Translation (English to Portuguese)
What the section tests
English-to-Portuguese translation tests production: correct mood, agreement, pronoun placement, prepositions, and natural collocation, with awareness of European versus Brazilian norms. You must write Portuguese that a native editor would accept, not word-for-word English in Portuguese clothing.
Core rules
- After espero que, tomara que, é possível que, use the subjunctive: Espero que possas vir (PT) or Espero que você possa vir (BR).
- To be splits: identity or characteristic → ser; state or location → estar. She is tired = Ela está cansada; She is a teacher = Ela é professora.
- For splits: purpose or destination → para; exchange, duration, or agent → por. This is for you = Isto é para você; Thanks for the help = Obrigado pela ajuda.
- Avoid calques: realizar for realize (understand) is wrong; use perceber or compreender. Atender for attend is wrong; use comparecer a.
- Decide variant consistently: você versus tu, a gente versus nós, gerund versus a + infinitive.
Worked example
Source: I hope you can come to the meeting. Answer (BR): Espero que você possa vir à reunião. Neutral PT: Espero que possa vir à reunião. Reasoning: hope that triggers subjunctive possa. Can come is rendered by possa vir, not pode vir. To the meeting = à reunião (contraction of a + a). In European Portuguese, dropping você is natural when the subject is clear.
Traps that cost marks
- Espero que você pode - indicative after espero que.
- Assistir o filme for watch the film - standard is assistir ao filme.
- Forgetting agreement with a gente (third-person singular) or vocês (third-person plural).
- Mixing European and Brazilian pronoun and gerund patterns in one text.