Friday, September 4, 2009 - I've realized something about the Portuguese language that's been really tough for me to get a hang of - though they have the words yes and no (sim and nao), they rarely use them. Instead, they listen for the main verb being used in the question asked of them and simply conjugate it to the 1st person. Examples.
Q: Viajou para Europa? Have you ever travelled to Europe?
A: Viajei. I've travelled.
Q: Durmiu bem? Did you sleep well?
A: Durmi. I slept.
Q: Ja comeu? Did you already eat?
A: Ja. Already.
Q: Eles chegaram? Did they arrive?
A: Chegaram. Arrived.
The good news for me is that it's almost like everyday Portuguese is in the form of an organized Portuguese lesson. Aka, I will ask you a question in the 3rd person; now, you must locate the main verb in the question and then change it to the 1st person as your response. What?! Apparently people of the Portuguese language discriminate against the words Yes, and No.
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