Entrepreneurship
Vocabulary
- o empreendedorthe entrepreneur
- a startupthe startup
- o investimentothe investment
- o plano de negóciosthe business plan
- o financiamentothe funding
- a inovaçãothe innovation
- o lucrothe profit
- a concorrênciathe competition
- o mercadothe market
- a faturaçãothe revenue/turnover
Entrepreneurship in Portuguese
Portugal has a growing startup ecosystem, particularly in Lisbon. Understanding business vocabulary is essential for professional communication.
Talking About Business Ideas
- *Tive uma ideia de negócio.* — I had a business idea.
- *Quero lançar uma startup.* — I want to launch a startup.
- *O mercado português está em crescimento.* — The Portuguese market is growing.
The Future Subjunctive for Business Plans
Use the future subjunctive for when/if conditions in the future:
- *Quando conseguirmos financiamento, avançamos.* — When we get funding, we will proceed.
- *Se a faturação aumentar, contratamos mais.* — If revenue increases, we will hire more.
Expressing Goals and Ambitions
- *O nosso objetivo é atingir o ponto de equilíbrio.* — Our goal is to reach the break-even point.
- *Pretendemos expandir para o mercado europeu.* — We intend to expand to the European market.
- *A meta é duplicar a faturação em dois anos.* — The goal is to double turnover in two years.
Discussing Challenges
- *O maior desafio é a concorrência.* — The biggest challenge is competition.
- *Falta-nos capital para crescer.* — We lack capital to grow.
Expressions
- Lançar um negócioTo launch a business
- Angariar investimentoTo raise investment
- Atingir o ponto de equilíbrioTo reach the break-even point
- Entrar no mercadoTo enter the market
- Ter espírito empreendedorTo have an entrepreneurial spirit
Common mistakes
Quando conseguiremos financiamento, avançamos.Quando conseguirmos financiamento, avançamos.After 'quando' for uncertain future, use the future subjunctive ('conseguirmos'), not the future indicative.
Quero lançar um startup.Quero lançar uma startup.In Portuguese, 'startup' is treated as feminine — use 'uma startup', not 'um startup'.
Nos falta capital.Falta-nos capital.In PT-PT, the pronoun follows the verb (enclisis): 'falta-nos', not 'nos falta'.
O mercado está no crescimento.O mercado está em crescimento.'Estar em' + abstract noun (no article): 'em crescimento', not 'no crescimento'.
Pretendemos expandir pelo mercado europeu.Pretendemos expandir para o mercado europeu.'Expandir para' (direction/goal), not 'expandir pelo' (through).
Quick quiz
Question 1 of 5
How do you say “the market” in Portuguese?
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