Score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (8) 9 10
“Eight outta ten!”
Pros:
does exactly what it sets out to; great reference book; easy to flip through & search; examples of each verb in use; affordable price; good introduction
Cons:
limited in scope; most verbs highly regular & arguably not “necessary”; some of this information is available in other books and online
Barron’s 501 Verbs books are certainly abundant and popular. They cover every conceivable verb a beginning language student might need to conjugate in any form (in Portuguese, this means all tenses and moods for all persons and numbers). Each page in the body of the book focuses on a single verb, with all forms listed in easy-to-read columns. Each tense-mood is easy to pick out at a glance (e.g. Present Indicative or Imperfect Subjunctive). At the bottom of a page, a handful of examples illustrate some of the most common and distinct uses of that particular verb.
The Portuguese entry in this series doesn’t disappoint. The introduction spotlights some of the trickier issues for learners tackling Portuguese verbs, including reflexive verbs, pronouns with verbs, the passive voice, compound verbs and verbs with irregular and multiple past participles. An English to Portuguese and Portuguese to English index lists all 501 verbs covered in the book.
The authors decided to put verb forms with open “e” and “o” in italics. While not part of the Portuguese spelling system, this decision helps students pronounce the tricky feature of open or closed stressed “e” and “o” consistently. The book explains this in more depth.
Learning Portuguese grammar requires mastering the verb above all else, and having this guide at hand will bring you quite a few steps closer. You’ll have some solid linguistic backup for your verbal woes. Still, don’t expect anything like language lessons from this book. You will need a fuller course to really master Portuguese, so this should stand by your side as a reference guide.