Portuguese · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 9 of 12
Health and lifestyle
Saúde e estilo de vida
Talk about habits and health in Portuguese: é importante que + subjunctive, tenho dormido mal for recent habits, and advice like não coma tanto sal.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Give advice with é importante que, é melhor que + subjunctive
- Use the infinitive instead: é importante o senhor caminhar
- Talk about recent habits with tenho dormido mal
- Understand negative advice: não coma, não se preocupe
Listen
At a clinic in Santos, Dra. Helena gives Nelson Oliveira his test results. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Dra. Helena
Bom dia, seu Nelson. Os resultados dos seus exames chegaram.
Good morning, Seu Nelson. Your test results have arrived.
Nelson
Bom dia, doutora. E então? Está tudo bem?
Good morning, doctor. So? Is everything all right?
Dra. Helena
Quase tudo. Mas o seu colesterol está alto, e a pressão também. O senhor tem comido muita fritura?
Almost everything. But your cholesterol is high, and so is your blood pressure. Have you been eating a lot of fried food?
Nelson
Para ser sincero, tenho comido muito fora por causa do trabalho. E tenho dormido mal.
To be honest, I've been eating out a lot because of work. And I've been sleeping badly.
Dra. Helena
Entendo. É importante que o senhor coma menos sal e menos fritura. De vez em quando pode, mas não todo dia.
I see. It's important that you eat less salt and less fried food. Now and then is fine, but not every day.
Nelson
E o açúcar? Eu tomo café com bastante açúcar.
And sugar? I take my coffee with quite a lot of sugar.
Dra. Helena
É melhor usar menos. E é preciso que o senhor faça exercício. O senhor pratica alguma atividade física?
It's better to use less. And you need to do some exercise. Do you do any physical activity?
Nelson
Não, eu passo o dia sentado no escritório. Não tenho tempo.
No, I spend the day sitting in the office. I don't have time.
Dra. Helena
Então recomendo que o senhor caminhe meia hora por dia. Aqui em Santos o senhor tem a praia. E suba de escada em vez de pegar o elevador.
Then I recommend that you walk for half an hour a day. Here in Santos you have the beach. And take the stairs instead of the lift.
Nelson
Tudo bem, vou tentar. E para dormir melhor?
All right, I'll try. And to sleep better?
Dra. Helena
É importante o senhor não tomar café depois das seis da tarde. E não se preocupe: se o senhor mudar esses hábitos, os resultados vão melhorar.
It's important that you don't drink coffee after six in the evening. And don't worry: if you change these habits, the results will improve.
Nelson
Obrigado, doutora. Daqui a três meses eu volto para fazer novos exames.
Thank you, doctor. I'll come back in three months to do new tests.
Understand
É importante que… + subjunctive
Impersonal expressions of advice and need, like (it's necessary that), take the present subjunctive: . So does : (I recommend that you walk).
When you're talking about people in general, use the plain infinitive: (It's important to sleep well). To name the person without , use the personal infinitive (ch 8): (It's important for you not to drink coffee). It means the same as and is very common in speech.
| General | Personal infinitive | + subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
Tenho dormido mal: what you've been doing lately
in the present + participle () is not the English “I have slept”. It means something has been happening again and again lately and is still going on: (I've been sleeping badly lately).
For a single finished action, even a recent one, Portuguese uses the preterite: (I slept badly last night). It does so even where English says “have”: (Have you eaten yet?).
- Tenho trabalhado muito.I've been working a lot (lately).
- Ela tem ido à academia.She's been going to the gym.
- Ontem eu comi muito.I ate a lot yesterday.
Negative advice: não coma, não se preocupe
A doctor giving advice to a patient uses the standard imperative, which is the present subjunctive (A2 ch 9, B1 ch 2). In the negative, just put in front: , , . Between friends you'll hear the everyday form (), but with / the standard form is the natural choice.
- Não coma tanto sal.Don't eat so much salt.
- Suba de escada.Take the stairs.
More in the grammar: The imperative · Tenho feito and tinha feito · The personal infinitive · The present subjunctive
New words
- o resultadoresult
- o exame(medical) test; exam
- a pressãoblood pressure; pressure · : high blood pressure
- a friturafried food
- por causa debecause of · : because of work
- dormir malto sleep badly · : I've been sleeping badly
- o salsalt
- de vez em quandonow and then, from time to time
- o açúcarsugar · : quite a lot of sugar
- fazer exercícioto exercise, to do exercise
- a escadastairs; ladder · : to take the stairs; : the lift
- o escritóriooffice
- tentarto try · : I'll try
- o hábitohabit
Practise
1.Complete: “É importante que o senhor … menos sal.”
2.Complete with the subjunctive of : “You need to do exercise.”
You need to do exercise.
3.Complete: “I've been sleeping badly (lately).”
I've been sleeping badly.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I recommend that you walk every day.
5.Match the Portuguese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.What does mean?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Tenho dormido mal.
I've been sleeping badly.
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.