Portuguese speaker difficulties in English

This page is for IELTS candidates whose first language is Portuguese, and it is written mainly for Brazilian speakers; European Portuguese differences are mentioned only where they matter. Portuguese and English share many words, which makes reading easy, but the sounds, the rhythm and a handful of grammar habits are different, and the same mistakes keep appearing in Speaking and Writing. Read the problems once, then do one lesson a day and go round the series again: every lesson practises the same problems with new sentences.

Pronunciation

Extra vowels: Facebook-i, es-tudy, sport-i

Big effect on being understood.

Why it happens: Brazilian Portuguese words almost always end in a vowel (or in l, r, s, z, m), and they do not begin with s plus a consonant (escola, estudar), so you add a small "ee" or "eh" to make English fit: Facebook-i, es-tudy. Some European Portuguese speakers do the opposite and shorten final clusters, but the added vowel is the usual Brazilian habit.

English words can end on p, t, k, b, d, g and can start with s + consonant. Stop the sound and add nothing. Bag is one syllable, not bag-i. Study starts with a hissing s straight into t: /ˈstʌdi/, not es-tudy. Clusters in the middle also stay tight: sports is one beat, not es-por-tis. Extra syllables change the rhythm and make the word hard to recognise.

• Not Face-book-i (three syllables), but Face-book (two syllables): finish on the k
• Not es-tudy, es-school, but study, school: begin with s, then t or k at once
• Not hip-hop-i music, but hip-hop music: close your lips on the p
• Not es-por-tis (sports said in three syllables), but sports /spɔːts/: one syllable

How to make it: Say the last consonant and stop. Keep your lips or tongue where they are: do not let your voice start again. For p, t and k, close, then let out a tiny puff of air. No "ee" sound after it. Start s-words with a long hiss, then go straight into the next consonant: sssstudy, not estudy. Practise the s alone first (ssss), then add tudy. Speed up until it is one word.

-ed and -s endings: worked, played, wanted, rise/rice

Big effect on being understood.

Why it happens: In Portuguese every written ending is pronounced, so worked comes out as two syllables, work-ed. English also has a voiced z at the end of words (rise, is, has), which Portuguese does not allow in final position, so it is often replaced by s.

The ending -ed is /t/ after a voiceless sound (worked, watched, stopped), /d/ after a voiced sound (played, lived, moved), and only after t or d is it an extra syllable /ɪd/ (wanted, needed). The ending -s follows the same idea: /s/ after voiceless (books), /z/ after voiced (plays, bags), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j (buses, watches). Final z in rise, is, his keeps its voice, and the vowel before it is longer.

• Not I work-ed in a shop. (two syllables), but I worked /wɜːkt/ in a shop. (one syllable)
• Not She play-ed football. (two syllables), but She played /pleɪd/ football. (one syllable)
• Not Prices rice every year. (said /raɪs/), but Prices rise /raɪz/ every year: voice on, longer vowel.
• Not He help-ed me and stopp-ed the car. (two extra syllables), but He helped ... and stopped ...: /t/ only, no extra syllable. (Wanted is the exception: two syllables.)

How to make it: Put two fingers on your throat. For /d/ and /z/ you feel a buzz; for /t/ and /s/ you feel nothing. For -ed, copy the sound before it: no buzz before (k, p, ch, s) gives a quick /t/; a buzz before (l, n, v, a vowel) gives a quick /d/. Add the extra syllable /ɪd/ only after t or d: want-ed, need-ed. Buzz the end of rise, is and has, and make the vowel before it longer than in rice and ice.

Sentence stress and weak vowels: beats, not syllables

Makes you sound more natural.

Why it happens: Brazilian Portuguese gives most syllables a similar length and a clear vowel, and it is often spoken loudly with a falling tune. In English, only some words carry a beat, and small words and unstressed syllables shrink to a weak /ə/. If you stress words like was, the or to, you sound as if you are making a special point. (European Portuguese reduces unstressed vowels strongly and is closer to English here.)

