Original post by HelpfulDuo | Archived post
Taking Portuguese lessons? Here are some useful phrases to help you shine in the classroom.
Asking for help or clarification:
English | Portuguese |
---|---|
How do you say... in Portuguese? | Como se fala... em português? |
What does the word... mean? | O que quer dizer a palavra...? |
Could you explain that again? | Você poderia explicar isso de novo? |
Could you repeat that please? | Você poderia repetir isso? |
How do you spell...? | Como se escreve...?⁺ Você poderia soletrar...?⁺⁺ |
How is it pronounced? | Como se pronuncia? |
Can you help me with this exercise? | Você poderia me ajudar com essa tarefa? |
I didn't understand that. | Não entendi isso. |
What page are we on? | Em qual página estamos? |
What's the homework? | Qual é a lição de casa? |
Do we have to write this down? | Devemos anotar isso? |
⁺This actually means "How do you write...?", and is probably how the question would be asked in Portuguese.
⁺⁺The literal translation for this is "Could you spell out...?", which is another common way to ask this.
Asking for permission:
English | Portuguese |
---|---|
May I go to the bathroom? | Posso ir ao banheiro? |
May I open/close the window? | Posso abrir/fechar⁺ a janela? |
May I go out/come in? | Posso sair/entrar? |
Can I switch on/off the light? | Posso acender/apagar a luz? |
Can I write on the board? | Posso escrever na lousa? |
Can I answer? | posso responder? |
Can you lend me your pen? | Você me empresta sua caneta? |
Note: Notice the use of infinitives (verbs ending in -ar, -er, -ir) after posso.
What other questions would you add to these tables? Can you say them in Portuguese? Share your answers in the comments section.
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