Breakdown of Na aula de português, é bom fazer perguntas.
Questions & Answers about Na aula de português, é bom fazer perguntas.
Na is a contraction of the preposition em (in/on/at) + the feminine singular article a (the):
- em + a = na
- em + o = no
So:
- na aula = in the class / in class
- no curso = in the course
You can’t say em a aula; in natural Portuguese it must contract to na.
In European Portuguese:
- a aula usually means a lesson / a class session (what you have at 10:00–11:00).
- a classe can mean a social class, group, or sometimes a school class as a group of students, but it’s not the default for “I have a Portuguese class”.
So na aula de português is the normal way to say in Portuguese class / in the Portuguese lesson.
In Portuguese, when one noun specifies another (like “math class”, “history book”), you usually use de between them:
- aula de português = Portuguese class
- aula de matemática = math class
- livro de história = history book
You generally cannot just put two nouns together like in English. You need de to link them: aula de português, not aula português.
De alone vs do (de + o) changes the meaning:
- a aula de português = Portuguese class (subject is Portuguese)
- a aula do português = the Portuguese guy’s class (the class that belongs to “the Portuguese [man]”), or “the class of the Portuguese (language)” in a very specific context.
Here we are naming the subject of the lesson, so it’s just de português, without the article.
In Portuguese, the names of languages and nationalities are written with a lowercase initial letter:
- português, inglês, francês, alemão
They are capitalized only if they start a sentence or are in a title that uses capitalization rules. So:
- Na aula de português, é bom fazer perguntas. ✅
- Na aula de Português, … is sometimes seen in school timetables or headings, but the standard rule is lowercase.
In the structure é + adjective + infinitive (it is + adj + to do X), the adjective is used in the masculine singular “neuter” form, regardless of the gender of any implied noun:
- É bom fazer perguntas. = It is good to ask questions.
- É importante estudar. = It is important to study.
- É difícil aprender português. = It is difficult to learn Portuguese.
We are not saying “the class is good”, but rather making an impersonal statement (it is good to…), so we use bom, not boa.
Yes, and this introduces the personal infinitive, which is common in European Portuguese:
É bom fazer perguntas.
= It is good to ask questions. (general, no specific subject)É bom fazeres perguntas.
= It’s good (for you, tu) to ask questions.É bom fazerem perguntas.
= It’s good (for them/you-plural) to ask questions.
So fazer (impersonal) is general advice, while fazeres / fazerem make the subject more explicit.
In Portuguese, the natural phrase for “to ask a question” is fazer uma pergunta (literally “to make a question”):
- fazer uma pergunta = to ask a question
- fazer perguntas = to ask questions
The verb perguntar means “to ask” but its object is the information, not “a question” itself:
- perguntar algo a alguém = to ask someone something
- Perguntei a hora ao professor. = I asked the teacher the time.
If you say perguntar perguntas, it sounds wrong or at best very strange. Always:
- fazer (uma) pergunta, not perguntar uma pergunta.
You can say É bom perguntar, and it’s grammatically correct, but the nuance is slightly different:
É bom fazer perguntas.
Stresses “asking questions” specifically, as an activity in class.É bom perguntar.
More generic “it’s good to ask (ask things / speak up)”, slightly less concrete.
In a classroom context, fazer perguntas is the most natural and explicit way to say “ask questions”.
The comma here marks a short introductory phrase (a setting: “In Portuguese class,”). In written Portuguese, it is very common, but not absolutely required in a short sentence like this.
Both are possible:
- Na aula de português, é bom fazer perguntas. ✅
- Na aula de português é bom fazer perguntas. ✅
With the comma, the pause is a bit clearer; without it, it’s still fine in such a short sentence.
Yes, that word order is totally correct:
- Na aula de português, é bom fazer perguntas.
- É bom fazer perguntas na aula de português.
The meaning is the same. The difference is in emphasis and flow:
- Starting with Na aula de português highlights the context first (“In Portuguese class…”).
- Ending with na aula de português focuses first on the general idea “It’s good to ask questions” and then specifies “in Portuguese class”.
Both are natural.
They use different prepositions and mean different things:
na aula de português (em + a)
= in the Portuguese class / during Portuguese class
(location/time: where/when something happens)à aula de português (a + a, contracted)
= to the Portuguese class
(direction: going somewhere)
Examples:
Na aula de português, é bom fazer perguntas.
In Portuguese class, it’s good to ask questions.Vou à aula de português hoje.
I’m going to Portuguese class today.
Approximate European Portuguese pronunciation (IPA):
- Na – [nɐ]
- aula – [ˈawlɐ]
- de – [dɨ] (often very weak)
- português – [puɾtuˈɣeʃ]
- é – [ɛ]
- bom – [bõ] (nasal “om”)
- fazer – [fɐˈzeɾ] (final r often very soft)
- perguntas – [pɨɾˈɣũtɐʃ]
Spoken smoothly, it sounds roughly like:
[nɐ ˈawlɐ dɨ puɾtuˈɣeʃ ɛ bõ fɐˈzeɾ pɨɾˈɣũtɐʃ]
Pergunta is a feminine noun:
- a pergunta = a question
- uma pergunta = a question (indefinite)
- as perguntas = the questions
- perguntas (with no article) = questions in general
So in the sentence:
- fazer perguntas = to ask questions (in general, not a specific set of questions).