A1Lesson 3: Present Indicative & Modal Verbs
Portuguese forms questions primarily through intonation in spoken language, with optional verb-subject inversion in formal contexts, plus question words for specific information.
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Portuguese has three ways to form yes/no questions:
**1. Intonation Only (Most Common)**
- Statement: Você fala inglês. (You speak English.)
- Question: Você fala inglês? ↗ (Do you speak English?)
- Just raise your voice at the end!
**2. Verb-Subject Inversion (Formal)**
- Statement: Você tem tempo.
- Question: Tem você tempo? (formal/literary)
- Rarely used in spoken Brazilian Portuguese
**3. Question Tags**
- Você mora aqui, **né**? (You live here, right?)
- Está frio, **não é**? (It's cold, isn't it?)
- Vamos, **certo**? (Let's go, ok?)
### **Information Questions**
| Question Word | Meaning | Example |
|---------------|---------|---------|
| O que/Que | What | O que é isso? (What is this?) |
| Quem | Who | Quem é ela? (Who is she?) |
| Onde | Where | Onde fica? (Where is it?) |
| Quando | When | Quando abre? (When does it open?) |
| Por que | Why | Por que não? (Why not?) |
| Como | How | Como está? (How are you?) |
| Quanto/a | How much/many | Quanto custa? (How much?) |
| Qual | Which | Qual prefere? (Which do you prefer?) |
### **Basic Response Words**
| Response | Meaning | Usage |
|----------|---------|--------|
| Sim | Yes | Formal/clear yes |
| Não | No | Standard no |
| Talvez | Maybe | Perhaps/maybe |
| Claro | Of course | Emphatic yes |
| Com certeza | Certainly | Strong agreement |
| Acho que sim/não | I think so/not | Uncertain response |
| Também | Also/too | Me too response |
| Também não | Neither | Me neither response |
### **Common Question Patterns**
**Existence/Availability**
- Tem...? (Is there...?/Do you have...?)
- Tem café? (Is there coffee?)
- Tem WiFi? (Is there WiFi?)
**Permission/Ability**
- Posso...? (Can I...?)
- Pode...? (Can you...?)
- Dá para...? (Is it possible to...?)
**Location**
- Onde fica...? (Where is...?)
- Onde está...? (Where is...?)
- Cadê...? (Where is...? - informal)
**Price/Quantity**
- Quanto custa? (How much does it cost?)
- Quanto é? (How much is it?)
- Quantos tem? (How many are there?)
### **Question Word Flexibility**
Brazilian Portuguese allows question words at the beginning OR end:
- **Formal**: Onde você mora? (Where do you live?)
- **Informal**: Você mora onde? (You live where?)
## 6. Examples
### **Daily Yes/No Questions**
- "Você **tem** cartão?" (Do you have a card?)
- "**Está** aberto?" (Is it open?)
- "**Posso** sentar?" (Can I sit?)
- "**Quer** café?" (Want coffee?)
- "**Vai** chover?" (Is it going to rain?)
### **Information Seeking**
- "**Que** horas são?" (What time is it?)
- "**Onde** fica o banheiro?" (Where is the bathroom?)
- "**Quanto** custa isso?" (How much is this?)
- "**Como** chama?" (What's your name?)
- "**Quando** começa?" (When does it start?)
### **With Question Tags**
- "Está calor, **né**?" (It's hot, right?)
- "Você é João, **não é**?" (You're João, aren't you?)
- "Vamos almoçar, **tá**?" (Let's have lunch, ok?)
- "É aqui, **certo**?" (It's here, right?)
### **Common Responses**
- "Tem açúcar?" - "**Sim**, tem." (Is there sugar? - Yes, there is.)
- "Você fala inglês?" - "**Um pouco**." (Do you speak English? - A little.)
- "Está cansado?" - "**Muito**!" (Are you tired? - Very!)
- "Quer água?" - "**Não, obrigado**." (Want water? - No, thanks.)
### **Flexible Word Order**
- "**O que** você quer?" / "Você quer **o que**?" (What do you want?)
- "**Onde** ele mora?" / "Ele mora **onde**?" (Where does he live?)
- "**Quando** ela vem?" / "Ela vem **quando**?" (When is she coming?)