Portuguese Year 2: Joining ideas: and, or, nor and linking words
Portuguese, Year 2 (Portugal): Words that add («e», «nem»), choose («ou») and link ideas by time, cause, explanation and contrast.
Adding, choosing and linking
You can join words or sentences to say more in a single idea. With «e» and «nem» you add: «O Rui canta e a Ana dança.» (Rui sings and Ana dances.) «Não gosto de sopa nem de peixe.» (I like neither soup nor fish.) This is copulative coordination. With «ou» you choose: «Queres chá ou leite?» (Do you want tea or milk?) This is disjunctive coordination. There are also connectors, words that show how ideas relate: time (primeiro, depois, por fim), cause (porque), explanation (ou seja) and contrast (mas).
Ideas gain a link
Without linking words, a text is a row of loose sentences: «Chovia. Levei o guarda-chuva.» (It was raining. I took the umbrella.) You understand it, but with «porque» the reason is said: «Levei o guarda-chuva porque chovia.» (I took the umbrella because it was raining.) Connectors tell whether something comes later, is a reason, is explained or is the opposite. In an opinion they help you give reasons: «Acho que o recreio devia ser maior porque…» (I think break should be longer because…).
Telling and giving an opinion
Step 1, time: «Primeiro comi. Depois brinquei.» (First I ate. Then I played.) Step 2, cause: «Levei o casaco porque estava frio.» (I took my coat because it was cold.) Step 3, explanation: «O Rui é canhoto, ou seja, escreve com a mão esquerda.» (Rui is left-handed, that is, he writes with his left hand.) Step 4, contrast: «Queria brincar, mas chovia.» (I wanted to play, but it was raining.) Step 5, opinion: «Gosto de ler porque aprendo coisas novas.» (I like reading because I learn new things.)
Cause and result swapped
The most common mistake: swapping cause and result. «Chovia porque levei o guarda-chuva» (It was raining because I took the umbrella) is backwards, since the umbrella does not make it rain. The right way is «Levei o guarda-chuva porque chovia» (I took the umbrella because it was raining) or «Chovia, por isso levei o guarda-chuva» (It was raining, so I took the umbrella). Another mistake: using «e» when ideas contradict each other. If one idea goes against the other, use «mas»: «Queria ir, mas chovia.»
Where you link ideas
When you tell how your day went («primeiro…, depois…», first…, then…), when you give an opinion («Prefiro o verão porque…», I prefer summer because…), when you explain the rules of a game, when you follow a recipe («primeiro…, depois…, por fim…»). In the texts you read, notice these little words: they tell you how the ideas fit together.
Test what you learned
You can have only one of the two. Which word fits: «Queres chá ___ leite?» (Do you want tea ___ milk?)
- a) «ou»
- b) «e»
- c) «nem»
Correct answer: a) «ou» — Yes: «ou» offers a choice between two things.
Which linking word fits: «Levei o casaco ___ estava frio.» (I took my coat ___ it was cold.)
- a) «depois»
- b) «porque»
- c) «mas»
Correct answer: b) «porque» — Yes: the cold is the reason for taking the coat, so a cause word is needed.
Which sentence puts cause and result in the right order? (In all three, I take an umbrella and it is raining.)
- a) «Chovia porque levei o guarda-chuva.»
- b) «Porque levei o guarda-chuva, chovia.»
- c) «Levei o guarda-chuva porque chovia.»
Correct answer: c) «Levei o guarda-chuva porque chovia.» — Yes: the rain is the cause, and taking the umbrella is the result.
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