A1 Sentence Structure 15 min read Easy

Yes/No Questions: The Intonation Rule

To turn a Portuguese statement into a question, keep the words exactly the same and just raise your voice at the end.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

In Portuguese, you turn a statement into a question simply by raising your voice at the end of the sentence.

  • Keep the word order exactly the same as a statement: 'Você fala português.'
  • Raise your pitch significantly on the final stressed syllable: 'Você fala português?'
  • Use a question mark in writing to signal the change in tone.
Statement ➡️ Voice Pitch ↗️ = Question

Overview

In Portuguese, distinguishing a simple yes/no question from a declarative statement relies primarily on intonation in spoken language and the question mark (?) in written form. Unlike English, where auxiliary verbs (do, does, did) or subject-verb inversion are often mandatory for questions, Portuguese maintains the exact same word order for both statements and interrogatives.

This fundamental linguistic feature, often termed the intonation rule, simplifies initial communication for A1 learners. You don't need to manipulate sentence structure; instead, you focus on how you deliver the sentence vocally. This principle highlights that prosodic elements—specifically the pitch contour of your voice—carry significant grammatical weight in Portuguese, serving to differentiate between an assertion and an inquiry.

The simplicity of this rule provides immediate practical communication ability for beginners. You can transform almost any statement you learn into a question simply by altering your voice or adding a question mark, making it a cornerstone for early conversational competence. Mastery means understanding that the sound of your sentence is as important as the words themselves.

How This Grammar Works

The grammar of Portuguese yes/no questions is intrinsically linked to the prosody of spoken language. Prosody refers to the rhythm, stress, and intonation of speech. While a declarative statement in Portuguese typically concludes with a falling intonational contour, signaling finality or a completed thought, a yes/no question demands a distinct rising pitch at its end.
This rising pitch is the primary auditory cue for your listener that an answer, typically sim (yes) or não (no), is expected.
This phonological shift, the rise in pitch, occurs most prominently on the final stressed syllable of the sentence. It then often continues to rise slightly or remain elevated across any subsequent unstressed syllables. The change in fundamental frequency—the acoustic property of pitch—is what your ear perceives as the interrogative marker.
For example, if you say Você gosta de café? (Do you like coffee?), your voice will noticeably rise on the fé of café, and potentially continue this upward trend slightly on any trailing sounds.
Consider the sentence Ele mora aqui. (He lives here.) spoken as a statement, where your voice naturally falls at the end. To ask Ele mora aqui? (Does he live here?), you would keep the same words but elevate your pitch significantly on the aqui, especially on its final syllable. This consistent rising contour is a reliable signal that you are posing a question.
In written Portuguese, the only explicit indicator of a yes/no question is the question mark (?) at the end of the sentence. Without this crucial punctuation, a written sentence that otherwise uses statement word order would be read and interpreted as a declarative statement. When speaking, however, your intonation alone performs this vital grammatical function, often reinforced by non-verbal cues like direct eye contact or an inquisitive facial expression.
This reliance on intonation means that subtle differences in pitch can convey significant meaning. While other grammatical structures might change, the intonation rule remains constant for this question type, making it a powerful and efficient communication tool once mastered.

