A1 · Portuguese

Portuguese from zero to A1

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European Portuguese from zero to A1, taught in English: letters and sounds of the Lisbon norm — nasal vowels, the two r sounds, the four readings of s and the accent marks, greetings and the three ways to say “you”, ser and ter with numbers 0–100, gender and articles, plurals, the present tense of -ar, -er and -ir verbs, estar and ser ↔ estar, adjectives, possessives and family, home and town with há, the contractions no, na, do, da, ao, à and the modals querer, poder, dever, ter de, saber, days, months and dates, the time, reflexive verbs, gostar de, estar a + infinitive and four ways to talk about the future, your first story about the past in the pretérito perfeito simples, food and the café, clothes and prices, weather and holidays, a form with personal details, and real-life scenes — café and restaurant, hotel, street and transport, doctor and pharmacy.

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Module 0. Letters and sounds

Lesson 1. The alphabet, letter names, vowels, and accent marks

12 exercises · I can say any letter of the Portuguese alphabet by its Portuguese name, write down a word spelled out to me, and read an unstressed vowel the way it's said in Portugal, not as a full vowel.

Lesson 2. Nasal vowels and diphthongs

12 exercises · I can hear and read a nasal sound as ONE sound, not as “vowel plus n”, understand why a word has an m or n you can't hear, and read any Portuguese diphthong aloud in one syllable, without splitting it in two.

Lesson 3. Consonants: s, z, x, ç, lh, nh, ch, r/rr, and final -l

16 exercises · I can read aloud an unfamiliar Portuguese word with s, z, x, ç, lh, nh, ch, gu, qu, and the two r's without English habits (a spoken h, ch as in “church”), and correctly write the letters the checker tells apart: rr, ss, lh, nh, ch.

Module 1. First conversations

Lesson 1. Bom dia! Hello, goodbye, and three ways to say “you”

15 exercises · I can say hello and goodbye by time of day, ask “how are you?” and answer, thank someone and apologize — and not mix up speaking to a friend with speaking to a stranger.

Lesson 2. Chamo-me…: subject pronouns, introductions, and spelling out

15 exercises · I can say my name and ask someone's name — informally and formally — introduce someone else, and spell out my last name.

Lesson 3. Ser: name, nationality, and where you're from

17 exercises · I can say who I am, where I'm from, and what my nationality is, ask someone else the same — and make a negative sentence with “não”.

Lesson 4. Números 0–100, phone numbers, and e-mail

15 exercises · I can say and write in words any number up to one hundred, ask for a phone number, give mine, and read an e-mail address aloud.

Lesson 5. Ter: age, “I have”, and ter fome

16 exercises · I can say how old I am, that I have a brother or a sister, and that I'm hungry, thirsty, or in a hurry — and ask someone else the same.

Lesson 6. Module 1 review

16 exercises · I can handle forms of address and polite set phrases, introductions, ser and “não”, numbers and phone numbers, and ter and age.

Module 2. Nouns, articles, and the present tense

Lesson 1. Gender and the definite article: o, a — a noun comes with its article

13 exercises · I can name any object with the right article — o or a — and not guess the gender from the meaning.

Lesson 2. The plural and the articles os, as

14 exercises · I can put any word from the lesson in the plural with the article os or as, and get the words in -ão, -l, and -m right.

Lesson 3. Um, uma, uns, umas: the indefinite article and jobs

15 exercises · I can say what I do for a living and what someone else does: with um or uma where it's needed, and with no article where there shouldn't be one.

Lesson 4. -ar verbs: falar, morar, trabalhar, estudar

13 exercises · I can say where I live, what I do, and what I study, and ask the same with intonation alone, without changing the word order.

Lesson 5. -er and -ir verbs — and fazer, dar, dizer, pôr, trazer

14 exercises · I can talk about what I do every day — eat, drink, learn, write, open — and get the eu forms of fazer, dar, dizer, pôr, and trazer right.

Lesson 6. Question words and “é que”

15 exercises · I can ask about anyone and anything — with “é que” or with the subject after the verb — without using the English word order.

Lesson 7. Module 2 review

16 exercises · I can show I know the whole module: article and gender, the plural, jobs with and without the article, three conjugations in the present tense, and questions with “é que”.

Module 3. Estar, people, and family

Lesson 1. Estar: where I am and how I am

15 exercises · I can say where I am and how I feel right now: estou, estás, está, estamos, estão — and choose estar, not ser.

Lesson 2. Ser ou estar? The contrast and the traps

14 exercises · I can choose ser or estar: say who someone is and where they're from, and say where they are and how they are right now.

Lesson 3. Adjectives: agreement, position, and appearance

17 exercises · I can describe a person's looks and a thing: put the adjective in the right gender and number, and in its place, after the noun.

Lesson 4. Possessives with the article: o meu, a minha — and the family

16 exercises · I can say whose a person or thing is, with the article before the possessive as Portuguese requires, and talk about my family.

Lesson 5. Este, esse, aquele: three distances; isto, isso, aquilo

16 exercises · I can point to a thing and name it: este near me, esse near you, aquele far from both of us, and ask “O que é isto?” when I don't know what it's called.

Lesson 6. Module 3 review

16 exercises · I can use estar, choose between ser and estar, make the adjective agree, put the article before the possessive, and tell este, esse, and aquele apart.

Module 4. Home, town, directions, and modal verbs

Lesson 1. Há e ter: what there is in the house

14 exercises · I can say what there is and isn't in the house with “há”, and name the owner with “ter”: “Há um jardim”, “A casa tem três quartos”.

