Word focus: TER

MÚSICA

Explanation: Dendê is a palm oil used in Brazilian cooking, especially in the northeast of the country. It has a strong, rich flavor as well as a bright orange color. When something "has dendê," it means it has "flavor!" You can improvise in this song to say that particular players in the roda have dendê, that your capoeira group has dendê, that your mestre has dendê, etc.

Word focus: TER

Ter means "to have." Here are its conjugations in the present tense:

Note: There is no difference in pronunciation between tem and têm.

TER for possession

Here are some ways you can use ter that are similar to English:

Tenho cordão amarelo. = I have a yellow cord (in capoeira).

Não tenho carro. = I don't have a car.

Tenho duas irmãs. = I have two sisters.

Tenho muitos livros. = I have a lot of books.

Tenho um cachorro. = I have a dog.

Examples from capoeira songs:

Eu não sou daqui / Marinheiro sou / Eu não tenho amor
I'm not from here / I'm a sailor / I don't have a lover

É de manhã, Idalina ta me chamando / Idalina tem o costume de chamar e vai andando
It's morning, Idalina is calling me / Idalina has the habit of calling and walking away

Cuidado moço / Que esta fruta tem caroço
Be careful, young man / Because this fruit has a seed.

Valha-me Deus, Senhor São Bento / Buraco velho tem cobra dentro
Protect me, Lord Saint Benedict / Old holes have snakes inside

TER for age

In Portuguese, we also use ter to talk about the number of years you "have" - how old you are:

Quantos anos você tem? = How old are you?

Tenho vinte e sete anos. = I'm twenty-seven years old.

Quantos anos ele / ela tem? = How old is he / she?

Meu filho tem cinco anos. = My son is five years old.

TER QUE for "Have to"

Similarly to English, we can use tenho que / tem que / etc. to say "I have to" "You have to" "He has to" etc.

Some examples:

Tenho que ir. = I have to go.

Você tem que jogar mais devagar. = You have to play more slowly.

Temos que aprender portugues. = We have to learn Portuguese.

TEM for "there is / there are"

Tem can also be used to say "there is" or "there are." We see some examples of this in capoeira songs:

A canoa virou, marinheiro / No fundo do mar tem dinheiro
The canoe overturned, sailor / At the bottom of the sea there is money

Pra lavar minha roupa não tem sabão
There is no soap to wash my clothes

Em cada som, em cada toque, em cada ginga, tem um estilo de jogo
In each sound, in each rhythm, in each ginga, there is a style of playing

PRATICAR (PRACTICE)

• Next lesson: The "little words" of Portuguese