Welcome to Can-Do Portuguese by PortuguesePod101.com. |
In this lesson, you'll learn how to give your name in Portuguese. |
For example, "I'm Susana. Nice to meet you!" |
is |
Eu sou Susana. Prazer! |
Two passengers, Susana Santos and Alex Andrade , are seated next to each other on a plane to Brazil. |
Before you hear their conversation, let’s preview some of its key components. |
Oi! |
"Hi!" |
Oi! |
Oi! |
Prazer. |
"Nice to meet you." |
Prazer. |
Prazer. |
Listen to the conversation, and focus on Susana's response. |
Note: both Alex and Susana use only their first names. |
Ready? |
Oi! Eu sou Alex. Prazer. |
Eu sou Susana. Prazer! |
Once more with the English translation. |
Oi! Eu sou Alex. Prazer. |
"Hi! I'm Alex. Nice to meet you." |
Eu sou Susana. Prazer! |
"I'm Susana. Nice to meet you!" |
Let's break down Susana's response. |
Do you remember how Susana Santos introduces herself? |
"I'm Susana. Nice to meet you!" |
Eu sou Susana. Prazer! |
Let's start with the expression, Prazer. This literally means "a pleasure," but it translates as "Nice to meet you." |
Prazer. Prazer. |
Both Susana and Alex use Prazer, in their introductions. This expression can be used in many contexts and is appropriate for both formal and informal situations. |
Do you remember how Susana says, |
"I'm Susana.". |
Eu sou Susana. |
First is eu, "I." Eu. Eu. |
Next is sou, "am," as in "I am." Sou. Sou. |
Sou is from the verb ser, meaning "to be." Ser. |
Next is the name, Susana. "Susana." Susana. Susana. |
Together it's Eu sou Susana. "I'm Susana." |
Eu sou Susana. |
The pattern is |
Eu sou NAME. |
I'm NAME. |
Eu sou NAME. |
To use this pattern, simply replace the {NAME} placeholder with your given name or your given name and surname. |
Note: it's more common to use only one's given name with this pattern. |
Imagine you're Samuel. In Portuguese, Samuel. Samuel. Samuel. |
Say |
"I'm Samuel." |
Ready? |
Eu sou Samuel. |
"I'm Samuel." |
Eu sou Samuel. |
In the conversation, Susana and Alex use the expression Prazer. |
Prazer is actually a shortened version of Prazer em conhecê-lo, meaning, "It's a pleasure to meet you," when addressing a male listener. Prazer em conhecê-lo. |
-lo indicates the singular masculine form. |
The gender of the person you are addressing determines the final part of this phrase for the extended version. |
In the case you address a female listener, the extended version is Prazer em conhecê-la, where -la indicates the singular feminine form. |
Remember, you can simply say, "Prazer," the shortened form. It's also polite and can be used with anyone. The extended versions are simply for your general awareness. |
Again, the key pattern is |
Eu sou NAME. |
I'm NAME. |
Eu sou NAME. |
Let's look at some examples. |
Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers. |
Oi! Eu sou Alex. Prazer. |
"Hi! I'm Alex. Nice to meet you." |
Oi! Eu sou Alex. Prazer. |
Eu sou Susana. Prazer! |
"I'm Susana. Nice to meet you!" |
Eu sou Susana. Prazer! |
Eu sou Samuel. Prazer! |
"I'm Samuel. Nice to meet you!" |
Eu sou Samuel. Prazer! |
Oi! Eu sou Jade Furuta. |
"Hi! I'm Jade Furuta." |
Oi! Eu sou Jade Furuta. |
O meu nome é Lilian. |
"My name is Lilian." |
O meu nome é Lilian. |
Did you notice how the last speaker uses a different pattern? |
O meu nome é Lilian. |
"My name is Lilian." |
Let's start with nome, "name." Nome. Nome. |
In Portuguese, all nouns have grammatical gender and are either singular or plural. Nome is masculine and singular — a fact that determines the form of other words in the sentence. |
Before this is o meu, meaning "my." O meu. |
Meu is masculine singular to agree with nome. |
