Introduction
When someone asks what you studied in Brazilian Portuguese, a few short phrases can make your answer sound natural and confident. This article teaches common questions and responses, useful verbs, sentence patterns, and polite variations. You will learn how to say your major, your degrees, and related expressions to keep conversations flowing in casual and formal settings.
- Basic question forms
- Answering in the past: talking about degrees you completed
- Talking about current studies
- Specifying levels: high school, college, postgraduate
- Saying your major or field of study
- Adding details: minors, concentrations, and specializations
- Talking about vocational and technical studies
- Polite and casual replies: adapting tone
- Short questions and follow-ups to keep conversations going
- Short dialogues: real-life examples
- Pronunciation and fluency tips
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Useful vocabulary list
- How to practice these phrases
- Conclusion
Basic question forms
The most common way to ask what someone studied is with the verb estudar. Native speakers also use verbs like fazer and cursar depending on context. Here are simple question forms and when to use them.
Common questions
Use these short questions in informal conversations:
O que você estudou?
Você estudou o que?
These both ask directly what someone studied. For a more formal tone, use the verb cursar:
O que você cursou na universidade?
When asking about current studies, use the present tense with fazer or cursar:
O que você está fazendo na faculdade?
Em que curso você está?
Usage notes
In Brazil, fazer is often used to mean pursuing a course or degree. Fazer is very natural: Eu faço Engenharia means I study Engineering. Cursar is slightly more formal and common in written language or official contexts: Eu cursei Direito na USP.
Answering in the past: talking about degrees you completed
When you finished a program, use the past tense. The two most common options are the simple past with estudar and the perfect with fazer or cursar. Choose the verb that sounds most natural to you.
Sample responses
Short and direct answers:
Eu estudei Psicologia.
Eu fiz Administração.
Eu cursei Jornalismo na universidade.
If you want to add the institution or year:
Eu estudei Engenharia na Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.
Eu fiz Medicina na USP em 2016.
Usage notes
When listing degrees, Brazilians typically say the area first, then the institution. Use na or no before the institution depending on gender: na universidade, no colégio. If you include the year, use em: em 2016.
Talking about current studies
If you are still studying, use the present progressive or present tense with fazer or estudar. These forms show that the activity is ongoing.
Present progressive
Estou estudando… is a very natural way to say you are currently studying something.
Estou estudando Engenharia Civil na faculdade.
Estou estudando Português como segunda língua.
Present simple
Eu faço… can be used to describe your current course or major:
Eu faço Ciências da Computação na Unicamp.
Eu faço Design Gráfico e trabalho meio período.
Usage notes
Use estudar for the activity of studying and fazer for the program you are enrolled in. Estou estudando emphasizes the learning process, while eu faço emphasizes the program itself.
Specifying levels: high school, college, postgraduate
Portuguese has clear terms for different levels of education. Use these words to be precise about what you studied.
Common level words
Ensino médio — high school
Graduação — undergraduate degree, bachelor
Pós-graduação — postgraduate studies (broad term; includes specializations, masters, doctorates)
Mestrado — master’s degree
Doutorado — PhD
Examples:
Eu fiz a graduação em Biologia.
Eu estou fazendo pós-graduação em Gestão de Projetos.
Eu tenho mestrado em História.
Usage notes
When specifying that you have completed an undergraduate degree, Brazilians often say graduação or licenciatura (for teaching degrees). For professional mentions, say formado or formada followed by the area: Sou formado em Direito.
Saying your major or field of study
When you want to express the specific field, use simple patterns: Eu estudei + subject, Eu fiz + subject, or Eu sou formado em + subject. Here are many common subjects and sample sentences to copy.
Useful subject phrases
Engenharia — Eu estudei Engenharia Mecânica.
Medicina — Eu fiz Medicina na Universidade Federal.
Direito — Sou formado em Direito.
Administração — Eu fiz Administração de Empresas.
Psicologia — Eu estudei Psicologia Clínica.
Comunicação — Eu cursei Comunicação Social, com ênfase em Publicidade.
Ciências da Computação — Faço Ciências da Computação atualmente.
Usage note: Some fields use a longer description for clarity. For example, Administração de Empresas clarifies the type of administration program.
Adding details: minors, concentrations, and specializations
You may want to add a concentration or specialization to make your answer more informative. Use short clauses introduced by com or em to add these details.
Examples with concentrations
Eu fiz Jornalismo, com ênfase em rádio e TV.