Stress the content words (nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs): they are longer, louder and higher. Say grammar words quickly and weakly: a /ə/, to /tə/, of /əv/, can /kən/, was /wəz/, the /ðə/. The beats come at fairly regular times, so the small words between them are squeezed. Use the full form only at the end of a sentence (Yes, I was.) or when you contrast. Now the tune: end a statement with a clear fall on the last important word, but do not let your voice sink so low that the word disappears. Let a yes/no question rise (Do you LIKE it?), and move your pitch up and down on the important words so that you sound interested.

• Not MY-SIS-TER-WORKS-IN-A-HOS-PI-TAL (all loud), but my SIS-ter WORKS in a HOS-pi-tal
• Not She WAS ready. (loud was), but She was READy: was /wəz/ is quick and quiet
• Not I want TOO go. (full "too"), but I want /tə/ go.
• Not a cup OFF tea (full "off"), but a cup /əv/ tea

How to make it: Tap the table once for each important word as you speak. On each tap, make the stressed syllable longer, louder and a little higher. Say the small words between the taps very fast, very quietly and with a lazy "uh" vowel. Do not skip small words: squeeze them. Keep the taps steady even when there are many small words in between.

Word stress in long words and compounds: eduCAtion, GREENhouse

Big effect on being understood.

Why it happens: Portuguese words are stressed in a fairly regular way and every syllable stays clear, so you can place the stress too late or too evenly in long English words, and you can stress both parts of a compound (tea CUP).

Every English word has one strong syllable. Some endings pull the stress for you: -tion / -sion (stress the syllable before: eduCAtion), -ic / -ical (poLITical, ecoNOMic), -ity (uniVERsity), -ology (biOLogy). Two-part compound nouns usually put the strong syllable on the first part: GREENhouse, TEAcup, BOOKshop. A noun phrase of adjective + noun stresses the noun: a green HOUSE (a house that is green).

• Not e-du-ca-TION (stress at the end), but e-du-CA-tion: stress the syllable before -tion
• Not po-li-ti-CAL, but po-LIT-i-cal
• Not a tea CUP, but a TEA-cup
• Not en-vi-ron-MENT, but en-VI-ron-ment

How to make it: Clap once on the strong syllable and keep the other syllables small. Make the strong syllable longer, louder and higher: en-VI-ron-ment. Learn the endings: say -tion, -ic, -ity words with the stress just before the ending. For two-part compounds, hit the first part hard and let the second part fall: TEAcup.

Long and short vowels: seat/sit, pool/pull

Big effect on being understood.

Why it happens: Portuguese has no long-short pairs like English, so /iː/ and /ɪ/ both land on one Portuguese "i", often rather short, and /uː/ and /ʊ/ both land on one "u". Listeners then hear the wrong word: leave for live, cooed for could.

Use length and tension. /iː/ is long and tight with a small smile (seat, feel, green). /ɪ/ is short and relaxed with a lower tongue (sit, fill, grin). /uː/ is long with very round lips (pool, food, Luke). /ʊ/ is short and loose with only slightly round lips (pull, foot, look). A long vowel before a voiced consonant gets even longer.

• Not Please take a sit. (you mean seat), but Please take a seat /siːt/.
• Not I fill happy today. (you mean feel), but I feel /fiːl/ happy today.
• Not I like swimming in the pull. (you mean pool), but I like swimming in the pool /puːl/.
• Not Look at this! (said long, like Luke), but Look /lʊk/ at this: short and loose.

How to make it: For /iː/ smile a little and hold the sound for a count of two: seeeat. For /ɪ/ relax your lips, no smile, and make the sound quick: sit. For /uː/ push your lips forward into a small circle and hold: poooool. For /ʊ/ let your lips relax and make it quick: pull.

bed / bad, cut / cat, heart / hat

Big effect on being understood.

Why it happens: Portuguese has no sound exactly like the English /æ/ in cat or the relaxed /ʌ/ in cup, so you borrow the nearest Portuguese vowel: bad sounds like bed, cup like cap, and the long /ɑː/ in heart comes out short like hat. Spelling can mislead too: the letter u in cut is not Portuguese "u".