Before meu is the article o. Think of it like "the" in English. O. O. |
O is also masculine singular to agree with nome. |
Note: in this sentence, the article, o, does not have a corresponding English translation. |
In Portuguese, possessive pronouns, like meu, "my," seu, "your," and so forth, often pair with an article, like the o in o meu. |
Together it's o meu, "my." O meu. |
All together, o meu nome. "My name." O meu nome. |
Next is é, "is," as in "My name is." É. É. |
É is from the verb ser, meaning "to be." Ser. |
Together it's o meu nome é, "my name is…" O meu nome é. |
Last is the name Lilian. "Lilian." Lilian. Lilian. |
All together, O meu nome é Lilian. "My name is Lillian." |
O meu nome é Lilian. |
This pattern is |
O meu nome é NAME. |
My name is NAME. |
To use this pattern, simply replace the {NAME} placeholder with your given name or given name and surname. |
Note: this pattern requires a proper noun. |
Remember this pattern. You will use it later in the lesson. |
Let's review the new vocabulary. |
Oi. "Hi." Oi. Oi. |
Let's review. |
Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speaker, focusing on pronunciation. |
Ready? |
Do you remember the short way to say |
"Nice to meet you." |
Prazer. |
Prazer. |
And the Portuguese pronunciation of Susana's name? |
Susana. |
Susana. |
Do you remember how to say "I"? |
Eu. |
Eu. |
Do you remember how Susana says, |
"I'm Susana." |
Eu sou Susana. |
Eu sou Susana. |
And do you remember how Susana says, |
"I'm Susana. Nice to meet you!" |
Eu sou Susana. Prazer! |
Eu sou Susana. Prazer! |
Do you remember how to say |
"Hi!" |
Oi! |
Oi! |
And the Portuguese pronunciation of Alex’s name? |
Alex. |
Alex. |
Do you remember how Alex says, |
"Hi! I'm Alex. Nice to meet you." |
Oi! Eu sou Alex. Prazer. |
Oi! Eu sou Alex. Prazer. |
Do you remember the Portuguese pronunciation of Lilian’s name? |
Lilian. |
Lilian. |
And how to say "name"? |
Nome. |
Nome. |
Do you remember how to say "my name"? |
Don’t forget the article. |
O meu nome. |
O meu nome. |
Do you remember how to say "My name is Lilian"? |
O meu nome é Lilian. |
O meu nome é Lilian. |
Let's practice. |
Imagine you're Samuel. Samuel. |
Respond to Alex's self introduction. |
Ready? |
Oi! Eu sou Alex. Prazer. |
Eu sou Samuel. Prazer. |
Listen again and repeat. |
Eu sou Samuel. Prazer. |
Eu sou Samuel. Prazer. |
Let's try another. |
Imagine you're Lilian. Lilian. |
Include "Nice to meet you." |
Ready? |
Oi! Eu sou Alex. Prazer. |
Eu sou Lilian. Prazer! |
Listen again and repeat. |
Eu sou Lilian. Prazer! |
Eu sou Lilian. Prazer! |
Let's try one more. |
Imagine you're Jade. Jade. |
Respond by saying, "My name is Jade. Nice to meet you." |
Ready? |
O meu nome é Alex. Prazer. |
O meu nome é Jade. Prazer! |
Listen again and repeat. |
O meu nome é Jade. Prazer! |
O meu nome é Jade. Prazer! |
In general, Brazilians use only their first names when introducing themselves. |
However, in a formal situation, such as a business meeting, it may be better to use your full name. |
For example, |
Eu sou Samuel Santos. |
"I'm Samuel Santos." |
Well Done! This is the end of this lesson. |
In this lesson, you learned how to give your name in Portuguese. This plays an essential role in the larger skill of introducing yourself. |
Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills. |
What's next? |
Show us what you can do. |
When you're ready, take your assessment. |
You can take it again and again, so try anytime you like. |
Our teachers will assess it, and give you your results. |
Keep practicing — and move on to the next lesson! |
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