Por vs Para

Por and para have different shades of meaning and are not interchangeable.

Por is used when for means "for the sake of", "on account of" or "in exchange for".

Para indicates destination or purpose.

Remember that por can be contracted with the definite article o, a, os, as, becoming pelo, pela, pelos, pelas!

Ele lutou pelo seu país.
Quanto você pagou pela viagem?
Este presente é para a Yonara.
Partimos logo para a Austrália.

Both these prepositions are frequently employed with other meanings.

Por may often be translated as "through" or "by", while para can be "to" or "toward".

Olhei pela janela mas não vi nada.
Ela foi acusada por um desconhecido.
Vamos para o museu.
Terei tempo para ler no avião.

Prepositions after verbs

I'm starting to realize that remembering the prepositions that come after verbs will never come naturally. Time to drill.  I'm going to build a long list of things I need to remember. Here it is:

Começar a
Deixar de
Parar de
Pensar em

agree on/to something – concordar sobre algo
agree with soemone – concordar com alguém
apologize for – pedir desculpas por
approve of – aprovar (no preposition)
ask for – pedir (no preposition)
believe in – acreditar em
belong to – pertencer a
blame for – culpar por
borrow from – pegar emprestado de
care for – cuidar de; importar-se com
compare to/with – comparar a/com
complain about – reclamar de

congratulate on – dar os parabéns por
count on – contar com
crash into – chocar-se com
depend on – depender de
divide into – dividir em
dream about/of – sonhar com
feed on – alimentar-se de
hear from – ter notícias de
hear of – ouvir falar de
insist on – insistir em
laugh at – rir de
leave for – partir para
lend to – emprestar para

Telling a story using SImple Past and Imperfect Past

The SIMPLE PAST

• Probably going to be used at the start of your story to locate your story in the timeline of life (e.g., Eu TIREI esta foto quando FUI visitar o meu amigo em Boston- I TOOK this photo when I WENT to visit my friend in Boston].
• The SIMPLE PAST gives you the idea of a ONE-OFF situation. So when you VISITED your friend, you did it ONCE at that particular time.
• Add some more information to your story by giving some more details which also occurred just ONCE. (e.g., Eu CONHECI meu amigo a primeira vez que eu VISITEI EUA. [I MET my friend the first time I VISITED the US.]
• Adding some more information that occurred ONLY ONCE 
• Automatically limiting the situation in the time line with a BEGINNING and an END

The IMPERFECT PAST

• Once you have added all the detailed information - that have occurred once - in order for you to keep on telling your story, you will need to DESCRIBE the scenario. So, to describe the scenario you'll need the IMPERFECT.
• You will use the IMPERFECT tense in Portuguese specifically in 4 situations:
• When you are DESCRIBING a situation that OCCURRED MANY TIMES in the past giving you the sense of "I USED TO": e.g. "Lá, euJOGAVA futebol na praia com o Artur e os amigos dele" - [There, I USED TO PLAY football with Artur and his friends".
• When you talk about AGE and TIME in the past you must use the IMPERFECT as well.
• When you want to express an idea which took place at ten o'clock for instance, you will also use the IMPERFECT. e.g. "ERAM dez horasquando o restaurant fechou" - "It WAS ten o'clock when the restaurant closed".
• When you need to differentiate in a sentence two actions in whichONE IS LONGER THAN THE OTHER ONE.
• "O Telefone TOCOU enquanto eu ALMOÇAVA" - ["The phone RANG whilst I WAS HAVING LUNCH".]
• When you are narrating a particular event is for instance: "She WAS already in the party, when we CALLED her." "Ela já ESTAVA na festa quando LIGÁMOS para ela." (in Brazilian Portuguese).

More thoughts on the subjunctive

Ok - I just finished a Portuguese class and am starting to realize I need to think about the subjunctive in a slightly different way. Here were some of my questions and the responses from my teacher:

Q: Why do I have to use the present subjunctive after an emotion related subjunctive trigger when I want to express a wish for something to happen in the future.

• An example in English: I hope that you will read the rest of this email. 
• How I wanted to write it in Portuguese (WRONG): Eu espero que você ler o resto deste email.
• Correct answer: Eu espero que você leia o resto deste email. 

A: When you are using a subjunctive trigger that uses a verb conjugated in the present tense - you are always going to follow it up with the present subjunctive. Most of the time triggers are emotional based. The subjunctive verb is going to match up to when you were having that emotion. So let's say you wish something will happen in the future. It doesn't matter that you want it to happen, what is important is that you are wishing in that present moment. (You can include details surrounding when you want it to happen in your sentence, but that won't change the verb tenses used.)

• Correct answer with additional timing details: Eu espero que [present] você leia [present subjunctive] o resto deste email antes do fim do dia.

Q: So how will I know when to use the future subjunctive?

A: There are 7 key future subjunctive triggers.