/e/ (bed, pen) is half open and short. /æ/ (bad, pan) needs the jaw dropped wide and the tongue low and forward. /ʌ/ (cut, bus) is a short, relaxed "uh" from the middle of the mouth. /ɑː/ (heart, park) is long: mouth open, no r in British English. Copy the lengths: /æ/ /e/ /ʌ/ are short, /ɑː/ is long.

• Not The bed is bad. (both said as bed), but The bed /bed/ is bad /bæd/.
• Not a cap of tea (you mean cup), but a cup /kʌp/ of tea
• Not I hurt my hat. (you mean heart), but I hurt my heart /hɑːt/.
• Not We went for a walk in the pack. (you mean park), but the park /pɑːk/: long, open, no r

How to make it: For /e/ open your mouth about half way and keep it short. For /æ/ drop your jaw wide, as if you are about to yawn, tongue low and forward. For /ʌ/ keep your mouth half open and make a short, lazy "uh" from the middle. For /ɑː/ open wide and hold it for a count of two; do not say an r.

h and r: hair/rare, ear/hear, rate/hate

Big effect on being understood.

Why it happens: In many Brazilian accents a word-initial Portuguese r (or rr) is a breathy, throaty sound close to English /h/, so English r comes out like h: red sounds like head. The written letter h is silent in Portuguese, so English /h/ is often dropped (ear for hear) or added in the wrong place. How strong this is depends on the region.

English /r/ is made with the tongue only: pull it back so it bunches, with the tip lifted but touching nothing. Your lips push forward a little and there is no scraping in the throat. English /h/ is only a breath of air before a vowel: hair, hear, behind. Some words keep a silent h: hour, honest. Never put h before words that begin with a vowel: old is not hold.

• Not My car is head. (you mean red), but My car is red /red/: tongue pulled back, no breath at the start.
• Not I can ear you. (no h), but I can hear you: a gentle breath at the start.
• Not My hold friend (an h added before old), but My old friend: no h, start with the vowel.
• Not The hair is rare. (both said the same way), but hair /heə/ (breath) and rare /reə/ (r, tongue pulled back)

How to make it: For /h/ open your mouth, relax your tongue and just breathe out, like warming your hands. For /r/ pull the tongue back and bunch it up. The tip lifts a little but touches nothing. Push your lips slightly forward for /r/. If you feel a scrape in your throat, it is not an English r. Test it: hand in front of your mouth. You should feel warm air on hair, but not on old.

th: think / sink, this / dis, mouth / mouse

Makes you sound more natural.

Why it happens: Portuguese has no th sounds, so you replace them with the closest sounds you already have: s or t for /θ/ (think becomes sink or tink) and z or d for /ð/ (this becomes zis or dis).

Both th sounds are made with the tongue tip lightly touching the back of your top front teeth. /θ/ is only air: think, three, mouth, thank. /ð/ has voice: this, that, mother, with, the. Do not press the tongue hard against the teeth (that gives t or d) and do not pull it behind them (that gives s or z). When you practise slowly, you can let the tip show a little between your teeth.

• Not I sink it is a good idea., but I think /θɪŋk/ it is a good idea.
• Not I like tree things about my city., but I like three /θriː/ things about my city.
• Not Dis is my brozer., but This /ðɪs/ is my brother /ˈbrʌðə/.
• Not We went to the mouse of the river., but mouth /maʊθ/: end with the tongue tip touching the back of the top teeth.

How to make it: Touch the back of your top front teeth with the tip of your tongue. When you practise slowly, you can let the tip show a little between your teeth. For /θ/ push air out gently over the tongue: no voice, only a soft hiss. For /ð/ do the same with your voice on: the tongue tip should tickle. Pull the tongue back quickly for the next sound. Do not leave it out for the whole word.

t, d, and ch/sh: tea, did, chair/share

Makes you sound more natural.

