Learning Portuguese can be a thrilling experience, especially when you advance beyond the basics and start to explore more complex vocabulary and expressions. As you move into the intermediate level, your ability to communicate effectively in Portuguese will improve dramatically. This article aims to provide you with a comprehensive list of Portuguese words and phrases that are essential for intermediate learners. These words will help you express yourself more clearly, understand native speakers better, and deepen your understanding of the Portuguese language and culture.

Common Verbs

At the intermediate level, expanding your verb vocabulary is crucial. Here are some common verbs that you should know:

1. **Achar** – to find; to think. Example: Eu acho que ele está certo. (I think he is right.)
2. **Ajudar** – to help. Example: Você pode me ajudar? (Can you help me?)
3. **Conseguir** – to be able to; to manage to. Example: Eu consegui terminar o trabalho. (I managed to finish the work.)
4. **Deixar** – to leave; to let. Example: Deixe-me em paz. (Leave me alone.)
5. **Lembrar** – to remember. Example: Você lembra daquele dia? (Do you remember that day?)
6. **Mostrar** – to show. Example: Ele me mostrou as fotos. (He showed me the pictures.)
7. **Parecer** – to seem. Example: Parece que vai chover. (It seems like it’s going to rain.)
8. **Perder** – to lose. Example: Eu perdi minha carteira. (I lost my wallet.)
9. **Sentir** – to feel. Example: Eu sinto muito. (I am very sorry.)
10. **Tentar** – to try. Example: Vou tentar de novo. (I will try again.)

Useful Adjectives

Adjectives are essential for describing nouns and adding detail to your speech. Here are some useful adjectives for intermediate learners:

1. **Antigo** – old, ancient. Example: Esta é uma cidade antiga. (This is an ancient city.)
2. **Barato** – cheap. Example: Este livro é barato. (This book is cheap.)
3. **Caro** – expensive. Example: Este carro é caro. (This car is expensive.)
4. **Claro** – clear, light (in color). Example: O céu está claro hoje. (The sky is clear today.)
5. **Escuro** – dark. Example: Este quarto é muito escuro. (This room is very dark.)
6. **Fraco** – weak. Example: Ele está muito fraco. (He is very weak.)
7. **Forte** – strong. Example: Ela é muito forte. (She is very strong.)
8. **Lento** – slow. Example: O carro dele é lento. (His car is slow.)
9. **Rápido** – fast. Example: Ela corre muito rápido. (She runs very fast.)
10. **Simples** – simple. Example: A solução é muito simples. (The solution is very simple.)

Common Nouns

Nouns form the backbone of any language. Here are some common nouns that every intermediate Portuguese learner should know:

1. **Acordo** – agreement. Example: Chegamos a um acordo. (We reached an agreement.)
2. **Ajuda** – help. Example: Preciso da sua ajuda. (I need your help.)
3. **Amizade** – friendship. Example: A nossa amizade é forte. (Our friendship is strong.)
4. **Conversa** – conversation. Example: Tivemos uma boa conversa. (We had a good conversation.)
5. **Decisão** – decision. Example: Foi uma decisão difícil. (It was a difficult decision.)
6. **Esperança** – hope. Example: Nunca perca a esperança. (Never lose hope.)
7. **História** – story, history. Example: Ele me contou uma história interessante. (He told me an interesting story.)
8. **Lembrança** – memory. Example: Tenho boas lembranças da infância. (I have good childhood memories.)
9. **Mudança** – change. Example: Precisamos de uma mudança. (We need a change.)
10. **Paz** – peace. Example: Desejo paz para todos. (I wish peace for everyone.)

