Olá, queridos alunos! (Hello, dear students!)
Did you know that Brazilians rarely answer questions using the word “sim,” which means “yes”?
Of course, Brazilians do use the word “sim,” but not in the way you might think!
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to answer questions in Portuguese without using the word “sim,” and when Brazilians actually do use this word.
This lesson includes a free PDF worksheet with extra exercises for you to practice how to answer questions without using the word “sim”. Click here to download your worksheet.
How to answer questions in Portuguese without using the word “sim”
A very interesting thing about the Portuguese language spoken in Brazil is that we rarely use the word “sim” (yes) to answer questions.
It’s important for you to know that you can use the word “sim”. It’s not wrong. Quite the opposite.
Saying “sim” is the most traditional way of answering questions in the affirmative way. For example:
A) Você gosta de chocolate? (Do you like chocolate?)
B) Sim, eu gosto de chocolate. (Yes, I do like chocolate.)
However, in colloquial spoken language, Brazilians rarely answer questions using the word “sim”.
The most natural way to answer questions in Portuguese is simply using the verb.
The verb must be the same verb used in the question and must be conjugated in the same tense. So, when you hear a question, pay attention to the verb used so that you can answer using the same verb.
Let’s see some examples:
A) Você gosta de viajar? (Do you like to travel?)
B) Gosto. (I do.)
A) Você viu a Maria na festa? (Did you see Maria at the party?)
B) Vi. (I did.)
A) Você vai ao cinema conosco? (Are you going to the movies with us?)
B) Vou. (I am.)
A) Posso entrar? (May I come in?)
B) Pode. (You may.)
Note that the use of the pronoun “eu” (I) is optional because it is implied by the context and conjugation of the verb.
We also use the word “isso” (that) in place of “sim” when we want to agree with someone else or assert that they are correct.
“Isso” is a reduction of the phrase: “Isso é verdade” (That’s true), “Isso está correto” (That’s right).
For example:
A) Você é brasileira, não é? (You’re Brazilian, aren’t you?)
B) Isso. (That’s right.)
or
B) Sou. (I am.)
We can also use the word “já” (already) instead of “sim” if the question includes the word “já”.
For example:
A) Você já foi ao Brasil? (Have you ever been to Brazil?)
B) Já. (I have.)
or
B) Ainda não. (Not yet.)
And how do you answer questions in the negative form?
In that case, you can simply use the word “não” or the word “não” plus the verb.
For example:
A) Você gosta de chocolate? (Do you like chocolate?)
B) Gosto. (I do.)
B) Não. (No.)
B) Não gosto. (I don’t.)
When do Brazilians use the word “sim”?
We use the word “sim” when we want to give a more emphatic answer.
For example:
A) Você vai ao mercado hoje? (Are you going to the market today?)
B) Sim, hoje eu vou ao mercado. (Yes, I’m going to the market today.)
This is a more emphatic answer than simply saying “vou” (I am).
We also use “sim” to reinforce a statement, especially when we want to contrast it with a negative idea.
For example:
A) Você não gosta de chocolate? (You don’t like chocolate?)
B) Gosto, sim! Quem disse que eu não gosto? (Yes, I do! Who said I don’t?)
We also use the word “sim” a lot in common phrases after the word “que” (that).
For example:
Ele disse que sim. (He said yes.)
Acho que sim. (I think so.)
Claro que sim! (Of course yes!)
In these last examples, you can simply replace the word “sim” with “não” (no) to express the opposite idea:
Ele disse que não. (He said no.)
Acho que não. (I don’t think so.)
Claro que não! (Of course not!)
This lesson includes a free PDF worksheet with extra exercises for you to practice how to answer questions without using the word “sim”. Click here to download your worksheet.
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