Word Order Rules

One of the most student-friendly aspects of Portuguese yes/no questions for A1 learners is their absolute invariance in word order compared to declarative statements. This is a significant departure from many other languages, including English, which frequently requires either the inversion of the subject and verb or the introduction of auxiliary verbs (e.g., “Do you…?”, “Is he…?”).
Portuguese declarative sentences typically follow a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure. For instance, Eu estudo português. (I study Portuguese.) To transform this into a question, Eu estudo português? (Do I study Portuguese?), no reordering of Eu, estudo, or português is necessary. The sequential arrangement of subject, verb, and object, or any other sentence elements, remains exactly the same.
This structural consistency holds true across virtually all common verb tenses and sentence structures you'll encounter at the A1 level. The subject (Você), verb (come), and object (pão) retain their relative positions in Você come pão. (You eat bread.) and Você come pão? (Do you eat bread?). There are no direct grammatical equivalents of English's do or does to insert, nor any is, are, has, or have to move to the beginning of the sentence.
This stability is a key feature that simplifies early learning.
Observe how this direct correspondence is maintained:
| English Statement | English Question | Portuguese Statement | Portuguese Question |
| :--------------------- | :----------------------- | :----------------------- | :----------------------- |
| You like pizza. | Do you like pizza? | Você gosta de pizza. | Você gosta de pizza? |
| She is tired. | Is she tired? | Ela está cansada. | Ela está cansada? |
| They live here. | Do they live here? | Eles moram aqui. | Eles moram aqui? |
| We speak English. | Do we speak English? | Nós falamos inglês. | Nós falamos inglês? |
| He has a car. | Does he have a car? | Ele tem um carro. | Ele tem um carro? |
This principle applies even with the highly flexible verbs ser (to be – permanent characteristics) and estar (to be – temporary states), which often challenge beginners. For instance, Ele é professor. (He is a teacher.) becomes Ele é professor? (Is he a teacher?) solely through intonation. Similarly, Você está bem. (You are well.) transforms into Você está bem? (Are you well?) without any word rearrangement.
The structural invariance is a powerful tool for rapid comprehension and production, allowing you to focus on vocabulary and verb conjugation rather than complex sentence transformations.

Formation Pattern

1
Forming a yes/no question in Portuguese is a remarkably straightforward process, relying on a three-step pattern that forms the bedrock of basic interrogative communication for A1 learners.
2
1. Formulate a complete declarative statement.
3
Begin by constructing the affirmative sentence you wish to question. This is your foundation, establishing the core information. For example:
4
Você fala português. (You speak Portuguese.)
5
A Maria está em casa. (Maria is at home.)
6
Eles estudam à noite. (They study at night.)
7
2. Append a question mark (?) in writing.
8
When transcribing or typing, this punctuation mark is the explicit, universally recognized written signal that the sentence is a question. Its omission would cause the sentence to be interpreted as a statement. For example:
9
Você fala português?
10
A Maria está em casa?
11
Eles estudam à noite?
12
3. Apply a distinct rising intonation to the final stressed syllable when speaking.
13
This is the critical, defining characteristic of spoken Portuguese yes/no questions. Your voice's pitch must rise noticeably on the last stressed syllable of the sentence. This upward pitch movement then typically continues, often gently rising further or remaining elevated, across any subsequent unstressed syllables. The overall effect is an upward inflection at the end of the utterance.
14
Consider these examples and focus on the pitch rise:
15
Você fala por-tu-GUÊS? (The pitch rises clearly on the stressed syllable -GUÊS of português)
16
A Maria está em CA-sa? (The pitch rises on the stressed syllable -CA- of casa)
17
Eles estudam à NOI-te? (The pitch rises on the stressed syllable -NOI- of noite)
18
This pattern remains consistent for all types of verbs and sentence structures you'll encounter at the A1 level. Whether you are using regular, irregular, or commonly used verbs like ser and estar, the method for transforming a statement into a question remains the same: maintain word order, add a question mark in writing, and use rising intonation in speech. This simplicity allows you to quickly form and understand basic questions, laying a strong foundation for conversational fluency.