Why it happens: In many Brazilian accents (not all), t and d before the vowel /i/ are said as "ch" and "j": tea becomes chee and did becomes jid. Separately, the Portuguese letters ch are pronounced like English sh, so chair comes out as share.

English /t/ and /d/ stay crisp before /iː/ and /ɪ/: touch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the top teeth and release; no hissing. Keep /tʃ/ (chair, watch, cheese) for words spelled ch, tch, and use /ʃ/ (share, wash, ship) for sh. For /tʃ/ start with a t and release into sh.

• Not I drink chee every morning., but I drink tea /tiː/ every morning.
• Not Jid you see him?, but Did /dɪd/ you see him?
• Not Take a share. (for chair), but Take a chair /tʃeə/.
• Not I wash a film. (for watch), but I watch /wɒtʃ/ a film.

How to make it: For /t/ and /d/, press the tongue tip firmly on the ridge behind the top teeth. Hold, then release with a small puff. Keep the front of your tongue away from the roof of your mouth so you do not hiss: tea, not chea. For /tʃ/ start with the same t, then slide into sh in one movement. For /ʃ/ push your lips forward and make a long, soft hiss with no t in front.

Final l: feel, bell, bottle, Brazil

Makes you sound more natural.

Why it happens: At the end of a syllable, l in most Brazilian accents is a /w/-like vowel, so Brasil ends in a sound like "oo". If you do the same in English, feel sounds like few and bottle like bottoo.

English final /l/ needs contact. After the vowel, lift the tongue tip and press it on the ridge behind the top teeth, and keep it there for a moment, with your lips relaxed (not round). The sound is a little darker than at the start of a word. In bottle, little and table the l is the last sound and forms the final syllable.

• Not I feel good. (said fee-oo), but I feel /fiːl/ good: tongue tip up at the end.
• Not a plastic bottoo (bottle), but a plastic bottle /ˈbɒtl/: tongue tip on the ridge
• Not Brazew (Brazil), but Brazil /brəˈzɪl/: finish with the tongue on the ridge
• Not The tow is expensive. (tool), but The tool /tuːl/ is expensive.

How to make it: Say the vowel, then lift the tip of your tongue to the ridge behind the top teeth. Keep the tongue there for a moment. Do not round your lips: no "oo". Feel the tip touching the ridge: if it is not touching, it is not an l. Check with a mirror: your lips stay relaxed and the tip moves up.

Final m, n, ng: team, sun, sing

Big effect on being understood.

Why it happens: In Portuguese, a vowel before a final m, n or ng often becomes a nasal vowel and the consonant itself nearly disappears, so team sounds like tea with a nasal vowel, and sun, sum and sung start to sound alike.

English vowels are clean: no air through the nose until the final consonant. Then close the nasal sound completely. For /m/ press the lips together (team, game); for /n/ touch the tongue tip to the ridge (sun, ten); for /ŋ/ lift the back of the tongue to the soft palate (sing, king) and do not add a g. Each one is a different word.

• Not The tea (nasal) won the game., but The team /tiːm/ won the game: lips closed at the end.
• Not The sum is shining today. (said for sun), but The sun /sʌn/ is shining: tongue tip on the ridge, lips apart.
• Not a thin to remember (thing), but a thing /θɪŋ/ to remember: back of the tongue up
• Not I have ten books. (ten said with a nasal vowel and no clear n), but ten /ten/: the tongue tip touches the ridge at the end

How to make it: Say the vowel with your mouth only, no air through your nose. Hold your nose: the vowel should not change. For /m/ close your lips completely at the end: team. For /n/ touch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the top teeth: sun. For /ŋ/ lift the back of the tongue and let the air go through your nose: sing. Do not add a g.

Grammar

Always give a subject: It is, I need, she likes

Why it happens: Portuguese often drops the subject (É importante estudar, Está chovendo) and the object (Eu comprei), because the verb ending or the context shows who or what. English always needs a subject, and often needs it even when nothing real is acting, and it needs an object too.

