Minha família e meus amigos
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Use ter in the present tense to talk about family, age, and possession.
- Use possessive words such as meu, minha, meus, minhas to describe people who belong to your life.
- Describe family members and friends with adjectives that agree in gender and number.
- Use ele and ela to talk about a third person already introduced.
- Count and use numbers 0–100 to state ages.
- Recognize and produce nasal vowels in common family and description words.
Communication Scenario
After class, Marcos and Camila stay behind to look at photos on Marcos's phone. Camila asks about the people in the pictures, and Marcos describes his family and friends: who they are, how old they are, and what they are like. Camila does the same with a photo of her own. Neither of them is being interviewed anymore — this is a real, ordinary exchange between two people getting to know each other.
- You will practice describing people who belong to your own life — family, chosen family, or friends — using the word ter ("to have") for the first time.
- Every adjective in this chapter must agree with the noun it describes in gender and number, so pay close attention to endings as new descriptive words appear.
Core Vocabulary
The words below build on Chapters 1 and 2. All examples remain in contemporary Brazilian Portuguese, the production model used throughout this course.
| Português | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| a família | the family | feminine noun |
| a mãe | mother | feminine noun; nasal vowel |
| o pai | father | masculine noun |
| o irmão / a irmã | brother / sister | masculine/feminine pair; both nasal |
| o filho / a filha | son / daughter | masculine/feminine pair |
| o avô / a avó | grandfather / grandmother | circumflex vs. acute accent distinguishes gender and sound |
| o amigo / a amiga | friend | reviewed from Chapter 2 |
| o marido / a esposa | husband / wife | different roots, not a simple ending change |
| o namorado / a namorada | boyfriend / girlfriend | ending changes with gender |
Family models vary. Learners may describe their own family, a chosen family, or a fictionalized one — the language patterns matter more than the specific people described.
| Português | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| alto / alta | tall | agrees in gender and number |
| baixo / baixa | short (height) | agrees in gender and number |
| jovem | young | same form for masculine and feminine; plural jovens |
| velho / velha | old | agrees in gender and number |
| simpático / simpática | nice, friendly | agrees in gender and number |
| engraçado / engraçada | funny | agrees in gender and number; nasal vowel |
| inteligente | intelligent | same form for masculine and feminine |
| Português | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| zero, um, dois, três, quatro, cinco | 0–5 | um becomes uma for feminine nouns |
| seis, sete, oito, nove, dez | 6–10 | |
| onze … vinte | 11–20 | learned as a set for recognition and counting |
| vinte e um, trinta, quarenta, cinquenta | 21, 30, 40, 50 | e joins tens and units: vinte e um |
| sessenta, setenta, oitenta, noventa, cem | 60–100 | cem is used alone; cento e um for 101 (recognition only) |
All vocabulary in these tables is productive: you are expected to recognize it, say it, and write it — with correct diacritics — by the end of the chapter.
Pronunciation: Nasal Vowels
This chapter's family vocabulary is full of nasal vowels and nasal diphthongs, continuing from não in Chapter 1 and também in Chapter 2.
A nasal vowel is a vowel sound that passes partly through the nose. In Portuguese spelling, nasalization is usually signaled by a tilde (ã, õ) or by m or n at the end of a syllable, rather than by a fully pronounced consonant.
- mãe — the tilde over ã nasalizes the vowel; the word is one syllable, not two.
- irmão and irmã — the same family word changes ending, and both endings are nasal.
- também and engraçado both nasalize the vowel before a following m or n plus consonant, even though only também ends the word.
Do not fully pronounce the m or n as an English consonant; let the vowel itself carry the nasal quality.
Language Focus: Ter, Possessives, Agreement, and Numbers
Purpose: describe family and friends, state ages, and show who belongs to whom.
3.1 Ter in the present tense: eu tenho, você tem, ele/ela tem
Ter means "to have." It is used for possession, for family relationships (eu tenho um irmão, "I have a brother"), and for stating age (ele tem vinte anos, "he is twenty years old" — literally "he has twenty years"). This age pattern is different from English and should be learned as a fixed structure with ter, not translated word for word.
| Pronoun | Ter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| eu | tenho | Eu tenho um irmão. |
| você | tem | Você tem uma irmã? |
| ele | tem | Ele tem trinta anos. |
| ela | tem | Ela tem dois filhos. |
- Eu tenho uma amiga simpática. I have a nice friend.
