How many words are in this list?

This page gives 100 Portuguese words on “Function words”. The full topic holds 120 in the KoKo app: 48 at the easy level, 42 at the medium level and 30 at the hard level.

Which words should I start with?

With level 1: these are the easiest words of the topic. Move on to level 2 once they come to you without thinking, then to level 3.

How can I remember this Portuguese vocabulary?

By seeing each word again at longer and longer intervals, just before you forget it: that is spaced repetition. The KoKo app does it for you and tells you each day which words to review.

Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?

Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.

Portuguese vocabulary: function words

Pronouns, articles, demonstratives, possessives: the small words of Portuguese grammar you cannot build a sentence without.

Here are 100 Portuguese words on “Function words”, translated into English and sorted from easiest to hardest.

Level 1: easy 40 words

Portuguese	English
um	aIndefinite article, masculine singular
uma	aIndefinite article, feminine singular
um pouco de	a little
todos	allDeterminer or pronoun, masculine plural
acaso	doQuestion marker, no literal equivalent
ela mesma	herselfReflexive pronoun, feminine singular
lhe	himObject pronoun, to him or to her
seu	hisSingular possessor, belonging to him or her
eu	ISubject pronoun, first person singular
mim	meStressed form, after a preposition or on its own
mais de	more than
meu	myPossessive determiner, before the noun
não	noNegative answer
já não	no longer
nada	nothingPronoun used on its own
disso	of it
se	one
só	only
outro	other
mesmo	same
ela	sheSubject pronoun, feminine singular
da	somePartitive article, feminine singular
do	somePartitive article, masculine singular
a	theDefinite article, feminine singular
o	theDefinite article, masculine singular
deles	theirPlural possessor, belonging to them
há	there isExistence
estes	theseDemonstrative determiner, plural
eles	theySubject pronoun
este	thisDemonstrative determiner, masculine before a consonant
esta	thisDemonstrative determiner, feminine singular
nós	weSubject pronoun, first person plural
o que	whatQuestion word, object
o que	whatQuestion word, subject
que	whatBefore a verb
quando	when
sim	yesYes, contradicting a negative statement
te	youObject pronoun, informal address
tu	youSubject, informal address
você	youSubject, formal or plural address

Level 2: medium 35 words

Portuguese	English
muito	a lot of
toda	allDeterminer, feminine singular
todas	allDeterminer, feminine plural
qualquer um	anyone
tanto como	as much as
cada	eachDeterminer, before the noun
um ao outro	each otherMutual action between two people
bastante	enough of
toda a gente	everybodyPeople in general, everyone together
ele mesmo	himselfReflexive pronoun, masculine singular
como	how
eu mesmo	myself
nunca	never
ninguém	nobodyEveryday use
nenhum	nonePronoun, used on its own
nenhum	not anyDeterminer, in a negative sentence
nada	nothingNegation used with the verb
nosso	ourPossessive determiner, belonging to us
vários	several
alguns	someIndefinite determiner, a small number
algo	somethingIndefinite pronoun, an unspecified thing
isso	thatDemonstrative pronoun, refers to something far away or already mentioned
aquele	that oneDemonstrative pronoun, masculine singular
eles	themStressed pronoun after a preposition
aí está	there isPointing out, presenting
este	thisDemonstrative determiner, masculine before a vowel
aqueles	thoseDemonstrative pronoun, masculine plural
demasiado	too much
quê	whatOn its own or after a preposition
qual	whichInterrogative determiner, before the noun
cujo	whose
porquê	why
porque não	why not
ti	youStressed form, after a preposition
tu mesmo	yourself

Level 3: hard 25 words

Portuguese	English
de qualquer maneira	any which way
qualquer coisa	anything
em qualquer momento	anytime
em qualquer lugar	anywhere
tal e qual	as it is
certo	certain
cada um	each onePronoun, masculine singular
cada uma	each onePronoun, feminine singular
seu	his ownPossessive pronoun, used on its own
até onde	how far
quantos	how manyFollowed by a noun, to ask about a number
meu	minePossessive pronoun, used on its own
maioria	most
nem nem	neither nor
ninguém	no oneFormal or legal register
si mesmo	oneselfEmphatic form, stresses the subject
nós mesmos	ourselves
tal	such
um tal	such a
eles mesmos	themselvesReflexive pronoun, masculine plural
isto	this oneDemonstrative pronoun, refers to something close
aquelas	thoseDemonstrative pronoun, feminine plural
qual	which oneInterrogative pronoun, used on its own
quem quer que seja	whoever
teu	yoursPossessive pronoun, used on its own

In Brazil, people say

KoKo also teaches Brazilian Portuguese. Among the words on this page, here are the ones that change.

no longer já não não mais
you tu você
you você o senhor
everybody toda a gente todo mundo
why porquê por quê
why not porque não por que não

Mini quiz

5 words from this page, picked at random. Find their translation.

Frequently asked questions

How many words are in this list?: This page gives 100 Portuguese words on “Function words”. The full topic holds 120 in the KoKo app: 48 at the easy level, 42 at the medium level and 30 at the hard level.
Which words should I start with?: With level 1: these are the easiest words of the topic. Move on to level 2 once they come to you without thinking, then to level 3.
How can I remember this Portuguese vocabulary?: By seeing each word again at longer and longer intervals, just before you forget it: that is spaced repetition. The KoKo app does it for you and tells you each day which words to review.
Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?: Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.