Every English sentence has a subject: I, you, he, she, it, we, they or a noun. Use it for weather, time, distance and opinions: It is cold. It is nine o'clock. It is hard to learn. When you speak about a thing or person already mentioned, repeat he, she, it or the name at the start of the next sentence: I bought this phone. I use it every day. Do not leave out an object pronoun either.

• Not Is very cold in my city in winter., but It is very cold in my city in winter.
• Not Is important to sleep well before an exam., but It is important to sleep well before an exam.
• Not My brother works in a bank. Likes his job., but My brother works in a bank. He likes his job.
• Not I bought this phone and I love., but I bought this phone and I love it.

There is / there are, not "have": There are many parks

Why it happens: In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, tem (from ter, to have) often means "there is": Tem muita gente aqui. If you copy this, you say Have many people here, which is not English. Formal Portuguese uses há or existe instead, with the same problem.

To say that something exists or is present, use there is (singular or uncountable) and there are (plural). In the past: there was / there were. Do not use have or exist for this. The word after there is/are is what exists: There is a lot of traffic. There are two banks in my street. Use have only when someone owns something: My city has two airports.

• Not Have many tourists in my city in August., but There are many tourists in my city in August.
• Not Had a big storm last night., but There was a big storm last night.
• Not In my village has a small river., but In my village there is a small river.
• Not Exists a lot of pollution in big cities., but There is a lot of pollution in big cities.

I have lived here since 2019: for, since and the present perfect

Why it happens: Portuguese says Moro aqui desde 2019 and Estudo inglês há cinco anos, using the simple present for a situation that began in the past and continues now. Portuguese also does not change the tense for a finished or an unfinished time period, so learners copy this and say I live here since 2019 or I have been to Rome last spring.

Use the present perfect (have/has + past participle) for something that began in the past and continues now, or for experience up to now, when the time period is not finished: since 2019, for five years, so far, this week, how long. Use the past simple when the time is finished: yesterday, last year, in 2019, ten years ago. Never use the simple present or past simple with since / for for an unfinished situation.

• Not I live in this city since 2019., but I have lived in this city since 2019.
• Not I am studying English for five years., but I have been studying English for five years.
• Not I have been to Rome last spring., but I went to Rome last spring.
• Not She works here since March., but She has worked here since March.

Questions: do/does/did, indirect questions, short answers, tags

Why it happens: Portuguese makes a question with intonation alone (Você gosta de música?), has no word like do, repeats the verb in a short answer (Gosto.), and uses one tag, não é?, for everything. In indirect questions it keeps the question order, which is wrong in English.

A present or past simple question needs do / does / did + subject + base verb: Where do you live? Did she call? After Can you tell me… or I wonder…, use normal statement order and no do: Can you tell me where he works? Short answers repeat the helper: Yes, I do. No, she didn't. A tag question repeats the helper with the opposite sign: They finish at five, don't they?

• Not Where you live now?, but Where do you live now?
• Not Please tell me what time does the museum open., but Please tell me what time the museum opens.
• Not Do you enjoy sport? Yes, I enjoy., but Do you enjoy sport? Yes, I do.
• Not The shops open at nine, isn't it?, but The shops open at nine, don't they?

the, a, or nothing: Life is hard, my brother, next Monday

Why it happens: Portuguese uses o / a / os / as in many places where English uses no article: for general ideas (A vida é difícil), before possessives (o meu irmão, especially in European Portuguese), names of meals, streets and next / last expressions. A few Portuguese expressions have no article where English needs one (ter razão).

Use no article for general plural or uncountable nouns: Life is hard. Prices are rising. Use no article before a possessive: my brother, not the my brother. Also none for meals (have lunch), most streets (on Park Street), and next / last + time (next Monday, last year). Use the only for something specific both of you know. Use a / an for one of a kind that is not yet known: a job, an idea.

• Not The life is expensive in the big cities., but Life is expensive in big cities.
• Not I told the my brother about the plan., but I told my brother about the plan.
• Not We usually have the lunch at one., but We usually have lunch at one.
• Not I will see you the next Monday., but I will see you next Monday.

information, advice, furniture: no -s, no a

Why it happens: Some nouns are plural or countable in Portuguese but uncountable in English: informações, conselhos, móveis. After muito a singular countable noun is also possible in Portuguese (muita árvore), so much is used with the wrong noun.