Expressions and Phrases

Learning expressions and phrases can greatly enhance your conversational skills. Here are some important ones to know:

1. **Como se diz…?** – How do you say…? Example: Como se diz “book” em português? (How do you say “book” in Portuguese?)
2. **De acordo com** – According to. Example: De acordo com o jornal, vai chover. (According to the newspaper, it will rain.)
3. **De repente** – Suddenly. Example: De repente, ele apareceu. (Suddenly, he appeared.)
4. **Faz sentido** – It makes sense. Example: Isso faz sentido para você? (Does this make sense to you?)
5. **Fique tranquilo** – Don’t worry. Example: Fique tranquilo, tudo vai dar certo. (Don’t worry, everything will be fine.)
6. **Logo logo** – Soon. Example: Ele vai chegar logo logo. (He will arrive soon.)
7. **Não tem problema** – No problem. Example: Não tem problema, eu faço isso. (No problem, I’ll do it.)
8. **Por acaso** – By any chance. Example: Você viu meu livro por acaso? (Did you see my book by any chance?)
9. **Sem dúvida** – Without a doubt. Example: Ele é, sem dúvida, o melhor jogador. (He is, without a doubt, the best player.)
10. **Tomar cuidado** – To be careful. Example: Tome cuidado ao atravessar a rua. (Be careful when crossing the street.)

Idiomatic Expressions

Idiomatic expressions are a key part of becoming fluent in any language. Here are some Portuguese idiomatic expressions that can add color to your conversations:

1. **Estar com a faca e o queijo na mão** – To be in a position of advantage. Example: Ele está com a faca e o queijo na mão para conseguir o emprego. (He is in a position of advantage to get the job.)
2. **Pé na estrada** – To hit the road. Example: Vamos colocar o pé na estrada! (Let’s hit the road!)
3. **Quebrar o galho** – To break the branch, meaning to do a favor or help out. Example: Você pode quebrar o galho e me ajudar com isso? (Can you help me out with this?)
4. **Estar na mesma página** – To be on the same page. Example: Nós precisamos estar na mesma página antes da reunião. (We need to be on the same page before the meeting.)
5. **Fazer vista grossa** – To turn a blind eye. Example: Ele fez vista grossa para os erros dela. (He turned a blind eye to her mistakes.)

Connecting Words

Mastering connecting words will help you create more complex sentences and express your thoughts more clearly. Here are some essential connecting words:

1. **Apesar de** – Despite. Example: Apesar de estar cansado, ele foi trabalhar. (Despite being tired, he went to work.)
2. **Assim que** – As soon as. Example: Assim que ele chegar, começamos. (As soon as he arrives, we start.)
3. **Enquanto** – While. Example: Eu li o livro enquanto esperava. (I read the book while I waited.)
4. **Embora** – Although. Example: Embora esteja frio, vou sair. (Although it is cold, I will go out.)
5. **Portanto** – Therefore. Example: Ele estudou muito, portanto passou no exame. (He studied a lot, therefore he passed the exam.)
6. **Por causa de** – Because of. Example: Ele ficou doente por causa da chuva. (He got sick because of the rain.)
7. **Se bem que** – Even though. Example: Se bem que eu goste de chocolate, não posso comer muito. (Even though I like chocolate, I can’t eat a lot.)
8. **Sempre que** – Whenever. Example: Sempre que chove, ele fica em casa. (Whenever it rains, he stays at home.)
9. **Até que** – Until. Example: Vou esperar até que ele chegue. (I will wait until he arrives.)
10. **Além disso** – Besides that. Example: Além disso, ele é um bom amigo. (Besides that, he is a good friend.)

Numbers and Quantities

Understanding numbers and quantities is essential for daily activities. Here are some important terms:

1. **Dúzia** – Dozen. Example: Comprei uma dúzia de ovos. (I bought a dozen eggs.)
2. **Metade** – Half. Example: Ele comeu metade do bolo. (He ate half of the cake.)
3. **Milhar** – Thousand. Example: Ele tem um milhar de seguidores. (He has a thousand followers.)
4. **Quarto** – Quarter. Example: Eu li um quarto do livro. (I read a quarter of the book.)
5. **Par** – Pair. Example: Comprei um par de sapatos. (I bought a pair of shoes.)

