One lesson every Sunday.
No willpower required.

[!related]

Translating "I want a coffee" directly into Portuguese results in Eu quero um café. It is technically correct grammar. If you're using this to actually order a coffee, it's going to make you sound weirdly toddler-ish.

This is a hurdle for those of us trying to handle daily situations. We may learn basic verbs and notice they sound off, but not have the tools to improve them. I spent my first few months pointing at pastry cases because I was unsure how to ask politely.

The solution lies in the [[theimperfectstorytelling_tense|imperfect tense]], which, amongst other things, acts as a...

[!related]

A few months after my wife and I moved here, I was at my local Continente paying for groceries. The cashier finished scanning, looked up, and said something to me in Portuguese. I had no idea what she'd asked. I just handed her my card, awkwardly avoided her question and said "obrigado" when she gave it back, then walked out.

It was probably a "tem cartão Continente?" (do you have a Continente card?) or something simple like that, but I'd been so focused on getting through the bom dia and the obrigado that anything off script broke me.

That's...

[!related]

Years before my wife and I ever dreamed of moving here, we came to Lisbon for our honeymoon. I’d been studying Portuguese for a few months and was eager to show off what I'd been learning. We sat down at a cute, tile-covered tasca in Alfama, and I felt like I was handling things like a pro.

A few moments later the server brought a basket of crusty bread, a small dish of olives, and some local cheese. My wife exclaimed, "Oh, that's so nice of them". I confidently mansplained, with worldly confidence, "It's the couvert". "A little welcome...