Portuguese: An Essential Grammar

by Amélia P. Hutchinson, Janet Lloyd

This new edition of An Essential Grammar is a practical reference guide to the most important aspects of modern European Portuguese. Combining traditional and function-based grammar, the book sets out the complexities of Portuguese in short, readable sections. Explanations are clear, free from jargon and substantiated by examples. Throughout, the emphasis is on Portuguese as used by native speakers. This third An important addition to Routledge’s collection of grammars on the variants of Portuguese, this is an ideal reference source for the learner and user of European Portuguese. It is suitable for either independent study or for students in schools, colleges, universities and adult classes of all types.

Genres: Language, Portuguese Literature, Linguistics, Nonfiction, Portugal, Reference

284 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Linda]

A very good reference grammar. Unlike most, its layout and content have been planned with language learning in mind in addition to the standard reference grammar fare. I like how differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese are explained, too.

[Sascha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference. Reading it cover to cover felt strange and not terribly useful but hopefully some of that info sticks or at least it'll be easier to find when I need it.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A useful Portuguese reference grammar divided into 2 basic sections, the 1st section goes over basic grammar categories; nouns, articles, verbs, prepositions, etc. and the second half discusses specific social scenarios and vocabulary. This grammar also does a good job of comparing some of the nuances and differences between the Portuguese spoken in Portugal and Brazilian Portuguese, which is the version that I am more familiar with since I lived in Brazil for 3 months a few years ago and I was able to learn it fairly quickly since I had studied Spanish for 4 years in high school and I was able to use that knowledge to learn Brazilian Portuguese at an accelerated rate.

The only critique I have of the book is that they put all of the differences for Brazilian Portuguese in a separate section towards the end of the book, so you have to flip back and forth to see the differences where there is a subscripted B in the main text indicating there is a difference in Brazilian Portuguese. It would have been more convenient to place that material in footnotes rather than having a separate section for key Brazilian Portuguese grammar differences as it appears in the book. This is the second edition, so hopefully if they make a third edition they could make that change to it along with additional updated content.

[GdP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il libro è veramente ben fatto.
Non ho idea se passerò l’esame dato che studio Ingegneria Aerospaziale (che nella mia università è un corso di laurea tenuto completamente in lingua inglese) e ho studiato portoghese da un libro inglese ma l’esame è in italiano (essendo un esame a scelta).
Insomma un casino.
Però bello aver letto 300 pagine senza neanche una formula.
Mi ero dimenticata la sensazione.
Nel dubbio ho scritto le equazioni di Navier-Stokes nell’ultima pagina e le ho spiegate, in portoghese ovviamente.

[Amr Fahmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nearly flawless. It doesn't only care about grammar but also common phrases for conversation and certain situations. There is a full section about Brazilian Portuguese.

[Hibiscus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another take on the grammar.
This one was more superficial but also practical, complete with daily expressions and useful templates.

[Kevin de Ataíde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, quite comprehensive and with full translations in English for all Portuguese phrases and sentences. A few reads through and you're set grammatically. However, the translations are the best English approximations. For one studying Portuguese, the most literal translations would have been better. For example, on p.107, a simple sentence:



Portuguese: Parabens por teres passado no exame de conducao.

The English given: Congratulations on passing your driving test.



Now, then, for an English student learning the language, it is easier to see the sentence as 'Congratulations for passing in the exam of driving.' A minor thing and my own perspective. I love this book.

[Sean Evans]

Portuguese; An Essential Grammar by A. Hutchinson (1996)