fluency in Portuguese.)
- O segredo para alcançar proficiência em português é a repetição. (The secret to achieving proficiency in Portuguese is repetition.)
5) The suffix -DADE in Portuguese is equivalent to -TY in English:
Usually, these endings indicate nouns. For example:
- City – Cidade
- University – Universidade
- Society – Sociedade
- Agility – Agilidade
Here’s an example in a sentence:
- A Universidade de São Paulo fica na cidade de São Paulo. (The University of São Paulo is located in the city of São Paulo.)
That’s it, everyone!
I know it’s a lot of information, so I recommend you watch the video lesson and take notes.
Make a list of words with each of the suffixes you learned so you can assimilate the content and increase your vocabulary.
Até a próxima!
Your teacher,
Virginia
