Unit 14 · Work and studyA2Lesson 4 of 5: School and university
School and university in European Portuguese
This is lesson 4 of 5 in Unit 14, Work and study (Trabalho e estudos), an A2 unit in which you talk about your job and your studies, and describe how things used to be. The new words are a escola (school), a universidade (university), o exame (exam) and 5 more, practised in 10 example sentences. By the end you can say things like Eu estou a tirar um curso de português (“I'm taking a Portuguese course”). The unit’s grammar notes cover “School and university in Portugal” and “The imperfect: how things used to be”.
Words in this lesson
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
a escola | school |
a universidade | university |
o exame | exam |
passar no exame | to pass the exam |
chumbar | to failEveryday word for failing an exam or a school year: Eu chumbei no exame. |
a aula | class |
o curso | courseTirar um curso = to take a course, or to do a degree. |
era | I/he/she was (used to be, describing the past)The imperfect of ser: era, eras, era, éramos, eram. |
Example sentences
- A Sofia estuda na universidade.Sofia studies at university.
- Eu tenho um exame amanhã.I have an exam tomorrow.
- Tu passaste no exame?Did you pass the exam?Passar no exame = to pass the exam. Passaste = you passed.
- O meu irmão chumbou no exame.My brother failed the exam.Chumbar = to fail. You will hear it all the time in Portugal.
- As aulas começam às nove.Classes start at nine.
- Eu estou a tirar um curso de português.I'm taking a Portuguese course.Tirar um curso = to take a course.
- A escola dos miúdos fica perto de casa.The kids' school is close to home.Os miúdos = the kids. You will hear it everywhere in Portugal.
- Quando eu era estudante, estudava muito.When I was a student, I studied a lot.Era and estudava are in the imperfect: how things used to be.
- A professora era muito simpática.The teacher was very nice.
- As propinas são muito caras.The tuition fees are very expensive.As propinas = university tuition fees.
Grammar notes
The grammar notes for this lesson are on the page for Unit 14: Work and study: