Portuguese · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 7

Tenho um irmãoI have a brother

The verb ter (to have): tenho (I), tem (you/he/she), temos (we), têm (they). We use ter for possession and to talk about family: I have a brother, do you have sisters? New family vocabulary: brother, sister, son, daughter, grandfather, grandmother, husband, wife, parents.

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Tenho um irmão— I Have a Brother

  1. LucasVocê tem irmãos?Do you have siblings? (irmãos = brothers/siblings)
  2. MikeSim, eu tem um irmão.Yes, I have a brother. (slip: eu tem, should be eu tenho)
  3. LucasCom "eu" é "tenho": eu tenho um irmão. E eu tenho uma irmã.With "eu" it's "tenho": eu tenho um irmão. And I have a sister.
  4. MikeAh! Eu tenho um irmão. E você tem irmãs?Ah! I have a brother. And do you have sisters?
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Meus avós— My Grandparents

  1. BiaEsta é minha avó e este é meu avô.This is my grandmother and this is my grandfather.
  2. MikeSeu avô é minha avó?Is your grandfather your grandmother? (slip: mixed up avô / avó)
  3. BiaNão! Avô é o homem, avó é a mulher. Eles têm uma filha: minha mãe.No! Avô is the man, avó is the woman. They have a daughter: my mother.
  4. MikeEntendi. Seu avô e sua avó têm uma filha. Que família grande!Got it. Your grandfather and grandmother have a daughter. What a big family!
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ter

verbto have

tenho

verbI have

irmão

n.m.brother (m)

irmã

n.f.sister (f)

filho

n.m.son (m)

filha

n.f.daughter (f)

avô

n.m.grandfather (m)

avó

n.f.grandmother (f)

marido

n.m.husband (m)

esposa

n.f.wife (f)

pais

n.m.pl.parents

i

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The verb ter (to have)

Explanation

Ter means "to have". It is a very common irregular verb: eu tenho (I have), você/ele/ela tem (you/he/she has), nós temos (we have), eles/elas têm (they have). We use ter for possession and for family: "Tenho um irmão" (I have a brother), "Você tem irmãs?" (Do you have sisters?). Note: tem (one person) and têm (several people) look almost the same — the ^ accent marks the plural. As in ch4, the article agrees: um irmão, uma irmã.

Examples

  • Tenho um irmão e uma irmã.I have a brother and a sister.
  • Você tem filhos?Do you have children? (filhos = sons/children)
  • Nós temos uma família grande.We have a big family.
  • Meus pais têm um filho e uma filha.My parents have a son and a daughter. (têm = they have)

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