Brazzil

Even the basic verb to be can be difficult for someone learning Portuguese since there are two forms of the verb in Portuguese.  But, the biggest problem you will probably have is the notion of masculine and feminine nouns. 'It' unfortunately does not exist in Portuguese. People, things and animals are either ‘ele‘ or ‘ela‘.
by: Prof. Rose

SER or ESTAR?

A very common mistake by foreigners learning Portuguese is to confuse the words Lá, Aí, Aqui and Ali. In English, it’s simple, you have here referring to things beside you, and there for things, places etc. away from you. In Portuguese, it’s not so simple.

Let’s start with the easy one. Aqui means here, and is basically the same as in English, referring to things, places beside or in the direction of the person speaking. Example: Você pode passar aqui para me buscar? Can you come here (where I am) to pick me up?

The main problem is with lá and aí, which in English both mean there. We use aí to refer to the place where the person you are speaking to is located, while we use lá to refer to a place where neither of you are. Example: Como eu chego até aí? How do I get there (where you are)? Como eu chego até lá? How do I get there (another place, not where you are)?

Finally ali is the very same as lá, so you can interchange them as you like. Have a look at the following phone conversation.
Rose: Oi James, a Rita está aí? Hi James, is Rita there (where you are)
James: Sim, ela está aqui, um momento, por favor. Yes, she’s here, just a moment please.
Rose: Oi Rita, você vai à festa hoje à noite? Hi Rita, are you going to the party tonight?
Rita: Vou sim, onde é? Yes, where is it?
Rose: É lá/ali na Vila Madalena, na rua Girassol. It’s over there (where neither of you are at the moment) in Vila Madalena, on Girassol street.
Rita: Legal, nos vemos mais tarde, tchau. Cool, I’ll see you later then. Bye.
Rose: Tchau Bye.

The words aqui, lá, aí and ali do not vary according to the noun or place they are qualifying i.e. there are no singular, plural, masculine, feminine forms. Note: This is a simplified explanation of the words above in relation to their usage referring to position or place. Some of the words can be used in other forms, which we will go into in a more advanced lesson.

Why, oh Why, oh Why?

This lesson basically explains the difference between the following four words: Porquê, Por que, Porque and Por quê, which all sound the same but have different spellings and different uses. The basic meaning in English is ‘Why’, but the spelling will depend mostly on where the word is positioned in the sentence.

“Por que” – is generally used at the beginning (or towards the beginning) of direct and indirect questions. It is similar to ‘for what reason’ Por que você não fica aqui? Por que chegou atrasado? Diga-me por que chegou atrasado. Explicou-me o motivo por que não conseguiu cumprir o prazo. Essa é a razão por que não aceitei a proposta.

“Porque” – is used for replies, to give an explanation or reason for something. Não fui, porque estava doente. Ele foi embora porque estava chovendo. “Porquê” – is used as a noun and is the same as “reason” or “motive” Não entendo o porquê das tragédias da natureza Gostaríamos de explicar o porquê disso tudo, mas não podemos. "Por quê" – used at the end of sentences or questions. Você não disse nada. Por quê? Estava muito triste sem entender por quê. Ele não faz o que eu digo, por quê?

Prof. Rose writes a weekly column for www.gringoes.com. She is available for individual or group lessons in Sao Paulo and can be contacted by email at rrbot@hotmail.com

 

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