{"id":60925,"date":"2019-01-28T17:38:04","date_gmt":"2019-01-28T22:38:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/portuguese-word-order\/"},"modified":"2025-06-09T07:03:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T11:03:06","slug":"portuguese-word-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/portuguese\/portuguese-word-order\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Portuguese Word Order"},"content":{"rendered":"

Placing words into their correct spots in a sentence makes a world of a difference.\u00a0If you were studying, say, Japanese, you’d have to learn to turn your thinking upside-down to form proper sentences.<\/p>\n

But\u00a0if you’re learning Portuguese and you already know English, you’re in luck: Portuguese and English word order is very similar.\u00a0<\/strong>Let’s go over exactly how to\u00a0string all those vocabulary words together\u00a0in a way that makes sense\u00a0in the Lusophone world.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Portuguese Sentence Structure<\/h2>\n

Like the English language, Portuguese follows what’s known as the\u00a0subject-verb-object<\/strong>\u00a0sentence format.<\/p>\n

This is exactly what it implies: you state\u00a0who<\/strong> (the subject) is doing the action<\/strong> (verb) and to what<\/strong>\/under what context<\/strong> (object)\u2014in that order.<\/p>\n

Here are a few examples that demonstrate this concept more clearly:<\/p>\n

Ele comprou um livro.<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 He bought a book.<\/p>\n

In this phrase ele\u00a0<\/em>(he)\u00a0is the subject,<\/strong> comprou\u00a0<\/em>(bought) is the verb<\/strong> and um livro\u00a0<\/em>(a book) is the object.<\/strong><\/p>\n

N\u00f3s fomos ao restaurante.<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 We went to the restaurant.<\/p>\n

Here, n\u00f3s\u00a0<\/em>(we) is the subject,<\/strong> fomos\u00a0<\/em>(went) is the verb\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0ao restaurante\u00a0<\/em>(to the restaurant)\u00a0is the object.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Naturally, there are some subtle grammatical differences between the two languages.<\/p>\n

One of the first things to keep in mind is that, unlike English, months, nationalities and days of the week are only capitalized in Portuguese if they appear at the start of the sentence:<\/p>\n

Vou te visitar em outubro.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2014 I’ll visit you in October.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ele \u00e9 alem\u00e3o.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2014 He’s German.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Segunda-feira<\/strong> eu volto l\u00e1.<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 (On) Monday<\/strong> I’ll go back there.<\/p>\n

You’ll find other little peculiarities as you delve closer into the various phrases you might use on a day-to-day basis\u2014which is exactly what we’re focusing on next.<\/p>\n

Portuguese Sentence Types<\/h2>\n

As previously stated, the best way to make sense of the similarities and differences between English and Portuguese word order is to look at the different types of sentences you’ll be dealing with:\u00a0statements, questions, negative statements\u00a0and<\/strong> descriptions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Statements<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Statements or assertions are the easiest to get your head around, as this is where the subject-verb-object format is most evident:<\/p>\n

Eu vou comprar uma casa.<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 I’ll buy a house.<\/p>\n

Meu vizinho saiu de f\u00e9rias.<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 My neighbor went on vacation.<\/p>\n

See how easily these sentences flow into their subjects and what they’re doing?<\/p>\n

Where Portuguese differs from English is in the fact that it’s what linguists call a null subject language.<\/strong> What this means is that it allows for, and sometimes mandates, the omission of certain subjects.<\/p>\n

For example, the sentence “I’m going to Paris” can be written in full\u2014Eu vou para Paris<\/em>\u2014or it can omit the “I” subject\u2014Vou para Paris.<\/em><\/p>\n

Here’s another example: In\u00a0Est\u00e1 a chover<\/em> (European Portuguese)\u00a0and est\u00e1 chovendo\u00a0<\/em>(Brazilian Portuguese)\u2014both of which mean “It’s raining”\u2014the subject is ambiguous, and therefore omitted.<\/p>\n

Put it into practice:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spend some time looking at\u00a0how the above rules apply to the sentences you’ve stumbled across<\/strong> in your studies. Whenever you’re doing any kind of language practice, have a pen and some paper handy so that you can take note of the different statements that jump at you.<\/p>\n

