Saying your nationality and occupation

1. Listen to João and Carla. They say their nationality and occupation.

Listen

Eu sou brasileiro. = I am Brazilian.

Eu sou advogado. = I am a lawyer.

Listen

Eu sou brasileira. = I am Brazilian.

Eu sou advogada. = I am a lawyer.

2. Compare what João and Carla say. Is there any difference?

João:

Carla:

ANSWER:

The words that describe João end in o, and those that describe Carla end in a. This will be the tendency across the language. Most adjectives and nouns will be masculine if they end in o, and feminine if in a.

3. Here is the language João and Carla use to introduce themselves:

These speakers are from Portugal. Let’s listen to them:

Listen

Eu sou português. = I am Portuguese. (male)

Eu sou advogado.

Listen

Eu sou portuguesa. = I am Portuguese. (female)

Eu sou advogada.

4. Listen and repeat.

Eu sou… – Eu sou o… – Eu sou a…: Listen

Eu sou estudante = I am a student: Listen

Note that estudante works for all genders.

Estudante:

Listen

Listen

5. We will learn some nationalities and occupations. For now, you are likely to find yours here: click here to go to Google Translate. If you use Google Translate with Chrome browser, you can hear the pronunciation for the words you need.

Alternatively, ask in the comments section, and educators and learners may be able to help each other.

6. Have you found your nationality and/or occupation? Introduce yourself in 4 steps, like João and Carla have done. Use Vocaroo to record your voice, then copy-paste the link in the comments: click here to go to Vocaroo. Make sure you include the transcript for your audio!

Follow these 4 steps:

(1) Greet: Olá.

(2) Name: Eu sou (o / a)…

(3) Nationality: Eu sou…

(4) Occupation: Eu sou…