Unit 19 · Problems and emergenciesA2Lesson 1 of 5: Lost things
Losing things in European Portuguese
This lesson opens Unit 19, Problems and emergencies (Problemas e emergências), an A2 unit in which you report lost and stolen things, get help in an emergency, complain, and return or exchange things in a shop. You will meet 7 new words, such as a carteira (wallet), alguém (someone) and encontrar (to find), in 10 short sentences you can listen to. By the end you can say things like Eu acabei de perder o telemóvel (“I've just lost my phone”). The unit’s grammar notes cover “Roubaram-me…: "they" with no "they"” and “Chame uma ambulância!: commands in an emergency”.
Words in this lesson
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
a carteira | walletFor money and cards. It can be a wallet or a purse. |
alguém | someoneAlguém encontrou…? = Has anyone found…? Ninguém = nobody. |
encontrar | to findNão encontro as chaves. = I can't find my keys. |
os perdidos e achados | lost propertyLiterally "the lost and found". Stations, airports and the police all have one. |
acabar de | to have justEu acabei de chegar. = I've just arrived. Acabar on its own = to finish. |
a mochila | backpack |
esquecer-se de | to forgetEu esqueci-me do guarda-chuva. = I forgot my umbrella. The pronoun goes after the verb. |
Example sentences
- Eu perdi a carteira.I've lost my wallet.Portuguese often says a carteira ("the wallet") when it is clearly yours.
- Eu acabei de perder o telemóvel.I've just lost my phone.Acabar de + infinitive = to have just done something.
- Eu deixei a mochila no autocarro.I left my backpack on the bus.Deixar = to leave something somewhere.
- Onde ficam os perdidos e achados?Where is the lost property office?Os perdidos e achados is plural, so the verb is plural too: ficam.
- Tu viste os meus óculos?Have you seen my glasses?Where English says "have you seen", Portuguese uses the simple past: viste.
- Eu esqueci-me do guarda-chuva no café.I forgot my umbrella at the café.The pronoun goes after the verb: esqueci-me. Do = de + o.
- Eu encontrei uma carteira na rua.I found a wallet in the street.
- Eu não encontro as chaves.I can't find my keys.Portuguese simply says "I don't find": não encontro.
- A Ana acabou de encontrar o telemóvel.Ana has just found her phone.Acabou de = has just.
- Alguém encontrou uma mochila azul?Has anyone found a blue backpack?
Grammar notes
The grammar notes for this lesson are on the page for Unit 19: Problems and emergencies: