VCE Portuguese flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Detailed Study

A student-chosen in-depth focus on a Portuguese-speaking community or cultural product, used as the anchor topic for the VCE oral conversation and assessed for depth of knowledge and ability to sustain discussion.

Communicative and Interactional Skills

Oral criterion covering how well the student initiates talk, responds to unpredictable questions, asks questions back, and repairs breakdowns, rather than only reciting prepared material.

Repair phrase: Como se diz

Means 'How do you say...?'. It lets a speaker request a missing word without stopping the conversation, showing interactional control rather than silence or switching to English.

Nasal vowels ão, õe, ãe

Portuguese nasal diphthongs produced with air through the nose, as in 'não', 'ações' and 'mãe'. Pronouncing them as plain 'ow' or 'ay' is a frequent and audible error.

nh and lh sounds

'nh' represents the palatal nasal /ɲ/ as in 'senhor' and 'banho'; 'lh' represents the palatal lateral /ʎ/ as in 'filho' and 'trabalho'. Both are single sounds, not letter sequences.

European vs Brazilian final r

In Brazilian Portuguese the final 'r' in infinitives like 'falar' is pronounced; in European Portuguese it is often weakened or dropped, giving a markedly different ending.

Gerund vs infinitive construction

Brazilian Portuguese prefers 'estou falando' (gerund) for ongoing action, while European Portuguese prefers 'estou a falar' (a + infinitive). Mixing them inconsistently is a register error.

tu vs você address

'Tu' with second-person verb forms is common informal address in Portugal; 'você' with third-person forms is standard in Brazil. The choice signals region and formality.

Subjunctive after espero que

Verbs of hope, doubt, emotion and impersonal expressions trigger the subjunctive: 'espero que venhas', 'é importante que estudem'. Using the indicative here is a common accuracy error.

Four-move oral answer

A structure for Detailed Study answers: name a source, state a claim, give one concrete example, then link back to the question. It sustains talk while keeping relevance.

Oral exam duration and language

The VCE Portuguese oral conversation runs roughly ten to fifteen minutes, conducted in Portuguese; English is reserved only for clarifying an isolated word if needed.

Knowledge and Skills criterion

Oral criterion assessing range and accuracy of vocabulary and grammar, appropriateness of register, and clarity of pronunciation and intonation during the conversation.

Pode repetir, por favor

Means 'Can you repeat, please?'. A repair strategy that keeps the interaction going after a missed question, scored positively as interactional skill.

Written exam three sections

The written paper comprises Listening and Responding, Reading and Responding, and Writing. Listening and reading answers may be in Portuguese or English as instructed.

Writing section task count

Section 3 of the written exam requires two writing tasks in Portuguese, each in a prescribed text type and each with a stated required length, commonly around 100 to 150 words.

Email conventions

A Portuguese email text type needs a greeting (Caro/Cara, Olá), a clear purpose in the opening, organised body paragraphs, and a sign-off (Atenciosamente, Um abraço, Com os melhores cumprimentos).

Article conventions

A Portuguese article needs a headline, sometimes a byline, an engaging opening, information organised in paragraphs, and a concluding comment. It addresses a general readership, not one person.

Diary entry conventions

A diary entry uses first person, past or present tense reflection, dates the entry, and expresses personal feelings. It has no formal greeting or sign-off to another person.

Review conventions

A Portuguese review names the work reviewed, summarises briefly, evaluates with reasons, and recommends or warns the reader. Evaluative adjectives and justified opinion carry the marks.

Pretérito perfeito use

Used for completed single past events with a clear endpoint: 'Ontem fui ao cinema', 'Ela chegou às oito'. It advances the narrative and contrasts with background description.

Pretérito imperfeito use

Used for habitual past actions, ongoing background description, and states: 'Quando era criança, brincava na rua'. It sets the scene rather than reporting a single completed event.

Pretérito mais-que-perfeito

Expresses an action completed before another past action: 'Quando cheguei, ele já tinha saído' (compound) or 'já saíra' (simple). It orders events in past narrative.

Personal infinitive

An infinitive that takes a subject pronoun ending: 'antes de sairmos', 'para eles chegarem'. Characteristic of Portuguese and frequent in formal writing.

porque vs por que

'Porque' means 'because' in statements; 'por que' means 'why' in questions; 'porquê' is a noun (o porquê); 'por quê' appears at the end of a sentence.

Acute vs circumflex accent

The acute accent marks open vowels (á, é, ó) as in 'pá' and 'avó'; the circumflex marks closed vowels (â, ê, ô) as in 'avô' and 'você'. They distinguish pronunciation and meaning.

Formal address in writing

Formal Portuguese writing uses 'o senhor/a senhora' or 'você' with third-person verbs, plus titles such as 'Exmo. Sr.' in letters. Informal writing may use 'tu'.

Contractions do, da, no, na

Portuguese contracts preposition plus article: de + o = do, de + a = da, em + o = no, em + a = na. These contractions are obligatory in running written text.

Future with ir + infinitive

'Vou viajar' expresses near future plans and is common in speech and informal writing; the simple future 'viajarei' is more formal and typical of written registers.

Register and audience criterion

Writing is assessed on whether vocabulary, address forms, and tone suit the stated audience and purpose, so an informal blog post and a formal letter are judged by different expectations.

Cohesion devices

Connectors such as 'além disso', 'no entanto', 'portanto', 'por um lado... por outro lado' link ideas and are assessed under organisation in the writing section.

Listening texts heard twice

In the listening section, recorded Portuguese texts are played twice; students answer short questions in Portuguese or English as directed, focusing on main ideas and specific detail.

Reading and Responding section

Students read Portuguese texts and answer short-answer questions, then produce a short response in Portuguese showing comprehension of ideas, not just literal translation of words.