Grammar Guide
European Portuguese grammar explainers — from beginner verb forms to advanced syntax. Every topic covers EP-specific rules with real examples.
Progressive: Estar a + Infinitive
EP says "estou a comer", never "estou comendo".
Verbs — Core
Clitic Placement: Enclisis as the EP Default
EP default: "deram-me" not "me deram" in simple affirmative sentences.
Pronouns
The Personal Infinitive
The inflected infinitive adds endings to agree with its own subject.
Verbs — Core
Ser vs Estar: EP Nuances
Ser for identity and origin; estar for state, mood, and location.
Verbs — Core
Definite Article Before Proper Names
Always say "o João" and "a Maria" in Portugal.
Nouns & Articles
Using the Present Tense for Future Events
"Amanhã vou ao banco" — present tense, future meaning.
Tense & Aspect
The Conjunctive (Subjunctive) Mood: Introduction
Doubt, wish, emotion, and hypothesis all trigger the conjunctive.
Verbs — Mood
Pretérito Perfeito Simples: Completed Past
The go-to tense for completed past events: "fui, fiz, disse".
Tense & Aspect
Pretérito Imperfeito: Ongoing and Habitual Past
Background, habit, ongoing past: "falava, comia, vivia".
Tense & Aspect
Pretérito Perfeito Composto: ter + Participle
"Tenho feito" = repeatedly up to now, NOT a single "I have done".
Tense & Aspect
Pluperfect: Tinha + Past Participle
"Tinha feito" = had done (before something else in the past).
Tense & Aspect
Futuro Simples: Simple Future Tense
Falarei, comerás, partirá — formed straight from the infinitive.
Tense & Aspect
Condicional: The Conditional Mood
Hypothetical and polite: "falaria, comeria, poderia".
Verbs — Mood
Present Subjunctive (Conjunctive) Forms and Uses
Formed from eu present: falo → fale, como → coma, parto → parta.
Verbs — Mood
Imperfect Subjunctive (Conjunctive)
Formed from the third-person plural preterite: falassem → falasse.
Verbs — Mood
Future Subjunctive: Common in EP Clauses
"Se fizeres / quando chegares" — future conjunctive for real open conditions.
Verbs — Mood
Imperative: Tu / Você / Vocês in EP
Tu imperative: remove -s from present. Você: use the conjunctive form.
Verbs — Core
Passive Voice: ser, ficar, and estar
Ser = passive event; estar = resultant state; ficar = became.
Verbs — Core
Why EP Uses the Infinitive Where BP Uses the Gerund
Where BP says "-ndo", EP says "a + infinitive".
Verbs — Core
Haver vs Ter: Existential and Auxiliary Uses
"Há" = there is/are. "Tem" = he/she has. They are not interchangeable.
Verbs — Core
Tu vs Você: Address Forms in Portugal
Tu = informal/close; o senhor/a senhora = formal in EP.
Pronouns
Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns
Me, te, o/a, lhe, nos, vos, os/as, lhes — plus contractions when combined.
Pronouns
Reflexive Pronouns and Reflexive Verbs
Me, te, se, nos, vos, se — attached to the verb in EP enclisis.
Pronouns
Relative Pronouns: que, quem, cujo, onde
Que (thing/person), quem (person + prep), cujo (whose), onde (where).
Sentence Structure
Grammatical Gender of Nouns
-o usually masculine, -a usually feminine — but many exceptions.
Nouns & Articles
Plural Formation Rules
Add -s, change -ão → -ões/-ãos/-ães. Nouns in -l → -is.
Nouns & Articles
Definite and Indefinite Articles
o/a/os/as = the; um/uma = a/an; EP uses articles more than English.
Nouns & Articles
Preposition + Article Contractions
de + o = do; em + a = na; a + o = ao; por + a = pela.
Nouns & Articles
Para vs Por
Para = purpose/destination/recipient; por = cause/exchange/agent.
Sentence Structure
Em vs A: Location and Direction
Em = in/at (location); a = to/at (direction or point of destination).
Sentence Structure
Question Words (Interrogatives)
O que, qual, quem, onde, quando, como, porquê — the core set.
Sentence Structure
Negation Patterns
Não is primary; double negation with nunca/nada/ninguém is correct EP.
Sentence Structure
Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
Mais alto do que = taller than; o mais alto = the tallest.
Sentence Structure
Diminutives: -inho / -inha in EP
-inho/-inha: small, cute, affectionate, or softening.
Advanced
Augmentatives: -ão / -ona in EP
-ão/-ona: big, intense, sometimes disparaging.
Advanced
The Preposition A and Its Uses in EP
A = direction, indirect object, time — contracts to ao/à.
Sentence Structure
Desde Há + Duration (EP Time Expression)
"Desde há três anos" = for three years (up to now).
Tense & Aspect
Há (ago / for how long) vs Faz
"Há dois anos" = two years ago / for two years — not "faz dois anos".
Tense & Aspect
Acabar de + Infinitive: Just Finished
"Acabei de chegar" = I have just arrived.
Tense & Aspect
Ir + Infinitive: Near Future
"Vou fazer" = I am going to do (near future).
Verbs — Core
Ter que/de vs Dever: Obligation and Advice
Ter que/de = must/have to; dever = should/ought to.
Verbs — Core
Poder vs Conseguir: Ability and Permission
Poder = can (general); conseguir = manage to (specific attempt).
Verbs — Core
Conhecer vs Saber
Conhecer = know/be acquainted with; saber = know (facts)/know how.
Verbs — Core
Levar vs Demorar: Time Expressions
Levar + time = takes (time); demorar = to take a while / be delayed.
Verbs — Core
Ficar: Stay, Become, Location
Ficar = stay, become, be located — very high frequency in EP.
Verbs — Core
Coordination: e, mas, ou, nem, logo, portanto
E, mas, ou, nem, logo, portanto — the core coordinators.
Connectors
Subordination: porque, embora, se, quando, para que
Porque (indicative); embora, para que (conjunctive).
Connectors
EP Word Order: SVO and Clitic Movement
SVO base, but clitic placement and topicalisation create important variations.
Sentence Structure
Exclamatives: Que + Adjective/Noun
"Que bonito! / Que dia tão bom!" — exclamatives with que.
Sentence Structure
Adjective and Participle Agreement Rules
Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun: bonito/a/os/as.
Nouns & Articles