Portuguese · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 12 of 12
Final review
Revisão final
Review B2 Portuguese in a long, natural conversation: the whole subjunctive system, se sentences, reported speech, informal speech, and Brazil vs Portugal.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Use the five subjunctive tenses in natural conversation
- Combine se sentences, regrets, reported speech and verb phrases
- Recognise European Portuguese words, forms and sounds
- Catch up with an old friend in relaxed, natural Portuguese
Listen
In a bar in Salvador, Elaine meets her old university friend Ricardo, who has just come back after fifteen years in Lisbon. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Elaine
Ricardo! Que saudade! Fazia séculos que a gente não se via. Você não mudou nada.
Ricardo! I've missed you so much! It's been ages since we saw each other. You haven't changed a bit.
Ricardo
Imagina, tô todo grisalho. Mas você tá ótima. Fico muito feliz que você tenha vindo.
Come off it, I'm completely grey. But you look great. I'm really glad you came.
Elaine
Como é que eu não ia vir? Então, me conta tudo. Por que você voltou depois de quinze anos em Lisboa?
How could I not come? So, tell me everything. Why did you come back after fifteen years in Lisbon?
Ricardo
Olha, a minha mulher recebeu uma proposta aqui em Salvador e, embora a gente estivesse muito bem lá, resolvemos voltar. Meus pais já estão velhinhos, e eu tava morrendo de saudade deles.
Well, my wife got an offer here in Salvador and, although we were very happy there, we decided to come back. My parents are getting on now, and I was really missing them.
Elaine
Entendo. E não foi difícil largar tudo?
I understand. And wasn't it hard to leave everything behind?
Ricardo
Muito. Se você tivesse me perguntado há cinco anos, eu teria dito que nunca ia voltar. Mas a vida dá muitas voltas, né?
Very. If you'd asked me five years ago, I'd have said I was never coming back. But life takes many turns, doesn't it?
Elaine
E a volta, como é que tá sendo? Muito choque cultural?
And how's the return going? Much culture shock?
Ricardo
Um pouco. Ontem perguntei ao garçom onde era a casa de banho, e ele ficou me olhando como se eu fosse de outro planeta. E ainda falo “comboio”, “autocarro” e “telemóvel” sem perceber.
A bit. Yesterday I asked the waiter where the “casa de banho” was, and he stared at me as if I were from another planet. And I still say “comboio”, “autocarro” and “telemóvel” without noticing.
Elaine
Quem diria. O baiano mais baiano da turma falando como português. Daqui a duas semanas você volta a falar “trem”, “ônibus” e “celular”, pode apostar. Ei, você se lembra do que o professor Almir disse no último dia de aula?
Who'd have thought it. The most Bahian guy in our class talking like a Portuguese. In two weeks you'll be saying “trem”, “ônibus” and “celular” again, you can bet on it. Hey, do you remember what Professor Almir said on the last day of class?
Ricardo
Claro que lembro. Ele disse que, quando a gente se formasse, metade da turma ia trabalhar com outra coisa. E ele tinha toda a razão: a gente estudou engenharia, e hoje eu dou aula de violão e você tem um restaurante.
Of course I do. He said that when we graduated, half the class would end up working in something else. And he was absolutely right: we studied engineering, and now I teach guitar and you have a restaurant.
Elaine
Pois é. E não me arrependo de nada, viu? Se bem que às vezes eu acho que devia ter aberto o restaurante antes. Bom, vamos brindar?
That's right. And I don't regret a thing, you know. Although sometimes I think I should have opened the restaurant earlier. Well, shall we have a toast?
Ricardo
Vamos. Aos velhos amigos e aos próximos quinze anos. Saúde! E agora bora matar a saudade de um acarajé de verdade.
Let's. To old friends and the next fifteen years. Cheers! And now let's go and get a real acarajé, I've missed them so much.
Understand
The subjunctive at B2: a summary
Portuguese has five subjunctive tenses in everyday use. The present and the perfect follow a present main verb; the imperfect and the pluperfect follow a past or conditional one. The future subjunctive is for future situations after and .
The triggers are the same for all of them: wishes and requests (), feelings (), doubt (), , and relative clauses about people you don't know ().
| Tense | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| present | ||
| perfect | ||
| imperfect | ||
| pluperfect | ||
| future |
Putting it all together
Natural Brazilian conversation mixes everything you've learned at B2. Reported speech moves tenses back: becomes . Regrets use + participle, and unreal past sentences use (or in speech).
In relaxed speech you'll hear and , fillers like and , verb phrases like and , and idioms like . (although, mind you) is a spoken way to add a small contrast.
Brazil and Portugal
European Portuguese uses the same grammar with some important differences. is the normal informal “you”, always with the -s form: . is used less and can sound distant. For actions in progress, Portugal says instead of , and object pronouns usually go after the verb: (Brazil: ).
Unstressed vowels are often reduced or dropped in Portugal, so the language can sound fast and consonant-heavy to Brazilian ears. Many everyday words are different too.
| Brazil | Portugal | English |
|---|---|---|
| train | ||
| bus | ||
| breakfast | ||
| mobile phone | ||
| toilet, bathroom | ||
| you're doing |
More in the grammar: Brazilian and European Portuguese
New words
- Que saudade!I've missed you so much! / I miss it so much!
- grisalho / grisalhagrey-haired
- fazia séculos que…it had been ages since… ·
- a vida dá muitas voltaslife takes many turns (saying)
- o garçom / a garçonetewaiter / waitress · Portugal:
- o comboiotrain (Portugal) · Brazil:
- o autocarrobus (Portugal) · Brazil:
- o telemóvelmobile phone (Portugal) · Brazil:
- Quem diria.Who'd have thought it.
- apostarto bet · : you can bet on it
- lembrar-se deto remember · in speech also without :
- brindarto (make a) toast
- Saúde!Cheers! (lit. health)
- matar a saudadeto see or have again someone or something you've missed · lit. to kill the longing
Practise
1.Complete: “Embora a gente … muito bem lá, resolvemos voltar.”
2.Complete with the perfect subjunctive: “I'm really glad you came.”
I'm really glad you came.
3.Complete the unreal past: “If you'd asked me, I'd have said no.”
If you'd asked me, I'd have said no.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.It had been ages since we'd seen each other.
5.Match the European Portuguese words with their Brazilian equivalents.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.Where would you hear ?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Que saudade! Fazia séculos que a gente não se via.
I've missed you! It's been ages since we saw each other.
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.