Na Academia: Rotina e Conversa
Going to the gym · a free Portuguese (Brazil) immersion capsule
Useful sentences · 10
Phrases you'll actually use today. Tap Explain for the why behind each one.
Eu vou à academia três vezes por semana para me manter em forma.
I go to the gym three times a week to stay in shape.
Literal I go to the academy three times per week to keep myself in shape.
Expresses a regular habit using the present tense. 'Para me manter' uses a reflexive infinitive to state purpose.
- 'Vou' is the first-person present tense of 'ir' (to go)
- 'Para + infinitive' expresses purpose or goal
- 'Me manter' is a reflexive construction meaning 'to keep myself'
Você pode me mostrar como fazer esse exercício corretamente?
Can you show me how to do this exercise correctly?
Literal You can show me how to do this exercise correctly?
A polite request to a gym instructor. 'Você pode' softens the request, and 'como fazer' introduces an indirect question.
- 'Pode' comes from 'poder' (can/to be able to) in the present tense
- 'Como + infinitive' = how to do something
- Indirect question word order stays the same as a regular statement in Portuguese
A instrutora disse que eu preciso me alongar antes de treinar.
The instructor told me that I need to stretch before working out.
Literal The instructor said that I need to stretch myself before training.
Reported speech with 'disse que' introduces what the instructor said. 'Me alongar' is a reflexive verb common in fitness contexts.
- 'Disse' is the pretérito perfeito (simple past) of 'dizer' (to say/tell)
- 'Preciso + infinitive' = I need to do something
- 'Se alongar' is a reflexive verb meaning 'to stretch oneself'
A gente sempre aquece por dez minutos antes de começar os exercícios.
We always warm up for ten minutes before starting the exercises.
Literal The people always warm up for ten minutes before starting the exercises.
'A gente' is the standard Brazilian Portuguese informal way to say 'we', conjugated like a third-person singular verb. 'Sempre' marks a fixed routine.
- 'A gente' = 'we' in Brazilian Portuguese, but takes a 3rd-person singular verb
- 'Sempre' = always (high-frequency adverb indicating habit)
- 'Antes de + infinitive' = before doing something
Eu quero fortalecer os músculos das pernas e do core.
I want to strengthen the muscles in my legs and core.
Literal I want to strengthen the muscles of the legs and of the core.
States a fitness goal. Note that Portuguese uses definite articles with body parts where English usually omits them.
- 'Quero + infinitive' = I want to do something
- Portuguese uses definite articles with body parts: 'os músculos', 'as pernas'
- 'Das' = 'de + as' (of the, feminine plural); 'do' = 'de + o' (of the, masculine)
Faça o movimento devagar para não machucar o seu joelho.
Do the movement slowly so you don't hurt your knee.
Literal Do the movement slowly so as not to hurt your knee.
An imperative instruction from a trainer. 'Faça' is the formal imperative of 'fazer'. 'Para não' introduces a negative purpose clause.
- 'Faça' is the formal (você) imperative of 'fazer' (to do/make)
- 'Para não + infinitive' = so as not to / in order not to
- 'Devagar' = slowly (adverb of manner)
Você está vendo resultados desde que começou a malhar?
Are you seeing results since you started working out?
Literal You are seeing results since you started to work out?
A conversational gym question using the present progressive plus the connector 'desde que'. 'Malhar' is casual Brazilian slang for working out.
- 'Está + gerúndio (-ndo)' = present progressive (is/are doing)
- 'Desde que + past tense' = since (temporal connector)
- 'Malhar' is informal Brazilian Portuguese for 'to work out' — very common in everyday speech
Eu me exercito de manhã porque tenho mais energia nessa hora.
I work out in the morning because I have more energy at that time.
Literal I exercise myself in the morning because I have more energy at that hour.
'Porque' connects a habit to its motivation. 'Me exercito' is the reflexive first-person conjugation of 'se exercitar'.
- 'Se exercitar' is a reflexive verb; 'me exercito' = 1st person singular present
- 'Porque' = because (introduces reason or cause)
- 'De manhã' = in the morning (fixed time expression)
Onde ficam os pesos livres? Estou procurando aqueles de cinco quilos.
Where are the free weights? I'm looking for the five-kilogram ones.
Literal Where are the free weights? I am looking for those of five kilos.
Asking for directions to equipment. 'Ficam' expresses location. 'Aqueles de cinco quilos' uses a demonstrative pronoun with a descriptor to specify which ones.
- 'Ficar' used to express location: 'onde ficam?' = where are they (located)?
- 'Estou + gerúndio' = present progressive (I am doing)
- 'Aqueles de...' = those (ones) of... — demonstrative + descriptor replaces repetition of the noun
Treinar com regularidade é a melhor forma de alcançar seus objetivos.
Training regularly is the best way to achieve your goals.
Literal To train with regularity is the best form of reaching your objectives.
