Unit 5 · FamilyA1Lesson 1 of 5: Mum, dad & siblings
Mum, dad and siblings in European Portuguese
This lesson opens Unit 5, Family (A família), an A1 unit in which you talk about your family, introduce people and describe them. The new words are a família (family), o pai (father), a mãe (mother) and 5 more, practised in 10 example sentences. By the end you can say things like O meu irmão chama-se Pedro (“My brother's name is Pedro”). The unit’s grammar notes cover “O meu, a minha: "my" takes the article” and “Este, esta: introducing people”.
Words in this lesson
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
a família | family |
o pai | father |
a mãe | motherThe ãe is nasal: say "my" through your nose. |
o irmão | brotherThe plural os irmãos means brothers, or brothers and sisters. |
a irmã | sister |
o bebéalso a bebé | babyStressed at the end: be-BÉ. For a baby girl you will also hear a bebé. |
o meu | my (m.)With masculine words: o meu pai. |
a minha | my (f.)With feminine words: a minha mãe. |
Example sentences
- O meu pai é português.My father is Portuguese.
- A minha mãe é inglesa.My mother is English.
- Eu tenho um irmão e uma irmã.I have a brother and a sister.
- O meu irmão chama-se Pedro.My brother's name is Pedro.Chama-se = is called. The pronoun se goes after the verb, with a hyphen.
- A minha irmã é médica.My sister is a doctor.Jobs take no "a" in Portuguese: é médica.
- A minha família é do Porto.My family is from Porto.do = de + o, because the city is o Porto.
- O bebé chama-se Tiago.The baby's name is Tiago.
- Olá, mãe!Hi, Mum!No article when you talk to someone directly.
- A minha mãe e o meu pai são de Coimbra.My mother and father are from Coimbra.Each person gets their own possessive: a minha mãe e o meu pai.
- O meu pai fala inglês.My father speaks English.
Grammar notes
The grammar notes for this lesson are on the page for Unit 5: Family: