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Confusing Words
Here you will find a list of
words that can be misused or may cause confusion:
1.
Ser-Estar
In Portuguese, both verbs ser and estar mean to be and
it is difficult to distinguish both for beginners.
Ser is used for permanent or unchangeable situations like
nationality, origin, profession, marital status, etc. Estar is used
for temporary or changeable situations, also for a state of being.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
|
ser
(to be -
permanent) |
Ela
é bonita. (sempre) |
She is
pretty. (always) |
| Ele é
de São Paulo. |
He is
from São Paulo. |
| O carro é
grande. |
The car is
big. |
| É
muito caro. |
It is
very expensive. |
|
estar
(to be - temporary) |
Ela está
bonita. (hoje) |
She is
pretty. (today) |
| Ele está
em São Paulo. |
He is
in São Paulo. |
| O carro está
quebrado. |
The car is
broken. |
| Está
muito caro. |
It is
very expensive. |
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2. Ser-Estar-Ficar-Andar-Viver
These verbs are often confused as they mean more or less the same in
English.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| ser (to be) |
Ele é
nervoso. |
He
is nervous. (always) |
| estar (to be) |
Ele está
nervoso. |
He is
nervous. (now) |
| ficar (to become) |
Ele
fica nervoso. |
He becomes/gets
nervous. |
| andar (to be) |
Ele anda
nervoso. |
He has
been nervous lately. |
| viver (to be) |
Ele vive
nervoso. |
He
is always nervous. |
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3. Estar-Fazer
In Brazil, these verbs have different meanings.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| estar (to
be) |
Está
muito frio hoje. |
It
is very cold today. |
| fazer
(to
be) |
Está fazendo
muito frio. |
It
is very cold. |
| Aqui não
faz
muito
frio. |
Here it
is not very cold. |
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4. Ter-Sentir-Estar
Sentir and ter have the same meaning and
their use is normally linked with some situation at a given time. (at this time,
at 11 o'clock,
after my gym class, when, etc.). Estar is used
for temporary situations and it is more frequently used than ter/sentir.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| ter (to feel) |
Eu sempre tenho
fome a esta hora. |
I always
feel hungry at this time. |
| sentir (to feel) |
Eu sempre sinto
fome a esta hora. |
I always
feel hungry at this time. |
| estar (to be) |
Eu estou
com fome. |
I am
hungry (now). |
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5. Gostar-Gostaria
Gostar means to
enjoy or to like while gostaria is the conditional form of gostar
and it is only used in unreal situations (if clauses) or as a polite form.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| gostar (to like) |
Eu gosto
de dançar. |
I like
dancing. |
| gostaria
(would like)
|
Eu gostaria
de dançar. |
I would
like to dance. |
| Se eu soubesse, eu gostaria
de dançar. |
If I knew how to dance, I
would
like to dance.
|
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6. Ir-Andar
Sometimes verbs ir and andar have exactly the same meaning (to ride, to fly, to walk,
etc.). For this reason, they are often confused. Ir means to go to
somewhere and it must be followed by a destination while andar is not
followed by a destination.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| ir (to go) |
Eu vou
ao Brasil de avião. |
I am
going to Brazil by plane. |
| andar (to
walk) |
Eu ando
muito de avião. |
I fly
a lot. |
| Eu adoro andar
a cavalo |
I love riding
on a horseback. |
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7. Ir-Vir
Ir (to go) is used to
indicate a movement away from the speaker or the place where the speaker
is at the moment of speaking while vir (to come) is used to indicate a
movement toward the speaker or the place where the speaker is at the moment of
speaking.
If used to indicate a movement, ir (to go) is followed by the preposition
lá/ali (there) while vir (to come) is followed by the preposition aqui/cá
(here). The preposition is often omitted, but try to use it at least mentally in
order to make it easier to distinguish both and not misuse them.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| ir (to go) |
Ele não foi à aula hoje. |
He did not go
to class today. |
| vir (to come) |
Ele
não veio à aula hoje. |
He didn't come
to class today. |
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8. Levar-Trazer
Levar (to take) is used to indicate a movement
away from the speaker or the place where the speaker is at the moment of
speaking while trazer (to bring) is used to indicate a movement toward
the speaker or the place where the speaker is at the moment of speaking.
If used to indicate a movement, levar (to take) is followed by the
preposition lá/ali (there) while trazer (to bring) is followed by
the preposition aqui (here). The preposition is often omitted, but try to
use it at least mentally in order to make it easier to distinguish both and not
misuse them.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| levar (to take) |
Vou levar
as crianças lá. |
I will take
the children there. |
| trazer (to bring) |
Vou trazer
as crianças aqui. |
I will bring
the children here. |
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9. Precisar-Precisar
de
In Brazil, there is a difference between both
verbs. Precisar means to have to or must and it is followed
by an infinitive verb while precisar de means to need and it is
followed by an object.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| precisar (to have to)
|
Preciso
ir ao banco. |
I have
to go to the bank. |
| precisar (to need)
|
Preciso
de
dinheiro. |
I need
money. |
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10. Provar-Tentar
These verbs are often confused as they are both the same word in English.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| provar (to try on
) |
Posso provar
esta camisa? |
Can I try
on this shirt? |
| provar (to try) |
Quero provar
este vinho. |
I want to try
this wine. |
| tentar (to try) |
Eu vou tentar
falar com ele. |
I will
try to talk to him. |
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11. Saber-Conhecer
Saber means to know something or to
know how to do something while conhecer means to know a place or a
person.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| saber (to know) |
Eu sei
onde fica esta rua. |
I know
where this street is. |
| saber (to know how) |
Eu sei
nadar. |
I know how
to/can swim. |
| conhecer (to know) |
Eu conheço
esta rua. |
I know
this street. |
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12. Saber-Poder-Conseguir
Both saber and poder can be translated into English as can.