- Quantos anos você tem? — Eu tenho vinte e cinco anos. How old are you? — I am twenty-five years old.
3.2 Possessives: meu, minha, meus, minhas
Portuguese possessives agree with the gender and number of the thing or person possessed, not with the possessor. Meu and minha both mean "my"; the choice depends on whether the noun that follows is masculine or feminine.
| Form | Used with | Example |
|---|---|---|
| meu | masculine singular | meu irmão |
| minha | feminine singular | minha irmã |
| meus | masculine plural | meus amigos |
| minhas | feminine plural | minhas amigas |
The equivalent forms of seu/sua/seus/suas ("your," referring to você) follow the same agreement pattern and are introduced here for recognition and limited production.
- Esta é minha mãe. This is my mother.
- Estes são meus avós. These are my grandparents. avós = plural of avô/avó, used together for "grandparents"
3.3 Adjective agreement: gender and number
Adjectives in Portuguese usually follow the noun they describe and must agree with it in gender and number. Adjectives ending in -o typically change to -a for feminine nouns; most other endings, such as -e or a consonant, stay the same for both genders. Plural adjectives generally add -s.
- Meu irmão é alto e simpático. My brother is tall and nice.
- Minha irmã é alta e simpática. My sister is tall and nice. alto → alta; simpático → simpática (gender agreement)
- Meus amigos são inteligentes. My friends are intelligent. inteligente → inteligentes (number agreement only; same for both genders)
3.4 Ele and ela for a person already introduced
Numbers 0–100 are used here mainly to state ages; they will return with prices and quantities in Chapter 9.
Model Dialogue: Esta é minha família
Context: After class, Camila and Marcos look at photos on Marcos's phone.
Camila shows Marcos a photo on her own phone.
Notice that Camila answers tenho, sim rather than a single word for "yes" — repeating the conjugated verb, as with ser in Chapter 2, is a common way to answer a yes/no question.
Listening Practice
If no audio recording is available, ask a partner, instructor, or text-to-speech tool to read the lines below aloud, or read them aloud to yourself slowly.
- Listen to (or read aloud) the script above, then state the age and one adjective for each person mentioned.
- Listen for the possessive words. Which one changes to agree with mãe? Which one changes to agree with irmão?
- Listen for the nasal vowels in mãe, irmão, and engraçado.
Speaking Practice
Prática controlada — Controlled practice: complete the sentence
Say each sentence aloud, filling the blank with your own information: Eu tenho ______. (a family member or friend) Ele/Ela tem ______ anos. (age) Ele/Ela é ______. (one adjective, agreeing correctly).
Tarefa comunicativa — Communicative task: describe a photo
Using a real or imagined photo, describe three people to a partner: who they are (using a possessive and a family or friend word), how old they are, and one thing they are like. Your partner should ask at least one follow-up question using quantos anos or como.
Prática individual — Solo alternative
Record yourself describing two people in your life in three sentences each. Listen back and check every adjective ending against the gender of the person you described.
Reading Practice
Minha família — My family
Eu sou Sônia. Eu tenho uma família pequena. Meu pai é alto e simpático. Minha mãe é baixa e muito inteligente. Eu tenho um irmão. Ele se chama Rafael e tem vinte e cinco anos. Ele é engraçado.
Tarefa de leitura — Reading task:
- How many people are in Sônia's family, according to this passage?
- Find two adjectives that describe her mother. What ending shows they are feminine?
- How old is Rafael, and what is he like?
Writing Workshop
Complete the following linked writing tasks in order.
Tarefa 1 — Possessive practice: Write the correct possessive (meu, minha, meus, or minhas) before each noun: ___ irmão, ___ irmã, ___ amigos, ___ amigas, ___ avó.
Tarefa 2 — Agreement practice: Adjust each adjective to agree with the noun given: alto → minha mãe é ______; simpático → meus amigos são ______; engraçado → minha irmã é ______.
Tarefa 3 — Short written profile: Write five short sentences describing two people in your family or friend group, including their relationship to you, their age, and at least one adjective each.
- Complete the possessive practice first. This checks your control of gender agreement before you write full sentences.