When To Use It

The intonation rule for yes/no questions is your primary tool for seeking simple confirmation or information in Portuguese, especially at the A1 level. You will use this pattern whenever you expect a sim or não as an answer, or a simple affirmation/negation.
Common scenarios for employing this rule include:
  • Seeking confirmation: You're checking if something you believe to be true is indeed true. For instance, Você é estudante? (Are you a student?) to confirm someone's occupation.
  • Making polite inquiries or offers: You can frame a suggestion or a request gently. Quer um café? (Do you want a coffee?) or Vamos sair? (Shall we go out?). While more formal requests might use other structures, this is perfectly acceptable for many daily interactions.
  • Expressing mild surprise or disbelief: If something unexpected happens, you can use the intonation question to show your reaction. Ele chegou? (He arrived?) if you didn't expect him to.
  • Verifying understanding: After hearing information, you can repeat it as a question to ensure you comprehended correctly. Então, a aula é às oito? (So, the class is at eight?).
This pattern is universally applicable for any statement you wish to turn into a closed-ended question. It's the most common and versatile way to ask yes/no questions in both Brazilian Portuguese (BP) and European Portuguese (EP). While more complex interrogative structures exist for advanced levels, the intonation rule is your consistent fallback for basic inquiries.
Always remember that your vocal delivery, specifically that upward pitch at the end, is what truly transforms your words into a question. Without it, you are merely making a statement, potentially leading to miscommunication.

Common Mistakes

Portuguese learners, especially those with English as a first language, often make predictable mistakes when forming yes/no questions. Understanding these pitfalls and their underlying reasons can help you avoid them.
  • Attempting to invert word order: The most common error is trying to apply English-like subject-verb inversion. For example, a learner might incorrectly attempt to say Gosta você de café? (Like you of coffee?) instead of the correct Você gosta de café?. Remember, Portuguese word order for questions does not change from statements. The influence of English, where Do you like...? or Are you...? necessitates inversion, is strong but incorrect in Portuguese.
  • Failing to use rising intonation: This mistake leads to your question being perceived as a statement. If you say Você fala português with a falling intonation, it sounds like "You speak Portuguese." and not "Do you speak Portuguese?". Native speakers will likely interpret it as a confirmation or a simple fact, rather than an inquiry. Practicing the distinct upward pitch is crucial for spoken communication.
  • Over-reliance on explicit subject pronouns: While grammatically correct to use Você, Ele, Ela, etc., native Portuguese speakers often omit the subject pronoun when it's clear from context. A beginner might say Você é Maria?, whereas a more natural question would be simply É Maria? (Are you Maria?). While not strictly an error for A1, adapting to subject omission will make your speech sound more natural.
  • Confusing ser and estar in questions: This is a general A1 challenge that extends to questions. A learner might ask Você é cansado? (Are you a tired person?) instead of Você está cansado? (Are you tired now?). The intonation rule applies equally to both verbs, but choosing the correct verb for permanent (ser) vs. temporary (estar) states remains critical for conveying the intended meaning.
  • Not differentiating written from spoken practice: Some learners may forget the question mark in writing, assuming intonation is sufficient for all forms of communication. Conversely, others might overemphasize the written question mark and neglect the spoken intonation, leading to flat-sounding questions that lack interrogative force. Always remember: ? for writing, rising intonation for speech.
By being aware of these common errors, you can proactively practice the correct Portuguese approach, focusing on intonation and stable word order.

Contrast With Similar Patterns

While the intonation rule governs yes/no questions, it's important to differentiate them from other interrogative structures in Portuguese to avoid confusion.
  • Open-ended Questions (Interrogative Words): This is the most significant contrast. Questions beginning with interrogative words (e.g., Quem? - Who?, O quê? - What?, Onde? - Where?, Quando? - When?, Por que? - Why?, Como? - How?) inherently signal that a question is being asked. For these, the intonation typically falls at the end of the sentence, similar to a statement, because the interrogative word itself carries the question's force. For example, Onde você mora? (Where do you live?) generally has a falling intonation, unlike Você mora aqui? (Do you live here?) which has a rising intonation.
  • Tag Questions: In Brazilian Portuguese particularly, you'll frequently encounter tag questions using né? (a contraction of não é?, meaning 'isn't it?', 'right?'). For example, Você gosta de café, né? (You like coffee, right?). While né? explicitly marks the question, the preceding statement part (Você gosta de café) still often retains a slightly rising or neutral intonation that transitions into the tag. This is different from a pure intonation question where the entire sentence carries the upward inflection.
  • Você é Maria, né? (You are Maria, right?)
  • Ele trabalha aqui, não é? (He works here, doesn't he?)
These forms offer an explicit confirmation-seeking alternative but do not replace the fundamental intonation rule for simple yes/no inquiries.
  • Exclamatory Sentences: Be careful not to confuse the rising intonation of a question with the heightened emotion of an exclamation. While exclamations might also have a varied pitch contour, their function is to express strong feeling, not to solicit a yes/no answer. For example, Que legal! (How cool!) carries a different emotional and intonational quality than É legal? (Is it cool?). Context and the specific pitch pattern differentiate them. The rising pitch in a question is generally more sustained and clearly indicates an inquiry, whereas an exclamation might have a sharper, more dramatic rise and fall.
Understanding these distinctions ensures you use the correct interrogative form for the information you seek. For A1 learners, focusing on the intonation rule for simple sim/não questions is paramount, while recognizing that other types of questions exist with their own distinct characteristics.

