A2 Brazilian Portuguese Vocabulary & Conversation Practice

Focus on the pretérito perfeito (simple past), which describes completed actions: “eu fui” (I went), “eu comi” (I ate), “eu fiz” (I did). This tense covers most of what you need to talk about at A2 — what happened yesterday, last week, or on your last trip. The imperfect tense (pretérito imperfeito) comes at B1 when you start describing ongoing past states and habits.

Use “vou + infinitive” (I’m going to + verb). This is the standard way Brazilians express near-future plans in everyday speech: “eu vou almoçar” (I’m going to have lunch), “a gente vai sair” (we’re going to go out). The formal future tense (“eu farei,” “eu irei”) exists but is mostly used in writing. At A2, “vou + infinitive” covers everything you need.

Both mean “to be,” but they are used differently. “Ser” describes permanent or defining characteristics: “eu sou brasileiro” (I am Brazilian), “ela é alta” (she is tall). “Estar” describes temporary states and locations: “estou cansado” (I’m tired), “ela está em casa” (she is at home). At A2, the most important pattern is “estar com” for temporary conditions: “estou com fome” (I’m hungry), “estou com dor” (I’m in pain).

Use “você.” It is the standard second-person pronoun across most of Brazil and is always correct. “Tu” is used in some regions (parts of the South, North, and Northeast) but with inconsistent conjugation. At A2, learning “você” with third-person verb forms gives you a solid foundation that works everywhere in Brazil.

Start with three: “pra” (para = for/to), “tá” (está = is), and “tá bom” (está bom = okay/alright). These are not slang — they are how all Brazilians speak in daily life. At A2, recognizing and using these three contractions will make your Portuguese sound much more natural. You will encounter more contractions (“to” for “estou,” “né” for “não é”) as you progress.

Add “por favor” (please) to any request: “um café, por favor” (a coffee, please). For slightly more polite requests, use “você pode” (can you): “você pode me ajudar?” (can you help me?). For formal situations, use “o senhor pode” or “a senhora pode” instead. At A2, “por favor” at the end of a sentence covers most situations perfectly.

The difference is the speaker’s gender, not the listener’s. Male speakers say “obrigado” and female speakers say “obrigada.” This is one of the few words in Portuguese where the speaker’s gender determines the form. It does not matter whether you are thanking a man or a woman — what matters is whether you identify as male or female.