The more relevant you can make this exercise to your learning, the better!<\/p>\n

2. Questions<\/h3>\n

This is one of the biggest differences between Portuguese and English as far as word order goes. But it actually works out in your favor!<\/p>\n

While in English, the subject and verb word order needs to be reversed for a question (“He is<\/strong>\u00a0going home.” \u2192 “Is he<\/strong> going home?”), all that differentiates a statement from an indirect question in Portuguese is its intonation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For instance, the statement\u00a0Ele \u00e9 alem\u00e3o<\/em> (He’s German) is easily transformed into a question by saying it in an interrogative manner: Ele \u00e9 alem\u00e3o?<\/em>\u00a0(Is he German?)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, there are instances in English where you might ask a question in the same manner. The difference is, in Portuguese this is the case all the time,\u00a0<\/strong>whereas in English you’d only apply an inquisitive tone to a statement when you’re double-checking or are incredulous about a fact presented to you: “He’s German? Really!?”<\/p>\n

Also note that while in English you need to start your questions with an auxiliary verb, it’s not a requirement in Portuguese:<\/p>\n

Elas moram em S\u00e3o Paulo?<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Do they (feminine) live in S\u00e3o Paulo?<\/p>\n

You do, however, need to add your standard question words\u2014who (quem),<\/em>\u00a0what\u00a0(o que),<\/em>\u00a0when (onde),\u00a0<\/em>where\u00a0(quando),\u00a0<\/em>how (como),<\/em>\u00a0why\u00a0(por que)\u2014<\/em>to\u00a0direct questions,\u00a0<\/strong>just as you would in English:<\/p>\n

Quando<\/strong> \u00e9 a reuni\u00e3o?<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 When’s the meeting?<\/p>\n

Onde<\/strong> fica o restaurante?<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Where’s the restaurant?<\/p>\n

Quem<\/strong> \u00e9 ele?<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Who’s he?<\/p>\n

Como<\/strong> voc\u00ea sabe?<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 How do you know?<\/p>\n

Be extra careful when dealing with “why” and “because” as they’re quite easy to get mixed up:<\/p>\n

Por que<\/strong> voc\u00ea faltou da escola?<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Why did you miss school? (Por que<\/em> \u2014 Why)<\/p>\n

Porque<\/strong> eu estava doente.<\/em> \u2014 Because I\u00a0was sick. (Porque<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Because)<\/p>\n

Put it into practice:<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is where you get to test your listening and speaking skills.<\/strong> Keep your ears peeled for any questions that come up on your favorite podcasts<\/a>, audiobooks<\/a>, movies<\/a> and other listening tools\u2014and repeat them out loud so that you’re also working on your own intonation.<\/p>\n

You can also practice with this grammar breakdown of a “Two and a Half Men” clip from our YouTube channel<\/a>:<\/p>\n

<\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n

3. Negative Statements<\/h3>\n

In order to make a sentence negative, you simply need to add a negating word before the verb.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Negative words that typically precede Portuguese verbs are n\u00e3o<\/em> (no, don’t or not, depending on context), nunca<\/em> (never), and\u00a0nem<\/em> (nor).\u00a0Jamais<\/em> (never ever) might also be used on the odd occasion:<\/p>\n

Eu n\u00e3o<\/strong> tenho ideia.<\/em> \u2014 I have no idea.<\/p>\n

N\u00e3o<\/strong> fa\u00e7a isso.<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Don’t do this.<\/p>\n

Ele n\u00e3o<\/strong> \u00e9 muito simp\u00e1tico.<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 He’s not very friendly.<\/p>\n

Eu nunca<\/strong> comi caviar.<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 I’ve never eaten caviar.<\/p>\n

Ela n\u00e3o<\/strong> quer sair.<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 She doesn’t want to go out.<\/p>\n

(N\u00f3s) jamais<\/strong> esqueceremos disso.<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 (We) will never forget this. (This is one of those sentences where you can omit the “we” subject if you wish.)<\/p>\n