Uncountable nouns have no -s and no a/an: information, advice, furniture, research, luggage, news, homework, traffic, equipment, knowledge, progress, evidence, rubbish. Use some or a unit: a piece of advice, some information. With uncountables use much, a lot of, little; with plural countables use many, a few: many problems, much traffic.

• Not She gave me many informations about courses., but She gave me a lot of information about courses.
• Not I need an advice about my homeworks., but I need some advice about my homework.
• Not We bought new furnitures., but We bought new furniture.
• Not We have much problems this year., but We have many problems this year.

Prepositions: depend on, married to, at Christmas, for three years

Why it happens: Portuguese em, de, com, para, por each cover several English prepositions, so you translate the Portuguese one: depender de becomes depend of, casar com becomes marry with, interessado em becomes interested in (which works) but preocupado com becomes worried with.

Learn the preposition with the word, as a chunk: depend on, rely on, count on; married to (and marry alone, without a preposition); worried about, think about; interested in, based on, pay attention to. For time: at Christmas / at night, in the morning / in 2019, on Monday; use for a length of time (for three years) and during a time period (during the holidays). Place: at the cinema, on the beach, in the city.

• Not It depends of the weather., but It depends on the weather.
• Not She is married with a doctor., but She is married to a doctor.
• Not I am worried with my exam results., but I am worried about my exam results.
• Not I lived there during three years., but I lived there for three years.

One negative only: I don't know anything

Why it happens: Portuguese needs the negative word não before the verb and also uses a second negative after it: Não vi ninguém, Não sei nada. Both are required. English allows only one negative in a clause, so you carry over the double negative.

In English make a clause negative once. If the verb is negative (don't, didn't, can't, never), use any- words after it: anything, anybody, anywhere, any. If you use nothing, nobody, nowhere, no, the verb stays positive. So: I don't know anything or I know nothing, not I don't know nothing.

• Not I don't know nothing about this topic., but I don't know anything about this topic.
• Not He didn't tell nobody about the problem., but He didn't tell anybody about the problem.
• Not I can't find my keys nowhere., but I can't find my keys anywhere.
• Not My town doesn't have no cinema., but My town doesn't have a cinema. / My town has no cinema.

want you to, enjoy doing, after finishing: verb patterns

Why it happens: Portuguese says quero que você venha ("I want that you come") and uses the infinitive where English uses -ing: cansado de ouvir becomes tired of to listen. Some Portuguese infinitives have no to-like word, so learners drop to after try or promise.

After want, ask, tell, expect, would like use object + to + verb: I want you to wait. Never want that you. After a preposition use -ing: after finishing, tired of listening, interested in learning. After enjoy, mind, finish, avoid, suggest use -ing. After try, promise, decide, hope, plan use to + verb.

• Not She wants that I send her the photos., but She wants me to send her the photos.
• Not I am tired of to listen to the same advice., but I am tired of listening to the same advice.
• Not After to finish the report, she went home., but After finishing the report, she went home.
• Not He tried call me twice., but He tried to call me twice.

Adjectives come first and never take -s: a small flat, wrong answers

Why it happens: In Portuguese most adjectives come after the noun and agree with it in number: um livro interessante, as respostas erradas. Copying that gives a book interesting and the wrongs answers. Portuguese can also drop the noun after an adjective, which English does not allow.

Put an adjective before the noun: a small flat, an exciting film. Adjectives are never plural: two big cities, the wrong answers. With very and really the order is a very difficult problem. In English you cannot leave the noun out after an adjective: say the important thing is…, not the important is….

