Portuguese in Class: Ask a Question and Follow the Lesson — Practice

Ask for an explanation or example

Use pode explicar de novo? to ask for another explanation. If you understand the idea but want a model, ask for an example.

A specific question helps the teacher know where you got stuck. You can mention the word, instruction, or step you want clarified.

Check the meaning of a word

Ask como se diz...? (how do you say...?) to find a word, or o que significa...? (what does ... mean?) to understand a word you heard.

Try to give a short Portuguese explanation of your question when possible. Describing the idea another way can keep the lesson moving.

Confirm what you need to do next

Repeat an instruction in your own words and ask whether you understood it. Ask what to review or when the work is due if that detail was not clear.

For classroom vocabulary and university communication, see our separate Brazilian university guide.

Remember: Practice one question for an explanation, one for vocabulary, and one for confirming an instruction.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. Could you explain this part again?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Pode explicar essa parte de novo?

2. Could you give another example?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Pode dar outro exemplo?

3. I didn’t understand the last instruction.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Não entendi a última instrução.

4. How do you say “assignment” in Portuguese?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Como se diz “assignment” em português?

5. What does this word mean?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   O que significa esta palavra?

6. Is it similar to the word “tarefa”?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   É parecido com a palavra “tarefa”?

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Practice one question for an explanation, one for vocabulary, and one for confirming an instruction.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Portuguese in Class: Ask a Question and Follow the Lesson lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.