12 Best Portuguese Grammar Books - Globaloptimizer.com

Nothing beats the satisfaction of gradually but steadily mastering a new language. While grammar is typically the most challenging aspect of the process, using the right tools can make it much more manageable.

If you’re studying Portuguese and don’t know which references to use to guide your grammar studies, don’t worry: you’ll find the most comprehensive and well-thought-out Portuguese grammar books right ahead.

Best Portuguese Grammar Books For Beginners

Essential Portuguese Grammar

The best thing about Essential Portuguese Grammar is that it makes no assumptions about your grammar knowledge. At the end of the book, you will find a section that defines all technical terms used throughout the units.

As a result, the reader is comprehensive and easy to follow. It will not disappoint Brazilian Portuguese learners despite being focused on European Portuguese (especially spelling).

In terms of content, the book’s units follow a logical progression and are guaranteed to help you expand your vocabulary as you take your first steps in Portuguese.

This book is excellent for:

Learning European Portuguese
Students attempting to learn Portuguese for the first time
The numerous examples that follow each explanation

Portuguese Verbs & Essentials Of Grammar

Sue Tyson-Ward, the author, has written several books aimed at Portuguese students, so she knows exactly where the shoe pinches. In this section, she provides a verb-centered grammar reference that never deviates from real-life usage.

Each Portuguese Verbs & Essentials of Grammar section introduces a new concept or verb tense, making the learning process go much more smoothly.

Some reviewers argue that the book is more appropriate for advanced beginners than first-timers. However, if you prefer to study with a textbook, it will undoubtedly serve as a fantastic go-to guide, complete with a list of the 300 most common Portuguese verbs.

This book is excellent for:

Appendix with 300 common verbs
Students looking for a concise grammar guide
Usage-focused approach

A Grammar Of Spoken Brazilian Portuguese

Don’t be fooled by the title: because it was published in the 1940s, it won’t teach you how Brazilians speak in the twenty-first century.

Like a few others, this Brazilian Portuguese grammar book helps you understand how there is frequently a large gap between spoken and written Portuguese as it is used in Brazil.

This book is a grammar-focused textbook that covers the essential concepts you should know in 29 sections and an overview of pronunciation, spelling, and stress patterns.

This book is excellent for:

Time-tested efficiency
Those seeking to master all aspects of Brazilian Portuguese grammar
Following each explanation, there are numerous exercises.

The Language Lover’s Guide To Learning Portuguese

I like how, despite being a grammar guide, this book explains all the complicated stuff in a detailed and engaging manner — so much so that you can go through it from cover to cover if intended.

Before jumping to the fundamental concepts that comprise the majority of The Language Lover’s Guide to Learning Portuguese, the authors Rafael Tavares and Russell Walker explain how basic spelling and pronunciation work and how to greet in Portuguese.

Each unit is followed by exercises designed to help you remember what you’ve just seen. The book’s final section focuses on vocabulary, teaching you colors, animals, numbers, and even medical terms in Portuguese.

This book is excellent for:

Students of European Portuguese who want to learn a little Brazilian dialect
Those of you who are having difficulty with pronunciation
Extremely detailed explanations

Tudo Bem? Vamos aprender Português!

Tudo bem? Vamos aprender Português! is unquestionably one of the best Portuguese textbooks on the market due to its not sugarcoating content with cute illustrations and endless dialogues.

It instead combines complex grammar concepts with vocabulary that you will need to master in order to become fluent, such as days of the week, professions, and clothing items.

Dialogues are present, but only when absolutely necessary for understanding a language structure. Following each lesson, you’ll be given several exercises to put what you’ve learned into practice.

This book is great for:

People who want to buy a standalone book to learn Portuguese
Excellent content mix, including exercises and readings.
Increasing your vocabulary

European Portuguese Grammar

I must warn you that this book is highly contentious. Author David James Young claims to have revolutionized grammar learning by categorizing concepts rather than traditional parts of speech.

While not all readers are thrilled with his efforts, students struggling with more traditional methods may want to try them.

European Portuguese Grammar covers both written and spoken Portuguese, so you’ll get the real deal rather than a bunch of useless lessons.

This book is excellent for:

Grammar in a new and user-friendly light
Fixing intricate European Portuguese structures
Learning to speak and write in Portuguese simultaneously

Best Portuguese Grammar Books For Intermediates

501 Portuguese Verbs

I’ll admit that I’m relieved that I learned how to conjugate verbs in Portuguese in elementary school. With ten or more tenses, the verb world can be fraught with pitfalls in Portuguese and all Romance languages.

