A2 Portuguese for CIPLE: The Complete Guide to Understanding the Language

You've learned 600 words. You can recognise them. You can look them up. But when it's time to actually say something — or write those 60–80 words the CIPLE exam requires — the words don't come together.

That gap between vocabulary and sentences is grammar. Not the painful kind. The logical kind. Portuguese has a clean, predictable structure. Once you see it, everything else — the tenses, the verb forms, the way ideas connect — falls into place.

This guide is your single reference for that structure. Read it once for the overview. Come back to specific sections when something isn't clicking. By the end, you will be able to build any A2 sentence you need — for the exam and for real life.

A2 Portuguese grammar at a glance: how sentences, verbs, and pieces fit together for CIPLE.

📑 Table of Contents

1. The Logic of the Language: How Portuguese Sentences Work
2. Articles: The Rule You Cannot Skip
3. Adjectives: How Words Agree With Each Other
4. The 10 Verbs That Run the Language
5. ser vs estar: The Most Important Distinction in Portuguese
6. Multi-Meaning Verbs: One Word, Many Uses
7. The Three Tenses You Actually Need
8. Modal Verbs: Want, Can, Must, Need
9. Building Any Sentence: Positive, Negative, Question
10. Connectors: Gluing Ideas Together
11. Pronouns: Who Is Doing What
12. Numbers, Time, Dates, and Days
13. Directions and Location
14. 20 Action Verbs for CIPLE Topics
15. Writing Formulas for the CIPLE Exam
16. European vs Brazilian Portuguese: What Changes for CIPLE
17. The hyphen with object pronouns (Deixou-me, Dá-me…)
18. Colours: basic adjectives

🧱 1. The Logic of the Language: How Portuguese Sentences Work

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Every Portuguese sentence is built on the same foundation:

┌──────────────┐   ┌──────────────┐   ┌──────────────┐
│   SUBJECT    │ + │    VERB      │ + │   OBJECT     │
│  Eu / Maria  │   │  como/compra │   │ pão / leite  │
└──────────────┘   └──────────────┘   └──────────────┘

  Eu    como    pão.        → I eat bread.
  Maria compra  leite.      → Maria buys milk.
  O João mora   em Lisboa.  → João lives in Lisbon.

This is Subject → Verb → Object. The same order as English. If you know nothing else about Portuguese grammar, this pattern will get you through most situations.

Now, three things work differently from English:

💬 1.1 Subjects are often dropped

In English, you must say I eat. You can't just say eat. In Portuguese, you can — because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action.

Eu moro em Lisboa.     → I live in Lisbon.
Moro em Lisboa.        → (I) live in Lisbon.   ← more natural in speech

Ela trabalha no banco. → She works at the bank.
Trabalha no banco.     → (She) works at the bank.

Both versions are correct. In everyday speech, the subject pronoun is usually dropped unless you're emphasising or contrasting (Eu não, ela sim — Not me, her yes).

🎨 1.2 Adjectives follow nouns — and they agree

In English: a big apartment. In Portuguese: um apartamento grande — a apartment big. The adjective comes after, and it changes its ending to match the noun's gender and number.

um apartamento grande    → a big apartment       (masculine singular)
uma casa grande          → a big house           (feminine singular)
dois apartamentos grandes → two big apartments   (masculine plural)
duas casas grandes       → two big houses        (feminine plural)

Most adjectives ending in -e don't change for gender (grande stays grande for both). Adjectives ending in -o change to -a for feminine.

um carro bonito    → a beautiful car       (masc)
uma cidade bonita  → a beautiful city      (fem)
um dia frio        → a cold day            (masc)
uma noite fria     → a cold night          (fem)

💡 Quick rule: If the adjective ends in -o, change it to -a for feminine nouns. If it ends in -e or a consonant, it usually stays the same for both genders. Add -s for plural.

🔧 1.3 Verbs change ending based on who acts

This is the biggest structural difference from English. Where English says I eat / you eat / he eats with only one change, Portuguese changes the verb ending for every person.

🔵 The good news: Once you learn these endings for one regular verb, you know them for hundreds of verbs. Portuguese verb endings are highly consistent.

We'll cover this fully in sections 4 and 7. For now, just know that the verb form always tells you who the subject is — which is why you can drop the pronoun.

📝 2. Articles: The Rule You Cannot Skip

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Portuguese has two types of articles: definite (the) and indefinite (a/an). Unlike English, every noun in Portuguese has a gender — masculine or feminine — and the article changes to match.

Definite articles (the)

             MASCULINE    FEMININE
Singular     o            a
Plural       os           as

o livro      → the book
a mesa       → the table
os livros    → the books
as mesas     → the tables

Indefinite articles (a / an)

             MASCULINE    FEMININE
Singular     um           uma
Plural       uns          umas

um livro     → a book
uma mesa     → a table
uns livros   → some books
umas mesas   → some tables

⚠️ English speakers often skip the article. In Portuguese, you almost always need one. You don't say Tenho carro (I have car) — you say Tenho um carro (I have a car). Articles are not optional decoration; they're part of the noun.