Real Conversations

In everyday Portuguese conversations, the intonation rule for yes/no questions is pervasive. Native speakers employ it constantly, often with informal language and subject omission, making your questions sound more natural and fluent.

- Casual Inquiries: You'll frequently hear brief, direct questions. Instead of the full Você está bem?, people often ask simply Tá tudo bem? or even just Tudo bem? (All well?). The rising intonation is crucial here to convey it as a question rather than a statement. Similarly, Já comeu? (Already eaten?) is common instead of Você já comeu?.

- Social Media & Texting: In written informal communication, the question mark is your sole indicator. The brevity of digital messages often means omitting subjects and using shorthand, with ? ensuring clarity. For example:

- Chegou? (Arrived?) – meaning Você chegou?

- Vamos? (Shall we go?) – meaning Vamos ir? or Nós vamos?

- Pronto? (Ready?) – meaning Você está pronto?

The question mark effectively compensates for the absence of spoken intonation.

- Work & Professional Settings (Informal): Even in less formal professional interactions, the intonation rule is used for quick confirmations. Recebeu o email? (Did you receive the email?) or Conseguiu terminar? (Were you able to finish?). The directness is efficient.

- Cultural Insight: The directness of these intonation-based questions in Portuguese is generally not considered impolite. The rising tone softens the inquiry, much like in English a simple "Coffee?" with rising intonation can be a polite offer. Portuguese speakers value clarity, and a direct, properly intoned question is both clear and respectful in most contexts.

- Regional Nuance (Brazilian vs. European Portuguese): While the fundamental rule of rising intonation applies across both, subtle differences in the degree or pattern of the pitch rise can exist. In Brazilian Portuguese, the rise might be slightly more pronounced or extend over more syllables. For A1 learners, however, focusing on any clear upward inflection at the end of the sentence is sufficient. You will naturally adapt to regional subtleties as you gain more exposure.

By observing and imitating how native speakers use this rule in various real-life contexts, you will gain confidence in forming your own natural-sounding questions and integrate more smoothly into Portuguese conversations.

Quick FAQ

Here are quick answers to common questions about Portuguese yes/no questions using the intonation rule:
  • Can I always use this rule for yes/no questions?
Yes, for virtually all simple yes/no questions at the A1 level, the intonation rule is your primary and most reliable method. It works with any verb or sentence structure that forms a statement.
  • Is it impolite to ask questions this way?
Generally, no. Asking a simple question with rising intonation is usually neutral or polite. Your overall tone of voice and facial expression will convey politeness more than the grammatical structure itself. It's direct and efficient.
  • What happens if I mess up the intonation?
If you use a falling intonation instead of a rising one, your listener will likely interpret your utterance as a statement, not a question. This could lead to misunderstanding or the listener simply agreeing with you rather than answering your intended question.
  • Does Portuguese word order ever change for questions?
Yes, but not for basic yes/no questions at the A1 level. In more advanced grammatical structures, particularly with some interrogative adverbs or pronominal clitics, word order can shift. However, for the simple sim/não inquiries, the word order remains unchanged from the statement.
  • Do I always have to answer sim or não?
For questions formed with the intonation rule, the expected answers are indeed sim (yes) or não (no). Of course, in a conversation, you can elaborate beyond a simple sim/não (e.g., Sim, eu gosto muito. - Yes, I like it a lot.), but the initial confirmation or negation is typically based on those two words.
  • Is there a difference in intonation between Brazilian and European Portuguese?
While the fundamental principle of rising intonation for questions applies to both, there can be subtle regional variations in the specific pitch contour and how pronounced the rise is. As an A1 learner, focusing on a clear upward inflection at the end of the sentence will be understood in both variants.