Lesson 2. Prepositions with articles: the contractions no, na, do, da, ao, à, pelo

16 exercises · I can join a preposition and an article into one word — no, na, do, da, ao, à, pelo, num — and say which country I live in: “no Brasil”, but “em Portugal”.

Lesson 3. Onde fica? Place prepositions and furniture

16 exercises · I can say where things are: “O sofá está ao lado da janela”, “A mala está debaixo da cama” — and ask “Onde fica a escola?”.

Lesson 4. Ir e vir: where to and where from, a / para / de

15 exercises · I can say where I'm going and where I'm coming from — “Vou para casa”, “Venho do trabalho” — ask for directions, and understand the answer.

Lesson 5. Querer e poder: wanting, asking, and permission

15 exercises · I can say what I want, ask for something, and ask permission — and make a request polite: “Queria um quarto, se faz favor”.

Lesson 6. Dever, ter de e saber: obligation and ability

15 exercises · I can say what I have to do and what I know how to do: “Tenho de arrumar a casa”, “Sei nadar”, “Não sei onde é a estação”.

Lesson 7. Module 4 review

15 exercises · I can use everything this module teaches for describing a home and finding the way: há and ter, contractions of a preposition and an article, place prepositions, ir and vir, querer, poder, dever, ter de, and saber.

Module 5. The day, time, likes, and routine

Lesson 1. Days of the week, months, and the date

16 exercises · I can name the day of the week and the month, say the date, and say when my birthday is; I can tell “on Mondays” from “this Monday”.

Lesson 2. Que horas são? Telling time, times of day, and meals

16 exercises · I can ask and say what time it is, give the time of a meeting, and say when I have breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Lesson 3. Reflexive verbs: levanto-me, deito-me

15 exercises · I can describe my day — when I get up, wash, get dressed, and go to bed — and put the pronoun in the right place: after the verb with a hyphen, but before it after “não” and a question word.

Lesson 4. Gostar de: likes and free time

15 exercises · I can say what I love and what I can't stand, ask about the other person's likes, and keep the preposition “de”, including where it joins the article.

Lesson 5. Estar a + infinitivo: right now or usually

15 exercises · I can say what I'm doing right now and tell it apart from what I usually do; I can put “sempre”, “nunca”, and “às vezes” in the right place.

Lesson 6. Vou viajar: ir + infinitivo, costumar, começar a, acabar de

15 exercises · I can talk about my plans for tomorrow and next week, and say what I usually do, what I'm starting to do, and what I've just done, without using the past tense.

Lesson 7. Module 5 review

15 exercises · I can give the date and the time, describe my day with reflexive verbs, talk about what I like, and tell “right now” from “usually” and “soon”.

Module 6. A first story about the past

Lesson 1. Pretérito perfeito simples: regular -ar verbs

18 exercises · I can say what I did yesterday and last week: put -ar verbs in the past tense, write the eu forms (cheguei, fiquei) without mistakes, and say what did NOT happen yesterday.

Lesson 2. Pretérito perfeito simples: -er and -ir verbs

16 exercises · I can talk about the past with any verb I know: put -er and -ir verbs in the past tense, tell comi from comeu, and ask O que é que comeste ontem?

Lesson 3. Irregular verbs in the pretérito perfeito simples: fui, estive, tive, fiz

14 exercises · I can say where I was, what I had, and what I did: use fui, estive, tive, and fiz, and tell when fui means “was” and when it means “went”.

Lesson 4. Ontem, hoje, amanhã: time expressions, sequence words, and a first story

16 exercises · I can talk about yesterday in four or five sentences in a row: put events in order with primeiro, depois, a seguir, então, and no fim, and answer the question O que é que fizeste ontem?

Lesson 5. Module 6 review

16 exercises · I can talk about the past: the three conjugations in the past tense, the four special verbs, the order of events, and the line yesterday — today — tomorrow.

Module 7. Food, shopping, the weather, and paperwork

Lesson 1. Comida, bebida e café: Queria um café

15 exercises · I can name food and drinks, order politely in a café, and ask for the check.

Lesson 2. Roupa, cores e compras: Quanto custa?

19 exercises · I can name a thing and its color, ask the price, give my size, and say how I'm paying — in cash or by card.

Lesson 3. Tempo, estações e festas do ano

17 exercises · I can say what the weather is like today and in each season, and name the main Portuguese holidays and their greetings.

Lesson 4. Documentos, ficha e vida digital: kit de sobrevivência

18 exercises · I can fill in a form with my personal details, say my year of birth and my address, and get by when I don't understand someone.

Module 8. Prática A1

Lesson 1. No café e no restaurante: a table, ordering, and the check

15 exercises · I can get a table at a Portuguese restaurant, order for two, turn down or take the couvert, ask for what's missing on the table, understand the check, and pay by card.

Lesson 2. No hotel: booking, checking in, and a problem in the room

15 exercises · I can book a single or double room for the right number of nights, check in at the front desk of a Portuguese hotel, ask about breakfast and the elevator, say that something in the room isn't working, and ask for help.

Lesson 3. Na rua e nos transportes: directions, tickets, and timetables

15 exercises · I can ask a stranger for directions and understand the answer, find the stop and the station, buy a ticket, find out what time and from which track the train leaves, and say how I'm traveling.

Lesson 4. No médico e na farmácia: what hurts and what to ask at the pharmacy

14 exercises · I can make a doctor's appointment, say what hurts and since when, mention a fever and a cough, understand the doctor's questions, and ask at the pharmacy for something for what's bothering me.