A rotina do senhor Ismael

A daily routine

A1 Reading 5 min daily-routine Grammar focus: present tense

Meet senhor Ismael, seventy-seven years old and retired, who walks you through a single ordinary day, from the seven o'clock alarm to the ten o'clock bedtime. It is a solid text for learning the present tense and the vocabulary of daily routine.

What you’ll learn

Texto

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Vocabulário

Key words from this text. Hide a column to test yourself.

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a rotina
the routine
acordar
to wake up
o pequeno-almoço
breakfast
descansar
to rest
reformado/a
retired
viúvo/a
widowed, widower/widow
o bacalhau
the cod, salt cod
habitualmente
usually
encontrar-se com
to meet up with
os restos
the leftovers

Perguntas

Answer out loud in Portuguese, then check.

English
1. Quantos anos tem o senhor Ismael?
How old is Mr Ismael?
Ele tem setenta e sete anos.
He is seventy-seven years old.
2. Qual é o seu pequeno-almoço?
What does he have for breakfast?
O seu pequeno-almoço é uma malga de leite com pão.
His breakfast is a bowl of milk with bread.
3. O que faz o senhor Ismael de manhã?
What does Mr Ismael do in the morning?
De manhã ele acorda às sete horas, prepara o pequeno-almoço e faz um pouco de exercício.
In the morning he wakes at seven, makes his breakfast and does a little exercise.
4. Qual é a profissão do senhor Ismael?
What does Mr Ismael do for a living?
Ele não tem profissão, está reformado.
He has no job, he is retired.
5. Com quem vive o senhor Ismael?
Who does Mr Ismael live with?
Ele vive sozinho, porque é viúvo.
He lives alone, because he is a widower.
6. Qual é o prato favorito dele? Qual é o seu prato favorito?
What is his favourite dish? What is yours?
O prato favorito dele é bacalhau cozido com batatas e azeite. O meu prato favorito é frango assado com arroz.
His favourite dish is boiled cod with potatoes and olive oil. My favourite dish is roast chicken with rice.
7. O que é que ele faz durante as tardes?
What does he do during the afternoons?
Durante as tardes ele não faz muita coisa, mas às vezes sai para se encontrar com os amigos e jogar cartas ou dominó.
During the afternoons he doesn't do much, but sometimes he goes out to meet friends and play cards or dominoes.
8. A que horas é que ele vai dormir?
What time does he go to bed?
Ele vai dormir às dez horas.
He goes to bed at ten o'clock.

Nota cultural

Bacalhau, dried and salted cod, is the most iconic ingredient in Portuguese cooking, so central to the culture that people say there is a different recipe for every day of the year. It is also not cheap, which is exactly why senhor Ismael saves it for once a week. The card and domino games he plays with his friends are a familiar sight outside cafés and community centres across the country, especially among older men.

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