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Tailored for a Portuguese/Swedish speaker — grammar and vocabulary focus
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Mon tasks
Read: "Im Restaurant" (B1 text)
Cases drill: fill-in articles
Vocab: 10 words (food & restaurants)
Your linguistic advantage
Portuguese → German: Shared Latin roots give you large vocabulary overlap (e.g. interessant / interessante, Musik / música, Kultur / cultura). You already understand grammatical gender — you just need to learn which gender each German noun takes.
Swedish → German: Germanic word order, compound words, and separable verbs feel familiar. Many everyday cognates: Hand / hand, Wasser / vatten, Haus / hus, gut / god.
Your real focus: The 4-case system (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive), strong/weak/mixed adjective endings, separable + modal verbs, and building a stock of idiomatic expressions.
Recommended resources
Grammar: Deutsche Grammatik — Ein Handbuch für den Ausländerunterricht (Duden) · Hammer's German Grammar (for structure)
Vocabulary: Anki with frequency decks · Langenscheidt Grundwortschatz Deutsch
Reading: Der Spiegel (B2+) · nachrichtenleicht.de (B1 news) · Deutsche Welle — Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten
Listening: Easy German (YouTube) · Slow German podcast · Extra auf Deutsch (A2–B1)
Pronunciation: Forvo.com for native recordings · BABBEL pronunciation module · German with Jenny (YouTube)
Grammar — cases & conjugation
The core system German is built on. This is your main challenge.
The 4 cases — article changes
| Case | Use | Masc (der) | Fem (die) | Neut (das) | Plural (die) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Subject | der | die | das | die |
| Accusative | Direct object | den | die | das | die |
| Dative | Indirect object | dem | der | dem | den (+n) |
| Genitive | Possession | des (+s) | der | des (+s) | der |
Changes highlighted — nominative is the baseline. Memorise: only masculine changes in accusative. All change in dative.
Swedish parallel
Swedish dropped most cases but kept the genitive -s: mannens bil = das Auto des Mannes. The logic is identical — only the marking differs.
Prepositions that fix the case
Always accusative
durch · für · gegen · ohne · um · bis · entlang
Always dative
aus · bei · mit · nach · seit · von · zu · gegenüber
Two-way (Wechselpräp.)
an · auf · hinter · in · neben · über · unter · vor · zwischen
movement → acc, location → dat
movement → acc, location → dat
Genitive prepositions
wegen · trotz · während · statt · innerhalb · außerhalb
Reading & comprehension
Texts graded to match your actual level. Tap underlined words for Portuguese glosses.
Pronunciation
You already know ä/ö/ü. Focus here: sounds that differ from both Portuguese and Swedish.
Your accent prediction
Your German will likely carry a Swedish melodic intonation — a gentle pitch rise-fall that German doesn't use. German is more monotone and staccato by comparison. The good news: this is perceived as a charming accent, rarely causes misunderstanding, and self-corrects with exposure. Focus on the sounds below first.
CH (ich-Laut)
After front vowels (e,i,ä,ö,ü) and consonants: a soft hiss made at the front of the mouth. Portuguese has nothing like it; Swedish speakers will recognise the "soft" version from some dialects.
PT
No direct equivalent — closer to "sh" in "she" but even softer
SV
Similar to some Swedish "kj" sounds
Examples
ich I
nicht not
Mädchen girl
sprechen to speak
nicht not
Mädchen girl
sprechen to speak
CH (ach-Laut)
After back vowels (a,o,u,au): a friction sound from the back of the throat. Portuguese speakers: think of "x" in some dialects (e.g. "loch" in Scottish English). Swedish: very similar to "k" before back vowels in some dialects.
PT
Parecido com o "r" carioca ou o "x" em "Xavier"
SV
Liknar "k" i "koka" men frikativt — som sket
Examples
ach oh / ah
Buch book
machen to do
auch also
Buch book
machen to do
auch also
R
German R is guttural (back of throat). Standard German uses a uvular fricative — similar to French R or Brazilian Portuguese R in some positions. This is your advantage! Swedish R is very different (front of mouth).
PT
Parecido com o "r" inicial em "rato" no dialeto carioca
SV
Olikt det svenska tungspets-r — tänk franskt r istället
Examples
rot red
Brot bread
fahren to drive
sehr very
Brot bread
fahren to drive
sehr very
W
Always pronounced like English V — never like English W. Portuguese and Swedish both have V sounds, so this should feel natural. Just remember: German W = V sound every time.
PT
= "v" como em "vida"
SV
= "v" som i "vacker"
Examples
Wasser water
wohnen to live
wirklich really
Welt world
wohnen to live
wirklich really
Welt world
V
Usually pronounced like F in German words of Germanic origin. But in words borrowed from Latin/French, it sounds like V. Portuguese speakers: this is backwards from what you expect!
