As tarefas domésticas

Housework and who actually does it

B1 Discussion 6 min home, opinion Grammar focus: passive voice, opinion language

Ask a Portuguese family who does the housework and you will get a different answer from every person at the table. This text sets out how the split has changed over the last few decades, what still causes arguments, and the words you need to take a side. The four questions at the end are the ones Nuno actually asks in class.

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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as tarefas domésticas
the housework
lavar a loiça
to wash up, to do the dishes
tratar da roupa
to deal with the laundry
a máquina de lavar roupa
the washing machine
o aspirador
the vacuum cleaner
os animais de estimação
the pets
cansativo, cansativa
tiring
repetitivo, repetitiva
repetitive
a divisão das tarefas
the way the chores are shared out
a disponibilidade
free time, availability
o equilíbrio
the balance
a convivência
living alongside each other
valorizar
to value
poupar tempo
to save time
contribuir
to contribute

Perguntas

Answer out loud in Portuguese, then check.

English
1. Como divides as tarefas na tua casa?
How do you divide up the chores in your house?
Em minha casa dividimos as tarefas por dias. Eu cozinho durante a semana e o meu irmão trata da loiça e da roupa.
At home we split the chores by day. I cook during the week and my brother deals with the dishes and the laundry.
2. Que tarefas domésticas consideras mais desagradáveis? Quais não te importas de fazer?
Which chores do you find most unpleasant? Which ones do you not mind doing?
Detesto limpar a casa de banho e passar a ferro. Não me importo nada de cozinhar nem de ir às compras.
I hate cleaning the bathroom and doing the ironing. I really do not mind cooking or going shopping.
3. As crianças e os adolescentes devem participar nas tarefas domésticas? A partir de que idade? Explica.
Should children and teenagers take part in the housework? From what age? Explain.
Devem participar desde pequenos, com tarefas simples como arrumar o quarto. A partir dos doze anos já conseguem fazer quase tudo e assim aprendem a ser responsáveis.
They should take part from a young age, with simple jobs like tidying their room. From about twelve they can manage almost everything, and that is how they learn to be responsible.
4. Na cultura do teu país, quem costuma realizar a maior parte das tarefas de casa?
In your country's culture, who usually does most of the housework?
Na minha cultura ainda são sobretudo as mulheres que fazem a maior parte do trabalho doméstico, embora os homens mais novos participem cada vez mais.
In my culture it is still mostly women who do most of the housework, although younger men are taking part more and more.

Expressões úteis

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Para falar das tarefas de casa

fazer a cama
to make the bed
pôr a mesa
to set the table
levantar a mesa
to clear the table
arrumar a casa
to tidy the house
limpar o pó
to dust
aspirar o chão
to vacuum the floor
estender a roupa
to hang the washing out
passar a ferro
to do the ironing
deitar o lixo fora
to take the rubbish out
ir às compras
to do the shopping
tratar das plantas
to look after the plants
dar de comer ao cão
to feed the dog

Para discutir a divisão

dividir as tarefas
to share out the chores
dar uma ajuda
to lend a hand
fazer a sua parte
to do your share
estar sempre a fazer tudo
to end up doing everything, every time
não é justo que...
it is not fair that...
parece-me que...
it seems to me that...
concordo em parte
I partly agree
não concordo nada
I do not agree at all
depende muito de...
it depends a lot on...
no meu caso,...
in my case,...

Nota cultural

The phrase you will hear most in a Portuguese kitchen is dar uma ajuda, to lend a hand. It sounds generous, and Nuno points out that it also quietly says whose job the work was to begin with. Listen for who in a Portuguese family says ajudo and who says faço. That one verb tells you more than any statistic about how the house really runs.

Want to practise this out loud?

Read it with Nuno in a live lesson. First conversation is a relaxed chat about your goals.

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