However, poder is also translated as may, to be able depending on the context.
Conseguir means to manage, to be able, to get, to obtain, can depending on the context.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| saber (can) |
Ela não sabe
nadar. |
She cannot
swim. (at all) |
| poder (can/may) |
Ela não pode
nadar. |
She cannot
swim. (today) |
| Posso
entrar? |
May
I come in? |
| conseguir (can) |
Você conseguiu
falar com ele? |
Did you manage
to talk to him? |
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13. Ter-Ter
que
Ter means to have and it is followed by an object while ter
que or ter de means to have to or must and is followed by a
verb.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| ter (to have) |
Você tem
filhos? |
Do you have
children? |
| ter que (to have to) |
Ele tem
que viajar amanhã. |
He has
to travel tomorrow. |
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14. Tocar-Jogar-Brincar
All these verbs are easily confused because they have
the same meaning (to play) in English. Tocar is used for instruments; jogar
is for sports/cards and brincar is used for children's play.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| tocar (to play/ring) |
Ele toca
violão.
|
He plays
the guitar.
|
|
O telefone
está tocando. |
The
telephone is ringing. |
|
jogar (to play)
|
Você joga
tênis/cartas? |
Do you play
tennis/cards? |
|
brincar (to play/joke)
|
As crianças
estão brincando. |
The children are
playing.
|
| Você está
brincando? |
Are
you kidding? |
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15. Verbos
+ que (verbs + que)
In Portuguese, there are some verbs which require the conjunction that
(que) while in English it is not required at all or it can often be
omitted. The conjunction que (that) is especially used with the
subjunctive mood.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| achar (to think) |
Acho
que ele está em casa. |
I think
that he is at home. |
| dizer (to
say) |
Ele disse
que ele não pode. |
He said
that he cannot. |
| esperar (to hope) |
Espero
que não chova. |
I
hope that it will not rain. |
| querer (to
want) |
Ele quer
que eu vá com ele. |
He wants
me to go with him. |
| saber (to
know) |
Eu sei
que ele tem tempo. |
I know
that he has time. |
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16. Verbos +
prep. (verbs
+ prepositions)
In Portuguese, there are verbs which are followed by
prepositions that differ from English. Try to learn the most important verbs
along with the prepositions and remember that a preposition usually varies in gender
(masculine/feminine) and in number (singular/plural), if it is followed by a noun.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| gostar (to like) |
Ele gosta
muito do Brasil. |
He loves
Brazil. |
| começar (to begin) |
Ele começou
a trabalhar. |
He began
working. |
| ir (to
go) |
Não posso ir
à reunião. |
I
cannot go to the meeting. |
| precisar (to
need) |
Você precisa
destas cartas? |
Do you
need these letters? |
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17. Verbos
impessoais (impersonal
verbs)
Certain verbs in Portuguese are only used in the 3rd
person. This is usually 3rd person singular (he/she/it), but may be 3rd person plural (they),
if referring to animals.
These verbs
often refer to natural phenomenon or are used in idiomatic expressions.
Remark: Sometimes the meaning of the verb will
change when used as impersonal verb.
| VERBS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| chover (to
rain) |
Choveu
muito ontem. |
It rained a
lot yesterday. |
| latir (to
bark) |
Os cachorros
estão latindo.
|
The
dogs are barking. |
| dar (to give) |
Dá
pra você ligar depois? |
Can
you call me later? |
| fazer (to
do) |
Faz
um ano que moro aqui. |
I have lived
here for one year. |
| haver (there
is/are) |
Há
muita gente aqui. |
There
are many people here. |
| ter (there
is/are) |
Tem
muita gente aqui. |
There
are many people here. |
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18. Bem-Bom
Bem (well) is an adverb, it always follows
a verb and it is invariable while bom (good) is an adjective, it always follows a
noun and it is variable.
Remark:
-
Remember that in Portuguese adjectives can be
masculine or feminine (bom/boa), singular or plural (bons/boas).
