Portuguese Year 3: Listening for the essentials: notes, doubts and what the speaker means
Portuguese, Year 3 (Portugal): Listen with a goal, note only the key words, ask about what is missing and work out what the speaker wants.
Listen with a goal
Good listening is not just having open ears: it is listening in search of something. Before you listen, ask: “What do I need to know?” Then keep only the words that answer it: who, what, when, where. If something is unclear, ask. And notice what the speaker wants: to inform, to ask for something, to persuade or to entertain.
What you hear cannot be re-read
A written text stays on the page and you can read it again. What someone says disappears at once. So a listener who has a goal and notes two or three key words does not lose the essentials. There is more: people do not always say everything. If someone says «Está a chover muito» (“It is raining a lot”), they may mean “take your umbrella”. Good listening also means working out what was left unsaid.
The teacher's announcement
The teacher says: «Amanhã vamos à quinta. O autocarro sai às 9 horas. Levem lanche. De manhã está muito frio.» (Tomorrow we go to the farm. The bus leaves at 9. Bring a snack. It is very cold in the morning.) 1) Goal: know what to do tomorrow. 2) You note only: «9 h · lanche». 3) You infer: “it is very cold” means “bring a coat”, so you add «casaco». 4) Doubt: she did not say where the bus leaves, so you ask «Onde apanhamos o autocarro?» (Where do we catch the bus?) 5) Intention: to inform and to ask.
Noting everything, or keeping a doubt to yourself
There are two common mistakes. The first is trying to note everything: while you write one sentence, you miss the next one. Note only key words. The second is keeping quiet about a doubt because you are shy of asking. But asking does not mean you were not listening: it shows you listened well and noticed what was missing. Ask short and exact: «A que horas?» (“At what time?”), «Onde?» (“Where?”).
Where you listen like this every day
You listen for the essentials when mum tells you what is for dinner and at what time, when the station loudspeaker announces the train, when a coach explains a game or when you hear the news on the radio. In TV adverts the intention is different: to persuade you to want something. Working out the intention helps you decide what to believe.
Test what you learned
You are about to hear an announcement from your teacher. What helps you most to catch the essentials?
- a) Memorise every word she says
- b) Write down every word without stopping
- c) Decide first what I need to know and note only that
- d) Wait and see if something interesting turns up
Correct answer: c) Decide first what I need to know and note only that — Yes: with a goal (when? where? what to bring?) you know which words matter and you note only those.
You hear: «Amanhã o Pedro faz anos. A festa é às 4 horas, em casa dele. Traz uma prenda pequena.» (Pedro's birthday is tomorrow; party at 4, at his house; bring a small gift.) Which note is best?
- a) amanhã · 4 h · casa do Pedro · prenda
- b) Amanhã o Pedro faz anos. A festa é às 4 horas, em casa dele. Traz uma prenda pequena.
- c) Pedro · anos · festa
- d) prenda · 4 h
Correct answer: a) amanhã · 4 h · casa do Pedro · prenda — Yes: it has when (tomorrow, 4 o'clock), where (Pedro's house) and what to bring. Four key words are enough.
You heard an announcement but did not understand what time the bus leaves. What is best to do?
- a) Keep quiet and guess the time
- b) Ask at once: «A que horas sai?» (“What time does it leave?”)
- c) Say I understood everything, so as not to look silly
Correct answer: b) Ask at once: «A que horas sai?» (“What time does it leave?”) — Yes: a short, exact question fixes exactly what is missing. Asking shows that you listened well.
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