Projeto 3: Resolver problemas
Chapter Overview
This chapter is the Unit III integrated assessment. It does not introduce new productive grammar. Instead, it brings together everything you built in Chapters 11 through 14 — making plans, asking and giving directions, asking for help, describing ability, and talking about health, needs, and obligations — into a single set of connected, practical problem-solving tasks. You will move through a short story of a day that does not go as planned: you need directions, then you need help, and then you start to feel unwell. Completing this chapter well means using your existing systems clearly and confidently, not stretching beyond them.
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Ask for and give simple directions using por/para, até, and sequence connectors.
- Ask for help and describe ability using poder, saber, and conseguir.
- Describe basic symptoms, needs, and obligations using estar com, precisar, ter que, and dever.
- Combine movement, service, and health language into one coherent problem-solving narrative.
- Complete a listening, reading, writing, and speaking task that draws only on material already activated through Chapter 14.
Communication Scenario
Your day is not going smoothly. First you need directions to get somewhere. Then you run into a problem and need someone's help. Finally, you start to feel unwell and have to decide what you need to do about it. You will narrate this chain of events, respond to a listening passage, read a short account of someone else's difficult day, and write your own connected account.
- This chapter is assessment only. No new productive grammar, vocabulary domain, pronunciation system, or orthographic burden is introduced.
- Every task below draws only on systems activated in Chapters 11–14.
- You may invent your own version of the day's events if you prefer not to describe a real one.
Unit III Review Map
This project consolidates four chapters of practical, problem-solving Portuguese. The map below shows what each chapter contributed and how this project brings the pieces together.
Capítulo 11 — Vamos sair?
Making plans, inviting, accepting, declining, and talking about weather and leisure with ir + infinitivo and vamos.
Capítulo 12 — Como eu chego lá?
Asking for and giving directions with por/para, até, de...a, and sequence connectors.
Capítulo 13 — Você pode me ajudar?
Asking for help and describing ability with poder, saber, conseguir, and formulaic me/te/lhe.
Capítulo 14 — Estou doente
Describing symptoms, needs, and obligations with estar com, precisar, ter que, and dever.
This chapter treats these four systems as one connected toolkit for handling a difficult day, rather than as separate, unrelated topics.
Vocabulary Refresh
No new vocabulary is introduced in this chapter. The table below recycles the highest-value vocabulary from Chapters 11–14 that this project draws on directly.
| Portuguese | English | Source chapter |
|---|---|---|
| até, por, para, de...a | until, through/for, to/for, from...to | Capítulo 12 |
| pegar, tomar (o ônibus, o metrô) | to take (the bus, the subway) | Capítulo 12 |
| primeiro, depois, então, por fim | first, then/after, so/then, finally | Capítulo 12 |
| Você pode me ajudar? | Can you help me? | Capítulo 13 |
| poder, saber, conseguir | to be able to, to know how to, to manage to | Capítulo 13 |
| para mim, para você | for me, for you | Capítulo 13 |
| estar com dor de cabeça, estar com febre | to have a headache, to have a fever | Capítulo 14 |
| precisar de, precisar + infinitivo | to need (something), to need to (do something) | Capítulo 14 |
| ter que, dever | to have to, should/ought to | Capítulo 14 |
| o médico, a farmácia, o hospital | the doctor, the pharmacy, the hospital | Capítulo 14 |
All diacritics from these earlier chapters must be preserved exactly as originally presented.
Grammar Refresh
This project assesses control of previously activated systems. No new rule is presented here; the patterns below are reminders only.
If any of these patterns feel unfamiliar, review the Grammar and Sentence Patterns sections of Chapters 12, 13, and 14 before continuing.
Task 1: Como eu chego lá?
Uma manhã complicada
Hoje eu preciso ir à farmácia antes do trabalho, mas não sei bem o caminho. Com licença, como eu chego à farmácia daqui? — Vá até a esquina e vire à direita. Depois, siga em frente até a Rua das Flores. A farmácia fica entre o banco e o mercado, perto da praça. — Muito obrigado! É longe daqui? — Não, é perto. Você pode ir a pé em dez minutos.
Notice como eu chego, vá até a esquina, vire à direita, and siga em frente recycled directly from Capítulo 12.
