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Portuguese Formal Register

Twelfth graders learn Portuguese’s levels of politeness — informal (você, with friends) and formal (o senhor / a senhora, with elders, strangers, and in business). Choosing the right register is a mark of manners (educação) in Brazil.

Grade 12Formal Register50 minutes1 class periodACTFL / World LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Tell informal from formal.
  • ✓Learn você & o senhor.
  • ✓Sort by register.
  • ✓Choose the right one.
Essential Question

Você or o senhor? When do you use formal vs informal Portuguese?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Sort It · Interactive

Informal or Formal?

Project this and sort each phrase into Informal (você) or Formal (o senhor/a senhora).

🗣️ Sort each — informal (você) or formal (o senhor)?Try it
😎 Informal — você
🙇 Formal — o senhor
Tap a phrase, then tap a box.
The Lesson · Language Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Two Levels of “You”

6 min

When do you use formal vs informal Portuguese?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Greet a friend, then a stranger.
  • Ask who each is for.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Formal Register

12 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Informal or Formal?
  • Sort each phrase.
  • Note você vs o senhor.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sort.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Make “Tudo bem?” formal.
  • Make “Como o senhor está?” informal.
  • Pick a level for a teacher.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Change.
  • Change.
  • Pick.
4

Speak — Speak

13 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Greet a friend (você).
  • Greet an elder (o senhor).
  • Ask a partner both ways.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Greet.
  • Greet.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name the two registers.
  • Say when to use formal.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name them.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Intermediate-Mid).

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Explore politeness & register.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: choose the right register.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.2

Compare formality systems.

ACTFL
Communication 1.3

Presentational: adjust formality.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Phrase pairs (você / o senhor).
  • Who-to-use-it-with chart.
  • Model both aloud.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with Oi / Bom dia.
  • Sort one at a time.
  • Use pictures of people.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Note regional tu vs você.
  • Rewrite a dialogue two ways.
  • Discuss age & status.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🗣️Phrase cards (2 registers)
  • 💻Informal or Formal?
  • 👥“Who to use it with” chart
  • 📓Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

formalformalinformalinformalvocêyou (informal)o senhorsir (formal)a senhoramadam (formal)tudo bemhow’s it goingrespeitorespecteducaçãomanners
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
Which is formal in Portuguese — você or o senhor?
O senhor (formal).
QUESTION 2
Would you use você or o senhor with an elder you just met?
O senhor (formal).
QUESTION 3
What does “Como o senhor está?” mean?
How are you? (formal)

Reflect: formal register.

Have students write a greeting two ways in Portuguese — informal (você) and formal (o senhor). A printable Portuguese register sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Portuguese Formal RegisterFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Portuguese Formal RegisterQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Portuguese Formal RegisterPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: a senhora, educação, formal, informal, o senhor, respeito, tudo bem, você
  1. how’s it going
  2. informal
  3. madam (formal)
  4. respect
  5. you (informal)
  6. manners
  7. sir (formal)
  8. formal

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Which is formal in Portuguese — você or o senhor?
  2. Would you use você or o senhor with an elder you just met?
  3. What does “Como o senhor está?” mean?
Answer key — Part A: 1) tudo bem · 2) informal · 3) a senhora · 4) respeito · 5) você · 6) educação · 7) o senhor · 8) formal
Part B: 1) O senhor (formal). 2) O senhor (formal). 3) How are you? (formal)