Ambitions

Talking about the future

This module teaches the Portuguese words for ambitions, careers and study. Each noun comes with its gender article (o or a) and its English meaning. Watch the accents where they appear, as in a ambição and o estágio. Learn each word with its article, because the gender matters in Portuguese.

Ambitions and careers

Start with the words for what you hope to achieve:

Match each Portuguese word to its English meaning

The Portuguese word for career

Which Portuguese word means 'career'?

• a carreira
• o sonho
• o emprego
• a ambição

Study and work

Now some words for the path into work: - a universidade = university - o estágio = work experience, internship - o médico = doctor - o engenheiro = engineer Notice the accent on o estágio and o médico, and keep each noun with its article.

Match each word to its English meaning

Spot the jobs

Select the TWO words that are names of jobs (professions).

• o médico
• o engenheiro
• o sonho
• a universidade

A dream and a career

Two words are easy to mix up: what you hope for, and the working life you build.

Where do you study?

Which Portuguese word means 'university'?

• a universidade
• o estágio
• a carreira
• o médico

Completa em português

O meu _____ é ter uma boa _____. Quero estudar na _____ e depois encontrar um bom _____. Todos os meses vou receber um _____.

A path to a career

Put these steps of working towards a career into a sensible order.

• You have a dream (o sonho)
• You study at university (a universidade)
• You gain work experience (o estágio)
• You start your career (a carreira)

Choose the right word

Three situations. Pick the Portuguese word that fits each one.

• You want to say your AMBITION for the future. Which word do you use?
• Your friend wants to study for a degree. Which word names the place they would go?
• Someone earns money each month from their job. What is that money called?

A tua vez

Write a few sentences about your own ambition for the future. You may write in Portuguese (or English if you prefer), using the words from this module.

• Name your dream or ambition (o sonho, a ambição)
• Say whether you want to study at university (a universidade) or do work experience (o estágio)
• Say what career (a carreira) or job (o emprego) you would like
• Give a reason (porque...), in Portuguese or English

Nouns come with their article

To master this vocabulary, learn every noun with its article - o sonho, a ambição, a carreira - because the gender is part of the word, and keep the accents on a ambição and o médico. Keep the ideas that are easy to confuse clearly apart - a ambição, your ambition, versus a carreira, the working life you build - and link the study words (a universidade, o estágio) to the work words (o emprego, o salário). Testing yourself both ways is what builds real recall.