- Where does the speaker need to go, and why?
- Give the directions in your own words, in Portuguese, using at least two sequence connectors.
- Is the pharmacy close or far? How does the speaker know?
Task 2: Você pode me ajudar?
- Why does the customer ask for help?
- What ability verb does the employee use to say what he can recommend?
- What must the customer do if the fever does not improve?
Task 3: Estou doente
Continue the story from Tasks 1 and 2. After leaving the pharmacy, the customer still does not feel well and has to decide what to do next.
- Complete the message above with your own natural choices.
- Read your completed message aloud, paying attention to estar com versus ter.
Listening Task
If no audio recording is available, ask a partner, instructor, or text-to-speech tool to read the script below aloud, or read it aloud to yourself slowly.
- Where does the speaker need to go, and why?
- What directions are given?
- What symptoms does the speaker describe, and what transportation decision is made?
Reading Task
O dia difícil de Camila
Camila precisava ir ao banco, mas não sabia o caminho. Ela perguntou a um vizinho: "Você pode me ajudar? Como eu chego ao banco daqui?" O vizinho disse: "Vá até a esquina, vire à direita e siga até a praça. O banco fica perto da farmácia." Camila agradeceu e foi. No caminho, ela começou a sentir dor de cabeça e um pouco de febre. Ela pensou: "Eu preciso descansar, mas primeiro tenho que resolver o problema no banco. Depois, devo ir para casa e talvez ligar para o médico."
Notice você pode me ajudar, vá até a esquina, estou com dor de cabeça, eu preciso descansar, tenho que resolver, and devo ir para casa all recycled together in one short narrative.
Tarefa de leitura — Reading task:
- Where did Camila need to go, and what directions did she receive?
- What symptoms did Camila begin to feel?
- In what order does Camila plan to handle her problems?
Writing Task
Write your own connected account of a difficult day, combining directions, a request for help, and a health-related need or obligation, following the model of Camila's story above.
- Plan the sequence of events. Decide where you needed to go, who helped you, and what symptom, need, or obligation appeared.
- Draft the directions section. Use at least one sequence connector and one preposition of place or route from Capítulo 12.
- Draft the request-for-help section. Use at least one of poder, saber, or conseguir from Capítulo 13.
- Draft the health section. Use estar com for a symptom and distinguish ter que from dever from Capítulo 14.
- Combine the sections into one short narrative of six to eight sentences, adding a simple opening and closing.
- Check diacritics and spelling throughout, including forms such as até, não, and médico.
Lista de revisão — Editing checklist:
- The narrative includes a direction-asking or direction-giving moment.
- The narrative includes a clear request for help using poder, saber, or conseguir.
- The narrative includes estar com for a symptom.
- ter que and dever are used with their distinct meanings, if both appear.
- All diacritics are preserved.
- No new or unscheduled grammar appears.
Speaking Task
Prática controlada — Controlled practice: three linked sentences
Say aloud, in order: a direction using até or por/para; a request for help using poder, saber, or conseguir; and a health sentence using estar com.
Tarefa comunicativa — Communicative task: tell the full story
With a partner, tell your written account from the Writing Task aloud, in your own words rather than reading it word for word. Your partner should ask at least one follow-up question after each part of the story.
Prática individual — Solo alternative
Record yourself narrating a difficult day that involves getting somewhere, asking for help, and dealing with a symptom, need, or obligation, using at least four of the systems reviewed in this chapter.
Culture and Communication
In many Brazilian cities, it is common and socially expected to ask a stranger on the street for directions or brief assistance, often preceded by com licença or desculpa. This kind of everyday cooperation reflects general social norms and varies by city, neighborhood, and situation.
Transportation choices such as walking, taking a bus, or taking a taxi vary widely across Lusophone cities depending on distance, cost, time of day, and local infrastructure. Decisions like Camila's or the hospital visitor's are practical rather than culturally fixed, and similar choices appear across Brazil, Portugal, and other Portuguese-speaking regions in different forms.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: Saying Eu sei ir ao hospital a pé to mean "I am able to walk to the hospital."
Correction: Use conseguir for physical ability or managing to do something: Eu consigo ir ao hospital a pé. Reserve saber for knowledge or learned skills: Eu sei o caminho para o hospital.
