What this is about
The little words that turn sentences into REASONING: que (that), se (if), porque (because), antes/depois de (before/after). These connectors are what separate "Tarzan Portuguese" from real conversation — and they cost almost nothing to learn.
QUE — the universal glue
English drops "that" (I think ∅ it'll rain). Portuguese NEVER does:
| Acho que vai chover. | I think (that) it'll rain |
| Ela disse que vem amanhã. | she said (that) she's coming |
| Sei que você está cansado. | I know (that) you're tired |
The four porquês — solved forever
| Por que você estuda? | why? — starting a question (two words) |
| Você estuda por quê? | why? — at the END, it gains the hat |
| — Porque eu amo o Brasil! | because — one word, the answer |
| o porquê | the reason (a noun; rare — recognize it) |
SE, antes de, depois de
| Se chover, eu fico em casa. | if it rains… (the simple if) |
| antes de sair · depois de comer | before/after + INFINITIVE — no -ing! |
| Escova os dentes antes de dormir! | brush before sleeping |
DIZER — to say (irregular & essential)
| digo, diz, dizemos, dizem | present |
| disse, disse, dissemos, disseram | past — Ela disse que vem! |
| quer dizer… | "that is to say / I mean…" — the self-repair phrase |
Exceptions & details
1 · Opinion kit: Acho que sim / Acho que não (I think so / not), com certeza (definitely), talvez (maybe — later it drags the subjunctive, B1 preview).
2 · dizer vs contar vs falar: dizer = say (a fact), contar = tell (a story/secret — conta tudo!), falar = speak/talk. They overlap in speech; these lanes keep you safe.
3 · então works as "so", "then" and a breath-filler — Brazilians open half their sentences with it.
Practise this chapter
10 pool questions plus generated ones — 20 fresh practice questions, reshuffled every visit, inside the grammar library.
Practise Que, porque & se — 20 questions →This chapter is taught in Lição 19 of the course (level A2). Rumo is a complete Brazilian Portuguese course, A1 to B2; level A1 is free.