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Building Blocks 1

Start at the very beginning. The alphabet, greetings, and how to say who you are, where you are from and what you do.

Level A114 lessons, plus a welcome and a final quiz

Start the course
  1. Welcome to Building Blocks 1What the first Building Blocks course covers over its 14 lessons: greetings, personal details, and saying where you live.not finished
  2. Personal Information - VocabularyNome, apelido, idade, profissão. Personal-details vocabulary, read off a form filled in by a man called Miguel Silva.not finished
  3. The Portuguese AlphabetThe Portuguese alphabet for spelling out names and addresses, and why k, w and y are reserved for loanwords like 'Wi-Fi'.not finished
  4. First WordsOlá, bom dia, obrigado, por favor. The first words and greetings a beginner needs, matched to the time of day.not finished
  5. GreetingsComo está? Tudo bem? Formal and informal ways to greet someone and ask how they are, and when to use 'tu' instead of 'você'.not finished
  6. Addressing PeopleEu, tu, você, ele, ela. The Portuguese subject pronouns, how formality changes which one you reach for, and the newer inclusive form 'elu'.not finished
  7. Meeting PeopleEu sou, eu estou. The first meeting between 'ser' and 'estar', both conjugated, in a dialogue where Miguel and Paula introduce themselves.not finished
  8. NationalitiesCanadiano, portuguesa, inglês. How nationality words change for gender and number, and why the language name takes the masculine form.not finished
  9. OccupationsMédico, médica, professor, professora. Occupation words that change for gender, and the ones like 'estudante' that don't.not finished
  10. Eu moro em... (I live/reside in)Eu moro em Lisboa, tu moras no Porto. The verb 'morar' plus how 'em' contracts with the article before a place name.not finished
  11. Eu falo português (I speak Portuguese)Eu falo, tu falas, ele fala. The regular verb 'falar' conjugated in the present, then used to say which languages you speak.not finished
  12. Reflexive VerbsChamo-me, chamas-te. The reflexive verb 'chamar-se', and how it changes meaning from 'to call' to 'to be called'.not finished
  13. De onde? (Where from?)Sou do Canadá, sou da França. How 'de' contracts with the article before a country's name, in a dialogue between Miguel and Paula.not finished
  14. NumbersQual é o teu número? Numbers 0 to 19, including the masculine and feminine forms of 'one' and 'two' that trip learners up.not finished
  15. Telling the ageQuantos anos tens? Tenho vinte e três anos. Telling your age with 'ter', plus the numbers from twenty up to a hundred.not finished
  16. Building Blocks 1 Final QuizThe wrap-up quiz for Building Blocks 1: 20 questions on everything from greetings to personal details, with a 70% pass mark.not finished