Error: Saying Eu devo ir ao médico agora, é urgente! when strong necessity, not advice, is intended.
Correction: Use ter que for urgent or necessary obligation: Eu tenho que ir ao médico agora. Save dever for softer advice: Eu devo descansar mais esta semana.
Error: Listing directions as separate, disconnected commands without linking words.
Correction: Use primeiro, depois, and então to connect steps clearly: Primeiro, vá até a esquina. Depois, vire à direita.
Chapter Summary
O que você praticou — What you practiced
This chapter consolidated the directions, requests for help, and health-related language from Chapters 11 through 14 into a single connected set of problem-solving tasks. No new productive grammar was introduced. You practiced narrating a difficult day, asking for and understanding directions, requesting and offering help, and describing symptoms, needs, and obligations across listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Chapter Review
Parte A — Compreensão (Comprehension)
1. Return to O dia difícil de Camila, and answer these short questions.
- What directions did Camila receive?
- What did Camila decide to do first, and what did she plan to do afterward?
Parte B — Escrita (Writing)
1. Write one sentence each giving a direction, asking for help, and describing a symptom or obligation, keeping each pattern's meaning distinct.
Parte C — Leitura (Reading)
1. Return to the Listening Task script, and list the direction, the symptom, and the transportation decision.
Parte D — Fala (Speaking)
1. Tell a partner about a difficult day, real or invented, combining at least three systems from Chapters 12–14.
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 15 Practical Check
Projeto 3: Resolver problemas — Unit III Integrated Assessment
Complete the following connected tasks, in order, as one integrated performance.
- Read O dia difícil de Camila. Answer the comprehension questions above before continuing.
- Give directions. Use até, por/para, and at least one sequence connector.
- Ask for and respond to a request for help. Use poder, saber, or conseguir correctly.
- Describe a symptom, a need, and an obligation. Use estar com, precisar, ter que, and dever with distinct meanings.
- Combine all steps into one spoken and written narrative about a difficult day, applying the editing checklist from the Writing Task.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Directions | The learner gives or understands directions clearly using scheduled prepositions and connectors. |
| Requests for help | The learner distinguishes poder, saber, and conseguir appropriately. |
| Symptoms and needs | The learner uses estar com and precisar correctly. |
| Obligation and advice | The learner distinguishes ter que from dever. |
| Narrative coherence | The learner connects directions, help, and health into one organized account. |
| Diacritics and spelling | The learner preserves diacritics throughout, including até, não, and médico. |
This checkpoint uses only material activated through Chapter 14. No new productive grammar is assessed.
Answer Key
Task 1 — Como eu chego lá?
- The speaker needs to go to the pharmacy before work.
- Sample: Primeiro, vá até a esquina e vire à direita. Depois, siga em frente até a Rua das Flores. (other accurate directions using sequence connectors are also correct)
- The pharmacy is close; it can be reached on foot in about ten minutes.
Task 2 — Você pode me ajudar?
- The customer asks for help because they need a medicine but don't know its name in Portuguese.
- The employee uses conseguir (eu consigo recomendar).
- If the fever doesn't improve, the customer has to go to the doctor (você tem que ir ao médico).
Listening Task — Comprehension
- The speaker needs to get to the hospital and does not feel well.
- Go to the corner, turn left, continue to Central Avenue; the hospital is between the pharmacy and the school.
- The speaker has a headache and a slight fever and decides to take a taxi instead of walking, arriving in about fifteen minutes.
Reading Task
- Camila needed to go to the bank; she was told to go to the corner, turn right, and continue to the square, where the bank is near the pharmacy. She began to feel a headache and a slight fever, and planned to resolve the bank problem first, then go home and possibly call the doctor.
Chapter Review
- Camila was told to go to the corner, turn right, and continue to the square; she decided to resolve her bank errand first and rest or call the doctor afterward.
- Sample: Vá até a esquina e vire à esquerda. / Você pode me ajudar? / Estou com dor de cabeça e tenho que descansar. (other accurate sentences following the same patterns are also correct)
Looking Ahead
O que você já sabe fazer — What you can do now
You can narrate a connected sequence of practical problems — asking for directions, requesting help, and describing symptoms, needs, and obligations — using only systems you have already mastered from Chapters 11 through 14.