(Continental Portuguese)

I am assuming that anyone who reads this posting is also interested in grammar with its rules and laws.

I am an American who has lived in the Azores for eight years and haa finally decided that the time has come for me to learn to speak correctly.

Many people volunteer when you ask for help in learning to say: Where is the Post Office?

But I really would like deeper explanations. For example, I want to know why I should chose between the verbs ficar or estar or ser in this sentence.

Anyone interested? . . . susana.

Subject created by trubey on May 05, 2008 @ 10:55

Vou a Lisboa nas primaveras.

Vou a Lisboa em todas as primaveras.

Toda primavera vou a Lisboa.

You can say like that 3 phrases....The 3 are right

 

Comment written by cvz1225 on May 07, 2008 @ 22:50

That was a great answer. I also received a message in my inbox on this question. There are subtities in a language which are difficult to understand.

Many times I have learned a way to say something and then applied that knowledge to another situation but it really wasn't correct. For example, one time I was walking around the house and couldn't find my eyeglasses. My maid told me to say "Onde estão os meus óculos" . As a native English speaker, with only one verb for "to be", I would not have understood that this means something different.

OK. May I ask another question.

In my lesson book, called "Português Sem Fronteiras",  they presented a chart for prepositions ( a, de, em, and para)  for expressions of time, date, day, season, etc. But something wasn't clear to me.

My book tells me that there is a difference in preposition for days of the week if you are referring to a specific day or if you are describing a customary action.  Number one says that I am going to do an event one time on a certain day. Number two means that every Friday I go to the city.

(1)      Vou a cidade na quinta-feira.  ( using "em"--uma dia pontual)

(2)      Vou a cidade as quintas-feiras. (using "a"--uma dia habitual)

I also know that if I want to say that I am going to Lisbon for Christmas, I can say number three

(3) Vou a Lisboa no Natal. (using "em)

or if I am going to go to Lisbon in the spring, I can say number four

(4) Vou a Lisboa na Primavera.  (using "em")

But if I want to know is this:

if I  want to say that I go to  Lisbon every Christmas or every spring does the preposition "em" aslo change to "a" ? Are there rules for this?

Thank you Polyglot readers!!

Comment written by trubey on May 06, 2008 @ 12:02

In this case its better to use "ficar", because its about localization/position/place....

ESTAR( condition at this time...maybe it will not keep during a long period)

SER( character of a person or thing...Permanent)

 

O escritório fica na Rua 13 de maio.

O escritório está na rua 13 de maio( está hoje, talvez amanhã não esteja mais)

O escritório é na rua 13 de maio( aceitável..Pessoas dizem assim...Mas ficar talvez seja mais apropriado0

Comment written by cvz1225 on May 05, 2008 @ 15:13