Portuguese · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 8
Quem é?Who is it?
The word quem (who) and the rest of the pronouns: nós (we), eles (they), and a gente — a very common Brazilian way to say "we", but with the verb in the 3rd person: "a gente é" (we are), not "a gente somos". Also the far demonstrative aquele (that, over there) and new adjectives: bom (good), novo (new), velho (old), muito (very/a lot).
Dialogue
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Quem é?— Who Is It?
- MikeQuem é aquele homem? É seu pai?Who is that man over there? Is he your father?
- BiaÉ meu avô. Aqui, a gente é uma família grande.He's my grandfather. Here, we are a big family.
- MikeQue bom! A gente somos uma família grande também.Great! We are a big family too. (slip: a gente somos, should be a gente é)
- BiaCom "a gente" é "é": a gente é. Sua família é boa!With "a gente" it's "é": a gente é. Your family is good!
Dialogue
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Aquele é novo— That One Is New
- LucasAquele é meu avô. Ele é velho, mas muito bom.That one over there is my grandfather. He is old, but very good.
- MikeE aquela criança? Ela é novo?And that child over there? Is she new/young? (slip: novo, criança is feminine → nova)
- LucasÉ "nova" — ela é minha irmã. Ela é nova, eu sou velho!It's "nova" — she is my sister. She is young, I am old!
- MikeAquela criança é nova e você é velho. Que família boa!That child is young and you are old. What a good family!
Vocabulary
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- quem
pronounwho
- nós
pronounwe
- eles
pronounthey
- aquele / aquela
det.that over there (m / f)
- bom / boa
adjectivegood (m / f)
- novo / nova
adjectivenew, young (m / f)
- velho / velha
adjectiveold (m / f)
- muito
adverbvery, a lot
- gente
n.f.people; a gente = we (casual)
- aqui
adverbhere
Grammar
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quem + the pronouns (nós, eles, a gente)
Explanation
Quem = "who": "Quem é?" (Who is it?) — "É meu avô." Now we complete the pronouns: nós (we) and eles/elas (they). The verb ser follows: nós somos (we are), eles são (they are). In everyday speech Brazilians very often say a gente instead of nós — BUT the verb stays in the 3rd person singular: "a gente é brasileiro" (we are Brazilian), never "a gente somos". A gente means "we", even though it sounds like "the people".
Examples
- Quem é? — É meu avô.Who is it? — It's my grandfather.
- Nós somos uma família grande.We are a big family.
- A gente é do Brasil.We are from Brazil. (a gente + 3rd person é)
- Eles são meus pais.They are my parents.
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