Portuguese · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 4 of 12
Home and housing
Casa e moradia
Compare two flats to rent in Rio: bigger, cheaper, quieter. Learn comparatives, the numbers up to 10,000 and how rent works in Brazil.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Compare places with mais… (do) que, menos… (do) que and tão… quanto
- Use melhor, pior, maior and menor
- Say prices from 100 to 10,000 reais
- Talk about rent, the neighbourhood and what a flat has
Listen
Letícia and Henrique, a young couple in Rio de Janeiro, compare two flats to rent: one in Tijuca and one in Botafogo. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Letícia
Então, qual apartamento a gente aluga? O da Tijuca ou o de Botafogo?
So, which flat shall we rent? The one in Tijuca or the one in Botafogo?
Henrique
Olha, o da Tijuca é maior e mais barato. O aluguel é mil e oitocentos por mês.
Well, the one in Tijuca is bigger and cheaper. The rent is one thousand eight hundred a month.
Letícia
É verdade. E o condomínio?
That's true. And the service charge?
Henrique
Quatrocentos e cinquenta. O de Botafogo custa dois mil e quinhentos, mais seiscentos de condomínio.
Four hundred and fifty. The one in Botafogo costs two thousand five hundred, plus six hundred service charge.
Letícia
Caríssimo. Mas ele fica perto do metrô e é mais perto do meu trabalho.
Very expensive. But it's near the metro and it's closer to my work.
Henrique
Sim, mas não é tão grande quanto o da Tijuca. E o bairro é muito barulhento.
Yes, but it's not as big as the one in Tijuca. And the neighbourhood is very noisy.
Letícia
E na Tijuca? A rua é tranquila?
And in Tijuca? Is the street quiet?
Henrique
Muito mais tranquila. E o apartamento tem varanda e vaga de garagem.
Much quieter. And the flat has a balcony and a parking space.
Letícia
Mas a gente não tem carro.
But we don't have a car.
Henrique
Tudo bem, mas a sala é mais clara. Além disso, a gente paga oitocentos e cinquenta reais a menos por mês.
Fair enough, but the living room is brighter. Besides, we pay eight hundred and fifty reais less a month.
Letícia
Tá bom. Então o da Tijuca é melhor para a gente.
OK. So the one in Tijuca is better for us.
Henrique
Acho que sim. Então a gente aluga o da Tijuca.
I think so. So we'll rent the one in Tijuca.
Understand
Comparing: mais, menos, tão… quanto
To compare two things, use (more) or (less) + an adjective + or (than). Both mean the same: For “as… as”, use tão… quanto: não é tão grande quanto… (it isn't as big as…).
Four common adjectives have their own form: (good) → (better), (bad) → (worse), (big) → (bigger), (small) → (smaller). Don't say mais bom. With numbers, “more than” is : .
To avoid repeating a noun, say / (the one in / of): (the one in Tijuca). You'll also hear -íssimo for “very, very”: (very expensive), (very cheap).
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| cheaper than | |
| less noisy than | |
| as big as | |
| , | better, worse |
| , | bigger, smaller |
Numbers from 100 to 10,000
is exactly 100; after that it's cento e…: . The hundreds from 200 have a feminine form: but (two hundred people). (and) goes between hundreds, tens and units: . After , use only before a round hundred or a number under 100: , , but .
In writing, Brazil uses a dot for thousands and a comma for cents: R$ 1.800,00. Say .
| Number | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| 100 | |
| 150 | |
| 200 | |
| 300 | |
| 400 | |
| 500 | |
| 600 | |
| 700 | |
| 800 | |
| 900 | |
| 1,000 | |
| 1,850 | |
| 2,500 | |
| 10,000 |
Describing a flat
To say what a flat has, use . When you just mean “it has one”, Brazilians usually leave out or : To say where it is, use , as in A1:
For money, means “a month”: After an amount, means “less” and means “more”: (850 reais less).
- O apartamento tem dois quartos e uma varanda.The flat has two bedrooms and a balcony.
- O bairro é tranquilo e fica perto do metrô.The neighbourhood is quiet and it's near the metro.
- Quanto é o condomínio por mês?How much is the service charge a month?
More in the grammar: Numbers · Comparatives and superlatives
New words
- alugarto rent
- o apartamentoflat, apartment · masculine
- o aluguelrent · masculine; plural
- por mêsa month, per month
- é verdadethat's true
- o condomínioservice charge (for a building) · masculine; also the building or complex itself
- perto do metrônear the metro
- o bairroneighbourhood, area · masculine
- barulhento / barulhentanoisy
- tranquilo / tranquilaquiet, peaceful
- a varandabalcony · feminine
- a vaga de garagemparking space · feminine; = car
- claro / clarabright, light · also means “of course”
- além dissobesides, also
Practise
1.How do you say “The flat in Botafogo is better”?
2.Complete: “The bedroom is as big as the living room.”
The bedroom is as big as the living room.
3.Write the number in words: R$ 1.800.
The rent is one thousand eight hundred reais.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Tijuca is quieter than Botafogo.
5.The agent says What does she mean?
6.Match the numbers.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Quanto é o aluguel por mês?
How much is the rent a month?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.