Na Entrevista de Emprego
A job interview · a free Portuguese (Brazil) immersion capsule
Useful sentences · 10
Phrases you'll actually use today. Tap Explain for the why behind each one.
Meu nome é Carlos Mendes e tenho cinco anos de experiência em marketing digital.
My name is Carlos Mendes and I have five years of experience in digital marketing.
Literal My name is Carlos Mendes and I have five years of experience in digital marketing.
A classic self-introduction formula for job interviews. 'Tenho' (I have) with a time span expresses duration of professional experience.
- 'Tenho' is the first-person present tense of 'ter' (to have) — irregular verb.
- 'Em' before a professional field means 'in': 'em marketing digital'.
Trabalhei anteriormente em uma agência de publicidade onde gerenciei campanhas para grandes clientes.
I previously worked at an advertising agency where I managed campaigns for major clients.
Literal I worked previously in an agency of publicity where I managed campaigns for large clients.
'Trabalhei' and 'gerenciei' are both preterite (simple past), used to describe completed work experiences in prior roles.
- Preterite -ei ending marks first-person singular for regular -ar verbs: trabalhei, gerenciei.
- 'Onde' (where) introduces a relative clause describing the workplace.
Uma das minhas maiores conquistas foi aumentar o engajamento nas redes sociais em quarenta por cento.
One of my greatest achievements was increasing social media engagement by forty percent.
Literal One of my greatest conquests was to increase the engagement in the social networks by forty percent.
Anchoring accomplishments with numbers makes answers concrete and persuasive. 'Foi' + infinitive is a natural construction for describing a key result.
- 'Foi' is the preterite of 'ser' (to be) — irregular.
- 'Em' before a percentage means 'by': 'em quarenta por cento'.
Acredito que minha principal habilidade é comunicar ideias complexas de forma clara e objetiva.
I believe that my main skill is communicating complex ideas in a clear and objective way.
Literal I believe that my main ability is to communicate complex ideas in a clear and objective form.
'Acredito que' (I believe that) is a professional way to state strengths. 'De forma' + adjective is a fixed phrase meaning 'in a ... manner'.
- 'Acredito que' + indicative mood expresses a confident, factual belief.
- 'De forma clara' is a set phrase: 'in a clear manner/way'.
Estou muito interessado nesta vaga porque admiro a inovação e os valores da empresa.
I am very interested in this position because I admire the company's innovation and values.
Literal I am very interested in this opening because I admire the innovation and the values of the company.
Expressing genuine motivation stands out in interviews. 'Estar interessado em' means 'to be interested in'. 'Nesta' is a contraction of 'em' + 'esta'.
- 'Nesta' is a contraction of 'em' + 'esta' (in this) — a feminine contraction.
- 'Porque' (one word, because) differs from the question form 'por que' (two words).
Quando enfrentei um projeto difícil, busquei apoio da equipe e conseguimos superar o desafio juntos.
When I faced a difficult project, I sought support from the team and we managed to overcome the challenge together.
Literal When I faced a difficult project, I sought support from the team and we managed to overcome the challenge together.
'Quando' + preterite describes a specific past situation. The switch from 'eu' to 'nós' (conseguimos) naturally highlights teamwork.
- 'Quando' + preterite introduces a completed past event (temporal clause).
- 'Conseguir' + infinitive = 'to manage to do something' — a high-frequency professional construction.
Poderia me falar mais sobre as responsabilidades do cargo e as expectativas para o primeiro mês?
Could you tell me more about the responsibilities of the position and the expectations for the first month?
Literal Could you me tell more about the responsibilities of the role and the expectations for the first month?
'Poderia' (conditional of 'poder') is the polite form for asking questions. 'Me falar' = 'tell me' with the object pronoun placed before the verb, common in Brazilian speech.
- 'Poderia' is the conditional form of 'poder' — used for polite requests in formal contexts.
- In Brazilian Portuguese, object pronouns often precede the verb in speech: 'me falar' rather than 'falar-me'.
Considero-me uma pessoa proativa que gosta de aprender e se adaptar a novos desafios.
I consider myself a proactive person who enjoys learning and adapting to new challenges.
Literal I consider myself a proactive person who likes to learn and to adapt to new challenges.
'Considero-me' is a reflexive construction meaning 'I consider myself'. The hyphenated form places the pronoun after the verb, standard in formal written Portuguese.
- Reflexive verb: 'considerar-se' (to consider oneself); first person: 'considero-me'.
- 'Que gosta de + infinitive' = 'who likes to...' — a relative clause using 'gostar de'.
Na minha experiência anterior, aprendi a trabalhar sob pressão e cumprir prazos com eficiência.
In my previous experience, I learned to work under pressure and meet deadlines efficiently.
Literal In my previous experience, I learned to work under pressure and to fulfill deadlines with efficiency.
'Aprendi a' + infinitive means 'I learned to do something'. 'Sob pressão' (under pressure) and 'cumprir prazos' (meet deadlines) are essential professional collocations.
- 'Aprender a' + infinitive = 'to learn to do something' — verb + preposition + infinitive pattern.
- 'Cumprir prazos' is a fixed collocation meaning 'to meet/fulfill deadlines'.
Se eu for selecionado, comprometerei todo o meu esforço para contribuir com o sucesso da equipe.
If I am selected, I will commit all my effort to contributing to the team's success.
Literal If I am selected, I will commit all my effort to contribute with the success of the team.
'Se' + future subjunctive expresses a realistic future condition. This formal structure conveys confidence and commitment — a strong way to close an interview.
- 'Se eu for' uses the future subjunctive of 'ser' — required after 'se' in formal conditional sentences about real possibilities.
