Portuguese · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 5 of 12
Work and studies
Trabalho e estudos
Talk about what you studied and where you've worked in a Brazilian job interview, using the imperfect for habits and descriptions.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say what you studied and where you worked
- Describe what you used to do with the imperfect
- Choose between the imperfect and the preterite
- Ask and say how long you've worked somewhere: há quanto tempo?
Listen
Jéssica Nascimento, 24, has a job interview for a receptionist's job at a hotel in Maceió with the manager, Márcia. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Márcia
Bom dia, Jéssica. Eu sou a Márcia, a gerente. Então, o que você estudou?
Good morning, Jéssica. I'm Márcia, the manager. So, what did you study?
Jéssica
Bom dia. Estudei turismo na faculdade, aqui em Maceió. Me formei no ano passado.
Good morning. I studied Tourism at university, here in Maceió. I graduated last year.
Márcia
E você já tem experiência como recepcionista?
And do you already have experience as a receptionist?
Jéssica
Tenho. Quando eu estudava, fiz um estágio numa pousada em Maragogi.
Yes, I do. When I was a student, I did an internship at a guesthouse in Maragogi.
Márcia
Que legal. E como era o trabalho lá?
That's great. And what was the job like there?
Jéssica
Eu atendia os clientes e fazia as reservas. Muitos clientes eram americanos e argentinos, então eu falava inglês e espanhol todo dia.
I looked after the guests and made the bookings. Lots of guests were American and Argentinian, so I spoke English and Spanish every day.
Márcia
Ótimo. E quanto tempo você trabalhou lá?
Great. And how long did you work there?
Jéssica
Um ano e meio. Agora eu trabalho numa loja no shopping.
A year and a half. Now I work in a shop in the shopping centre.
Márcia
Há quanto tempo você trabalha lá?
How long have you been working there?
Jéssica
Há seis meses. Mas eu gosto mais de trabalhar em hotel.
For six months. But I prefer working in a hotel.
Márcia
A vaga é de segunda a sábado, e o salário é dois mil e duzentos reais. Tudo bem para você trabalhar aos sábados?
The job is Monday to Saturday, and the salary is two thousand two hundred reais. Is it OK for you to work on Saturdays?
Jéssica
Tudo bem, sim. Na pousada eu costumava trabalhar nos fins de semana.
Yes, that's fine. At the guesthouse I used to work at weekends.
Understand
The imperfect: what used to happen
The (the “imperfect”) describes the past: what you used to do, what was going on, what things were like. means “I used to look after the guests” or “I looked after the guests (regularly)”.
Take off -ar, -er or -ir. -ar verbs add -ava; -er and -ir verbs add -ia. The and forms are the same, so Brazilians usually say the pronoun: , . You can also say + infinitive for “used to”:
| Person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| / / / | |||
| / / |
Only four irregular verbs, and imperfect or preterite?
Only four verbs are irregular in the imperfect: (), (), () and (). means “What was the job like?”.
Use the imperfect for habits and descriptions, and the preterite for single, finished events: (When I was a student, I did an internship). A fixed period that is over also takes the preterite: (I worked there for a year and a half).
| Person | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| / / / | ||||
| / / |
How long? Há quanto tempo…?
To ask how long someone has been doing something that is still going on, use + the present: (How long have you been working there?). means “there”. Answer with + the time: or .
Job interviews in Brazil normally use and first names, even with a manager. With an older or very senior person, you might hear the version:
- Há quanto tempo você mora em Maceió?How long have you lived in Maceió?
- Eu trabalho aqui há dois anos.I've been working here for two years.
More in the grammar: The imperfect (pretérito imperfeito)
New words
- o / a gerentemanager
- a faculdadeuniversity, college · feminine
- formar-seto graduate · : I graduated
- a experiênciaexperience · feminine
- o / a recepcionistareceptionist
- quandowhen
- o estágiointernship, work placement · masculine;
- atenderto serve, to look after (customers); to answer (the phone)
- o cliente / a clientecustomer, client, guest
- a lojashop · feminine; (= ) = in a shop; = shopping centre
- há quanto tempo…?how long…? (for something still going on) · + present:
- a vagajob opening, vacancy · feminine
- o saláriosalary, wages · masculine
- costumavaused to · from ; + infinitive
Practise
1.“When I was a child, I lived in Recife.” Which verb fits? “Quando eu era criança, eu … em Recife.”
2.Complete with the imperfect of .
The guests were very nice.
3.Complete with the imperfect of ().
At the guesthouse, I looked after the guests.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.How long have you been working here?
5.Match the Portuguese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.“I worked there for two years” (it's over now). Which is right?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Estudei turismo e me formei no ano passado.
I studied Tourism and graduated last year.
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.