-
The opposite of bem is mal and the opposite of bom/boa is ruim
or mau/má. Instead of using opposites, you can put the sentence in the
negative. See the second example.
| BOM-BEM |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| bem (well) |
Ele fala
inglês muito bem. |
He speaks
English very well. |
| bom
(good/male) |
O café (não)
está muito bom. |
The coffee
is (not) very good. |
| boa
(good/female) |
Boa
idéia! |
Good
idea! |
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19. De-Do-Da
Try to grasp the correct use of de/do/da as early as possible
because these prepositions are frequently used and their meaning can vary depending on the
context.
| MEANING |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| to link
words |
livro
de português |
Portuguese
book |
| to show
ownership |
o carro do
Pedro/da Maria |
Peter's/Mary's
car. |
| to
specify something |
o gerente do
banco/da firma |
the manager of
the bank/firm |
| Preciso do
dinheiro. |
I need the
money. |
| to
generalize |
Preciso de
dinheiro. |
I need money. |
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20. Dois-Duas
In Portuguese, numbers 1 and 2 (also numbers containing
number 1 and 2 like 21, 22, 31, 32, etc.) and from 200-900 are feminine
if they are followed by a feminine noun. However, if they are used as numbers or followed
by a masculine noun, they are never used in the feminine form.
| DOIS-DUAS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| dois (two
male) |
Dois
ingressos, por favor. |
Two
tickets, please. |
| duas (two
female) |
Duas cervejas, por favor. |
Two
beers, please. |
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21. Gente-A
gente
Gente (people) and a gente (we/us) are
often confused in Portuguese. Gente
is usually used without the definite article, it is uncountable and its synonym
is pessoa(s) while a gente is a colloquial form, always preceded by the definite
article and it is often used instead of nós/nos (we/us) in speech.
| GENTE-A GENTE |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| gente
(people) |
Oi gente! |
Hi, everybody!
|
| Nossa!
Quanta gente! |
Wow! What a
crowd! |
| Tem muita gente
aqui. |
There are
many people here. |
| a
gente (we/us) |
A gente
não sabe ainda. |
We
still do not know. |
| Você vai com a gente? |
Are you going with us? |
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22. Muito-Muitos
Muito (very/a lot) is an adverb, therefore
invariable while muito (many/much) is an indefinite pronoun and can be
masculine or feminine (muito/muita), singular or plural (muitos/muitas).
| MUITO-MUITOS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| invariable |
Ele trabalha
muito. |
He works a
lot. |
| A casa é muito
bonita. |
The house is
very nice. |
| countable |
Ele tem muitos
amigos. |
He has many
friends. |
| uncountable |
Ele bebe muita
água. |
He drinks a
lot of water. |
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23. País-Pais-Parentes
These three words have different meanings. País
(stressed on i) means country, has two syllables and it can be
separated (pa-ís) while pais means
parents or fathers, has
one syllable and cannot be separated. Parentes means relatives, not parents.
| PAIS-PAÍS-PARENTES |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| país
(country) |
De que país
ele é? |
Which country
is he from? |
| pais
(parents) |
Meus pais
são italianos. |
My parents
are Italian. |
| parentes
(relatives) |
Temos muitos
parentes. |
We have many
relatives. |
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24.
Para-Por
Both prepositions are very often confused as they sometimes have the
same meaning in English. Para indicates direction and can vary in gender
(para o/para a) and in number (para os/para as). Para
also means to, for and in order to.
Por is very often used in idiomatic expressions, along with some verbs, as
the agent of the passive voice or even to indicate time. In this case, its use
is optional and it is normally omitted. Only with time and some practice can you
use them correctly. Por can also vary in gender (pelo/pela) and in number
(pelos/pelas).
| PARA-POR |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| para
- para o - para a
(to/for)
|
Vamos para
o Brasil. |
We are going
to Brazil. |
| Vou dar
este livro para ela. |
I will give
this book to her. |
|
por - pelo
- pela
(for/by)
|
Obrigado por
tudo. |
Thanks for
everything. |
| Fui atendido
pela Dra. Ana. |
I was
examined by Dr. Ann. |
| Passamos
pelo aeroporto. |
We passed by
the airport. |
| Vou viajar (por)
dois dias. |
I will
travel for two days. |
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25. Pouco-Poucos
Pouco (little) is an adverb, therefore invariable while pouco
(little/a few) is an indefinite pronoun and can be masculine or feminine (pouco/pouca),
singular or plural (poucos/poucas).
| POUCO-POUCOS |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| invariable |
Ele trabalha
pouco. |
He works little. |
| countable |
Ele tem poucos
amigos. |
He has few
friends. |
| uncountable |
Ele bebe pouca
água. |
He drinks little
water. |
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26.
O
que-Que-Qual
O que, que and qual have sometimes the
same meaning and can easily be confused.
O que and qual are always followed by a subject pronoun (você)
and a verb while que is always followed by a noun. Qual usually
implies a choice.
O que is usually followed by é que (ever), but it can be omitted without
altering the meaning of the phrase. É que is normally used to emphasize.
| O QUE-QUE-QUAL |
PORTUGUESE |
ENGLISH |
| o que
(é que)
(what) (ever) |
O
que você disse? |
What
did you say? |
| O
que (é que) você disse? |
What
(ever) did you say? |
| que (what) |
Que
horas são? |
What
time is it? |
| qual
(which/what) |
Qual
(dos dois) você quer? |
Which
one do you want? |
| Qual/Como
é seu nome? |
What
is your name? |
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