STUDY · PORTUGAL
Portuguese vocabulary for the TVDE exam: 20 useful terms
Knowing a topic and understanding what a question asks are separate skills. This glossary introduces 20 Portuguese words and expressions, with meanings and original example sentences. It is not an official exam vocabulary list and does not reproduce exam questions.
1. Understand the instruction
Before choosing an option, identify the task: finding a correct statement, an incorrect one or an exception. Subject knowledge cannot compensate for overlooking the instruction. Notice the request verb and the word that determines the kind of answer required.
Read each example aloud and explain what you would need to do. Then replace correta with incorreta and describe how the task changes. These short sentences deliberately focus on one reading difficulty at a time.
- enunciado
Question text or wording of a task.
Portuguese example
Leia o enunciado com atenção.
English meaning: Read the question text carefully.
- assinale
An instruction to mark or select an answer.
Portuguese example
Assinale apenas uma opção.
English meaning: Select only one option.
- correta
Correct; matching what is being asked as true.
Portuguese example
Procure a opção correta.
English meaning: Look for the correct option.
- incorreta
Incorrect; not matching what is being asked as true.
Portuguese example
Identifique a afirmação incorreta.
English meaning: Identify the incorrect statement.
2. Separate obligation, possibility and exceptions
Deve and pode do not always serve the same function. In a rule-like instruction, deve expresses an obligation, while pode may express possibility or permission. The full sentence determines the interpretation; recognising a word alone does not establish what a situation permits.
Exceto removes an element from the group described. É proibido expresses a prohibition. Compare the expressions and explain their differences without looking at the translation. These study sentences do not authorise an actual driving manoeuvre or other conduct.
- deve
In a rule-like instruction, indicates a duty or obligation.
Portuguese example
O exercício diz: «Deve ler o texto completo.»
English meaning: The exercise says: “You must read the complete text.”
- pode
May express possibility or permission, depending on context.
Portuguese example
Pode voltar a ler o exemplo.
English meaning: You may read the example again.
- é proibido
Indicates that an action is not allowed.
Portuguese example
Na frase «É proibido copiar», copiar não é permitido.
English meaning: In the sentence “Copying is forbidden”, copying is not allowed.
- exceto
Except; excludes an element from a group.
Portuguese example
Reveja todos os termos, exceto os que já conhece.
English meaning: Review all the terms except those you already know.
3. Identify the person or organisation involved
A question may mention a driver, passenger, operator or platform. Establish who performs the action before considering the options. Familiar words in an answer can still refer to the wrong participant.
For each example, identify the subject and action. Replace one participant with another and check whether the role remains the same. For a fuller explanation of these roles, read the comparison of TVDE, Uber and Bolt.
- condutor
The person driving the vehicle; motorista is another word used for driver.
Portuguese example
O condutor confirmou o destino.
English meaning: The driver confirmed the destination.
- passageiro
A person being transported, distinct from the driver.
Portuguese example
O passageiro pediu para repetir a frase.
English meaning: The passenger asked for the sentence to be repeated.
- operador
The entity carrying out the transport activity; not another name for the driver.
Portuguese example
O exercício distingue o operador do motorista.
English meaning: The exercise distinguishes the operator from the driver.
- plataforma eletrónica
The digital means through which a trip request is organised.
Portuguese example
O pedido chegou através de uma plataforma eletrónica.
English meaning: The request arrived through an electronic platform.
TVDE, Uber and Bolt: roles in the sector · Portuguese for passenger conversations
4. Recognise road vocabulary
The glosses below help you recognise vocabulary; they do not replace the Highway Code definitions and conditions or your course materials. Paragem and estacionamento are not interchangeable. Knowing a translation does not establish that a location or manoeuvre is permitted.
When you encounter an expression in your study materials, record the whole sentence and any condition attached to it. Ask your trainer when you understand the language but not the rule. If you know the rule but cannot interpret the sentence, practise the vocabulary before returning to the options.
- paragem
A road term associated with stopping a vehicle; check its specific definition in your course.
Portuguese example
O texto descreve uma paragem para entrada de passageiros.
English meaning: The text describes a stop to let passengers get in.
- estacionamento
A road term associated with parking; distinguish it from paragem in the applicable rules.
Portuguese example
Compare «paragem» e «estacionamento» no material do curso.
English meaning: Compare paragem and estacionamento in the course material.
- cedência de passagem
Giving way or yielding to another road user.
Portuguese example
A pergunta usa a expressão «cedência de passagem».
English meaning: The question uses the expression “giving way”.
- ultrapassagem
The manoeuvre of overtaking another vehicle.
Portuguese example
Identifique a situação de ultrapassagem descrita no texto.
English meaning: Identify the overtaking situation described in the text.
5. Understand documents and organise revision
Certificado, validade, renovação and formação belong to professional preparation vocabulary. The goal here is to recognise each word. Check current IMT guidance and the relevant guides for requirements, deadlines and procedures rather than inferring a process from a translation.
Revise four terms per session: read the word, hide the explanation, interpret the example and check the meaning. At your next session, recall it without help. If you can explain the meaning, make a different sentence; if you hesitate, keep the term on your revision list.
- certificado
A document confirming the stated condition or qualification.
Portuguese example
Consulte a validade do certificado.
English meaning: Check the certificate’s validity.
- validade
The period during which a document or title remains valid.
Portuguese example
A validade consta do documento.
English meaning: The validity is shown in the document.
- renovação
Renewing an existing document or title.
Portuguese example
A renovação não é a primeira emissão.
English meaning: Renewal is not the first issue.
- formação
Learning and preparation; in the TVDE context, the applicable training course.
Portuguese example
A formação inclui estudo e prática.
English meaning: Training includes study and practice.
CMTVDE requirements and application route · A 14-day study plan · TVDE exam: 30 questions, pass mark and preparation