• Quando = when 
• Assim que = as soon as 
• Logo que = as soon as 
• Sempre que = whenever 
• Depois que = after 
• Enquanto = while 
• Se=if

Q: But I know that some of those "future"triggers are used with the present indicative tense (or what I like to call - the normal present). How do I know what tense to use when.

A: You will use the future subjunctive + a future tense (or imperative tense) whenever you are talking about something to happen in the future. You will use the trigger + the normal present or past when you are referring to something that happens all the time (starting in the past continuing to today) or that happened exclusively in the past. 

• Use Normal Tense: Depois que eu como carne eu me sinto mal (After I eat meat, I feel bad [and this happens every time I eat meat - I know from experience]) 
• Future Subjunctive (+normal future): Depois que eu comer carne vou dormir (After I eat meat, I will sleep [ I haven't eaten the meat yet but I suspect this will happen.])

• Use Normal Tense: Sempre que eu converso com minha filha, fico orgulhosa (Whenever I talk to my daughter, I am proud [and this happens every time I talk to her]) 
• Future Subjunctive (+normal future): Sempre que eu conversar com a minha filha ficarei orgulhosa (Whenever I talk to my daughter, I will be proud [Assume for a minute that I've never talked to her in the past, but I'm going to start doing it from now onwards. I know that everytime I talk to her in the future, this is how I will feel.])

• Use Normal : Quando você foi o supermercado, você comprou leite (When you went to the store, you bought milk. [This happened in the past, it's a fact]) 
• Future Subjunctive (plus the imperative): Quando você for o supermercado, compre leite, por favor. (When you go to the store, buy milk please. [You haven't gone yet, when you go in the future, whenever that might be, be sure to pick up milk.)

Q: What if I want express an emotion for something I wish had happened in the past? (E.g., I wish I knew now what I knew then or I wish now that I had money then.)

A: Need to get an answer for this - this was a question that came to me after class.

Subjunctive Mood: Overview

From: Portuguese, An Essential Guide 

The Indicative mood expresses real facts whereas the Subjunctive mood expresses facts which are uncertain, doubtful, eventual or even unreal:

• Hoje vamos fazer um piquenique, por isso espero que não chova.
• Today we are going for a picnic, so I hope it does not rain.

The use of the Subjunctive in Portuguese is far more frequent than in English. In English, the Subjunctive mood usually expresses a hypothetical situation. That is why it is often used in children’s books where make believe plays an important role in the child’s imagination.

• Example:
• Jack slipped into the giant’s room without making a noise, as if he were a little mouse.
• João entrou no quarto do gigante sem fazer barulho, como se fosse um ratinho.

The tenses of the Subjunctive mood in Portuguese have regular conjugations, thus they should not present a problem for the foreign student/learner. There are set circumstances, verbs and phrases that require its use. Above all, remember that the Subjunctive in Portuguese is the mood that expresses doubts and hypotheses. It is also linked to the idea of commands, wishing, feeling and necessity. It normally appears in subordinate or dependent clauses.

The mnemonic below may help you remember when to use the Subjunctive in Portuguese:

W E I R D
W Wishes
E Emotion or feeling
I Imperatives and indirect commands
R Requests
D Doubt, uncertainty and hypotheses

The Subjunctive is used after the following verbs and expressions:

(a) Wishing:

• oxalá 
• esperar que 
• querer que
• tomara que 
• ser bom que/se 
• pedir que
• Deus queira que

(b) Emotion or feeling:

• lamentar que 
• estar contente que
• ser pena que/se 
• estar triste que
• ser bom que/se 
• estar satisfeito que

(c) Imperatives and indirect commands:

The Imperative form is usually borrowed from the Subjunctive, except for the second person, tu and vós. It is also used after verbs that express an indirect command:

• querer que 
• mandar que 
• requerer que
• recomendar que
• ordenar que
• exigir que

(d) Requests:

• desejar que 
• esperar que
• agradecer que 
• pedir que

(e) Doubt, uncertainty or hypotheses:

• duvidar que
• pode ser que 
• talvez
• não achar que 
• ser provável/improvável que 
• se
• não parecer que 
• ser possível/impossível que 
• caso

(f) Necessity:

• ser preciso que 
• ser necessário que 
• ser importante que

(g) Other conjunctions and adverbs:

• embora 
• por muito que
• logo que
• mesmo que 
• por pouco que 
• enquanto
• ainda que 
• quem quer que 
• sempre que
• para que 
• onde quer que 
• como se
• por mais que 
• o que quer que 
• assim que
• por menos que 
• quando

Additional note: The following require the use of the present or imperfect subjunctive: caso (in case), antes que (before), ainda que/posto que (although or even if), unless (a nao ser que or a menos que), a que (to), in order to (a fim de que), unless or without (sem que), para que (so that, in order to), even if (mesmo que, nem que), although (embora), provided that (contanto que), as soon as (logo que/assim que)).

