Portuguese · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 21
Às comprasShopping
Going shopping. Shop vocabulary: o real, o preço, comprar, vender, a loja, o mercado, a feira, o supermercado, pagar, precisar. Key point: after "querer" (to want) or "precisar" (to need), the second verb goes in the INFINITIVE, not conjugated: "Quero comprar pão", "Preciso pagar" — NOT "Quero compro". Note: "precisar" takes "de" before a noun: "Preciso DE dinheiro", but before a verb the "de" is optional in Brazil: "Preciso comprar".
Dialogue
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Quero compro / Quero comprar
- LucasMike, o que você precisa no supermercado?Mike, what do you need at the supermarket?
- MikeQuero compro pão.I want to buy bread. (slip: after querer the verb stays infinitive — say "Quero comprar pão")
- Lucas"Quero comprar" — o segundo verbo vai no infinitivo."Quero comprar" — the second verb goes in the infinitive.
- MikeAh, quero comprar pão e preciso comprar fruta.Ah, I want to buy bread and I need to buy fruit.
Dialogue
i
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Na feira— At the Street Market
- BiaLucas, vamos à feira?Lucas, shall we go to the street market?
- LucasSim, preciso comprar comida. Você precisa de dinheiro?Yes, I need to buy food. Do you need money?
- BiaNão muito. Quero comprar fruta e pão.Not much. I want to buy fruit and bread.
- LucasNa feira vendem fruta muito boa.At the street market they sell very good fruit.
Vocabulary
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- real
n.m.real (Brazilian currency) (m; pl reais)
- preço
n.m.price (m)
- comprar
verbto buy
- vender
verbto sell
- loja
n.f.shop, store (f)
- mercado
n.m.market (m)
- feira
n.f.street market (f)
- supermercado
n.m.supermarket (m)
- pagar
verbto pay
- precisar
verbto need (precisar de + noun)
Grammar
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querer / precisar + infinitive
Explanation
When two verbs go together, only the FIRST is conjugated; the second stays in the INFINITIVE. After "querer" and "precisar": "Quero comprar", "Preciso pagar", "Você quer vender?". English speakers sometimes conjugate both verbs: "Quero compro" ✗ → "Quero comprar" ✓. "Querer" is irregular: quero, quer, queremos, querem. "Precisar" is regular: preciso, precisa, precisamos, precisam — and takes "de" before a noun ("Preciso de dinheiro"), but before a verb the "de" is optional in Brazil ("Preciso comprar"). "Ir às compras" = to go shopping. In the shop: "Quero comprar…", "Quanto é?".
Examples
- Quero comprar pão.I want to buy bread.
- Preciso comprar comida no supermercado.I need to buy food at the supermarket.
- Você quer pagar agora?Do you want to pay now?
- Na feira vendem fruta.At the street market they sell fruit.
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