• Not She lives in a flat small., but She lives in a small flat.
• Not These are the wrongs answers., but These are the wrong answers.
• Not What a city marvellous!, but What a marvellous city!
• Not The important is to help other people., but The important thing is to help other people.

can, must, should: no to, no -s, then the plain verb

Why it happens: Portuguese uses a main verb for skills (Ele nada) and puts de or a or the infinitive after verbs like dever. Learners add to after modals, or add -s to the verb after can (because other Portuguese verbs agree with the subject).

Modal verbs (can, could, must, should, will, would, may, might) are followed by the plain verb: no to, no -s, no -ing. Use can / could for ability: I can swim. When I was four, I could read. For obligation use must (strong) or have to; for advice, should. The past of must in the sense of obligation is had to.

• Not You must to bring your passport., but You must bring your passport.
• Not She can speaks three languages., but She can speak three languages.
• Not He should to see a doctor., but He should see a doctor.
• Not Last year students must wear a uniform., but Last year students had to wear a uniform.

if and when clauses: no will after if, when, as soon as

Why it happens: Modern spoken Portuguese often uses the same tense in both halves of a conditional (Se eu vejo, eu falo) and, after time words, uses the future subjunctive or a future form where English needs the present. Learners then say when you will need me.

After if, when, as soon as, before, after, until, talk about the future with the present simple: I will call you when I get home. Real future conditional: if + present, will + verb. Unreal present: if + past, would + verb (If I had more time, I would learn the guitar). Unreal past: if + had + participle, would have + participle. Do not use will or would in the if part.

• Not I will call you when I will get home., but I will call you when I get home.
• Not If I will see him tomorrow, I will tell him., but If I see him tomorrow, I will tell him.
• Not If I would have more money, I would buy a bigger flat., but If I had more money, I would buy a bigger flat.
• Not If she left earlier, she wouldn't have missed the bus., but If she had left earlier, she wouldn't have missed the bus.

Stative verbs: I understand, she needs, not "is understanding"

Why it happens: In Brazilian Portuguese the progressive (estar + gerund) is used very freely, including with verbs of knowing and feeling: Não estou entendendo. Copying it into English gives I am not understanding or I am knowing.

Verbs for states, not actions, do not take -ing: know, understand, believe, want, need, like, love, hate, prefer, remember, own, seem. Use the present simple: I don't understand. She needs more time. Use the present progressive for an action happening now or around now: I am looking for a flat. They are cooking dinner. For habits and facts use the present simple.

• Not I am not understanding this lesson., but I don't understand this lesson.
• Not My sister is knowing three languages., but My sister knows three languages.
• Not I am not liking this kind of music., but I don't like this kind of music.
• Not At the moment I look for a flat near the university., but At the moment I am looking for a flat near the university.

Speaking style

Sounding polite: Could you…? I'd like… No, thank you

Why it happens: In Portuguese a request can be made with the imperative (Passe o formulário, por favor) and a low, loud, direct voice without sounding rude. In English the same style can sound abrupt or even angry. Also, obrigado can be a polite refusal, but English Thank you with the stress on you can sound sarcastic.

Soften requests with a modal: Could you…? Would you mind…? I'd like…. Add please and a softer, higher voice. Avoid a bare command (Give me…) and I want. To refuse politely say No, thank you with a clear "no", or I'm fine, thanks. To disagree use I see your point, but… or I'm not sure I agree. Keep your pitch moving up and down on the important words, so you sound interested and not bored or cold. In IELTS, Could you repeat that, please? is always acceptable.

• Not Give me the form, please., but Could you give me the form, please?
• Not I want to change my appointment., but I'd like to change my appointment, please.
• Not You are wrong., but I see your point, but I'm not sure I agree.
• Not Repeat the question., but Sorry, could you repeat the question, please?

Sources

Problems chosen with reference to Learner English (Swan & Smith, 2nd edn, Cambridge University Press), chapter on Portuguese speakers by David Shepherd, with further points well known to teachers of Brazilian learners. Explanations, examples and exercises are IELTS Laboratory’s own.

• Bettoni-Techio, M. & Koerich, R. D. (2007), on word-final consonants in Brazilian learners' English, Interspeech 2007: final consonants often unreleased, with added vowels and palatalisation also found.