Tutorial
In Course: Brazilian Portuguese A1

Saying What There Is

Learn how to express existence and availability in spoken Brazilian Portuguese using colloquial tem, contrast it with possessive ter, and recognise formal há.

A vibrant, bustling street market (feira livre) in a Brazilian city, filled with diverse people, colorful fresh fruits, and local vendors interacting. Sunlight filters through the stalls, highlighting the abundance and lively energy of the scene in a wide, horizontal photograph.
en-GB → pt-BR

Management & Tools

Deck Contents

35 Cards
Lesson#1
In Brazilian Portuguese, expressing that something exists or is available is remarkably simple. Instead of using separate words for 'there is' and 'there are', everyday speech relies on a single, universal verb form: 'tem'. In this deck, you will learn how to state what is around you, ask about availability, and reassure people using common spoken expressions.
Lesson#2
In standard grammar books, 'tem' means 'he has' or 'she has'. However, in everyday Brazilian speech, 'tem' is the universal way to say both 'there is' and 'there are'. To say that coffee is available, you simply say 'tem café'.
Quiz#3
Translate into Portuguese: 'There is coffee.'

Tem café

Lesson#4
To ask if something exists or is nearby, just use 'tem' with a question intonation. For example, to ask if there is a bank nearby, you say 'tem um banco aqui perto?'.
Quiz#5
Translate into Portuguese: 'Is there a bank near here?'

Tem um banco aqui perto?

Lesson#6
Because 'tem' is impersonal when expressing existence, it never changes to a plural form. Whether you are talking about one item or several, 'tem' stays exactly the same. For example, 'tem três quartos na casa' means 'there are three bedrooms in the house'.

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