Building Your First Portuguese Sentences
You now have vowels, verbs, questions, and vocabulary. This final lesson shows you how to combine everything into real, natural sentences — and where to go next.
What You will Learn
- Understand basic Portuguese word order (Subject-Verb-Object)
- Connect ideas using common linking words
- Make sentences negative correctly
- Combine everything from Lessons 1–7 into full conversations
Basic Word Order
Good news: Portuguese word order is very close to English — Subject, Verb, Object. If you can build a sentence in English, you can usually map it directly.
| Subject | Verb | Object | Full Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eu | como | pizza | Eu como pizza. (I eat pizza.) |
| Ela | fala | português | Ela fala português. (She speaks Portuguese.) |
| Nós | vamos | à praia | Nós vamos à praia. (We are going to the beach.) |
The main difference from English: adjectives usually come after the noun — "casa grande" (big house), not "grande casa."
Note: Object pronouns usually attach after the verb with a hyphen — Ele ajudou-me (He helped me).
Making a Sentence Negative
This is the easiest grammar rule in the entire language: put "não" directly before the verb. That is it.
| Positive | Negative |
|---|---|
| Eu falo espanhol. | Eu não falo espanhol. |
| Ele tem tempo. | Ele não tem tempo. |
| Nós vamos hoje. | Nós não vamos hoje. |
Connecting Words to Sound More Natural
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| e | and |
| mas | but |
| porque | because |
| também | also / too |
| então | so / then |
Example combining several lessons at once: "Eu queria um café, mas não tenho dinheiro hoje." (I would like a coffee, but I do not have money today.) That single sentence uses vocabulary and grammar from four different lessons — this is exactly how fluency builds.
What to Do Next
You now have the real foundation: sounds, greetings, the two verbs for "to be," numbers and time, questions, present-tense verbs, everyday phrases, and sentence structure. From here, the fastest way to keep progressing is consistent exposure and practice.
Take the free level quiz to see exactly where you stand, browse the free resource library for printable practice materials, or explore structured next steps if you want a guided path forward.
Practice What You Just Learned
- Make this sentence negative: "Eu falo italiano."
Show answer
"Eu não falo italiano." — just add "não" before the verb.
- Where does the adjective go in "a big house"?
Show answer
After the noun: "a casa grande," not "a grande casa."
- Combine "I want a coffee" and "I do not have time" using "mas" (but).
Show answer
"Eu queria um café, mas não tenho tempo."
Ready to Go Further?
You just finished all 8 free lessons: pronunciation, greetings, verbs, numbers, questions, survival phrases, and sentence-building. The fastest way to keep progressing from here is real conversation practice with a teacher.