PortuguĂŞs Grammar
Complete grammar guide from beginner to intermediate
Master Portuguese grammar from beginner to intermediate level. Our comprehensive guide covers A1, A2, and B1 grammar topics with clear explanations, conjugation tables, and practical examples to help you speak and write Portuguese correctly.
Beginner
Basic grammar rules, simple sentence structures, and essential verb forms.
Simple Past (Pretérito Perfeito)
Learn the Portuguese simple past tense (pretérito perfeito) for completed actions. Master regular -ar, -er, -ir verb conjugations and essential irregular verbs like ser, ir, ter, and estar.
Personal Pronouns
Learn the basic Portuguese personal pronouns (eu, tu, ele, ela, nĂłs, vĂłs, eles, elas) and how to use them in simple sentences. Portuguese distinguishes between European and Brazilian forms, with tu being common in Portugal and vocĂŞ in Brazil.
Present Perfect (Pretérito Perfeito Composto)
Learn the Portuguese present perfect (ter + past participle) for repeated or continuous actions up to now. Understand the difference from Spanish/English usage and master regular and irregular participles.
Present Tense
Master Portuguese present tense verb conjugations for everyday actions and states. Learn the three verb groups (-ar, -er, -ir) and their regular conjugation patterns. Essential for basic communication in Portuguese.
Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns
Learn Portuguese possessives: meu/minha, teu/tua, seu/sua, nosso/nossa. Understand agreement with the possessed noun, optional articles, and the difference between European and Brazilian usage.
Articles (Definite & Indefinite)
Understand when to use Portuguese definite articles (o, a, os, as) and indefinite articles (um, uma, uns, umas). Learn how articles agree with noun gender and number, and discover unique Portuguese usage patterns.
Elementary
Past tenses, comparatives, and more complex sentence structures.
Past Tense (Simple Past)
Master the Portuguese simple past tense (pretérito perfeito) to describe completed actions. Learn regular conjugation patterns for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs, common irregular verbs, and when to use the simple past vs. other past tenses.
Present Perfect Tense
Learn the Portuguese present perfect tense (pretérito perfeito composto) to express actions that started in the past and continue to the present. This tense uses ter + past participle and is essential for describing ongoing situations, repeated actions, and recent experiences in Portuguese.
Possessive Pronouns
Master Portuguese possessive pronouns (meu, teu, seu, nosso, vosso, dele) to replace nouns and express ownership clearly. Unlike possessive adjectives which accompany nouns, these pronouns stand alone. Learn how they agree in gender and number with the possessed item, and understand the important distinction between seu/sua and dele/dela for clarity.
Prepositions (Location & Direction)
Master Portuguese prepositions for expressing location, direction, and movement. Learn the essential prepositions em, a, para, de, por, and their contractions with articles. Understand the difference between static location (em) and direction/destination (a, para), crucial for natural Portuguese communication.
Comparatives & Superlatives
Learn to compare things in Portuguese using comparatives (mais/menos...que) and superlatives (o mais/o menos). Master regular forms with mais and menos, irregular comparatives like melhor, pior, maior, menor, and the difference between relative and absolute superlatives. Essential for describing preferences and making choices.
Modal Verbs
Master Portuguese modal verbs to express ability, permission, obligation, and desire. Learn poder (can/may), dever (must/should), querer (want), saber (know how to), precisar de (need to), and ter de/que (have to). These verbs are followed by infinitives and are essential for everyday communication.
Intermediate
Subjunctive mood, passive voice, and advanced grammar concepts.
Future Tense
Master the Portuguese future tense to express plans, predictions, and intentions. Learn the simple future (futuro simples), the informal ir + infinitive construction, and the future subjunctive for conditional and temporal clauses.
Subjunctive & Conditional
Express wishes, hypothetical situations, and polite requests in Portuguese. Master the present subjunctive, imperfect subjunctive, and conditional mood. Learn to form complex sentences with se (if) clauses and express uncertainty or desire.
Relative Clauses
Add information to nouns using Portuguese relative pronouns que, quem, o qual, onde, and cujo. Learn to build sophisticated sentences that describe people, things, and places. Master both defining and non-defining relative clauses.
Passive Voice
Shift focus from the doer to the action using Portuguese passive constructions. Learn the ser + past participle passive for formal contexts, the se passivo reflexive construction for everyday speech, and when to use each form appropriately.
Reported Speech
Report what others said using Portuguese indirect speech. Master the tense shifts, pronoun changes, and time expressions needed when converting direct quotes to reported speech. Learn common reporting verbs like dizer, contar, perguntar, and afirmar.
Past Perfect Tense
Describe actions completed before another past action using the Portuguese pluperfect (mais-que-perfeito). Learn both the compound form with tinha + past participle (common in speech) and the simple pluperfect form (literary). Essential for storytelling and sequencing past events.