Articles contract with prepositions

This is something that catches beginners off guard. When the prepositions de (of/from) and em (in/at) appear before an article, they fuse together:

de + o  = do       Venho do mercado.      → I'm coming from the market.
de + a  = da       Venho da escola.       → I'm coming from the school.
de + os = dos      Gosto dos livros.      → I like the books.
de + as = das      Gosto das flores.      → I like the flowers.

em + o  = no       Moro no Porto.         → I live in Porto.
em + a  = na       Trabalho na cidade.    → I work in the city.
em + os = nos      Estou nos correios.    → I'm at the post office.
em + as = nas      Moro nas montanhas.    → I live in the mountains.

🎯 CIPLE exam: These contractions appear constantly in reading and listening. Venho do trabalho (I'm coming from work), Moro na Amadora (I live in Amadora), Estou no hospital (I'm at the hospital). Recognising them automatically saves you time under pressure.

✨ 3. Adjectives: How Words Agree With Each Other

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You learned vocabulary as isolated words. In sentences, adjectives don't stand alone — they connect to the noun they describe, matching its gender and number. This is called agreement.

Gender agreement

Most adjectives follow this pattern:

ADJECTIVE       MASC. SINGULAR   FEM. SINGULAR    MEANING
bonito/bonita   um dia bonito    uma noite bonita  beautiful
frio/fria       um dia frio      uma noite fria    cold
cansado/cansada um homem cansado uma mulher cansada  tired
novo/nova       um livro novo    uma ideia nova    new

Adjectives ending in -e or -ista don't change for gender:

grande          um apartamento grande   uma cidade grande     big
interessante    um livro interessante   uma aula interessante interesting

Number agreement: adding -s

Add -s for plural nouns. If the adjective ends in a vowel, just add -s. If it ends in a consonant, add -es.

um apartamento grande    → dois apartamentos grandes
uma pessoa simpática     → duas pessoas simpáticas
um homem feliz           → dois homens felizes  (z → zes)

💡 For the CIPLE writing section, agreement errors cost points — especially gender errors. The most common mistake: writing uma dia bonito instead of um dia bonito. When you write a sentence, check: does the adjective ending match the noun's gender?

🔟 4. The 10 Verbs That Run the Language

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You could learn 500 verbs, but 10 verbs do the heavy lifting of everyday Portuguese. Master these and you can express almost any basic situation.

Ten high-frequency verbs: ser, estar, ir, fazer, ter, dizer, vir, ver, poder, dar — the core of A2 Portuguese.

VERB      MEANING              WHY IT MATTERS
ser       to be (permanent)    identity, origin, profession
estar     to be (temporary)    location, feelings, states
ir        to go                movement + future tense
fazer     to do / to make      actions, weather, time
ter       to have              possession, age, obligation
dizer     to say / to tell     opinions, reported speech, "they say"
vir       to come              movement toward speaker
ver       to see               perception, plans ("see you soon")
poder     can / to be able     ability, permission
dar       to give              giving, fixed phrases (e.g. dá para…)

Each of these verbs has irregular forms in the present tense — they don't follow the standard pattern. You need to memorise them. Here are their present-tense forms:

ser (to be — permanent)

eu        sou       I am
tu        és        you are (informal)
ele/ela   é         he/she/it is
nós       somos     we are
vocês     são       you are (plural)
eles/elas são       they are

estar (to be — temporary)

eu        estou     I am
tu        estás     you are
ele/ela   está      he/she is
nós       estamos   we are
vocês     estão     you are (plural)
eles/elas estão     they are

ter (to have)

eu        tenho     I have
tu        tens      you have
ele/ela   tem       he/she has
nós       temos     we have
vocês     têm       you have (plural)
eles/elas têm       they have

ir (to go)

eu        vou       I go / I'm going
tu        vais      you go
ele/ela   vai       he/she goes
nós       vamos     we go
vocês     vão       you go (plural)
eles/elas vão       they go

fazer (to do / make)

eu        faço      I do/make
tu        fazes     you do/make
ele/ela   faz       he/she does/makes
nós       fazemos   we do/make
vocês     fazem     you do/make
eles/elas fazem     they do/make

poder (can)

eu        posso     I can
tu        podes     you can
ele/ela   pode      he/she can
nós       podemos   we can
vocês     podem     you can (plural)
eles/elas podem     they can

dizer (to say / to tell)

eu        digo      I say
tu        dizes     you say
ele/ela   diz       he/she says
nós       dizemos   we say
vocês     dizem     you say (plural)
eles/elas dizem     they say

ver (to see)

eu        vejo      I see
tu        vês       you see
ele/ela   vê        he/she sees
nós       vemos     we see
vocês     veem      you see (plural)
eles/elas veem      they see

vir (to come)

eu        venho     I come
tu        vens      you come
ele/ela   vem       he/she comes
nós       viemos    we come
vocês     vêm       you come (plural)
eles/elas vêm       they come

dar (to give)

eu        dou       I give
tu        dás       you give
ele/ela   dá        he/she gives
nós       damos     we give
vocês     dão       you give (plural)
eles/elas dão       they give

querer, saber, and ficar are still essential — see Section 6 (multi-meaning verbs, including ficar) and Section 8 (modals).

