The Cactus Course Outlines provide a learning framework for the Cactus Foreign Language Evening Courses. They are designed to provide you with a good idea of what you might cover over a 10-week period, and include typical themes, grammar and vocabulary fields. They are flexible rather than prescriptive, in that our teachers may decide to adapt their learning plans to the specific level, aims and interests of their classes.

• Portuguese Level 1
• Portuguese Level 2
• Portuguese Level 3
• Portuguese Level 4
• Portuguese Level 5

Themes/Lexical fields can include the following elements:

• Introductions – inc. where from, family
• Jobs
• Likes & dislikes
• Eating & drinking
• Travel
• Time – hours, days, months
• Home – rooms, common objects
• Places – shops, important buildings
• Daily life – routines, free time.
• The weather
• Making phones calls (ex: to book a hotel)
• Giving instructions

Grammar

• Pronouns – subject, possessive + the form "a gente"
• To be (ser and estar)
• Present – simple (1st, 2nd and 3rd conjugations) /continuous
• Simple Past (passado perfeito) (1st, 2nd and 3rd conjugations) - an introduction
• Future (informal) going to + infinitive (as this is the most used) (ir + infinitive)
• Singular vs. Plural
• Articles + junction with prepositions "de" (da, do…) and "em" (no, na…)
• Questions words - who, what, how, how much, … (main ones)
• Comparative (superiority, equality and inferiority - both affirmative and negative)
• Verb "Gostar (de)" - affirmative, negative and interrogative
• Masculine and feminine
• Imperative
• Demonstrative pronouns

Other vocabulary

• Key prepositions
• Key functions – invitation, offer, suggestion, requests
• Key irregular verbs (poder, preferir, fazer, ter, dar, ler…)
• Key adjectives/adverbs – size, shape, age, speed
• Color
• Numbers
• Alphabet
• Please & Thank you
• Directions
• Time phrases: today, tomorrow…
• Main link words: but, and, then…

And...

• Lots of speaking/active practice
• Lots of listening
• Pronunciation – key sounds

Themes/Lexical fields can include the following elements:

• Talking about self & others, inc. family – key personal info
• Eating & drinking
• Work - (rights, timetable, jobs, applying for a job)
• Body & health/illness
• Clothes and accessories
• Giving instructions/ directions
• Everyday life - some Brazilian cultural hints
• Describing people
• Making phones calls & meetings

Grammar

• Review & practice level 1 grammar (eg. through mixed tense work – present/past/future "going to")
• Junctions: prepositions de, em + articles
• Demonstratives (na, da, naquela…)
• Imperative (review)
• Who/which/what/how/when/where/how much/many (review)
• Superlative
• Possessives
• Object pronouns: o, a, lo, la, lhe, lhes
• Past (perfeito) explore in depth
• Past (imperfeito) (1st, 2nd and 3rd conjugations)
• Past - perfeito (irregular verbs from beginner: ser, estar, poder, ir, querer, fazer, ter, dar…)
• "Past continuous"
• Contrast passado perfeito x passado imperfeito
• Verb "ter que" (have to)
• Futures – (present "will" and past "would") introduction

Other vocabulary

• Review & practice level 1 vocab(eg. through dialogue creation)
• Prepositions
• Time phrases
• Adverbial locutions and adjectives
• Main link words (complementing and reviewing beginner)
• More irregular verbs (suggestion: ver, pôr, vir, vestir, trazer…)

And...

• Lots of speaking/active practice
• Lots of listening
• Pronunciation – key sounds

Themes/Lexical fields can include the following elements:

• Talking about self & others, inc. family – key personal info
• Culture - most common and traditional parties in Brazil
• Tourism & Leisure Time
• Ecology & environment problems
• Health/illness
• Formal meetings (eg. Business purposes)
• Money & shopping
• Describing people
• Making phones calls
• Food - recipes