PT
Nas palavras alemãs nativas = "f" como em "falar"
SV
I germanska ord = "f" som i "fin"
Examples
Vater = [f]ater father
vier = [f]ier four
Vase = [v]ase vase (loanword)
vier = [f]ier four
Vase = [v]ase vase (loanword)
SP / ST (word-initial)
At the start of a word or syllable: sp = "shp", st = "sht". This doesn't exist in Portuguese or Swedish — it's a uniquely German quirk that marks you instantly if missed.
PT
Não existe equivalente — "sp" e "st" não se leem como "shp/sht" em português
SV
Liknande "sp/st" uttal finns inte i svenska — kom ihåg detta!
Examples
sprechen = shprechen to speak
Straße = shtrase street
Spaß = shpass fun
Student = shtudent student
Straße = shtrase street
Spaß = shpass fun
Student = shtudent student
Intonation (Swedish trap)
German uses a relatively flat, staccato intonation — no melodic pitch accent. Swedish has a distinctive pitch-accent (tone 1 / tone 2) that can make German sound singsongy. Practice deliberately leveling your pitch and adding firm word-final consonants.
PT
O alemão é mais "plano" — menos melódico do que o sueco
SV
Det svenska tonaccenten finns INTE i tyska — tala plattare och mer staccato
Examples
Ich verstehe. (flat) Level pitch, no rise-fall
Guten Morgen. (firm) Both syllables clear, no melody
Guten Morgen. (firm) Both syllables clear, no melody
Idiomatic expressions
Natural German that textbooks skip. Tap each card for context and Portuguese equivalent.
Na ja.
🇧🇷 Bem... / É assim mesmo.
🇬🇧 Well... / So-so.
Used to express mild resignation or qualification. Tone matters — drawn out = more resigned.
Das macht nichts.
🇧🇷 Não tem problema. / Não faz mal.
🇬🇧 It doesn't matter. / No problem.
Very common reassurance. Equivalent to Portuguese "não tem problema" — use freely.
Ich drücke dir die Daumen.
🇧🇷 Estou torcendo por você.
🇬🇧 I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
Literally "I press the thumbs for you" — Germans cross thumbs, not fingers!
Das ist mir egal.
🇧🇷 Tanto faz. / Não me importa.
🇬🇧 I don't care. / It's all the same to me.
Can sound rude out of context. Soften with "Das ist mir eigentlich egal."
Alles klar!
🇧🇷 Tudo certo! / Ok!
🇬🇧 All clear! / Got it!
Extremely common — used like "sounds good", "got it", or "alright". Very safe to use anywhere.
Auf jeden Fall.
🇧🇷 Com certeza. / Definitivamente.
🇬🇧 Definitely. / Absolutely.
Stronger agreement than "ja". Use when you want to be emphatic.
Ich habe keine Ahnung.
🇧🇷 Não tenho ideia.
🇬🇧 I have no idea.
Useful for learners! Natural and honest. You can add "ehrlich gesagt" (honestly) before it.
Das kommt drauf an.
🇧🇷 Depende.
🇬🇧 It depends.
Contraction of "Es kommt darauf an." One of the most useful phrases in any language.
Wie bitte?
🇧🇷 Como? / Perdão?
🇬🇧 Pardon? / Could you repeat that?
The polite way to ask someone to repeat themselves. Never use "was?" alone — sounds rude.
Guten Rutsch!
🇧🇷 Feliz Ano Novo! (usado antes da virada)
🇬🇧 Happy New Year! (said before midnight)
Literally "good slide (into the new year)". Only used before Jan 1st — after, say "Frohes neues Jahr".
unter uns gesagt
🇧🇷 cá entre nós / entre nós
🇬🇧 between you and me / off the record
Introduces something confidential or personal. Sets a tone of trust.
Es geht mir gut.
🇧🇷 Estou bem.
🇬🇧 I am well.
The standard response to "Wie geht es Ihnen/dir?" — learn the full form for formal and informal.
Ich bin dabei.
🇧🇷 Estou dentro. / Eu topo.
🇬🇧 I'm in. / Count me in.
Great for accepting invitations or joining plans. Short and natural.
Das geht mir auf die Nerven.
🇧🇷 Isso está me irritando. / Que chato.
🇬🇧 That's getting on my nerves.
A step up from "das ist nervig". Use among friends, not in formal contexts.
Moment mal!
🇧🇷 Um momento! / Espera aí!
🇬🇧 Just a moment! / Wait!
More emphatic than "Moment". Can signal mild surprise or the need to pause.
Das ist nicht mein Bier.
🇧🇷 Isso não é problema meu.
🇬🇧 That's not my problem / concern.
Informal. Literally "that's not my beer." Avoid in formal or professional settings.
Feierabend!
🇧🇷 Acabou o trabalho por hoje!
🇬🇧 Work's done for the day! / Clocking off!
Deeply cultural — "Feierabend" is the sacred end of the workday. Germans take it seriously.
Das läuft wie geschmiert.
🇧🇷 Está indo às mil maravilhas.
🇬🇧 It's running like clockwork / smoothly.
Literally "running like it's greased." Use to describe a project or process going well.
Exercises
Focused on your gaps: cases, verb forms, and sentence construction.