Unit 20 · Finding a homeA2Lesson 5 of 5: Neighbours and moving
Neighbours and moving in European Portuguese
This is the last of 5 lessons in Unit 20, Finding a home (Arrendar casa), an A2 unit in which you find and rent a flat in Portugal: adverts and viewings, bills, repairs, neighbours and moving day. It teaches 7 words and phrases, including o condomínio (service charge), o barulho (noise) and a mudança (move), and uses them in 10 example sentences. By the end you can say things like Nós vamos mudar-nos para o Porto em junho (“We're going to move to Porto in June”). The unit’s grammar notes cover “Precisar de: what you need to rent” and “Flat sizes: T0, T1, T2”.
Words in this lesson
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
o condomínio | service chargeA building's owners' association, and the monthly fee everyone pays for cleaning, the lift and repairs. |
o barulho | noiseFazer barulho = to make noise. |
a mudança | moveA removal company is uma empresa de mudanças. |
mudar-se | to moveEu mudei-me para Lisboa. = I moved to Lisbon. |
a caixa | boxIn a shop, a caixa is also the till: pagar na caixa. |
a carrinha | van |
as escadasalso a escada | stairsSubir as escadas = to go up the stairs. |
Example sentences
- O meu vizinho faz muito barulho.My neighbour makes a lot of noise.
- Os vizinhos do lado são muito simpáticos.The next-door neighbours are very nice.Do lado = next door.
- Quanto é o condomínio?How much is the service charge?In a block of flats, every owner pays o condomínio each month for cleaning, the lift and repairs.
- Há reunião de condomínio na segunda-feira.There's a residents' meeting on Monday.
- Nós vamos mudar-nos para o Porto em junho.We're going to move to Porto in June.The pronoun goes after the infinitive (vamos mudar-nos) or after vamos, which drops its -s (vamo-nos mudar).
- Eu mudei-me para Lisboa no ano passado.I moved to Lisbon last year.The pronoun goes after the verb, even after eu: Eu mudei-me.
- Eu preciso de caixas para a mudança.I need boxes for the move.People also say as mudanças, in the plural.
- Tu podes ajudar-me com a mudança?Can you help me with the move?
- Nós vamos alugar uma carrinha.We're going to hire a van.Alugar = to hire (a car, a van).
- Não há elevador, por isso nós vamos pelas escadas.There's no lift, so we'll take the stairs.
Grammar notes
The grammar notes for this lesson are on the page for Unit 20: Finding a home: