Holidays
Pack your bags. Learn the Portuguese words for holidays, travel and the places you go, each with its article, and the little words that join them: à praia, no hotel, de comboio.
Practise it out loud, together
A free interactive activity you can put in front of a class in a few minutes.
Start revising freeWhat you'll cover
As férias
Holidays are one of the topics you will be asked to talk and write about: where you go, how you get there, and what you do. Every word below is shown with its article, because the article carries the gender and you will need it to build a sentence. Notice the first one straight away: the holidays are as férias, plural in Portuguese where English has a singular.
Palavras-chave (1)
Start with four holiday words:
Match each word to its meaning
- as férias
- a viagem
- a praia
- o verão
- the holidays
- a trip, a journey
- the beach
- summer
O que significa?
What does the Portuguese word a praia mean?
- the beach
- summer
- a trip, a journey
- the holidays
Palavras-chave (2)
Now four more words you need for a holiday:
Match each word to its meaning
- o comboio
- o autocarro
- a mala
- a ilha
- train
- bus, coach
- suitcase
- island
Como vais?
Select the TWO Portuguese words that are ways of travelling.
- o comboio
- o autocarro
- a mala
- a ilha
Choose the Portuguese word
In Portuguese, 'the beach' is _____, and 'the holidays' are _____.
a + o, em + o
When a (to) or em (in, at) meets an article, the two words join together. This is the point where most marks are lost, and holidays are full of it: • a + a praia = vou à praia, I go to the beach • a + o Porto = vou ao Porto, I go to Porto • em + o hotel = fico no hotel, I stay in the hotel • em + a ilha = fico na ilha, I stay on the island For how you travel, use de: de comboio, de autocarro, de avião.
Qual é a forma certa?
Hotel is masculine: o hotel. How do you say "I am staying in the hotel"?
- Fico no hotel
- Fico na hotel
- Fico ao hotel
- Fico em o hotel
Onde e como
Holiday words fall into two groups. Sorting them this way makes them easier to recall, and adds two more: a montanha, the mountain, and o avião, the aeroplane. Notice that the transport column takes de.
Planear as férias
Plan a summer holiday in Portugal using the words you have learned.
- You want to spend the summer somewhere you can swim. Which place do you choose?
- The beach you have chosen is on an island in the Atlantic. How do you get there?
- You arrive at the hotel and want to say where you are staying. Which sentence is right?
Mais uma
In Portuguese, 'a suitcase' is _____, 'the train' is _____, and 'the mountain' is _____.
Your turn: write in Portuguese
Write two or three sentences IN PORTUGUESE about a holiday. Keep each noun with its article.
- Name where you go: a praia (the beach) or a ilha (the island)
- Name how you travel: o comboio (train) or o autocarro (bus) - this module uses European Portuguese forms, so stay with them
- Name the season or the break: o verão (summer), as férias (the holidays) or a viagem (a trip)
- Say what you like with Gosto de… (I like ...): Gosto de praia (I like the beach), and you may add a mala (the suitcase)