💡 Learning tip: Don't try to memorise all 10 at once. Learn ser, estar, ter, and ir first — these four cover 60% of your daily usage. Add the others one at a time over two weeks.

5. ser vs estar: The Most Important Distinction in Portuguese

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Both mean "to be." English has one verb; Portuguese has two. Choosing the wrong one is the most common mistake English speakers make — and it can change the meaning of what you're saying.

The core logic:

SER                              ESTAR
Permanent / defining traits      Temporary / changeable states
─────────────────────────────    ─────────────────────────────
Who you are                      How you feel right now
Where you're from                Where you are right now
Your profession                  Your current condition
Fixed characteristics            Ongoing situations

When to use ser

Eu sou inglês.              → I am English.          (nationality — permanent)
Ela é médica.               → She is a doctor.       (profession)
O João é alto.              → João is tall.           (physical trait)
Somos de Lisboa.            → We are from Lisbon.    (origin)
A reunião é às 10h.         → The meeting is at 10.  (scheduled event)
O apartamento é grande.     → The apartment is big.  (inherent quality)

When to use estar

Estou cansado.              → I am tired.            (current feeling)
Ela está doente.            → She is sick.           (temporary state)
O João está em casa.        → João is at home.       (current location)
Estamos no trabalho.        → We are at work.        (current location)
O café está quente.         → The coffee is hot.     (temporary quality)
Estás bem?                  → Are you OK?            (current state)

The cases that confuse everyone

⚠️ Ser for locations of events, estar for locations of people and things A conferência é no centro. → The conference is at the centre. (event — ser) O João está no centro. → João is at the centre. (person — estar) Fixed, permanent locations (buildings, cities) also use ser: Lisboa é em Portugal. → Lisbon is in Portugal.

⚠️ Adjectives that change meaning with ser/estar `` ser bonito → to be beautiful (inherently) estar bonito → to look beautiful (right now) ser frio → to be a cold person (personality) estar frio → to be cold (temperature right now) ser morto → to be dead (state of death) estar morto → to feel dead tired (colloquial) ``

🎯 CIPLE exam: In the writing section, ser/estar errors are penalised. The most common mistake in student writing: "Estou professor" (wrong) instead of "Sou professor" (correct). Profession, nationality, and identity always use ser.

6. Multi-Meaning Verbs: One Word, Many Uses

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Portuguese has a set of verbs that English translates as several completely different words depending on context. Learning these isn't memorising multiple meanings — it's understanding the single logic behind each verb that generates all its uses.

ficar — the verb that does everything

At its core, ficar means to remain in a state or position. Once you understand that, all its meanings make sense.

ficar in sentences:

Fico em casa hoje.           → I'm staying home today.         (to stay)
Ficaste surpreendido?        → Were you surprised?             (to become)
Onde fica o hospital?        → Where is the hospital?          (to be located)
Ficou sem emprego.           → He ended up without a job.      (to end up)
Ficou quieto.                → He stayed/remained quiet.       (to remain in state)
Ficámos assim.               → We agreed/left it like that.    (to arrange/agree)
Fico com este.               → I'll take/keep this one.        (to keep/take)
Ficou a estudar.             → He stayed studying / kept studying. (continued action)

The thread connecting all these: something remaining in a position, state, or situation.

deixar — to leave, let, stop

The core of deixar: releasing control of something.

acabar — to end, to finish, to have just done

The core of acabar: something reaching its end.

O filme acabou.              → The film ended.
Acabei o trabalho.           → I finished the work.
Acabei de chegar.            → I've just arrived.      ← acabar de + infinitive
Acabou com ele.              → She broke up with him.  (ended the relationship)
Acabei com o chocolate.      → I finished all the chocolate. (used it all up)

Note: acabar de + infinitive = to have just done something. This is one of the most useful phrases for the CIPLE speaking section.

Acabo de receber a carta.    → I've just received the letter.
Ela acabou de sair.          → She just left.

passar — to pass, to spend (time), to go through, to iron

Core logic: movement through or across something (physical or temporal).

O autocarro passou.          → The bus passed / went by.
Passámos férias em Sintra.   → We spent our holiday in Sintra.
Como passaste o fim de semana? → How did you spend the weekend?
Podes passar o sal?          → Can you pass the salt?
Preciso de passar a roupa.   → I need to iron the clothes.  (iron = move across fabric)
A dor vai passar.            → The pain will pass.
Passa bem!                   → Take care! / Fare well!
O que se passa?              → What's happening? What's going on?

levar — to take, to carry, to lead to, to last

Core logic: taking something from here to there — physically or metaphorically.

Leva o guarda-chuva.         → Take the umbrella (with you).
O táxi leva-te ao aeroporto. → The taxi will take you to the airport.
Quanto tempo leva?           → How long does it take?
Leva 30 minutos.             → It takes 30 minutes.
Isso levou-me a pensar...    → That led me to think...
Levei uma multa.             → I got a fine. (fined was brought to me)

💡 "Quanto tempo leva?" (How long does it take?) is one of the most useful phrases for the CIPLE oral section. Learn it cold — it works for travel, appointments, waiting, and any situation where time matters.

andar — to walk, to be (in a state), to go around doing

Core logic: ongoing movement or activity — not going somewhere specific, but being in a continuous process.

Ando a pé para o trabalho.   → I walk to work.
Ando cansado ultimamente.    → I've been tired lately.     (ongoing state)
Anda a estudar português.    → He's been studying Portuguese. (ongoing action)
Anda às voltas com isso.     → He's going around and around with that. (struggling)
Como andas?                  → How are you? (How are things going?)

7. The Three Tenses You Actually Need

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For CIPLE A2, you need to talk about the present, the past, and the immediate future. Three tenses cover all of this.

Tense 1: Presente (Present)

Used for: what is happening now, habits, facts, scheduled events.

Regular verbs follow three patterns based on their infinitive ending:

         -AR verbs        -ER verbs        -IR verbs
         falar (speak)    comer (eat)      partir (leave)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
eu       falo             como             parto
tu       falas            comes            partes
ele/ela  fala             come             parte
nós      falamos          comemos          partimos
vocês    falam            comem            partem
eles     falam            comem            partem

Falo português.              → I speak Portuguese.
Ela come às 13h.             → She eats at 1pm.
O comboio parte às 9h.       → The train leaves at 9.

💡 -ar verbs are the most common (roughly 90% of all verbs). Learn the -ar ending pattern first and you'll cover most of the language. The -ar pattern: drop -ar, add: -o / -as / -a / -amos / -am.

Tense 2: Pretérito Perfeito (Simple Past)

Used for: completed actions, things that happened at a specific moment.

         -AR verbs        -ER verbs        -IR verbs
         falar            comer            partir
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
eu       falei            comi             parti
tu       falaste          comeste          partiste
ele/ela  falou            comeu            partiu
nós      falámos          comemos          partimos
vocês    falaram          comeram          partiram
eles     falaram          comeram          partiram

Ontem falei com a médica.    → Yesterday I spoke with the doctor.
Comemos no restaurante.      → We ate at the restaurant.
O comboio partiu às 9h.      → The train left at 9.

Key time markers for the past:

ontem          → yesterday
anteontem      → the day before yesterday
na semana passada → last week
no mês passado → last month
no ano passado → last year
há dois dias   → two days ago
já             → already

Common irregular past forms (memorise these):

ser / ir    → fui, foste, foi, fomos, foram   (same form for both verbs!)
ter         → tive, tiveste, teve, tivemos, tiveram
fazer       → fiz, fizeste, fez, fizemos, fizeram
vir         → vim, vieste, veio, viemos, vieram
estar       → estive, estiveste, esteve, estivemos, estiveram

⚠️ ser and ir share the same past tense forms. Context tells you which is which: Fui ao mercado. → I went to the market. (ir) Foi difícil. → It was difficult. (ser)

Tense 3: Futuro com ir (Immediate Future)

Used for: what you're going to do, plans, intentions.

Formula: ir (present tense) + infinitive

Vou falar com ela.           → I'm going to talk to her.
Vai chover amanhã.           → It's going to rain tomorrow.
Vamos comer fora.            → We're going to eat out.

This is identical to English "going to" — the present tense of ir plus the base form of the verb. No new conjugation to learn.

🎯 CIPLE oral section: When describing plans and future events, this construction is what you need. "Vou registar-me no SEF" (I'm going to register at SEF), "Vou renovar a minha autorização de residência" (I'm going to renew my residence permit).

Key time markers for the future:

amanhã         → tomorrow
depois de amanhã → the day after tomorrow
na próxima semana → next week
no próximo mês → next month
em breve       → soon
mais tarde     → later

8. Modal Verbs: Want, Can, Must, Need

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Modal verbs express how you relate to an action — whether you want it, can do it, must do it, or need to do it. In Portuguese, they work exactly like in English: modal verb + infinitive.