- 'Comprometerei' is the simple future first-person singular of 'comprometer' (to commit).
New words · 10
Themed vocabulary, each with an example you can borrow.
experiência
experience
Tenho três anos de experiência em vendas.
I have three years of experience in sales.
Pronounced ex-pe-ri-EN-sya. Indispensable in any professional self-presentation.
habilidade
skill / ability
Minha maior habilidade é resolver problemas rapidamente.
My greatest skill is solving problems quickly.
conquista
achievement / accomplishment
A conquista mais importante da minha carreira foi liderar aquele projeto.
The most important achievement of my career was leading that project.
proativo
proactive
Procuro ser proativo e antecipar os problemas antes que aconteçam.
I try to be proactive and anticipate problems before they happen.
Feminine form: proativa. A highly valued trait to mention in interviews.
cargo
position / role / job title
Qual é o cargo disponível nesta área?
What is the available position in this area?
Can also mean 'responsibility' or 'charge' in other contexts.
vaga
job opening / vacancy
Vi a vaga no site da empresa e fiquei muito interessado.
I saw the job opening on the company's website and became very interested.
equipe
team
Sempre preferi trabalhar em equipe a trabalhar sozinho.
I have always preferred working as a team to working alone.
In European Portuguese the spelling is 'equipa'.
prazo
deadline / time limit
Estou acostumado a entregar resultados dentro do prazo.
I am used to delivering results within the deadline.
engajamento
engagement
O engajamento dos colaboradores aumentou depois das mudanças na gestão.
Employee engagement increased after the management changes.
Borrowed from English; common in business and marketing contexts in Brazil.
responsabilidade
responsibility
Gosto de ter responsabilidade e tomar decisões importantes.
I like having responsibility and making important decisions.
Short reading
A tiny story stitched from today's words. Translation is hidden, tap to peek.
Carlos chegou à entrevista dez minutos antes e cumprimentou a recepcionista com um sorriso confiante. Quando a entrevistadora chamou seu nome, ele respirou fundo e entrou na sala com postura profissional. Ela perguntou sobre sua experiência anterior e ele respondeu com exemplos concretos e objetivos. No final da conversa, Carlos fez uma pergunta sobre as oportunidades de crescimento dentro da empresa, impressionando a entrevistadora com sua curiosidade e preparo.
Sentence by sentence
chegou à entrevista dez minutos antes
arrived at the interview ten minutes early
'Chegou' is preterite of 'chegar' (to arrive). 'À' is the contraction of 'a' + 'a'. 'Antes' here means 'early' (before the scheduled time), not 'before' in sequence.
cumprimentou a recepcionista com um sorriso confiante
greeted the receptionist with a confident smile
'Cumprimentar' (to greet) in preterite. 'Confiante' (confident) is an adjective that agrees in gender/number with 'sorriso' (masculine singular).
ele respirou fundo e entrou na sala com postura profissional
he took a deep breath and entered the room with professional composure
'Respirar fundo' is an idiomatic expression for 'to take a deep breath'. 'Na sala' is a contraction of 'em' + 'a sala' (in the room).
respondeu com exemplos concretos e objetivos
answered with concrete, objective examples
Adjectives 'concretos' and 'objetivos' follow the noun and agree in masculine plural gender. Structuring answers with examples is a key interview strategy.
Carlos fez uma pergunta sobre as oportunidades de crescimento
Carlos asked a question about growth opportunities
'Fazer uma pergunta' (to ask a question) is the idiomatic expression — not 'perguntar uma pergunta'. 'Crescimento' means growth or advancement.
impressionando a entrevistadora com sua curiosidade e preparo
impressing the interviewer with his curiosity and preparation
The '-ando' ending is the gerund of '-ar' verbs, here expressing a simultaneous action/result. 'Preparo' (readiness/preparation) signals a well-prepared candidate.
Pattern of the day
One grammar move, explained once, that unlocks dozens of sentences.
Pretérito Perfeito for Describing Professional Accomplishments
The simple preterite (pretérito perfeito simples) describes completed past actions. In a job interview it is the primary tense for talking about what you did, managed, built, or achieved in previous roles. For regular -ar verbs and many common irregular verbs, the first-person singular ends in -ei.
Eu + verb (pretérito perfeito) + object / complement
Trabalhei em uma multinacional por dois anos.
I worked at a multinational company for two years.
Gerenciei uma equipe de quinze pessoas.
I managed a team of fifteen people.
Aumentei as vendas em trinta por cento no último semestre.
I increased sales by thirty percent in the last semester.
Desenvolvi um sistema que reduziu os custos operacionais.
I developed a system that reduced operational costs.
Mini practice · 5
Low-pressure, never graded. Just enough to make it stick.
Translate to Portuguese: "I believe my main skill is communicating complex ideas clearly and objectively."
Hint Use 'acreditar que' and the infinitive 'comunicar'.
Translate to English: "Trabalhei anteriormente em uma agência de publicidade onde gerenciei campanhas para grandes clientes."
Hint Both 'trabalhei' and 'gerenciei' are in the pretérito perfeito.
Complete the sentence with the correct word: "Uma das minhas maiores _____ foi aumentar o engajamento nas redes sociais em quarenta por cento."
Hint This word means achievements or accomplishments.
Carlos is talking about a past challenge. Which sentence correctly uses the pretérito perfeito?
Rewrite this sentence replacing 'vaga' with 'cargo' and adjusting as needed: "Estou muito interessado nesta vaga porque admiro a inovação e os valores da empresa."
Hint 'Vaga' uses 'nesta' (feminine); 'cargo' needs a different form of the contraction.
That’s today’s phraseberry.
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