How to make a sentence in Brazilian Portuguese?

To build a sentence using a linking verb, follow this general structure:

Linking verbs are words which connect the subject of a sentence to a complement, which is a word or phrase that describes someone’s or something’s condition or state. The main linking verbs in Brazilian Portuguese are ser and estar, which both translate to “to be.”

Take a look at this chart to see other linking verbs in Brazilian Portuguese and their meanings.

A transitive verb is a verb that is followed by an object, so sentences like these typically use the classic subject-verb-object word order.

However, some transitive verbs can be followed by two objects:

• a direct object → the noun directly affected by the action of the verb

• an indirect object → a noun that is helped by the action, often by receiving the object of the verb.

If a sentence has two objects, the sentence structure looks like this instead:

When a verb has both a direct and indirect object, it is more common for the direct object to precede the indirect object.

Intransitive verbs don’t require objects to complete their meanings. The most common sentence structure is simply:

In informal and everyday Brazilian Portuguese, though, people often invert the subject and the verb to emphasize the action. Therefore, the word order can also be:

Subject pronouns can almost always be omitted in Brazilian Portuguese, because the form of the verb and the context makes the subject pronoun that would have been there clear. For example:

• É um país gigantesco.

  Translation: It is a huge country.
• Preparou uma festa para a irmã.

  Translation: He/she prepared a party for his/her sister.
• Dormiu.

  Translation: He/she slept.

Want to know more about the forms and uses of subject pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese? Take a look at our post!

Impersonal sentence structures have indeterminate subjects and are usually used to highlight ideas or actions. In this case, the verb is placed at the beginning of the sentence because there is no subject that precedes it.

• Está sol.

  Translation: It is sunny.
• Têm muitas lojas nesta rua.

  Translation: There are many shops in this street.

Have a look at our post on impersonal expressions in Brazilian Portuguese to learn more!

Generally, adverbs that modify verbs are placed after verbs. Classic adverbs of manner, will almost always follow this pattern, as in:

However, other kinds of adverbs may allow more flexibility or follow different rules altogether. Let’s look at a few different types of adverbs:

• Adverbs of time and adverbs of place can be placed before or after the verb:

  verbadverb of manner

  ✅ Nós agora estamos no Brasil.
  ✅ Nós estamos agora no Brasil.

  Translation: We are now in Brazil.

• Adverbs of frequency like nunca (meaning never) and sempre (meaning always), are not as flexible as others, should usually be placed before the verb:

  adverb of frequencyverb

  Emilia nunca corre, porque prefere caminhar.

  Translation: Emilia never runs, because she prefers to walk.

• Adverbs of negation

  Negation adverbs, such as não (meaning no), are always placed before the verb:

  adverb of frequencyverb

  Eu não sou brasileiro.

  Translation: I am not Brazilian.

In compound tenses, most types of adverbs will go between the auxiliary and the main verb, as in:

However, it you will probably sometimes hear people place most common adverbs before the auxiliary verb or after the main verb as well:

Adverbs of negation, though, are much less flexible. These will almost always come before the auxiliary verb:

Adverbial phrases are groups of words that work together to act like an adverb in a sentence. Like basic adverbs, they can provide information about words like verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs:

• time → em breve (meaning soon), à tarde (meaning in the afternoon), ...

• place → em cima (meaning on top, up there), ao lado (meaning next to here, on the side), ...

• affirmation → com certeza (meaning with certainty), de fato (meaning in fact), ...

• negation → de forma alguma (meaning no way), de modo algum (meaning not at all), ...

• manner → às pressas (meaning in a rush), em silêncio (meaning in silence), ...

• quantity → em excesso (meaning in excess)

Adverbial phrases are commonly placed at the beginning or at the end of a sentence:

Possessive adjectives are words like “my” or “their” which are placed before a noun and used to indicate ownership or relationship.

Possessive adjectives in Brazilian Portuguese are most often placed before the nouns to which they refer, just like English:

However, it is also possible to place the possessive adjective after the noun, for emphasis. This structure can be used in written language, but it is often seen in everyday informal, spoken language.

Defining relative clauses are used to restrict or delimit the meaning of the noun they modify.

In Brazilian Portuguese, defining relative clauses are always introduced by the relative pronoun que (meaning that, who). These types of relative clauses are not separated out by commas.

Non-defining relative clauses are used to better explain or clarify the term to which they refer. They are also introduced by the relative pronoun que (meaning which, who), but are most often separated by commas: