Vocab Lessons: Brazilian Portuguese Nature Vocabulary List

Portuguese Nature Vocabulary

galho – branch

“na meia de nada” – in the middle of nowhere

murchar – to wilt, wither

acampar-se – to camp

acampamento – campground

brotar – to sprout, bud, bloom

vala – ditch

passo – step, pace, walk, footstep, footprint

terreno – ground, land

trecho – passage, stretch of space

ramo – branch, buindle of flowers (also means: a particular line of work)

argila – clay

agua doce – fresh water

agua salgada – salt water

girasol – sunflower

Written Vs. Spoken Portuguese

Colloquial Portuguese: Putting “Não” At The End of Sentences

One of the most important things to bear in mind when learning Portuguese is that there is a big difference between written Portguese, which is more formal and sticks to the grammar books, and oral Portuguese, which is a whole different story.

One place where this becomes apparent is the use of the word “não” in creating a negative sentence. Gramatically speaking, it is incorrect to place “não” at the end of the sentence; logistically, it is constantly placed at the end of the sentence in spoken Portuguese. Though technically, this structure is grammatically incorrect, it is frequently used this way in the oral form, usually in a response to a question.

Let’s take a look.

How it’s written: Não quero ir na festa. I don’t want to go to the party.

How it’s spoken: Quero ir na festa não. I don’t want to go to the party.

To be safe, stick to the grammar rules when writing, be it a term paper or a business email, but when spoken, it’s ok to speak like the Brazilians do.

Let’s look at a few more examples we’re likely to hear in spoken Portuguese.

Sei não, cara. I don’t know, man.

Podemos ir não. We can’t go.

Gosta não. She doesn’t like it.

Tá triste não. He’s not sad.

Expressing That You Don’t Care

Lack of Concern

How do you express the idea that you don’t care, or that something doesn’t matter to you in Brazilian Portuguese? Here are some common expressions:

“Eu não ligo com essa coisas.” [Insert hand gesture here] I don’t care about that stuff.

“Não me importa.” – “i don’t care”

“Não tô nem aí.” – “i don’t give a s***,” “i don’t care”

“Tanto faz.” – “whatever”

“E eu com isso?” – “I don’t care,”