How this lesson works
Work through the steps in order. Everything repeats on purpose — that's the method.
Today you will learn to say:
"Oi! Tudo bem? Eu sou inglês. Estou muito bem hoje!"
"Hi! How's it going? I'm English. I'm doing great today!"
📐 Grammar in this lesson
| Subject pronouns | eu, você, ele/ela, nós, vocês, eles/elas |
| SER — present tense | irregular "to be" for essence: identity, origin, profession |
| ESTAR — present tense | irregular "to be" for states: feelings, location, right now |
| Ser vs estar | the core rule for choosing between the two |
| obrigado / obrigada | agreement with the speaker |
| Pronunciation basics | the 8 sound rules of Brazilian Portuguese |
The 8 steps (±40 min)
| 1 | Sounds — 8 pronunciation rules you need before anything else | 4 min |
| 2 | Words — 25 highest-frequency survival words, with audio | 5 min |
| 3 | Grammar — pronouns + ser/estar in the present tense | 5 min |
| 4 | Cards — flashcards, multiple choice, typing (repetition engine) | 9 min |
| 5 | Dialogue — hear a real mini-conversation, then answer questions | 3 min |
| 6 | Summary — everything new on one page (your cheat-sheet) | 1 min |
| 7 | Test — 30 questions, everything mixed | 8 min |
| 8 | Results — your scores, saved automatically | 1 min |
Step 1 · The sounds that make you sound Brazilian
Portuguese spelling is mostly regular — but 8 rules surprise beginners. Listen, then repeat out loud.
| Rule | Sounds like | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ão | nasal "ow" (through the nose) | não, são | |
| -o at the end | "oo" | tudo → "TOO-doo" | |
| -e at the end | "ee" | noite → "NOY-chee" | |
| de / di | "jee" (like "jeep") | bom dia → "bom JEE-a" | |
| te / ti | "chee" (like "cheese") | boa noite | |
| r at the start / rr | English "h" | Rio → "HEE-oo" | |
| s between vowels | "z" | casa → "CAH-za" | |
| nh / lh | "ny" / "ly" | senhora, filho |
Step 2 · 57 new words
These are among the most frequently used words in spoken Brazilian Portuguese. Click , repeat out loud twice, move on.
Greetings & politeness
People (the pronouns)
Glue words — you'll use these in every sentence
Story words 📖 — every one of these turns up in this lição’s história
Don’t drill these like the lists above. Read them once, then meet them again in the story — that second meeting is what makes them stick.
Step 3 · The grammar, properly explained
Seven small ideas. Master these and every later lesson stands on them.
1 · Subject pronouns — who is doing the action
Portuguese sentences start with WHO: eu = I, você = you, ele = he, ela = she, nós = we, vocês = you all, eles/elas = they (masc./fem. groups). Two things to burn in: Brazilians use você for "you" (not "tu" in most of Brazil), and você always takes the same verb form as ele/ela — that is why verb tables list them together.
| Eu sou o Rafael. | eu → I |
| Você é do Brasil? | você = you (takes the ele/ela form!) |
| Eles são meus amigos. | eles = they |
2 · SER — "to be" for what things ARE
Ser is "to be" for essence — things that define you and do not change by tomorrow: name, origin, profession, personality. Forms: eu sou · você/ele/ela é · nós somos · vocês/eles são.
| Eu sou inglês. | origin → ser |
| Ela é professora. | profession → ser |
| Nós somos amigos. | identity → ser |
3 · ESTAR — "to be" for how things are RIGHT NOW
Estar is "to be" for states — feelings, conditions and locations that can change: how you feel today, where you are at this moment. Forms: eu estou · você/ele/ela está · nós estamos · vocês/eles estão.
| Eu estou bem. | feeling → estar |
| Ela está em casa. | location → estar |
| Nós estamos cansados. | state → estar |
4 · Ser vs estar — the test that never fails
Ask: is this a definition, or a condition? Definition (who/what it IS) → ser. Condition (how/where it is NOW) → estar. The same adjective can flip meaning:
| Ela é feliz. | ser → by nature |
| Ela está feliz. | estar → at this moment |
| O café é bom. / O café está frio. | general vs this one |
5 · obrigado / obrigada — thanks agrees with YOU
"Thank you" literally means "(I am) obliged" — so it agrees with the speaker, not the listener. A man says obrigado; a woman says obrigada. Always.
| — Seu café. — Obrigado! | male speaker → -o |
| — Seu café. — Obrigada! | female speaker → -a |
| Muito obrigado! | muito = very (never changes here) |
6 · Pronunciation survival kit
Five sounds carry you through A1: ão is a nasal "ow" (não, são); nh sounds like the "ny" in canyon (tenho); lh like the "lli" in million (trabalho); word-final o sounds like "oo" (falo = FAH-loo); and in Rio/most of Brazil, de/te at word end sound like "джи/чи": tarde = TAR-jee.
| Não. São. Alemão. | the nasal ão |
| Bom dia! Boa tarde! | dia = JEE-ah, tarde = TAR-jee |
| Tudo bem? | tudo = TOO-doo |
7 · The mistakes everyone makes in week one
Every learner walks into the same five holes. Look at them once now, and you will step around them forever:
| ❌ Eu sou bem | ✅ Eu estou bem — a feeling right now → estar |
| ❌ Ela é na praia | ✅ Ela está na praia — location → ALWAYS estar |
| ❌ obrigado (said by a woman) | ✅ obrigada — thanks agrees with the speaker |
| ❌ Eu estou inglês | ✅ Eu sou inglês — nationality is identity → ser |
| ❌ Você são… | ✅ Você é… — você takes the ele/ela form, singular |
Step 4 · Cards — the repetition engine
Three rounds. Cards you miss come back until you get them. This is where learning actually happens.
Round 1 · Flashcards
Step 5 · Your first real conversation
Two strangers meet in São Paulo. Listen first WITHOUT translations, then reveal them.
Did you understand? (uses your listening, not reading)
Step 6 · Resumo — Lesson 1 on one page
Your cheat-sheet. Read it once now, use it forever. (Tip: Ctrl+P saves any lesson page as PDF.)
📐 New grammar
| Subject pronouns | eu · você · ele/ela · nós · vocês · eles/elas — você takes the he/she verb form |
| SER vs ESTAR | SER = essence (identity, origin, profession) · ESTAR = state (feelings, location, right now) |
| obrigado/a | agrees with the speaker: man → obrigado, woman → obrigada |
| Pronunciation | 8 key rules (Step 1): nasal ão · final -o="oo" · final -e="ee" · de/di="jee" · te/ti="chee" · r/rr="h" · s→z between vowels · nh/lh="ny/ly" |
🔧 New verbs (2)
| Verb | eu | você/ele/ela | nós | eles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ser (be — essence) ⚠ irregular | sou | é | somos | são |
| estar (be — state) ⚠ irregular | estou | está | estamos | estão |
💬 New words (25)
Step 7 · Final test — 30 questions
Everything from this lesson, mixed. No peeking back — your mistakes tell your teacher what to repeat in Lesson 2.
Step 8 · Your results
Your progress is saved automatically. Sign in and it follows you to any device — phone, laptop, wherever you study next.
Needs more repetition
- Complete the drills and test first.