In Lesson 9 of my Professor Jason Jump Start Brazilian Portuguese series I talk about the importance of learning verbs as vocabulary – focusing on their meanings and uses more than on their forms. In this lesson, I cover 34 very common verbs used to talk about everyday activities. Forms are given for the present, simple past and periphrastic (going to) future, but the emphasis is on each verb’s meanings and uses. Lots of examples are provided. This is a very long lesson, so here is a list of the verbs in order, in case you’re looking for something in particular!

1. Falar
2. Comer
3. Beber
4. Escutar
5. Ouvir (Note: I ultimately decided to leave this one out because of its similarity to escutar.)
6. Olhar
7. Assistir
8. Entender
9. Tomar
10. Levar
11. Trabalhar
12. Cozinhar
13. Lavar
14. Limpar
15. Arrumar
16. Descansar
17. Domir
18. Morar
19. Viajar
20. Estudar
21. Ler
22. Colocar
23. Tirar
24. Sair
25. Andar
26. Chegar
27. Jogar
28. Pegar
29. Abrir
30. Fechar
31. Achar
32. Pensar
33. Sentir
34. Perceber

1. Letters and Sounds
2. Greetings, Farewells, and Courtesy Expression
3. Subject Pronouns and the Verb SER
4. Using Nouns and Articles: Objects and Colors
5. Days of the Week, Months, Numbers 1-31, and Dates
6. Numbers and Common Uses
7. Present Tense Forms of Regular Verbs
8. Gender, Number, and Agreement
9. Forms, Meanings, and Uses of 34 Must-know Verbs
10. Forms, Meanings and Uses of 20 Versatile Verbs
11. Asking and Answering Questions
12. Using Descriptive Adjectives

This course is not an exhaustive exploration of Brazilian Portuguese or an in-depth guide for advanced learners. It's also not a complete course for tourists, although it does provide a solid foundation for travel and further study.

So what does this course do? Well, as its name implies, Jump Start Brazilian Portuguese is designed to jump start your study of this fascinating language. Specifically, the video lessons in this series equip learners with enough information about Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and culture to...

- travel to Brazil and participate in simple but meaningful exchanges
- recognize and understand high frequency vocabulary and grammar structures
- begin interacting online with native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese to build fluency
- go into a beginning Portuguese classroom with a leg up on everyone else

Jump Start Language courses provide content consistent with a first-semester university course.