Portuguese · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 3
Meu nome é AnaMy name is Ana
Your first real sentence, with the most-used verb in Portuguese: ser ("to be"). sou / é / somos / são for identity, origin and profession. For the name there are two equal paths: Meu nome é Ana or Eu sou a Ana. And a nice surprise for an English speaker: você ("you") takes the verb in the THIRD person — você é, not "você és". Mike, the exchange student learning like you, arrives and swaps obrigado for obrigada; we fix it together.
Dialogue
i
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Eu sou a Bia— I'm Bia
- LucasOi! Meu nome é Lucas.Hi! My name is Lucas.
- BiaOi, Lucas! Eu sou a Bia.Hi, Lucas! I'm Bia.
- LucasO que? Você é a Bia?What? You are Bia?
- BiaSim, sou a Bia. E você é o Lucas, amigo.Yes, I'm Bia. And you're Lucas, friend.
Dialogue
i
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Mike e o obrigado— Mike and obrigado
- LucasOi! Meu nome é Lucas.Hi! My name is Lucas.
- MikeOi! Eu sou o Mike. Obrigada!Hi! I'm Mike. Obrigada! (wrong: Mike is male, so obrigado)
- BiaMike, "obrigado"!Mike, "obrigado"! (a man says obrigado — it agrees with the speaker)
- MikeAh! Obrigado, Bia!Ah! Thank you, Bia!
Vocabulary
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- eu
pronounI
- você
pronounyou
- meu nome é
phrasemy name is
- ser
verbto be (identity)
- sou
verbI am
- é
verb(he/she/it) is
- nome (m)
nounname
- pessoa (f)
nounperson
- amigo/a
nounfriend
- e
conjunctionand
- o que
pronounwhat
Grammar
i
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The verb ser
Explanation
ser is the verb "to be" for what is permanent: identity, origin and profession. Its present forms: eu sou, você / ele / ela é, nós somos, eles / elas são. (The pair tu és exists in some regions, but Brazil uses você é — see the next lesson.) To give the name there are two equal paths: Meu nome é Ana or Eu sou a Ana. In Brazil it is common to put the article before the name: a Ana, o Lucas.
Examples
- Eu sou o Lucas.I'm Lucas.
- Meu nome é Ana.My name is Ana.
- Ana é pessoa. É amiga.Ana is a person. She is a friend. (é = "he/she is")
Grammar
i
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você and the pronouns
Explanation
The pronouns are: eu (I), você (you), ele / ela (he / she), nós (we), eles / elas (they). The detail that surprises the English speaker: você, although it means "you", takes the verb in the THIRD person — the same form as ele/ela. Say você é, você tem (not "você és"). In Brazil, você is the "you" for almost everyone (the next culture section explains). Because Portuguese also marks the subject in the verb ending, the pronouns can drop when obvious: Sou o Lucas (no "eu").
Examples
- Você é meu amigo.You are my friend.
- Sou o Lucas. (sem "eu")I'm Lucas. (no "eu")
- O que é? — É a Ana.What is it? — It's Ana.
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