Grammar

• Review & practice previous levels grammar (eg. through mixed tense work – present/past/future "going to")
• Past (perfeito) & Past (imperfeito) explore through exercises and dialogue creation
• Futures – (present "will" and past "would") explore the introduction done at 'beginner plus'
• Comparative & Superlative review
• Object pronouns (review) plus no, na
• Past (perfeito) (more irregular verbs trazer, saber, dizer…)
• Junctions: preposition por + articles (pelo…)
• Past (mais-que-perfeito) simple and compound
• Double negative
• Indefinite pronouns (alguém, ninguém, algo, todo…)
• Passive voice (introduction)
• Present Subjunctive (introduction)
• Augmentative & diminutive

Other vocabulary

• Review & practice previous levels vocab (eg. through dialogue creation)
• Conjunctions (main ones)
• Word-building (prefix and suffix patterns)
• Word families (noun-verb-adjective-adverb)
• Adverbs (-mente) and adjectives
• More irregular verbs (suggestion: trazer, saber, dizer…)
• Embalagens: pacotes, potes, saquinhos, caixa…

And...

• Lots of speaking/active practice
• Lots of listening
• Pronunciation – key sounds

Themes/Lexical fields can include the following elements:

• History of Portuguese language and countries where it is spoken
• Music & Film (some hints of Brazilian music and cinema)
• Education (school, university, vestibular and careers)
• Famous People
• Weather and nature
• Economic life (stability, bank services, etc)
• Relationships & Emotions
• Problems

Grammar

• Review & practice 'previous levels' grammar (eg. through mixed tense/aspect work – present/past/future - simple/continuous)
• Passive (with "verb ser" and with "-se")
• Double participles: aceitado/aceito…
• Compound Past (perfeito composto do indicativo)
• Present Subjunctive
• Present Subjunctive + impersonal expressions
• Present perfect subjunctive (Perfeito do subjuntivo)
• Present & perfect subjunctive + conjunctions and in indefinite phrases
• Imperfect Subjunctive (imperfeito)
• Pluperfect (Past Perfect) Subjunctive (mais-que-perfeito do subjuntivo)
• Verb haver (impersonal form)
• Conditional sentences with "Se" + imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive
• Indefinite pronouns (review)

Other vocabulary

• Review & practise previous levels vocabulary (eg. through dialogue creation)
• Demonstrative pronouns + adverbs of place
• More extensive word-building (prefix and suffix patterns)
• More extensive word families (noun-verb-adjective-adverb)
• Common idioms
• Number & quantity (review)
• Linking words (more complex ones)
• Wider range of functions – inc. social language, giving advice, ordering, booking, making enquiries
• Irregular verbs (review from previous levels + new ones)

And...

• Lots of speaking/active practice
• Lots of listening
• Pronunciation – key sounds

Themes/Lexical fields can include the following elements:

• A wide range of possibilities, inc. entertainment, mass media, work, education, the environment, tourism & travel, news, social & political issues, books, generation changes, cities, people, relationships, the arts, technology, health & fitness, social life, night life, national traditions/ customs & culture, consumerism, globalization
• Brazilian History
• Brazilian Literature (inc. reading a short book)

Grammar

• Review & practice level 4 grammar (eg. through mixed tense/ aspect work – present/past/future simple/ continuous/ compound)
• Double negative (review)
• Conditional sentences (review)
• Passive (review)
• Uses: indicative x subjunctive
• Future Subjunctive (simples)
• Future Perfect Subjunctive (composto)
• Past subjunctive (imperfeito and mais-que-perfeito)
• Main relative pronouns
• Personal infinitive
• Reduced clauses - from infinitive, gerund and participle
• Reported speech - and main verbs that introduce it.

Other vocabulary

• Review & practice level 4 vocab (eg. through dialogue creation)
• Consolidate & extend the following:
• Word-building (prefix and suffix patterns)
• Word families (noun-verb-adjective-adverb)
• Common idioms (a casa esta de pernas para o ar…)
• Common similes (feio como o diabo…)
• Wide range of functions – inc. social language, advice, ordering, booking, making inquiries
• Common collocations
• Language to express opinions, eg. dis/agreement, uncertainty
• Compound words

And...

• Lots of speaking/active practice
• Lots of listening
• Pronunciation – key sounds