Why Brazilians Don’t Hate Mondays? Practice Portuguese for the Start of the Week

Listen for the idea before the details

Before pressing play, read the title and make one prediction: what might the speaker say about the beginning of the week? Then listen without pausing and write down the main idea in one sentence. You do not need to understand every word to follow a conversation.

On a second listen, notice words you recognize and how they fit together. If the video has captions, use them to check your understanding after listening first. The short exercise below is a study method for the video; the practice phrases are original examples, not quotations from it.

Talk about the week in Brazilian Portuguese

These everyday phrases help you describe your routine or ask someone about theirs:

• Como foi sua segunda-feira? — How was your Monday?
• Minha semana começou tranquila. — My week started calmly.
• Tenho bastante coisa para fazer hoje. — I have quite a lot to do today.
• Estou animado para esta semana. — I’m excited about this week.
• O que você costuma fazer às segundas? — What do you usually do on Mondays?

Segunda-feira is the full form for Monday. People often say segunda when the meaning is clear. For repeated routines, às segundas means “on Mondays.”

Try a short conversation

This is an original dialogue for practice. Read it once, then cover the English and say the Portuguese aloud.

Make the listening practice useful

1. Listen once and identify the broad topic.
2. Listen again and write down two details you understood.
3. Check one unfamiliar word with captions, if available.
4. Use one phrase from this guide to describe your own week.

For more vocabulary, continue with our guide to the days of the week in Portuguese. The Real Life Portuguese app has more everyday listening and expression practice. If you want personalized speaking feedback, you can book a trial lesson with the teaching team.