Introduction
Many English speakers learning Brazilian Portuguese write sentences that sound like literal translations from English. These errors make messages confusing or unnatural. This article explains common mistakes, shows easy corrections, and gives practical examples for emails, chats, forms, and everyday notes.
Why English-like Portuguese sounds wrong
English and Portuguese share vocabulary, but they have different word order, prepositions, punctuation, contractions, and tone. Translating word-for-word creates sentences that are grammatically wrong or simply unnatural in Brazilian Portuguese. Recognizing common traps helps you write clearer, more native-sounding sentences.
False friends and cognates
Many words look similar in English and Portuguese but differ in meaning or usage. This leads to sentences that are literal translations but incorrect.
Example mistake: I will attend the meeting -> Eu vou atender a reunião
Correct: Eu vou participar da reunião
Example mistake: She is currently pregnant -> Ela está atualmente grávida
Correct: Ela está grávida (olhe o advérbio: atualmente muitas vezes é desnecessário)
Literal word order vs Portuguese preferred order
English often puts adjectives before nouns; Portuguese can place adjectives after the noun for emphasis or natural flow.
Example mistake: The red car -> O vermelho carro
Correct: O carro vermelho
Example mistake: A very good friend -> Um muito bom amigo
Correct: Um amigo muito bom
Prepositions and their traps
Prepositions rarely translate one-to-one. Common English patterns like depend on, listen to, look at need different treatment.
Example mistake: I depend of my family -> Eu dependo de minha família
Correct: Eu dependo da minha família
Example mistake: I listen the music -> Eu escuto a música
Correct: Eu ouço música or Eu escuto a música (both OK; omit definite article when general)
Use of definite articles
Portuguese uses articles more often than English. Beginners either omit them too much or insert English-style articles incorrectly.
Example mistake: I like coffee -> Gosto de café
Correct: Eu gosto de café or Eu gosto do café (use do when speaking about a specific coffee)
Example mistake: She is the lawyer -> Ela é a advogada (This is correct when specific)
But avoid: Ela é advogado when you used English word order and dropped the article incorrectly
Verb tense and aspect differences
Portuguese uses imperfect, perfect, and compound forms differently. A direct translation of continuous tenses often sounds odd.
Example mistake: I am studying Portuguese for three months -> Eu estou estudando Português por três meses
Better: Eu estudo Português há três meses or Faz três meses que estudo Português
Example mistake: I have been working -> Eu tenho estado trabalhando
More natural: Eu tenho trabalhado or Estou trabalhando (depending on context)
Pronoun placement and object pronouns
English places object pronouns after verbs; Portuguese can attach pronouns to verbs or place them before, depending on formality and sentence structure. Beginners often use an English order that sounds odd.
Example mistake: Give me the book -> Dá me o livro
Correct (colloquial): Me dá o livro or Formal: Dê-me o livro
Example mistake: I told him -> Eu disse para ele -> often okay, but European norms differ; in Brazilian usage, Eu disse para ele is natural in speech
Questions: word order and question words
English changes word order for questions; Portuguese often keeps subject-verb order and relies on intonation or question words.
Example mistake: Do you like this? -> Você gosta deste?
Better: Você gosta disto? or Você gosta deste? (use demonstrative matching gender/number)
Example mistake: Where are you going? -> Onde você vai? or Para onde você vai? both are used; when implying direction, include para
Practical sentence patterns and corrections
This section gives common beginner phrases, the typical English-like error, and the natural Brazilian Portuguese correction. Memorize patterns rather than translating word-for-word.
1. Saying I need + noun
Mistake: Eu preciso um carro novo
Correct: Eu preciso de um carro novo
2. Talking about plans
Mistake: I will to go tomorrow -> Eu vou para ir amanhã
Correct: Eu vou amanhã or Eu vou ir amanhã (commonly Eu vou amanhã or Amanhã eu vou)
3. Expressing possession
Mistake: The John’s book -> O livro do John (English order used but correct article placement matters)
Correct: O livro do John or O livro de João for Portuguese name
4. Using like to + verb
Mistake: I like to swim -> Eu gosto nadar
Correct: Eu gosto de nadar
5. Saying there is/there are
Mistake: There is a dog in the house -> Existe um cachorro na casa
Natural: Tem um cachorro na casa or Há um cachorro na casa
6. Expressing ability
Mistake: I can to speak -> Eu posso falar -> This is OK; watch infinitive
Correct: Eu consigo falar or Eu posso falar
7. Time expressions with ago/for
Mistake: I lived here for two years -> Eu vivi aqui para dois anos
Correct: Eu vivi aqui por dois anos or Eu moro aqui há dois anos (if still living here)
Practical writing examples: messages and emails
Short messages often reveal English influence. Here are common English-styled lines with Brazilian Portuguese fixes you can use directly.