3. Question Formation Pattern

Statement Intonation Question
Você fala
↗️
Você fala?
Eles vão
↗️
Eles vão?
Ela quer
↗️
Ela quer?
Nós estamos
↗️
Nós estamos?
Eu posso
↗️
Eu posso?
Você tem
↗️
Você tem?

Meanings

The use of rising pitch at the end of a declarative sentence to indicate a yes/no question.

1

Yes/No Question

Seeking confirmation or information that can be answered with yes or no.

“Você vai sair?”

“Ela é brasileira?”

Reference Table

Reference table for Yes/No Questions: The Intonation Rule
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Subject + Verb
Você fala.
Interrogative
Subject + Verb + ↗️
Você fala?
Negative
Não + Subject + Verb
Você não fala.
Negative Question
Não + Subject + Verb + ↗️
Você não fala?
Short Answer (Yes)
Sim, [Subject] [Verb]
Sim, eu falo.
Short Answer (No)
Não, [Subject] [Verb]
Não, eu não falo.

Formality Spectrum

Formal
O senhor deseja água?

O senhor deseja água? (Offering a drink)

Neutral
Você quer água?

Você quer água? (Offering a drink)

Informal
Quer água?

Quer água? (Offering a drink)

Slang
Água?

Água? (Offering a drink)

The Question Path

Question

Step 1

  • Statement Keep order

Step 2

  • Intonation Raise pitch

Step 3

  • Punctuation Add ?
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Examples by Level

1

Você fala português?

Do you speak Portuguese?

2

Ele é seu amigo?

Is he your friend?

3

Nós vamos agora?

Are we going now?

4

Ela quer café?

Does she want coffee?

1

Você já comeu?

Have you eaten yet?

2

Eles estão em casa?

Are they at home?

3

Você gosta de música?

Do you like music?

4

Nós podemos entrar?

Can we enter?

1

Você teria um minuto?

Would you have a minute?

2

Eles vão chegar cedo?

Are they going to arrive early?

3

Você viu o e-mail?

Did you see the email?

4

Podemos marcar para amanhã?

Can we schedule for tomorrow?

1

Você não acha que é tarde?

Don't you think it's late?

2

Será que eles esqueceram?

Do you think they forgot?

3

Você poderia repetir?

Could you repeat?

4

Isso faz sentido para você?

Does that make sense to you?

1

Você estaria disposto a considerar?

Would you be willing to consider?

2

Você não teria outra alternativa?

Wouldn't you have another alternative?

3

Você se lembra do que discutimos?

Do you remember what we discussed?

4

Você não acha que seria melhor assim?

Don't you think it would be better this way?

1

Você por acaso teria o relatório?

Would you by any chance have the report?

2

Você não concorda que a situação mudou?

Don't you agree that the situation has changed?

3

Você não se importa se eu abrir a janela?

You don't mind if I open the window?

4

Você não teria visto as chaves por aí?

You wouldn't have seen the keys around, would you?

Easily Confused

Yes/No Questions: The Intonation Rule vs Wh- Questions

Learners use rising intonation for everything.

Yes/No Questions: The Intonation Rule vs Tag Questions

Learners think 'né' is required for all questions.

