🇵🇹 Portuguese
Português • Latin
Word order: what’s normal (and how to sound natural)
Understand the default word order and a simple strategy to avoid ‘translation‑English’.
The key idea
Portuguese is mostly SVO. Pronoun placement varies (especially in European Portuguese).
- Memorize patterns (whole sentences), not just single words.
- When you change the meaning, keep the grammar skeleton the same.
- If word order is flexible, use ‘neutral’ order first — emphasis comes later.
Estou aqui.
I am here.
Quero água.
I want water.
Não entendo.
I don't understand.
Fala inglês?
Do you speak English?
Onde fica a casa de banho?
Where is the bathroom? (Portugal)
Este é o meu amigo.
This is my friend.
Tiny practice routine
Pick one sentence and create 5 variations. Example: ‘I want water’ → water/coffee/tea/ticket/help.
- Speak each variation out loud.
- Record yourself and compare rhythm.
Mini‑quiz
Mini-quiz
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Typical word order for this language is closest to…