- Complete the agreement practice. Check every adjective ending against the noun it describes.
- Fill in the blank paragraph. Confirm that ter is conjugated correctly for each subject.
- Draft your five-sentence profile. Keep every word within this chapter's vocabulary plus Chapters 1–2.
- Check every possessive and adjective against the vocabulary tables. Correct any form that does not match the gender or number of its noun.
Lista de revisão — Editing checklist:
- Every possessive matches the gender and number of the noun it precedes.
- Every adjective agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes.
- ter is conjugated correctly for the subject used (tenho vs. tem).
- Ages are expressed with ter plus a number plus anos.
- All diacritics, including nasal vowels, are preserved.
Culture and Communication
Families take many forms across Brazil and the wider Lusophone world: nuclear families, extended households, blended families, and chosen families of close friends. When describing family in Portuguese, learners are never required to disclose more personal information than they are comfortable sharing, and may describe a fictionalized family if they prefer.
Brazilian Portuguese uses ter to state age (ele tem vinte anos). This pattern is consistent across Lusophone varieties, though some formal or written registers may occasionally use other constructions. This course treats the ter pattern as the standard production form.
Common Mistakes
Error: Saying ele é vinte anos, modeled on English "he is twenty years old."
Correction: Portuguese uses ter, not ser, for age: ele tem vinte anos.
Error: Saying meu irmã or minha irmão, mismatching the possessive and the noun's gender.
Correction: The possessive agrees with the noun that follows it, not with the speaker: meu irmão, minha irmã.
Error: Saying minha irmã é alto, leaving the adjective in its masculine form.
Correction: Adjectives must agree with the noun they describe: minha irmã é alta. Learn each adjective pair together, as in the vocabulary table.
Chapter Review
Parte A — Compreensão (Comprehension)
1. Return to the Model Dialogue, and answer these short questions.
- How old is Diego, and what is he like?
- How old is Camila's grandmother, and what is she like?
Parte B — Escrita (Writing)
1. Write the correct form of ter for eu, você, and ele.
2. Write the correct possessive before irmão, irmã, and amigos.
Parte C — Leitura (Reading)
1. Return to Sônia's family passage in Reading Practice, and identify how many family members are described and one adjective for each.
Parte D — Fala (Speaking)
1. Describe one family member or friend to a partner using a possessive, an age, and an adjective, then answer a follow-up question about them.
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 3 Practical Check
Esta é minha família: Describing Family and Friends
Complete the following connected tasks, in order, treating them as one small family or friend introduction.
- Read the model dialogue and Sônia's passage. Answer the comprehension questions above before continuing.
- Prepare and deliver a spoken description. Introduce two people using a possessive, their relationship to you, their age with ter, and one adjective each.
- Interview a classmate or imagined partner. Ask quantos anos ele/ela tem? and como ele/ela é? about someone in their life.
- Write your five-sentence profile. Apply the editing checklist from the Writing Workshop.
- Check every possessive and adjective. Confirm that each agrees with the gender and number of its noun.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Ter conjugation | The learner uses tenho and tem correctly according to subject. |
| Possessive agreement | The learner selects the correct possessive form for each noun's gender and number. |
| Adjective agreement | The learner adjusts adjective endings to match gender and number. |
| Age expressions | The learner states age accurately using ter plus a number plus anos. |
| Diacritics and nasal vowels | The learner preserves diacritics and produces nasal vowels intelligibly in family vocabulary. |
This checkpoint uses only material introduced in this chapter and Chapters 1–2. No item on this rubric requires a system that has not yet been taught.
Answer Key
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Diego is twenty-two years old (vinte e dois anos) and is very funny (muito engraçado).
- Camila's grandmother is eighty years old (oitenta anos) and is very intelligent (muito inteligente).
Writing
- eu tenho, você tem, ele tem
- meu irmão, minha irmã, meus amigos
Reading
- Sônia describes three family members: her father (tall and nice), her mother (short and very intelligent), and her brother Rafael, who is twenty-five and funny.
Looking Ahead
O que você já sabe fazer — What you can do now
You can greet, introduce yourself, and state your origin and role from Chapters 1–2, and now also describe family members and friends using ter, possessives, adjective agreement, and numbers 0–100 for age.