fbpx

Learn Portuguese - Lesson 56

Learn PortugueseLet’s play? We know that to play is a verb with many meanings depending on the context.

In Portuguese, we have a different verb for each one of those contexts.

Let’s have a close look at some of those contexts:

•    I play the guitar.
•    I play with my dolls.
•    I play a very important role on the company I work for.
•    I play football.
•    The actor who plays Bilbo in “The Hobbit” is very good.

So, if we translate these sentences to Portuguese, the verb to play has, at least, five different translations:

•    Eu toco guitarra.
•    Eu brinco com as minhas bonecas.
•    Eu desempenho um papel importante na empresa onde trabalho.
•    Eu jogo futebol.
•    O ator que interpreta Bilbo em “The Hobbit” é muito bom.


TO PLAY:

•    Tocar (to play an instrument)
•    Brincar (to play with toys, mostly what children do)
•    Desempenhar (to play a role)
•    Jogar (to play a game)
•    Interpretar (to play a character)

 

Answers from previous lesson:

Decide which verb “poder” or “conseguir” is the more appropriate:

•    I can’t understand this Chinese text.
Eu não consigo compreender este texto chinês.

•    Sorry, you can’t use your mobile phone in here.
Desculpe, não pode usar o seu telemóvel aqui.

Helena Rocha (Portuguese Teacher)
W: www.tradutex.pt