New lesson for beginners (nº7) – How to introduce yourself and other people
You can also read all the “Portuguese Lessons for Beginners” on the Tomorrow Algarve facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TomorrowAlgarve?fref=ts
Last week we’ve learned how to introduce ourselves and other people. We also need to know how to ask questions in Portuguese. So, today we will have a close look at the words we use to ask questions. You need to be aware that in Portuguese we can use the expression “é que” after the question word itself, but notice that “é que” doesn’t really mean anything; we just use it because it sounds more like a question and usually people prefer to include it.
Question words in Portuguese:
• Como (é que)…? – “como” means “how”, but it’s also what we use to ask someone’s name, like in “Como se chama?”, which is literally “how do you call yourself?”;
• Quem (é que)…? – “quem” means “who”. Don’t forget you shouldn’t pronounce the “m” at the end of the word; the “m” is there to tell you that you must use a nasal sound
• Com quem (é que)…? –“com quem” means “with whom”, remember to make the “o” in “com” nasal.
• Onde (é que)…? – “onde” means “where”, another nasal syllable in “onde”;
• De onde (é que)…? – “de onde” means ”where from”, as in in “where are you from”, in Portuguese “De onde (é que) é?”;
• Qual (é que)…? – “qual” can be “what” or “which”. Don’t forget you should pronounce the “u” in “qual”;
• Quais (é que)…? – “quais” is the plural of “qual”. It means the same that “qual” (“what” or “which”) but we use it when we’re talking about something plural, for instances “quais (é que) são as suas cores preferidas?” (what are your favourite colours?)
• Quantos (é que)…? – “quantos” means “how many”, don’t forget to pronounce the “u” in “quantos”. If you want to ask about someone’s age in Portuguese, you say “Quantos anos (é que) tem?” – this literally translates as “How many years do you have?”
• Porque (é que)…? – “Porque” means “why”. Here we don’t pronounce the “u”.
Let’s practice:
Complete with the correct question word:
• ________________ se chama?
Chamo-me João.
• ________________ anos tem?
Tenho 20 anos.
• ________________ mora?
Moro com os meus pais.
• ________________ mora?
Moro em Faro.
Send answers to info@tradutex.pt (I will respond to you all) or just wait for next week!