MODAL VERB    MEANING           EXAMPLE
poder         can / be able to  Posso ajudar?  → Can I help?
querer        to want           Quero um café. → I want a coffee.
dever         should / must     Deves descansar. → You should rest.
precisar de   to need to        Preciso de ir. → I need to go.
ter de / que  to have to        Tenho de trabalhar. → I have to work.
saber         to know how to    Sei conduzir. → I know how to drive.

Posso entrar?                → Can I come in?
Não posso falar agora.       → I can't talk right now.
Quero falar com o médico.    → I want to speak with the doctor.
Não quero esperar.           → I don't want to wait.
Deve ser aqui.               → It must be here / It should be here.
Preciso de um comprovativo.  → I need a proof document.
Tenho de ir às Finanças.     → I have to go to the Tax Office.
Sabe falar inglês?           → Do you know how to speak English?

poder vs saber — two ways of "can"

This distinction trips up English speakers because English uses "can" for both.

⚠️ poder = physically able to / allowed to saber = know how to (a skill) Posso nadar → I'm allowed to swim / I'm able to swim (right now) Sei nadar → I know how to swim (I have the skill) Posso ajudá-lo? → Can I help you? (offering assistance) Sabe cozinhar? → Can you cook? (do you have the skill?)

9. Building Any Sentence: Positive, Negative, Question

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Once you have a subject and a verb, you can make three types of sentences from it.

Positive

Moro em Lisboa.              → I live in Lisbon.
Ela trabalha no hospital.    → She works at the hospital.

Negative — just add não before the verb

Não moro em Lisboa.          → I don't live in Lisbon.
Ela não trabalha no hospital.→ She doesn't work at the hospital.
Não sei.                     → I don't know.
Não tenho carro.             → I don't have a car.

💡 Portuguese uses double negatives — and they're correct. Não vi nada. (I didn't see anything. Literally: Not saw nothing.) Não fui nunca. (I never went. Literally: Not went never.) This is standard Portuguese, not a mistake.

Question — same words, different intonation (usually)

Unlike English, Portuguese doesn't rearrange the word order for questions. You can ask a question by simply raising your voice at the end.

Moras em Lisboa?             → Do you live in Lisbon?  (voice rises at end)
Trabalha aqui?               → Do you work here?
Tem mesa para dois?          → Do you have a table for two?

For more explicit questions, use question words at the start:

o que?    → what?       O que quer?      What do you want?
quem?     → who?        Quem é?          Who is it?
onde?     → where?      Onde fica?       Where is it?
quando?   → when?       Quando chega?    When does it arrive?
como?     → how?        Como se chama?   What's your name?
porque?   → why?        Porque é tarde?  Why is it late?
qual?     → which?      Qual prefere?    Which do you prefer?
quanto?   → how much?   Quanto custa?    How much does it cost?

🎯 CIPLE oral section: The exam tests interaction, which means asking and answering questions. The question words above are your tools. Practice saying each one followed by a verb: Onde fica... / Quando abre... / Quanto custa...

10. Connectors: Gluing Ideas Together

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A2 writing means sentences that connect. A 60–80 word CIPLE response cannot be six separate unconnected sentences — you need glue words.

The essential connectors

CONNECTOR    MEANING          EXAMPLE
e            and              Moro em Lisboa e trabalho em Sintra.
mas          but              Gosto, mas é caro.
porque       because          Faltei porque estava doente.
quando       when             Quando chego a casa, como.
se           if               Se puder, venho amanhã.
que          that             Acho que está fechado.
também       also / too       Eu também quero.
então        so / then        Estava cansado, então fui dormir.
depois       after / then     Comi e depois saí.
antes de     before           Telefona antes de vires.
por isso     therefore / so   Está fechado, por isso voltei.
embora       although         Embora seja caro, é bom.
como         as / since       Como está ocupado, espero.
já que       since / given    Já que estás aqui, fica para jantar.

Building longer sentences — step by step

SIMPLE:
Estava doente. Não fui trabalhar.
→ I was ill. I didn't go to work.

CONNECTED:
Estava doente, por isso não fui trabalhar.
→ I was ill, so I didn't go to work.

MORE NATURAL:
Como estava doente, não fui trabalhar — e por isso precisei de um comprovativo médico.
→ Since I was ill, I didn't go to work — and that's why I needed a medical certificate.

🎯 CIPLE writing section: The difference between a Suficiente (55%) and a Bom (70%) in writing is almost always connectors. Short, choppy sentences get penalised for lack of cohesion. Aim for at least 3 different connectors in your 60–80 word response.