Yes/No Questions: The Intonation Rule vs Declarative Statements

Learners sound like they are asking a question when they are just stating a fact.

Common Mistakes

✗

Do você fala?

✓

Você fala?

No 'do' support in Portuguese.
✗

Fala você?

✓

Você fala?

Word order should remain statement-like.
✗

Você fala (flat tone)

✓

Você fala? (rising tone)

Intonation is required to signal a question.
✗

Você é fala?

✓

Você fala?

Do not add extra verbs.
✗

É você fala?

✓

Você fala?

Incorrect verb usage.
✗

Você fala, não é?

✓

Você fala?

While correct, it's a tag question, not a simple yes/no.
✗

Fala?

✓

Você fala?

Subject is usually needed for clarity.
✗

Será que você fala?

✓

Você fala?

Too formal for a simple question.
✗

Você fala, sim?

✓

Você fala?

Incorrect particle usage.
✗

Fala-se português?

✓

Fala-se português?

This is a passive construction, not a simple yes/no.
✗

Você não teria falado?

✓

Você não falou?

Tense mismatch.
✗

Você estaria falando?

✓

Você está falando?

Conditional vs Present.
✗

Fala você?

✓

Você fala?

Inversion is rare.

Sentence Patterns

Você ___ ___?

___ está ___?

Você já ___ ___?

Você não ___ ___?

Real World Usage

Ordering coffee constant

Um café, por favor?

Texting very common

Você vem?

Job interview common

O senhor tem alguma dúvida?

Travel very common

O ônibus passa aqui?

Social media common

Você viu isso?

Food delivery common

O pedido já saiu?

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💡

Listen to music

Listen to Portuguese songs to hear how the pitch rises in questions.
⚠️

Don't add 'do'

It's the most common mistake. Just use the statement word order.
🎯

Use your hands

If you are struggling, physically lift your hand when you reach the end of the question.
💬

Watch local TV

Observe how actors use intonation in soap operas.

Smart Tips

Don't add 'do'. Just say the statement.

Do você quer? → Você quer?

Focus on the rising pitch.

Você quer (flat) → Você quer? (rising)

Use 'né' to confirm.

Você vai? → Você vai, né?

Use falling intonation.

Onde você mora↗? → Onde você mora↘?

Pronunciation

vo-cê fa-LA↗

Rising Pitch

The final stressed syllable should be higher in pitch than the rest of the sentence.

Rising

Você quer ir↗?

Yes/No question

Falling

Onde você vai↘?

Information question

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of a plane taking off: your voice starts on the ground and lifts into the sky at the end of the sentence.

Visual Association

Imagine a musical note symbol (♪) floating up at the end of every question you ask.

Rhyme

Keep the order, don't be slow, just raise your voice to let them know.

Story

Maria is learning Portuguese. She wants to ask if the store is open. She says 'A loja está aberta' like a statement. Then she remembers the rule. She repeats it, but this time she lifts her voice at the end: 'A loja está aberta?'. The shopkeeper smiles and says 'Sim!'.

Word Web

PerguntaEntonaçãoSubirVozInterrogaçãoSimNão

Challenge

For the next 5 minutes, turn every sentence you think of into a question by raising your voice at the end.

Cultural Notes

In Brazil, the rising intonation is very pronounced, especially in the Southeast.

In Portugal, the pitch rise is often more subtle, sometimes relying more on the question mark in writing.

Younger speakers often use 'né' at the end of questions to seek confirmation.

The interrogative intonation is a universal feature of Romance languages, inherited from Latin.

Conversation Starters

“

Você gosta de café?

“

Você fala português?

“

Você está cansado?

“

Você já viajou para o Brasil?

Journal Prompts

Write 5 questions you would ask a new friend.
Write a dialogue where you ask someone about their day.
Write a list of questions to ask at a job interview.
Write a paragraph about the importance of asking questions.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

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Test Yourself

Which is the correct question? Multiple Choice

a) Do você fala? b) Você fala? c) Fala você?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Portuguese does not use 'do'.
Fill in the blank.