If you’re having difficulty adjusting to your new surroundings, this book is for you. It doesn’t throw table after table at you but instead ensures that you understand the purpose and usage of each tense before moving on to the next.

This book is excellent for:

All aspects of verb conjugation are covered.
Bridging the gap between beginner, intermediate, and advanced Portuguese
List of 1,250 additional verbs conjugated after the 501 main verbs

Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar

When all is said and done, the structure of a grammar guide can usually be used to judge its quality. This book quickly passes that test.

There are two major sections in modern Brazilian Portuguese grammar. Part A introduces you to the parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, verbs, and so on), while Part B focuses on the function of words in a sentence as it teaches you how to express yourself and communicate in Portuguese.

You’ve probably noticed that this isn’t your typical grammar reference: its goal is to guide your studies rather than to be referred to here and there.

If you already know Spanish, this book will be even more helpful because it includes notes throughout that highlight the differences between both languages.

This book is excellent for:

Both grammatical categories and functions are clearly presented.
Spanish speakers will benefit from the notes written just for them.
Keeping it as a reference for your Portuguese studies

An Introductory Portuguese Grammar

This is another classic European Portuguese grammar book from the 1940s. It has been consistently updated since then and continues to be a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their Portuguese communication skills.

Though primarily concerned with European Portuguese, this book frequently compares how Brazilian Portuguese differs from it. Its 25 lessons teach the fundamentals of parts of speech and verb tenses.

Like any good Portuguese grammar book, Introductory Portuguese Grammar includes an extensive appendix with verb conjugations and a small bilingual dictionary.

This book is excellent for:

Covering both pronunciation and grammar specifics
Understanding how European Portuguese grammar works
Both classroom and self-teaching students

Best Portuguese Grammar Books For Advanced Learners

Português Brasil Como Língua Estrangeira: Gramática

Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals of Portuguese grammar, you should be able to benefit from books like Português do Brasil Como Lngua Estrangeira, which is written entirely in Portuguese. Use it as a reference guide rather than a textbook. This is an excellent resource for students of all levels.

However, it focuses on the formal register that you’d be expected to use at work. That’s fantastic if you want to improve your business prospects by learning Portuguese, but you might find more value in another title.

This book is excellent for:

Students who want to push themselves and learn Portuguese grammar in Portuguese
Working on your Portuguese for work-related aspects
Detailed explanations are supplemented by dozens of exercises.

Gramática Fácil

Although this grammar needs an upper intermediate to advanced level of Portuguese to fully comprehend, it is intended for native high school students. That is, technical terms are typically avoided, and explanations are brief and to the point.

Evanildo Bechara is a legendary Brazilian grammarian author who has written dozens of books for use in the classroom. This excellent reference guide is relatively concise; Bechara’s more comprehensive works include Moderna Gramática Portuguesa and Gramática Escolar da Lngua Portuguesa.

This book is excellent for:

Examples from both contemporary and classic literature
The layout is simple and straightforward.
Written by one of Brazil’s most respected grammarians

Gramática Superior da Língua Portuguesa

What is the significance of a name? Everything, in this case. The “Superior Grammar of the Portuguese Language” was given that title because it is aimed at higher learning, but it is much denser than any other similar book on the market.

I wanted to include Gramática Superior da Lingua Portuguesa on our list to ensure that all levels of language are covered, but I doubt that many of you will need to understand Portuguese grammar so thoroughly. More specific topics are explained briefly, while essay-style lessons discuss more complex issues in-depth.

This is a 400-page grammar book written by Brazilian professor of linguistics José Augusto Carvalho. It will undoubtedly greatly assist those of you planning to use Portuguese in academia.

This book is excellent for:

Essay and academic paper writing in Portuguese
Learners who are genuinely enthusiastic about grammar
Those who are confident in their level of language and only intend to smooth out the rough edges

Conclusion

If you’re serious about learning Portuguese, you’ll need to arm yourself with the best resources available, including certain Portuguese grammar books.

However, you will realize that the investment was worthwhile. So, a grammar guide should never be used as a standalone study resource.

However, when combined with other types of Portuguese learning books and tools, they are guaranteed to assist you in achieving your language learning objectives — in Portuguese and any other foreign language you wish to master.