11. Pronouns: Who Is Doing What

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Subject pronouns

PRONOUN    MEANING           NOTE
eu         I
tu         you               informal — use with friends, family, children
ele        he / it (masc.)
ela        she / it (fem.)
nós        we
vocês      you (plural)      standard plural "you" in European Portuguese
eles       they (masc./mixed)
elas       they (fem.)
você       you               more formal in Portugal, common in Brazil

⚠️ tu vs você in European Portuguese In Portugal, tu is the normal informal "you" between people who know each other. Você is more formal or distant. Many learners from Brazilian materials use você for everything — this sounds odd in Portugal for everyday conversation. Use tu with people your age and younger; use você or the person's title (o senhor / a senhora) for formal situations.

Direct object pronouns (replacing the object)

me      me          Podes ajudar-me?     → Can you help me?
te      you         Vejo-te amanhã.      → I'll see you tomorrow.
o/a     him/her/it  Comprei-o.           → I bought it.
nos     us          Ele viu-nos.         → He saw us.
vos     you (pl.)
os/as   them        Vi-os ontem.         → I saw them yesterday.

For A2, you mainly need me (me), te (you-informal), and the occasional o/a (it/him/her). Don't try to master all object pronouns at once — the exam doesn't require complex pronoun constructions.

12. Numbers, Time, Dates, and Days

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Numbers 1–20

1  um/uma      2  dois/duas   3  três       4  quatro
5  cinco       6  seis        7  sete       8  oito
9  nove        10 dez         11 onze       12 doze
13 treze       14 catorze     15 quinze     16 dezasseis
17 dezassete   18 dezoito     19 dezanove   20 vinte

Numbers 21–100

21  vinte e um       30  trinta
40  quarenta         50  cinquenta
60  sessenta         70  setenta
80  oitenta          90  noventa
100 cem / cento      1000 mil

Pattern: 21 = vinte e um, 35 = trinta e cinco, 48 = quarenta e oito.

⚠️ Numbers agree with gender. um becomes uma for feminine nouns. dois becomes duas. This matters for prices, quantities, and ages: Tenho trinta e dois anos. (masc.) vs Duas semanas. (fem.)

Telling time

Que horas são?               → What time is it?
São duas horas.              → It's two o'clock.
É meio-dia.                  → It's midday.
É meia-noite.                → It's midnight.
São três e meia.             → It's half past three. (três e trinta)
São quatro e um quarto.      → It's quarter past four.
São cinco menos um quarto.   → It's quarter to five.
São oito e vinte.            → It's twenty past eight.

For appointments and schedules (very common in CIPLE):

Às que horas?                → At what time?
Às dez horas.                → At ten o'clock.
Às 14h30.                    → At 14:30.
De manhã / de tarde / à noite → In the morning / afternoon / at night

Days of the week

segunda-feira  → Monday
terça-feira    → Tuesday
quarta-feira   → Wednesday
quinta-feira   → Thursday
sexta-feira    → Friday
sábado         → Saturday
domingo        → Sunday

💡 Days are not capitalised in Portuguese (unlike English). Also: in Portugal, the working week reference is dias úteis (working days), which you'll see constantly on official documents and in listening exercises about opening hours.

Months

janeiro    fevereiro  março      abril
maio       junho      julho      agosto
setembro   outubro    novembro   dezembro

Seasons

a primavera  → spring
o verão      → summer
o outono     → autumn
o inverno    → winter

No verão faz calor.          → In summer it's hot.
No inverno chove muito.      → In winter it rains a lot.

Dates

Que dia é hoje?              → What day is today?
Hoje é o dia 15 de março.    → Today is the 15th of March.
O meu aniversário é a 3 de julho. → My birthday is on the 3rd of July.

🎯 CIPLE exam: Dates, times, and schedules appear in almost every listening exercise and many reading tasks. A transport timetable, a doctor's appointment card, a notice about opening hours — all require reading numbers, days, and times accurately. Practice these until they're automatic.

13. Directions and Location

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The CIPLE oral section includes a role-play where you might ask for or give directions. These phrases are also essential for reading maps and signs.

Asking for directions

Desculpe, onde fica...?      → Excuse me, where is...?
Como se vai para...?         → How do you get to...?
É longe daqui?               → Is it far from here?
Quanto tempo leva a pé?      → How long does it take on foot?

Giving directions

à direita      → to the right     Vire à direita.    → Turn right.
à esquerda     → to the left      Vire à esquerda.   → Turn left.
em frente      → straight ahead   Siga em frente.    → Go straight ahead.
para trás      → behind / back    Volte para trás.   → Go back.
sempre em frente → keep straight  Siga sempre em frente.
na próxima rua → on the next street
na segunda rua → on the second street
no cruzamento  → at the crossroads
no semáforo    → at the traffic lights

Prepositions of place

em / no / na    → in / at         Estou no banco.     I'm at the bank.
perto de        → near            Fica perto da estação.  Near the station.
longe de        → far from        É longe do centro.  Far from the centre.
ao lado de      → next to         Ao lado do correios. Next to the post office.
em frente de    → in front of     Em frente da câmara. In front of the town hall.
atrás de        → behind          Atrás do supermercado. Behind the supermarket.
entre           → between         Entre o café e o banco. Between the café and bank.
em cima de      → on top of       Em cima da mesa.    On the table.
em baixo de     → under           Em baixo da ponte.  Under the bridge.

