Mais in Portuguese

29 de November de 2013

What’s up everyone, how are you?
Today we are going to talk about Mas vs Mais in Portuguese. Believe it or not, it’s a problem even for Brazilians. Let’s understand the difference between them:

Mas vs Mais in Portuguese

Mas is an adversative conjunction, which means it gives opposite ideias andΒ MaisΒ is an adverb that gives an idea of increase,Β addition, greatness or comparison:

[one_half]Mas

O time jogou muito bem, mas nΓ£o ganhou a partida.
The team played really well, butΒ didn’t win the match.[/one_half][one_half_last]Mais

Rio de Janeiro Γ© uma das cidades mais lindas do mundo.
Rio de Janeiro is one of the most beautiful citiesΒ of the world.[/one_half_last]

So, this is the difference between Mas vsΒ Mais in Portuguese. Let’s see a few more examples just to make sure:

Examples with the conjunction Mas

Eu queria viajar, mas nΓ£o pude.
I wanted to travel, but I couldn’t.

Eu fui Γ  festa, mas ele nΓ£o foi.
I went to the party, but he didn’t.

Eu quero sair, mas nΓ£o sei se vou.
I want to go out, but I don’t know if i will.

Examples with the adverbΒ Mais

Ele Γ© mais alto que eu.
He isΒ taller than me.

Ele vai ficar mais dois dias na cidade.
He is going to stay two more days in the city.

Eu nΓ£o sei o que mais eu tenho que fazer.
I don’t know what else I have to do.

Very simple, isn’t it? The problem is the pronunciation. In some parts of Brazil, especially in Rio de Janeiro, the words Mas and Mais have the same sound. Here is a video in which our friend MoisΓ©s explain these words. Listen how he pronounces them:

There is one more tricky word in Portuguese that is spelled similar to the two we have just studied: MΓ‘s (with an accent)

MΓ‘s in Portuguese

The word MΓ‘s is an adjective, and it’s the opposite of Boas. Take a look:

Masculine Feminine
Singular Mau MΓ‘
Plural Maus MΓ‘s

Let’s see some examples and understand how to use it:

Examples with the adjective MΓ‘s

As boas atletas vencerΓ£o as mΓ‘s.
The good athletes will win the bad ones.

Carla e Julia sΓ£o meninas mΓ‘s.
Carla and Julia are mean girls.

NΓ£o ande em mΓ‘s companhias.
Don’t walk in bad companies.

Now it’s your turn!

Complete the sentences below using mas, mΓ‘s or mais in portuguese:

  1. Trago _____________ notΓ­cias! Perdemos o dinheiro.
  2. O que _____________ vocΓͺ quer de mim?
  3. NΓ³s precisamos trabalhar _____________ para terminar o projeto.
  4. Ele come muito _____________ faz pouco exercΓ­cio.
  5. Com suas _____________ atitudes, vocΓͺ vai para o inferno.
  6. Quero ir a praia _____________ nΓ£o para de chover.
  7. VocΓͺ pode me dar _____________ cinco minutinhos?
  8. Pessoas boas nunca fazem coisas _____________ .
  9. Eu lhe disse trΓͺs vezes _____________ vocΓͺ nΓ£o me ouviu.
  10. Eu sempre quero _____________ do que eu posso ter.

So, that’s it, guys! That’s the difference between MΓ‘s,Β Mas and Mais in Portuguese.
Thank you very much and stay tuned through Twitter and Facebook! Don’t forget that the doors here at our school are always opened for you!

BigΒ hug for all of and we’ll seeΒ each other in our next Dica.
See you next time!
Bye bye!

Ler esta Dica em PortuguΓͺs Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β Leer esta Dica en EspaΓ±ol
Click in the links below to see more related Dicas
Conjunctions in Portuguese
Adjectives in Portuguese
Portuguese Adverbs
Portuguese Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of Frequency in Portuguese
Adverbs ending in Mente in Portuguese

Answers

  1. Trago mΓ‘s notΓ­cias! Perdemos o dinheiro.
  2. O que mais vocΓͺ quer de mim?
  3. NΓ³s precisamos trabalhar mais para terminar o projeto.
  4. Ele come muito mas faz pouco exercΓ­cio.
  5. Com suas mΓ‘s atitudes, vocΓͺ vai para o inferno.
  6. Quero ir a praia mas nΓ£o para de chover.
  7. VocΓͺ pode me dar mais cinco minutinhos?
  8. Pessoas boas nunca fazem coisas mΓ‘s.
  9. Eu lhe disse trΓͺs vezes mas vocΓͺ nΓ£o me ouviu.
  10. Eu sempre quero mais do que eu posso ter.