A motivating statement using the infinitive 'treinar' as a subject. 'É a melhor forma de' is a highly reusable recommendation pattern.
- Infinitive used as sentence subject: 'treinar' = training / to train
- 'É a melhor forma de + infinitive' = is the best way to do something
- 'Seus objetivos' = your goals; 'seus' = possessive adjective (your, his/her)
New words · 10
Themed vocabulary, each with an example you can borrow.
academia
gym / fitness center
Eu vou à academia depois do trabalho.
I go to the gym after work.
In Brazil, 'academia' always means a gym, not an academic institution — context is never ambiguous.
treinar
to train / to work out
Ela treina cinco dias por semana.
She trains five days a week.
se alongar
to stretch
É importante se alongar depois do treino.
It's important to stretch after the workout.
musculação
weight training / resistance training
Ele começou a fazer musculação este ano.
He started doing weight training this year.
aquecimento
warm-up
Nunca pule o aquecimento antes de malhar.
Never skip the warm-up before working out.
haltere
dumbbell
Pegue o haltere de oito quilos para esse exercício.
Grab the eight-kilogram dumbbell for this exercise.
série
set (of exercises)
Faça três séries de doze repetições.
Do three sets of twelve repetitions.
repetição
repetition / rep
Quantas repetições você faz por série?
How many reps do you do per set?
fortalecer
to strengthen
Esses exercícios ajudam a fortalecer o core.
These exercises help strengthen the core.
malhar
to work out (informal)
A gente costuma malhar toda manhã.
We usually work out every morning.
Very common in casual Brazilian speech; preferred over 'se exercitar' in gym small talk.
Short reading
A tiny story stitched from today's words. Translation is hidden, tap to peek.
Marcelo chega à academia às seis da manhã três vezes por semana. Ele sempre começa com dez minutos de aquecimento na esteira para preparar o corpo. Depois, ele vai para a área de musculação e faz três séries de cada exercício. Seu objetivo é fortalecer os ombros e o peito porque quer participar de uma competição no final do ano. O instrutor sempre o lembra de se alongar no final para evitar lesões.
Sentence by sentence
chega à academia às seis da manhã
arrives at the gym at six in the morning
'Chegar à' = to arrive at. 'Às seis da manhã' uses the plural contracted article 'às' (a + as) before clock times — standard in Brazilian Portuguese.
começa com dez minutos de aquecimento na esteira
starts with ten minutes of warm-up on the treadmill
'Começa com' = starts with. 'Esteira' (literally a conveyor belt) is the everyday word for treadmill in Brazilian gyms.
faz três séries de cada exercício
does three sets of each exercise
'Três séries de' = three sets of. 'Cada' = each (invariable — no plural form). This pattern is what trainers and gym-goers say constantly.
porque quer participar de uma competição
because he wants to compete in a competition
'Porque' = because (introduces motivation). Note 'participar de' — the preposition 'de' is required after this verb in Portuguese, unlike English 'participate in'.
o lembra de se alongar no final para evitar lesões
reminds him to stretch at the end to avoid injuries
'Lembrar alguém de fazer algo' = to remind someone to do something. 'Se alongar' = reflexive stretch verb. 'Para evitar' = to avoid (purpose clause with 'para + infinitive').
Pattern of the day
One grammar move, explained once, that unlocks dozens of sentences.
Reflexive Verbs for Fitness Activities (se exercitar, se alongar, se aquecer)
Many fitness and self-care actions in Brazilian Portuguese use reflexive verbs — verbs where the subject performs the action on themselves. These require a reflexive pronoun (me, se, nos, te) placed before the conjugated verb in standard speech, or attached to the infinitive. They are essential for gym conversations and descriptions of personal routine.
[subject] + [reflexive pronoun] + [conjugated verb] OR [infinitive] + [reflexive pronoun attached: -se]
Eu me alongo antes de treinar.
I stretch before working out.
Ela se aquece na esteira todo dia.
She warms up on the treadmill every day.
A gente se exercita três vezes por semana.
We work out three times a week.
Você precisa se alongar depois do treino.
You need to stretch after the workout.
Mini practice · 5
Low-pressure, never graded. Just enough to make it stick.
Translate to Portuguese (Brazil): "I want to strengthen my leg muscles and core."
Hint Use 'fortalecer' and remember 'músculos das pernas'.
Complete the sentence: "A gente sempre ______ por dez minutos antes de começar os exercícios."
Hint Think about the warm-up — 'aquecimento' — and conjugate for 'a gente'.
Translate to English: "Treinar com regularidade é a melhor forma de alcançar seus objetivos."
Which sentence correctly uses a reflexive verb for a fitness activity?
Rewrite using 'a gente' instead of 'eu': "Eu me alongar antes de treinar." (Corrected base: "Eu me alongo antes de treinar.")
Hint When 'a gente' is the subject, the reflexive pronoun changes to 'se'.
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