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EveryLingua

B1

Fortgeschritten

Auf B1 hört das Sprechen auf, aus einzelnen Sätzen zu bestehen. Eine Meinung wird begründet, eine Geschichte hat einen Anfang und ein Ende, ein Missverständnis lässt sich aufklären, ohne dass jemand hilft.

Fehler passieren weiter, aber sie stören das Verstehen nicht mehr. Das ist die Stufe, ab der eine Sprache im Beruf brauchbar wird.

Noch ohne Familie39

The present

1

B1When only the spelling changesTwo of these rules add a letter and two swap one — and none of them is an irregularity.

The noun

4

B1When the gender is the meaning« Capital » is one word in English too — here the article separates the two.B1Compound nounsYour two nouns swap places and a de appears between them — and it is always de.B1When many count as onea gente means « we » and takes the verb form of « he ».B1Professions in the feminineThe -ista group behaves like every English job title: only the article moves.

The pronouns

1

B1When the pronoun moves to the frontFive kinds of word pull it forward, and they are in every other sentence.

Questions and negation

1

B1The question inside a sentenceYou already know to undo the inversion; here there is none — what goes is the é que.

The past

1

B1What happened before the pastThere is a one-word version, falara, that you need to read and never to say.

The future

4

B1The futuro simplesThe future you would only ever write.B1The condicional« Would » does four jobs in English; this form takes two of them.B1Which future fitsThe form nearest your grammar book is the one you will use least.B1The future after quando and seEnglish forbids a future after « when »; Portuguese demands a tense of its own.

Asking and telling

1

B1The negative orderThe polarity changes the form for a friend and leaves it alone for a stranger.

Can, want, must

3

B1Not having to and not being allowed toThe two halves differ by a preposition: não tens de against não podes.B1dever for a guessDuty or guess is decided by the word after it, not by the verb.B1Advising and recommendingThree weights of advice, and the heaviest is already a reproach.

The prepositions

2

B1por or paraOne English « for » where Portuguese has a reason and a destination.B1The preposition attached to the adjectiveThree prepositions carry nearly all of them, and yours is no guide.

Familiar and formal

1

B1Address without a pronounThe politest address contains no word for « you » at all.

Reflexive verbs

3

B1The se with no personThe verb agrees with the thing sold: vende-se casa, vendem-se casas.B1When two people do the same to each other« Get on well » is dar-se bem — a reflexive where English has none.B1When the se changes the meaningThe same verb twice: esquecer takes an object, esquecer-se takes a preposition.

The passive

3

B1The passive with serThe participle agrees like an adjective, which English participles never do.B1The passive with seThis is the one you will actually hear — and it cannot name who did it.B1State rather than eventAfter estar it is simply an adjective — you can put « very » in front of it.

The Conjuntivo

2

B1The formsBuilt from the « I » form, which is why the irregular verbs come out right.B1What triggers the subjunctiveIt is a list of trigger words, not a feeling — and « I don't think » is on it.

Conditions

1

B1The possible condition« If I have time » takes a form here that English cannot even name.

Subordinate clauses

1

B1The words that join clauses« Although » takes a subjunctive; « despite » takes an infinitive that carries its own subject.

Reported speech

2

B1Passing on a statementThe listener is hung onto the verb — and one word unhooks it.B1Passing on a request« He told us to wait » leaves out who waits. Here the verb says it.

What follows a verb

6

B1When the verb carries the adverb« Again » and « these days » are not words here — they are verbs.B1The infinitive with a« Going to » is here just going, with nothing in between.B1The infinitive with de« I have just arrived » is a verb here, not an adverb.B1Verbs that take a, de and emOne verb, three continuations — and « to finish » is none of them.B1Adjective and noun before the infinitive« Something to drink » picks its own preposition, and « to » does not say which.B1estar a and the gerúndioYou already make this difference; here it is built two different ways.

The finishing touches

2

B1The accentsThe accent writes a different word, and both words exist.B1Portugal and Brazil, gathered in one placeYou already live with lift and elevator — same split, same rule: pick one.