Time Expressions

Time expressions are crucial for scheduling and discussing events. Here are some you should know:

1. **Agora mesmo** – Right now. Example: Eu preciso disso agora mesmo. (I need this right now.)
2. **Daqui a pouco** – In a little while. Example: Eu volto daqui a pouco. (I’ll be back in a little while.)
3. **De vez em quando** – Once in a while. Example: De vez em quando, eu gosto de cozinhar. (Once in a while, I like to cook.)
4. **Durante** – During. Example: Durante o verão, faz muito calor. (During the summer, it’s very hot.)
5. **Logo mais** – Later on. Example: Logo mais, vamos ao cinema. (Later on, we will go to the movies.)
6. **No início** – At the beginning. Example: No início, tudo era difícil. (At the beginning, everything was difficult.)
7. **No fim** – In the end. Example: No fim, tudo deu certo. (In the end, everything worked out.)
8. **Sempre** – Always. Example: Ela sempre chega cedo. (She always arrives early.)
9. **Às vezes** – Sometimes. Example: Às vezes, eu estudo à noite. (Sometimes, I study at night.)
10. **Nunca** – Never. Example: Eu nunca fui ao Brasil. (I have never been to Brazil.)

Weather Terms

Talking about the weather is a common conversation starter. Here are some weather-related words:

1. **Ensolarado** – Sunny. Example: Hoje está ensolarado. (Today is sunny.)
2. **Nublado** – Cloudy. Example: O céu está nublado. (The sky is cloudy.)
3. **Chuvoso** – Rainy. Example: Amanhã será um dia chuvoso. (Tomorrow will be a rainy day.)
4. **Ventania** – Windstorm. Example: Houve uma ventania ontem. (There was a windstorm yesterday.)
5. **Nevando** – Snowing. Example: Está nevando lá fora. (It is snowing outside.)

Travel and Directions

Whether you’re traveling in a Portuguese-speaking country or just talking about travel, these terms will be useful:

1. **Aeroporto** – Airport. Example: Vou ao aeroporto buscar meu amigo. (I am going to the airport to pick up my friend.)
2. **Estação** – Station. Example: A estação de trem está perto. (The train station is nearby.)
3. **Passaporte** – Passport. Example: Não esqueça seu passaporte. (Don’t forget your passport.)
4. **Bagagem** – Luggage. Example: Eu preciso pegar minha bagagem. (I need to get my luggage.)
5. **Direção** – Direction. Example: Em que direção fica o hotel? (In which direction is the hotel?)

Food and Drink

Talking about food and drink is a delightful part of learning Portuguese. Here are some relevant terms:

1. **Prato principal** – Main dish. Example: O prato principal é peixe. (The main dish is fish.)
2. **Sobremesa** – Dessert. Example: Qual é a sobremesa de hoje? (What is today’s dessert?)
3. **Bebida** – Drink. Example: Qual bebida você prefere? (Which drink do you prefer?)
4. **Garçom** – Waiter. Example: O garçom foi muito atencioso. (The waiter was very attentive.)
5. **Conta** – Bill. Example: A conta, por favor. (The bill, please.)

Shopping and Money

When shopping or dealing with money, these words will come in handy:

1. **Desconto** – Discount. Example: Tem algum desconto? (Is there any discount?)
2. **Troco** – Change (money). Example: Pode ficar com o troco. (You can keep the change.)
3. **Cartão de crédito** – Credit card. Example: Eu posso pagar com cartão de crédito? (Can I pay with a credit card?)
4. **Dinheiro** – Cash. Example: Eu prefiro pagar com dinheiro. (I prefer to pay with cash.)
5. **Preço** – Price. Example: Qual é o preço disso? (What is the price of this?)

Learning these words and phrases will undoubtedly enhance your ability to communicate in Portuguese. Practice using them in sentences and conversations to help reinforce your learning. Remember, language learning is a journey, and expanding your vocabulary is a significant step towards fluency. Boa sorte! (Good luck!)