Introduction to Portuguese Grammar

by Edwin Bucher Williams

Self-study of classroom course in everyday Portuguese, stressing European but also giving information on Brazilian. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486232786
• ISBN13: 9780486232782
• Release Date: June 1976
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT!!!

WOW! I cannot begin to tell you how great this book is. I think of all the language books I have come across (and that is alot since I am a linguist), this is by far one of the best if not the best explanations of a language from beginning through other points of grammar, tenses etc. Plenty of excercises and lots of great vocabulary. VERY DETAILED section on the pronunciation at the beginning on both how it is pronounced in Portugal as well as in Brazil. If a word is different in Brazil it will let you know as well. Everything is very clearly described. I bought this book to learn Portuguese since I am already fluent in Spanish and I was amazed how fast I picked Portuguese up. Also even if you have no knowledge of Spanish you will still easily learn Portuguese from this book. In less than a month of studying about 3-4 hours a day, I was able to communicate with people from Portugal/Brazil with little problems :) Again a job well done with this book. It proves the saying "oldie but goodie" :)

Just What I Needed

My son is living in Portugal and so is speaking European Portugese. He requested a grammar book and this one is fit all his requirements. It is small, lightweight, and he says it it is just what he needed.

Excellent Reference

Although this book is old (being originally published in 1942) and a little (very little!) out-of-date (see NOTE below), it is an excellent reference for the student of European Portuguese. This wee tome focuses primarily on European Portuguese, in stark contrast to the plethora of Brazilian Portuguese references on the market which treat European Portuguese as nothing more than a footnote. When a friend in Portugal learned that I had purchased this book, they went out and purchased it themselves, to be sure I had bought a good and accurate reference. I was told that I had. Highly recommended for the student of European Portuguese! (NOTE: Item 20, "Nasal Dipthongs", found on page 7, discusses briefly a change in the language that did not occur subsequent to the publication of this book. Aside from that, this is a great reference book!)

O melhor!

This is probably the best book on learning Portuguese (grammar) out there in English!I found the lessons and explanations concise, comprehensive, and easy to understand. Each lesson comes with exercises at the end with the answer keys at the back of the book. The first chapter is dedicated to going over the orthography and phonology of the Portuguese language - a must as it works rather differently compared to the other Latin languages. And a complete glossary of the words used in the lessons is included, too.This book is best accompanied by a collection of Portuguese and/or Brazilian music, and a book on Portuguese conversation (like Conversational Brazilian-Portuguese in 20 Lessons, also rather inexpensive) that has ample dialogue examples and practise. The emphasis of An Introductory Portuguese Grammar is on the Portuguese of Portugal (pronunciation of Lisboa); but it includes examples and alternates found in Brazilian-Portuguese (pronunciation of Rio de Janeiro) for those who wish to study that form of Portuguese. Those who have a Castilian-speaking background will find that learning Portuguese is a snap. :-)The book is bound in signatures and is made to last with acid-free paper. The typography is warm and easy to read.

A basic, all-encompassing text

Very informative, it starts where it should and continues with a good pace. Highly recommended for speakers of Spanish, who will find this book to allow them virtual fluency in a matter of a few dedicated weeks