Town square map: directions and places (CIPLE-style vocabulary)

14. 20 Action Verbs for CIPLE Topics

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The CIPLE tests your ability to handle everyday situations. These 20 verbs appear constantly in the exam's themes: shopping, transport, health, housing, services.

VERB          MEANING          EXAMPLE
comprar       to buy           Quero comprar um bilhete.
pagar         to pay           Pago com cartão.
vender        to sell          Vendem pão aqui?
pedir         to ask for       Posso pedir a conta?
reservar      to book          Quero reservar uma mesa.
marcar        to schedule      Marquei consulta para amanhã.
esperar       to wait / hope   Espere um momento, por favor.
chegar        to arrive        Chego às 10h.
sair          to leave/go out  Saio às 18h.
abrir         to open          A que horas abre?
fechar        to close         Fecha às 20h.
precisar de   to need          Preciso de ajuda.
trazer        to bring         Pode trazer a conta?
mandar        to send          Mandei um email.
ligar         to call / turn on Ligo-lhe amanhã.
preencher     to fill in       Precisa de preencher o formulário.
assinar       to sign          Por favor, assine aqui.
entregar      to deliver/hand  Entrego os documentos amanhã.
receber       to receive       Recebi a carta.
renovar       to renew         Tenho de renovar o meu BI.

🎯 CIPLE exam: The verbs preencher, assinar, entregar, and renovar are bureaucratic vocabulary that appears in the writing section (formal letters) and the listening section (official instructions). Learn them — they signal you're dealing with an official document context.

15. Writing Formulas for the CIPLE Exam

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The writing section has two tasks: a short message (25–35 words) and a longer text (60–80 words). Both have predictable formats. Learn these templates and you spend exam time on content, not structure.

Short message — 25–35 words

This is typically a note, SMS, or informal message to a friend or family member.

Template: [Greeting], [reason for writing] + [main information] + [request or closing]

Olá [name],
[Main point in 1-2 sentences.]
[Any follow-up detail.]
[Simple closing.]
[Your name]

─────────────────────────────────────────────
Olá Ana,
Não posso ir ao jantar hoje porque estou doente.
Lamento muito. Podemos marcar para outro dia?
Um abraço,
Sofia
─────────────────────────────────────────────
(32 words — within the 25–35 range)

Longer text — 60–80 words

This is typically a semi-formal message: an email to a neighbour, a reply to an advertisement, a message to a service provider.

Template: [Opening] + [reason for writing] + [main point] + [supporting detail] + [request or action] + [closing]

Exmo./Exma. Sr./Sra. [Name] (formal)
Caro/Cara [Name]                      (semi-formal)
Olá [Name]                            (informal)

─────────────────────────────────────────────
Caro Sr. Ferreira,
Escrevo para informar que não posso comparecer à reunião de
amanhã porque tenho uma consulta médica marcada para a mesma
hora. Peço desculpa pelo inconveniente. Podemos remarcar para
quinta-feira de manhã? Estou disponível a partir das 10 horas.
Aguardo a sua resposta.
Com os melhores cumprimentos,
David Silva
─────────────────────────────────────────────
(72 words — within the 60–80 range)

Essential closing phrases

Um abraço           → (lit. a hug) — warm informal close
Beijinhos           → kisses — very informal, close friends
Com os melhores cumprimentos → With best regards — semi-formal
Atenciosamente      → Sincerely — formal
Aguardo a sua resposta → I look forward to your reply
Obrigado/a          → Thank you (before signing)

⚠️ Word count is enforced. Write fewer than 25 words on the short task or fewer than 60 on the longer one, and examiners mark the response as incomplete — regardless of how correct the language is. Always count before you finish.

🎯 CIPLE exam tip: Practice writing 60-word and 30-word texts until you can feel the length without counting every word. After 10–15 practice texts, you'll know instinctively when you're in range.

16. European vs Brazilian Portuguese: What Changes for CIPLE

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If you learned Portuguese from Brazilian apps, shows, or friends — you already have a foundation. But the CIPLE tests European Portuguese specifically. Some differences are minor; some will cost you marks if you're not aware of them.

CIPLE uses European Portuguese (Portugal), not Brazilian Portuguese.