N\u00e3o<\/strong> vi, nem quero ver.<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 I\u00a0neither saw (it), nor do I\u00a0want to. (And this is an example which mandates the subject to be omitted.)<\/p>\n

Put it into practice:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now’s the time to focus on your writing skills.<\/strong> First up, grab your pen and notebook and start crafting some positive statements. Then, convert them into negative sentences.<\/p>\n

Along with fine-tuning your knowledge of\u00a0grammar rules<\/a>, this’ll add some much-needed spelling practice into the mix.<\/p>\n

4. Descriptive Statements<\/h3>\n

Now we get into adjective placement.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is one of those areas you’ll want to spend some time working on, as it’ll go against some of the standard conventions you’re used to.<\/p>\n

In English, describing words come before the noun; in Portuguese, adjectives follow the nouns they modify.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you’re describing a red car, for instance, you need to invert your word order: um carro vermelho<\/em> (carro<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 car, vermelho<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 red). Taking things literally, you’re saying “car red” instead of a “red car.”<\/p>\n

The same rule applies to size, shape and other descriptors:<\/p>\n

Ela mora em uma casa grande.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2014 She lives in a big house. (casa<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 house, grande<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 big)<\/p>\n

(Eu) Tenho cinco ma\u00e7\u00e3s maduras.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2014 I have three ripe apples. (ma\u00e7\u00e3s<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 apples, maduras<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 ripe)<\/p>\n

(Eu) Comprei um computador novo.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2014 I bought a new computer. (computador<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 computer, novo<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 new)<\/p>\n

We get that this probably sounds unnatural right now. But constructing descriptive sentences will get easier once you get used to the reversed order of things.<\/p>\n

Put it into practice:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let’s mix things up a little.<\/p>\n

Start by analyzing the various adjectives<\/strong> that emerge in your favorite study resources,\u00a0Portuguese language apps<\/a>, visual tools and audio aides. For this step, you should focus on how each describing word is used alongside questions as well as negative and positive statements.<\/p>\n

Once you’ve done that, you can start building your own descriptive sentences<\/strong>\u2014statements, questions, anything goes! It may be that you need to revisit some of the previous rules to do this. But in the end, the more creative you can be in your approach, the more memorable the experience will be.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That’s all there is to it! We hope our study tips will help you hone your Portuguese sentence-building skills so that you, too, can construct your own path toward fluency.
\n<\/p>\n

And One More Thing...<\/h2>\r\n

\r\n\tIf you're like me and enjoy learning Portuguese through movies and other media, you should check out FluentU<\/strong><\/a>. With FluentU, you can turn any subtitled content on YouTube or Netflix into an engaging language lesson. \r\n<\/p>\r\n\t

\r\n\t\tI also love that FluentU has a huge library of videos picked specifically for Portuguese learners<\/strong>. No more searching for good content\u2014it's all in one place!\r\n<\/p>\r\n\"learn-portuguese-with-videos\"<\/a>\r\n

\r\n\tOne of my favorite features is the interactive captions<\/strong>. You can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and examples, which makes it so much easier to understand and remember.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\"learn-portuguese-vocab-with-fluentu\"<\/a> \r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nAnd if you're worried about forgetting new words, FluentU has you covered. You'll complete fun exercises to reinforce vocabulary<\/strong> and be reminded when it\u2019s time to review, so you actually retain what you\u2019ve learned.\r\n<\/p>

\r\n\"learn-portuguese-with-music-videos\"<\/a> \r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nYou can use FluentU on your computer or tablet, or download the app from the App Store or Google Play. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Placing words into their correct spots in a sentence makes a world of a difference.\u00a0If you were studying, say, Japanese, you’d have to learn to turn your thinking upside-down to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":417,"featured_media":250190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Understanding Portuguese Word Order | FluentU Portuguese Blog","description":"Understand Portuguese word order with this guide to sentence structure in Portuguese. It's similar to English sentence structure, with a few important differences. Click here to learn more."},"footnotes":""},"categories":[380],"tags":[],"coauthors":[390],"class_list":["post-60925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-portuguese-vocab-and-grammar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/417"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60925"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":254232,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60925\/revisions\/254232"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60925"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=60925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}