My City

Travel is one of the most pleasant topics for conversation. Sometimes we want to tell not only about the places we visited, but also invite someone to our city, attract guests and tourists. So in today’s article we have collected the basic vocabulary and grammar rules on this topic.

Objects

Mostly tourists come to see architectural monuments, which include numerous objects. Let’s look at the most popular:

o castelo (castle), o palácio (palace), o museu (museum), o parque (park), o miradouro (viewpoint), a praça (square), a igreja (church), a ponte (bridge), a avenida (avenue), a mesquita (mosque)

You may have noticed that we divided the objects by gender: male or female. Try to remember them along with the definite articles to make it easier to choose the gender of the adjective to describe that very object.

Verb of “inconstant” place

At the present time, social networks are very popular, where people post photos and leave a brief description. To write, for example, “I am in the square”, we need the verb “estar” (to be). It is used to describe the temporary location of an object. This can refer both to a person being in one place for several minutes, and, for example, a car parked in the same place for years. It is important to understand whether the location can be changed. If possible, we use the verb “estar”. It’s irregular, so let’s see its forms.

Let’s consolidate the information with examples:

Nós estamos na Praça do Comércio. E tu? (We are at Commerce Square. And you?)
Eu estou no parque Eduardo VII. (I’m in Edward VII Park.)

Verb of “permanent” place

If there is a verb that describes a non-permanent location, then there is a verb to describe a permanent or hard-to-change location. This verb is one of the first we learn and it suits us for many situations, including this one. This is the verb “ser” (to be). It is irregular, so let’s memorize its conjugation forms:

So that you do not rack your brains on how to use the verb “ser“, we will give you examples:

• O castelo de São Jorge é em Lisboa. Lisboa é em Portugal. (Castle of Saint George in Lisbon. Lisbon in Portugal.)
• O Oceanário de Lisboa é na estação do Oriente. (The Lisbon Oceanarium is located at Oriente Metro Station.)

Universal verb of place

If you are in doubt which of the two previous verbs to use, remember the universal verb “ficar” (to be). It is suitable for both occasions.

Moreover, its second advantage is that it is regular and conjugates according to the general rule for conjugation of verbs with the ending “-ar“. But since we are discussing a specific topic today, we will not force you to look for this rule, but simply give the conjugation forms of the verb “ficar” in the table below:

That is, we can say as follows:

Onde tu estás? (Where are you?)

• No miradouro Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen. Ele fica no bairro da Graça.(At the observation deck of Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen. It is located in the Grasse district.)

Orientation in the city

When compiling a walking route around the city, it is important to choose places and attractions at a short distance from each other. Otherwise, the whole day can be spent on a grueling road from point A to point B. Therefore, let’s learn a few suitable words and expressions:
perto (close), longe (far), no centro de (in the center), fora de (outside)

• A Torre de Belém fica perto do Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, mas é longe do centro de Lisboa. (Belem Tower is close to Jeronimos Monastery, but it is far from the center of Lisbon.)
• Queremos visitar o Museu do Azulejo, mas estamos fora da cidade. (We want to visit the Azulejo Museum, but we are outside the city.)

Tastes

When recommending something to tourists and guests of the city, a person relies on his personal tastes and preferences. To give a simple evaluation of an object, we use the verb “gostar” (to like) in a positive or negative sense. This verb is regular, so you can go back to the verb “ficar” and try the same endings on “gostar”.
Then let’s move on to examples:

• Não gosto de visitar museus. Gosto de praias e posso recomendar algumas. (I don’t like visiting museums. I like beaches and can recommend some.)
• Ela não gosta de água fria, mas gosta de surfar no oceano Atlântico em Portugal. (She doesn’t like cold water, but she loves to surf in the Atlantic Ocean in Portugal.)

Another verb that reflects our tastes and preferences is the verb “preferir” (to prefer). It is regular, so there are no problems with him. After this verb, the preposition “de” is required. But the preposition “a” will help us indicate that we do not prefer in this case.

• Prefiro de passar tempo em bares a passear no centro à noite. (I prefer to spend time in bars rather than walking downtown at night.)
• Preferimos parques a museus. (We prefer parks to museums.)

Conclusion

With this simple knowledge, your possibilities in describing the city and sights are practically unlimited. You just need to remember a few useful words and grammar rules. Moreover, now you know what you can hear if you say: “Quero visitar a sua cidade. O que pode recomendar?” (I want to visit your city. What can you recommend?)