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Portuguese Tip: If Clauses Part 1
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By Teacher Claudia
There‘s something very interesting going on; while I teach using Brazilian songs and literature, some readers are teaching me about their own culture. That‘s how I‘ve learnt of Damien Rice and his stunning songs.
My tip for today is an essential element in any language, due to its meaning: hypothesis.
Activity 1
Introduction.
Read the passage:
Finalmente - At last
"O que farei se te encontrar de novo?
Serei forte como nos meus pensamentos
Ou fraca como na sua presença?
Se eu conseguir andar até você
Você finalmente me abraçará?"
(What will I do if I meet you again?
Will I be strong as in my thoughts
Or weak as in your presence?
If I can walk to you
Will you hug me at last?)
Activity 2
Explanation.
Understand what it is:
There are basically four kinds of if clauses, or subjunctive clauses in Portuguese; the present, the imperfect, the past perfect and the future.
The least used is the past perfect, and the present is naturally studied with the imperative.
Therefore, we‘ll work on the imperfect and the future.
Our focus today is the future subjunctive.
Activity 3
Expansion.
Know what it is in English:
Our future subjunctive corresponds to the first conditional, the verb tense used for a true possibility, such as the first sentence of the poem in activity 1:
"O que farei se te encontrar de novo?", or What will I do if I meet you again?
Activity 4
Formation.
Know how to form it.
First of all, we need to remember the ordinary simple past for ex, the verb fazer:
Eu fiz,
Você, ele fez
Nós fizemos
Vocês, eles fizeram
Secondly, we take the bold printed part, which is now our base form, and add R, R, RMOS or REM, accordingly to the pronoun, for ex:
Se eu fizer
Se você, ele fizer
Se nós fizermos
Se vocês, eles, fizerem
Easy, right?
Activity 5
Exercise.
Complete the following sentences using the future subjunctive:
1.
a. Vocês vão viajar nesse fim-de-semana?
b. Se ............................. (fazer) sol, nós viajaremos.
2.
a. Ele vai ficar com a vaga?
b. Se o salário ..................................... (ser) bom, ele aceitará.
3.
a. Você acha que a situação vai piorar?
b. Se a inflação ...................................... (continuar) assim, o ano será difícil.
4.
a. Amanhã eu vou para o Rio.
b. Se você ...................................... (agendar) com o diretor, ele terá uma reunião com você.
Answers: fizer / for / continuar / agendar
See you next class!
Teacher Claudia is available for private classes in Sao Paulo. She can be contacted at claudiafmla@uol.com.br
To read previous articles by Teacher Claudia click below:
Portuguese Tip: The X Doubts Part 2
Portuguese Tip: The X Doubts
Brazil: To Tell or Not to Tell
Brazil: Ipiranga Museum
Portuguese Tip: Odd words
Portuguese Tip: Interjections and Expressions
A Brazilian Holiday: October 12th
Portuguese Tip: Sounds
Portuguese Tip: Verb Tenses
Portuguese Tip: The Mystery of Seu, Sua
Portuguese Tip: Interjections and Expressions
Portuguese Tips: Plurals - Part 2
A Brazilian custom: Kissing the Cheek
Portuguese Tips: Regular Verbs - Simple Past
Portuguese Tips: Plurals - Part 1
Portuguese Tips: Regular Verbs - Simple Present
Portuguese Tips
Portuguese Tips: Adverbs in Portuguese
Portuguese Tips: Comparative and Superlative
Foreigners Through Brazilian Eyes
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4/20/2006
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