SER VS. ESTAR

Post picked up from: http://portugueseblog.org/the-difference-between-ser-and-estar-in-brazilian-portuguese/

SER VS. ESTAR IN BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE

The fact that there are two words in Portuguese that mean “to be”, ser and estar, can baffle some English speakers at first. How am I supposed to know the difference? you may wonder. First off, don’t get aggravated about it because every language has its own special characteristics that don’t seem reasonable. After all, languages are not exact sciences. Therefore, here are some tips on how to differentiate ser and estar:

Ser indicates permanent situations, as in the following examples.

• sou brasileiro / sou brasileira – I am Brazilian
• ele é enfermeiro - he is a nurse.
• são muito inteligentes – they are very smart

Ser is used to identify someone or ones self, for professions and nationalities/origin, personality and physical traits, possession, time (São duas da tarde – It’s 2PM), and impersonal expressions (É bom viajar – It’s good to travel)

Estar, on the other hand, describes temporary conditions.

• estou com frio – I am cold
• ela está doente – she is sick
• estamos atrasados – we are late

Estar is used for location, emotions and temporary physical states, and with the progressive tenses (estou comendo - i’m eating).

Pay attention to the nuances:

Eduardo é doente – Eduardo is a sick man (maybe mentally sick in a crazy way, or he has had a persistent disease for all his life

VS.

Eduardo está doente – Eduardo is sick (now, he caught a cold or something)

Sou optimista – I’m optimistic (it’s my nature)

VS.

Estou optimista – I’m optimistic (right now, about a particular thing situation)

ALSO:

In Brazilian Portuguese, the word “estou” is very often shortened to just tô, and the word “esta” becomes tá.” In this blog, I will often give examples in written sentences where I use the shortened forms tô and tá just because it sounds more natural to me.

So, if you’d like to sound like a Brazilian, follow the shortened forms of the verb “estar” below (the crossed-out word is the correct grammar, the bold word is the way Brazilians shorten it when speaking) :

eu estou tô

você / ele/ ela / a gente está tá

nós estamos tamos

vocês eles/elas estão tão

Examples:

• Como você tá? - How are you?
• O que Francisco tá fazendo? - What is Francisco doing?
• Tá Ligado? 
  

Pretérito Imperfeito do Indicativo

O pretérito imperfeito é usado:

1. Descrever ações habituais num passado indefinido
• Você participava de algum grupo de estudo na faculdade?
• Quando eu era pequena, eu sempre almoçava com meus avós.
2. Descrever uma situação, o estado, ou uma característica de alguém ou de algo no passado 
• A cidade era tranquila e segura. Os moradores se sentiam protegidos e felizes. 
• Naquele dia, o trânsito estava uma loucura porque havia um festival de música no parque.
3. Descrever ações que aconteciam no passado simultaneamente a outra ação.
• Enquanto ele trabalhava, seus filhos ficavam na creche.
• Daniel estava lendo um livro enquanto Lia nadava na piscina.
4. Para relatar uma ação ou estado que estava em progresso quando foi interrompido por outra ação.
• Fernando atendia um cliente quando seu chefe ligou. 
• A gente estava fazendo o jantar quando começou a nevar
5. Para referir-se às horas, meses, dias da semana e estações do ano, e falar do tempo no passado
• Eram 8h da noite e Marcela estava atrasada para o jantar. 
• Era quinta-feira, véspera de Natal quando ela finalmente voltou para casa. 

Conjugação - Verbos Regulares
A conjugação dos verbos regulares no pretérito imperfeito do indicativo possui duas terminações:

• AVA para os verbos terminados em –AR e 
• IA para os verbos terminados em –ER e –IR

ESTUDAR			COMER			ASSISTIR
Eu	estudava		Eu	comia		Eu	assistia
Você	estudava		Você	comia		Você	assistia
Ele/Ela	estudava		Ele/Ela	comia		Ele/Ela	assistia
Nós	estudávamos		Nós	comíamos		Nós	assistíamos
Vocês	estudavam		Vocês	comiam		Vocês	assistiam
Eles/Elas	estudavam		Eles/Elas	comiam		Eles/Elas	assistiam

Conjugação - Verbos Irregulares

SER			IR			TER			VIR
Eu	era		Eu	ia		Eu	tinha		Eu	vinha
Você	era		Você	ia		Você	tinha		Você	vinha
Ele/Ela	era		Ele/Ela	ia		Ele/Ela	tinha		Ele/Ela	vinha
Nós	éramos		Nós	íamos		Nós	tínhamos		Nós	vínhamos
Vocês	eram		Vocês	iam		Vocês	tinham		Vocês	vinham
Eles/Elas	eram		Eles/Elas	iam		Eles/Elas	tinham		Eles/Elas	vinham