Don’t worry, in general, it’s very common for a lot of people to end up getting confused
The is full of rules, exceptions and gotchas that confuse even native speakers.
It’s no wonder that Portuguese mistakes are common and part of everyone’s life!
But don’t worry, in general, it’s very common for a lot of people to end up getting confused.
6 Portuguese mistakes that everyone has made at some point
1. Agent and us
This is one of the most classic Portuguese mistakes!
“Agent”, all together, refers to a profession or role, as in “the travel agent organized everything”.
“A gente” separated is an informal expression equivalent to “us”.
“We’re going to the cinema today.” Try replacing it with “we”. If it makes sense, then the correct way is “us”!
2. Mal e Mau
Another mistake that catches a lot of people! “Evil” is the opposite of “good” and can be an adverb, noun or conjunction.
“He woke up feeling bad today.” “Bad” is the antonym of “good” and is an adjective.
“He’s a bad student.” To avoid making this mistake again, you can replace it with “good” or “well” and see which one suits you best!
3. Affine and In order
“Affine” together indicates similarity or relationship. “We have similar interests.”
“In order to” indicates purpose or desire. “I feel like going out today.”
If you can replace it with “with the desire to”, the correct form is “in order to”.
4. Where and Where
Confusion between these words is more common than it seems! “Where” indicates a fixed place: “Where do you live?”
“Where” suggests movement: “Where are you going?”
To avoid making any more mistakes, if you can replace it with “where”, then the correct word is “where”.
5. There was and There were
Another mistake that many people make is when they say “there were problems”.
The verb “haver”, in the sense of existing or happening, is impersonal and must always be in the singular: “There were problems at the meeting”.
The use of “were” is only correct when the verb is auxiliary: “They had to agree”.
6. Half or Half
“Half” as an adverb means “a little” and is invariable: “She’s a little tired.”
“Meia” indicates half of something and agrees in gender and number: “I ate half a pizza”.
Try replacing it with “a little”. If it makes sense, use “middle”.
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