Have you just started your Brazilian Portuguese studies? Once you start talking to Brazilians you'll quickly realize that, like many other languages, spoken (and often, written) Portuguese isn't always a perfect reflexion of what you've been learning in books. You may come to see that in reality certain words and structures are used mostly in more “formal” contexts: newspapers, some workplace situations, written communication, etc.

Here are four very common occurrences in colloquial language that you may want to get familiar with right from the start. Be ready! You'll hear them all the time.

1. The Imperative tense for 'você' is frequently replaced by the Simple Present in spoken language.

Consider the command 'Talk to Carla.' The correct way to say it in Portuguese is 'Fale com a Carla,' with 'fale' being the singular imperative form of 'falar.' What you'll likely hear from a Brazilian is 'Fala com a Carla,' where 'Fala' is the third person (singular) of the Simple Present of 'falar.'

2. 'a gente' (informal) and 'nós': Both mean 'we' in Brazil. Many books briefly mention 'a gente,' but you'll hear it much more often than 'nós.'

'A gente' is always followed by a singular verb form (same as used for 'você/ele'), whereas 'nós' demands its own unique conjugation. Try substituting 'a gente' on sentences with 'nós' while you're studying so you get used to the sound of it:

Nós vamos viajar no fim de semana. / A gente vai viajar no fim de semana.

[We are going to travel on the weekend]

Nós sempre mandamos o relatório por e-mail. / A gente sempre manda o relatório por e-mail.

[We always send the report by e-mail]

Extra Tip: In Portuguese, the usual way to answer a yes/no type question affirmatively isn't with 'sim' (yes), but with the verb itself. Take a look:

Você preparou o relatório? Preparei. [Did you prepare the report? (liter.) I prepared]

Notice that you don't need anything but the verb in the answer. When the yes/no question is directed to 'vocês' (you, plural), you'll answer it affirmatively with the 'nós' verb form. This is one situation in colloquial language where using the 'nós' form is quite common: Vocês assistiram o filme? Assistimos. [Did you watch the movie? (liter.) We watched]

3. Ter (informal) and Haver:

Although 'haver' is the official equivalent of 'there to be' (há = there is/are), the verb 'ter' is used almost 100% of the time in informal conversation. When used this way, 'ter' is impersonal and always on the 3rd person:

Tem um americano na minha escola. [There is an American in my school]

Teve até banda na festa. [There was even a band at the party]

Here are a couple of common expressions:

Não tem jeito [There's no way / It's impossible]

Não tem jeito de fazer esse computador funcionar. [There's no way to make this computer work]

Tem como...? [Is there a way to.../ Is it possible...?]

Tem como vocês chegarem mais cedo? [Is it possible for you to arrive earlier?]

Extra Tip: The verb following 'tem como' is conjugated in the Personal Infinitive tense.

4. Estar and Você(s):

This tip is about 'spoken abbreviations' – take a look at what frequently happens with 'estar' and 'você(s)' in spoken language:

Estar (and its conjugations) – most of the time the first syllable, 'es', is simply dropped.

Você(s) – it's common to drop 'vo' in 'você(s)', especially in questions.

Onde você está (cê tá)? Estou (tô) em casa.

[Where are you? I'm home]

Vocês estão (cês tão) saindo agora? Não, a gente não está (tá) com pressa.

[Are you leaving now? No, we're not in a hurry]

Try and practice saying the following sentences out loud with the 'spoken abbreviations.' And remember – this tip applies only to spoken language! Always use the full words in writing.

Vocês conhecem essa praia? [Do you know this beach?]

Onde vocês estão indo? [Where are you going?]

Você está com frio? [Are you cold?]

A gente está com fome. [We're hungry]

Eu vou estar em casa às oito. [I'm going to be home at eight]