Você ___ café? (Do you want coffee?)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: quer
Correct conjugation for 'você'.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Do você gosta de música?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Você gosta de música?
Remove 'do'.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Você fala português?
Standard subject-verb-object order.
Is this true? True False Rule

Portuguese questions require 'do'.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Portuguese uses intonation.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Você está pronto? B: ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Sim, estou.
Correct response to 'você'.
Build a question. Sentence Building

Subject: Ela, Verb: vai, Object: casa.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ela vai para casa?
Correct structure.
Conjugate the verb. Conjugation Drill

Você ___ (ser) brasileiro?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: é
Correct conjugation for 'você'.

Score: /8

Practice Exercises

8 exercises
Which is the correct question? Multiple Choice

a) Do você fala? b) Você fala? c) Fala você?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Portuguese does not use 'do'.
Fill in the blank.

Você ___ café? (Do you want coffee?)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: quer
Correct conjugation for 'você'.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Do você gosta de música?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Você gosta de música?
Remove 'do'.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

fala / você / português / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Você fala português?
Standard subject-verb-object order.
Is this true? True False Rule

Portuguese questions require 'do'.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Portuguese uses intonation.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Você está pronto? B: ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Sim, estou.
Correct response to 'você'.
Build a question. Sentence Building

Subject: Ela, Verb: vai, Object: casa.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ela vai para casa?
Correct structure.
Conjugate the verb. Conjugation Drill

Você ___ (ser) brasileiro?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: é
Correct conjugation for 'você'.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

12 exercises
Fill in the missing verb. Fill in the Blank

Ela ___ em São Paulo? (Does she live in São Paulo?)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: mora
Form a question. Sentence Reorder

Make a question:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ele trabalha amanhã?
Fix the word order. Error Correction

Gosta você de futebol?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Você gosta de futebol?
Translate 'Do you have a car?' Translation

Translate to Portuguese:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Você tem um carro?
Which sentence implies you expect a 'Yes' answer? Multiple Choice

Choose the correct form:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: O filme é bom, né?
Match the English question to the Portuguese question. Match Pairs

Match the pairs:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ["Voc\u00ea trabalha?","Voc\u00ea est\u00e1 triste?","\u00c9 aqui?"]
Ask if he is the teacher. Fill in the Blank

___ é o professor?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ele
Identify the unnecessary word. Error Correction

Sentença: 'Do você gosta de pizza?'

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Remove 'Do'
Create a negative question. Sentence Reorder

Order these words:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Você não vai?
How do you ask 'Is she okay?' informally? Multiple Choice

Select the best option:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ela tá bem?
Translate 'Is it ready?' Translation

Translate:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Está pronto?
Ask about location. Fill in the Blank

O banheiro ___ ali?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: é

Score: /12

FAQ (8)

No, keep the word order the same as a statement.

By the rising pitch at the end and the question mark.

No, 'do' does not exist in Portuguese.

Yes, the rule is the same, though the pitch might vary.

Those use a falling pitch instead of rising.

Yes, but it's often clearer to include it.

It is used in all registers.

It might sound like a statement, which can be confusing.

Scaffolded Practice

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

Rising intonation

Spanish often uses inverted word order (Verb + Subject) as well.

French moderate

Est-ce que

French relies more on syntax than Portuguese.

German low

Verb-first

German changes word order; Portuguese does not.

Japanese low

Particle 'ka'

Japanese uses a particle; Portuguese uses intonation.

Arabic low

Particle 'hal'

Arabic uses a particle; Portuguese uses intonation.

Chinese low

Particle 'ma'

Chinese uses a particle; Portuguese uses intonation.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Saying 'No': Negation in Portuguese (Não)
Next
Asking Questions: Who, What, Where (Interrogatives)

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A1 Requires

Portuguese Word Order: SVO Basics

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