Portugal - Sentence Structure (Word Order)
Sentence Structure (Word Order) 🇵🇹
Portuguese follows the same basic word order as English: Subject + Verb + Object (SVO). This makes building simple sentences fairly intuitive for English speakers.
| Subject | Verb | Object | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eu | como | uma maçã. | I eat an apple. |
| Ela | lê | um livro. | She reads a book. |
| Nós | falamos | português. | We speak Portuguese. |
Adjective Position
Unlike English, descriptive adjectives usually come after the noun:
carro vermelho (red car) — literally "car red".
Questions
Portuguese often forms yes/no questions with rising intonation alone — no extra "do/does" is needed:
- Ela fala português. – She speaks Portuguese. (statement)
- Ela fala português? – Does she speak Portuguese? (question, same word order, rising tone)
Negation
Place não directly before the verb to negate a sentence:
- Eu não falo espanhol. – I don't speak Spanish.
Tip: Word order is flexible for emphasis in Portuguese, but SVO is always a safe, correct default for beginners.