MTEL Portuguese (32) key terms

Determiner that marks a noun as specific and known to the listener, such as o, a, os, as. Portuguese uses it more often than English, including before possessives and proper names.

Determiner that introduces a non-specific or newly mentioned noun: um, uma, uns, umas. It contrasts with the definite article and often corresponds to English a or an.

Agreement in gender and number between a noun and the articles, adjectives, and pronouns that modify it, as in as casas antigas. Errors here are a common target on grammar items.

Agreement between a verb and its subject in person and number, as in eles fizeram versus ele fez. Collective and partitive subjects often complicate the choice.

Classification of Portuguese nouns as masculine or feminine, usually shown by articles and adjectives. Gender is grammatical rather than natural, so o mapa and a mão must be memorized.

Past tense that presents an action as completed, as in falei or comi. It contrasts with the imperfect, which describes ongoing or habitual past situations.

Past tense used for habitual actions, background description, and ongoing states, as in falava or morava. It often translates English used to or was doing.

Subjunctive form such as falar, fizer, or puder, used after conjunctions like quando, se, and assim que to refer to a future or uncertain event.

Verb mood expressing doubt, wish, emotion, or hypothetical situations, as in Espero que ele venha. It appears in subordinate clauses and is frequently tested through tense sequencing.

Inflected infinitive that takes person endings, as in para fazermos or antes de eles saírem. This form is characteristic of Portuguese and rare among Romance languages.

Uninflected infinitive form such as falar, comer, or partir, used without a specified subject. It often follows prepositions or auxiliary verbs.

Unstressed object pronoun such as me, te, o, a, lhe, or nos, which attaches to the verb or moves according to placement rules. Its position is a frequent grammar point.

Placement of an unstressed object pronoun before the verb, as in Não me disse. It is required after negation, certain adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions.

Placement of an unstressed object pronoun after the verb, joined by a hyphen, as in Disse-me. It is the default in affirmative main clauses in European Portuguese.

Placement of an unstressed pronoun inside the verb form, as in Dir-te-ei or Falar-lhe-ia. It occurs with future and conditional forms when no attraction rule requires proclisis.

Fusion of the preposition a with the feminine article a, written à or às. It occurs before feminine nouns and certain pronouns but not before masculine or most proper names.

The relationship between a verb and the preposition its complement requires, as in assistir a or obedecer a. Choosing the wrong preposition is a common usage error.

The preposition required by a noun or adjective to introduce its complement, as in amor a or favorável a. It parallels verbal government and is tested in usage items.

Clause that depends on a main clause and functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb. Subjunctive and conjunction use often hinges on identifying the clause type.

Invariant word that links clauses or terms, such as e, mas, porque, or embora. Coordinating and subordinating conjunctions signal different logical relationships.

The constituent about which the verb makes a statement and with which it agrees. Portuguese subjects may be omitted because verb endings often identify person.

The part of a sentence that says something about the subject, containing the verb and its complements. It contrasts with the subject in sentence analysis.

Verbal complement not introduced by a preposition, as in Comprei o livro. It may be replaced by pronouns such as o, a, os, or as.

Verbal complement introduced by a preposition, typically a, as in Dei o livro ao aluno. It commonly corresponds to the indirect object in English.

Rules for placing written accents on Portuguese words, based on stress position, word ending, and syllable structure. Accents also distinguish certain homographs.

Word whose last syllable carries primary stress, such as café or falar. Oxytone words are accented only when they end in a, e, o, or em, with plural variants.

Word whose next-to-last syllable carries primary stress, such as mesa or fácil. Paroxytones are accented when they end in certain letters and diphthongs.

Word whose stress falls on the third-to-last syllable, such as médico or lâmpada. All proparoxytones receive a written accent in Portuguese.

Fusion of a preposition with a feminine article, marked by a grave accent, as in Vou à escola. It does not occur before masculine nouns or most verbs.

A socially or regionally distinct form of a language, such as Brazilian or European Portuguese. Understanding variation helps interpret register, vocabulary, and pronunciation differences.

Language style used in official, academic, or professional settings, marked by fuller syntax and standard vocabulary. It contrasts with colloquial speech in pronoun placement and word choice.

Informal expression typical of everyday speech, such as a gente instead of nós. Recognizing colloquial forms matters for register and for standard-versus-nonstandard usage items.

Expressive device that departs from literal meaning, such as metaphor, metonymy, or hyperbole. Identifying figures supports literary analysis and interpretation of poetic texts.

Figure of speech that transfers meaning by implicit comparison, as in seus olhos são duas estrelas. It differs from simile, which uses an explicit comparative word.

Figure in which one thing is named by something closely associated with it, as in ler Machado for reading his works. It relies on contiguity rather than resemblance.

Explicit comparison using a connective such as como or tal qual, as in forte como um touro. It is often contrasted with metaphor in stylistic analysis.

Brazilian literary movement launched by the 1922 Semana de Arte Moderna, emphasizing national identity, free verse, and rupture with academic conventions. Mário de Andrade and Oswald de Andrade are central figures.

Nineteenth-century literary movement valuing emotion, individualism, and national themes. In Brazil it spans Indianist, ultra-romantic, and condoreiro phases, with Gonçalves Dias and Alencar prominent.

Late nineteenth-century movement favoring objective observation, social critique, and psychological depth over idealization. Machado de Assis and Aluísio Azevedo represent the Brazilian strand.

Fiction movement applying deterministic, scientific ideas to portray poverty and instinct, often with frank detail. Aluísio Azevedo's O Cortiço is a standard Brazilian example.

Week-long 1922 event in São Paulo presenting concerts, lectures, and exhibitions that inaugurated Brazilian Modernism. It challenged academic art and promoted experimental, nationalist aesthetics.