Mistake message: Hi, I am John. I want to schedule a meeting on Friday at 10 AM. Is this OK?
Correct message: Olá, sou o John. Quero marcar uma reunião na sexta às 10h. Está bom?
Mistake email: Dear Maria, I want to confirm my reservation. Thanks, John
Correct email: Olá Maria, Gostaria de confirmar minha reserva. Obrigado, John
Mistake chat: I need help with the form. Where can I send the document?
Correct chat: Preciso de ajuda com o formulário. Onde posso enviar o documento?
Mistake travel note: I arrive at 3 PM. Meet me at the airport.
Correct travel note: Chego às 15h. Me encontra no aeroporto? or Encontre-me no aeroporto (formal)
Common spelling, accents, and punctuation pitfalls
English speakers often omit accents and use English-style punctuation. Accents change meaning and must be used in writing. Also, Portuguese uses commas differently, especially before conjunctions and relative clauses.
Accent examples: por (for) vs pôr (to put) vs pôr? use correctly in context
Correct samples: Eu vou pôr o livro na mesa. Eu vou por você? (careful: rarely used)
Question marks and exclamation marks follow the same symbols as English. Avoid using parentheses where Portuguese would use commas or hyphens for apposition.
Tone and formality: tu vs você and formal verbs
English uses you for all situations; Portuguese distinguishes tu and você and has different verb conjugations. In Brazil, você is very common in most regions and useful for learners. Using tu incorrectly (with wrong conjugation) is a typical English-motivated error.
Example mistake: Tu gosta de café? (wrong conjugation)
Correct: Você gosta de café? or Tu gostas de café? depending on region
Politeness formulas that are different from English
English speakers often attempt literal translations for polite phrases. Brazilian Portuguese uses specific expressions for requests and apologies.
Mistake: Could you help me? -> Poderia você me ajudar?
Natural: Você pode me ajudar? or Poderia me ajudar?
Mistake: I am sorry for the inconvenience -> Eu estou desculpado pelo inconveniente
Correct: Desculpe o transtorno or Sinto muito pelo transtorno
Beginner tips to avoid English-like sentences
1. Learn common prepositional patterns: gosto de, precisar de, viajar para, falar com.
2. Memorize set phrases for emails and messages: Olá, Tudo bem?, Obrigado/a, Atenciosamente.
3. Pay attention to articles: practice O/A/Ou using with professions, names, and body parts: O João, A Maria, O carro.
4. Use simple tenses until you are comfortable: Eu fui, Eu vou, Eu tenho feito (use consistent patterns).
5. Read short natural texts in Brazilian Portuguese (menus, signs, messages) and copy patterns rather than words.
Sample short practice exercises
Convert these literal translations into natural Brazilian Portuguese.
1. I study Portuguese every day -> Eu estudo Português todos os dias.
2. She will arrive tomorrow morning -> Ela chega amanhã de manhã or Ela vai chegar amanhã de manhã.
3. Can you send me the file? -> Você pode me enviar o arquivo?
4. I like your photo -> Eu gostei da sua foto or Gosto da sua foto.
5. We are going to the restaurant at 8 PM -> Vamos ao restaurante às 20h.
Common beginner errors checklist before sending a message
1. Did you use de after gostar, precisar, lembrar when required?
2. Did you place adjectives after nouns where natural?
3. Did you include necessary articles (o/a/os/as)?
4. Did you use the correct verb tense for time expressions (há, por, desde)?
5. Did you use você instead of tu unless you know the regional conjugation?
Conclusion
Avoiding English-like Portuguese requires attention to prepositions, articles, word order, verb forms, and common set phrases. Use the practical patterns and sample sentences above when writing messages, emails, or notes. With targeted correction of these frequent errors, your written Brazilian Portuguese will become clearer and more natural quickly.