Eu estudei Engenharia com foco em materiais sustentáveis.
Sou formado em Psicologia, com especialização em terapia cognitivo-comportamental.
Usage notes
Common words to add detail: com ênfase em — with emphasis on, com foco em — focused on, especialização em — specialization in.
Talking about vocational and technical studies
Technical or vocational programs are common and have specific terms. Knowing these helps when someone asks about your education path.
Common terms and examples
Curso técnico — technical course
Técnico em… — technician in…
Qualificação profissional — professional qualification
Examples:
Eu fiz um curso técnico em eletrônica.
Sou técnico em enfermagem e trabalho em um hospital.
Fiz qualificação profissional em marketing digital.
Usage notes
When you studied a shorter vocational program, Brazilians often mention the length or the institution after the course name for clarity: Curso técnico de 2 anos no SENAI.
Polite and casual replies: adapting tone
How you answer depends on formality. Use formal structures in job interviews and polite settings, and shorter informal replies with friends.
Formal responses
Eu sou formado em Engenharia Elétrica pela Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.
Tenho mestrado em Educação pela PUC-Rio.
Casual responses
Eu estudei Artes Plásticas.
Faço Administração agora.
Eu fiz Publicidade, mas agora trabalho com TI.
Usage notes
In formal contexts, include institution names, degrees, and years when relevant. In casual conversations, a short area plus a brief comment about your job or interests is enough.
Short questions and follow-ups to keep conversations going
After answering, Brazilians often ask quick follow-up questions. Learn these to keep the exchange natural.
Follow-up questions
E você, o que estudou?
Onde você fez esse curso?
Há quanto tempo você terminou?
These questions are useful to continue practicing Portuguese and to sound engaged in small talk.
Short dialogues: real-life examples
Here are sample exchanges showing different situations: casual, formal, and current studies. Use line breaks for natural rhythm.
Casual
Pessoa A: O que você estudou?
Pessoa B: Eu estudei Design. Trabalhei como freelancer por um tempo.
Formal (job interview)
Entrevistador: Pode me falar sobre sua formação?
Candidato: Sou formado em Engenharia de Produção pela USP e tenho um mestrado em Gestão de Operações.
Current studies
Colega: Você estuda ainda?
Aluno: Sim, estou fazendo mestrado em Psicologia Cognitiva.
Pronunciation and fluency tips
Pronunciation helps you sound natural. Focus on key vowels and stress patterns in Portuguese. Practice linking words in short phrases like estou estudando and eu fiz Administração.
Helpful tips
Reduce the final s sound in informal speech: estudou often sounds like estudou. Emphasize the stressed syllable in multi-word subjects: Ciên-cias da Com-pu-ta-ção.
Use contractions in informal speech: eu estou → tô (colloquial but common in Brazil). Example: Tô fazendo Medicina na UFMG. Use contractions only with friends or in casual contexts.
Common mistakes to avoid
Beginners often translate directly from English and make word order or verb choice mistakes. Here are common pitfalls and corrections.
Typical errors
Wrong: Eu estudo Administration.
Correct: Eu faço Administração.
Wrong: Eu terminei a faculdade por 2018.
Correct: Eu terminei a faculdade em 2018.
Wrong: Eu sou estudado em Biologia.
Correct: Eu sou formado em Biologia or Eu estudei Biologia.
Usage notes
Remember that formado indicates graduation and must agree with gender: formado (male), formada (female). Use prepositions properly: em for fields and em/na/no for institutions.
Useful vocabulary list
Keep this compact list of words to help you respond quickly in conversation:
estudar — to study
fazer — to do, used for taking a course
cursar — to attend a course
formado/formada — graduated (male/female)
graduação — undergraduate degree
pós-graduação — postgraduate studies
mestrado — master’s degree
doutorado — doctorate
curso técnico — technical course
ensino médio — high school
How to practice these phrases
To become confident, practice short answers aloud, role-play both sides of a dialogue, and listen to native speakers in videos or podcasts. Repeat sample sentences and substitute different subjects to build speed and comfort.
Practice routine
Start with simple self-introductions and expand: say what you studied, where, and add a detail about your work or plans. Record yourself and compare with native audio to refine pronunciation.
Conclusion
Learning how to say what you studied in Brazilian Portuguese opens many social and professional doors. Use the verbs estudar, fazer, and cursar appropriately, specify your degree or field with simple patterns, and adapt tone to the situation. With practice, short natural replies and follow-up questions will become second nature.