Vocabulary differences — these cost marks in writing

CONCEPT           EUROPEAN PT        BRAZILIAN PT
breakfast         pequeno-almoço     café da manhã
bus               autocarro          ônibus
train (suburban)  comboio            trem
mobile phone      telemóvel          celular
apartment         apartamento        apartamento ✓ (same)
refrigerator      frigorífico        geladeira
ice cream         gelado             sorvete
computer          computador ✓       computador ✓
toilet            casa de banho      banheiro
chemist/pharmacy  farmácia ✓         farmácia ✓
swimming pool      piscina ✓          piscina ✓
pedestrian crossing passadeira       faixa de pedestres

⚠️ Using Brazilian vocabulary in the CIPLE writing section costs marks. The most common errors: writing ônibus instead of autocarro, café da manhã instead of pequeno-almoço, celular instead of telemóvel. Learn the European versions of everyday vocabulary.

Pronunciation differences — critical for listening

The CIPLE listening section uses European Portuguese audio. This sounds very different from Brazilian Portuguese.

FEATURE           EUROPEAN PT                    BRAZILIAN PT
Unstressed vowels Often swallowed / reduced       Clearly pronounced
"de"              sounds like "d" + swallowed e   "dʒi" (like "gee")
"te"              sounds like "t" + swallowed e   "tʃi" (like "chee")
Speed             Fast, reduced vowels            Slower, open vowels
Example: "pode"   sounds like "pod"              sounds like "podʒi"
Example: "tarde"  sounds like "tard"             sounds like "tardʒi"

💡 The fastest way to adjust your ear: listen to RDP Antena 1 (rr.pt) for 15 minutes every day. European Portuguese radio at natural speed. After 3–4 weeks, the accent will no longer sound unfamiliar.

Grammar differences

For A2, the main practical difference is how to say "you":

                  EUROPEAN PT        BRAZILIAN PT
Informal "you"    tu                 você
Formal "you"      você / o senhor    o senhor / a senhora
"you all"         vocês              vocês ✓ (same)

In Portugal, tu is the default informal address between people who know each other. In Brazil, você is used for almost everyone. For the CIPLE oral section, use tu with other candidates and você/o senhor/a senhora with the examiner.

17. The hyphen with object pronouns: Deixou-me, Dá-me…

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This guide uses two different kinds of “dash,” and they are not the same thing. In section titles, the long mark in deixar — to leave is ordinary punctuation (like “means” or “that is”). In real sentences, a short hyphen (-) joins the verb to a tiny object pronoun (me, te, o, a, nos, lhe, lhes, etc.) when that pronoun comes immediately after the verb. That pattern is called enclisis — and in European Portuguese the hyphen is part of correct spelling, not decoration.

So Deixou-me is literally “left” + “me,” glued to one word: deixou + -me. The same logic gives Diz-me, Dá-nos, Faz-me um favor. The same hyphen shows up in imperatives (e.g. Dê-me o livro) and in almost every dialogue in listening practice.

Enclisis (pronoun after the verb) — hyphen required in standard European spelling:
Deixou-me em paz.          → He/she left me alone.
Ela deu-nos a notícia.      → She gave us the news.
Diz-me a verdade.           → Tell me the truth. (informal)

Proclisis (pronoun before the verb) — no hyphen; common after não, que, relative/interrogative words:
Não me deixou.              → He/she didn't leave me.
Que te disse?                → What did he/she tell you?
Não nos disseram nada.       → They didn't tell us anything.

🎯 CIPLE tip: You do not need the full theory of mesóclise for A2. You do need to recognise verb-hyphen-pronoun in reading and listening, and to use it in simple writing when the pronoun follows the verb.

18. Colours: basic adjectives (European Portuguese)

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Colours appear constantly in listening and reading (clothes, rooms, signs, descriptions) and are easy marks in short writing if you spell them cleanly. In Portuguese, colour words usually agree with the noun: uma camisa azul, carros brancos.

Putting It All Together

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You now have the complete structure of A2 Portuguese:

• The SVO word order that carries every sentence
• The articles and agreement rules that hold nouns and adjectives together
• The 10 core verbs including the multi-meaning verbs that compress the language
• The three tenses that cover past, present, and future
• The modals that express need, ability, and want
• The connectors that build longer, coherent texts
• The vocabulary of time, numbers, directions, and daily actions
• The writing templates for the CIPLE exam
• The European Portuguese features that distinguish the exam from what Brazilian materials teach

The CIPLE A2 does not test fluency. It tests whether you can communicate in predictable, everyday situations in European Portuguese — in writing and in speech. Everything on this page directly prepares you for those situations.

Your 600 words are the content. This is the structure that turns them into language.

🎯 Practice this, not just read it. Take any vocabulary word you've learned and build a sentence with it using the patterns in Section 8. Take any tense from Section 7 and practice it with five different verbs. Write one 60-word text per day using the template in Section 15. Grammar becomes automatic through use, not through reading about it.

Ready to test how much of this you can apply? [Start your CIPLE A2 mock exam — free, 7 days →](https://www.prep2go.study/ciple-a2)

Last updated: March 2026. All examples use European Portuguese as required for the CIPLE A2 exam.