In Portuguese, we use "por que" for questions and to explain reason as two separate terms. We use "porque" together for answers and explanations. "Por quê" appears at the end of questions, and "porquê" with an accent is the noun, equivalent to "the reason".

"A gente" is equivalent to "we" in meaning, but requires the verb in the third person singular. "Nós" takes the verb in the first person plural. In informal language, "a gente" is widely used in Brazilian speech.

"Tem" is the form of the verb "to have" for he or she in the present indicative. "Têm" with an accent is the form for them. The choice depends on the subject being singular or plural.

When indicating elapsed time, we use "faz" in the singular, even if the period mentioned is plural. "Fazem" is used with the sense of "they do", not as indicating time.

"Mal" is the opposite of "bem" and can be an adverb or a noun. "Mau" is the opposite of "bom" and is an adjective. To choose, we can test the sentence by substituting with "bem" or "bom".

"Onde" indicates a fixed location or permanence. "Aonde" indicates movement and typically appears with verbs that take the preposition "to", such as "go" and "arrive". The central difference is the idea of movement.

"De encontro a" indicates clash or opposition of ideas. "Ao encontro de" indicates agreement or alignment. The choice changes the meaning of the sentence.

"Há" indicates past time and is equivalent to "faz" or to "exists". "A" with crase or without can indicate future or distance, not elapsed time. When indicating past time, we use "há".

"Para" is the standard form and appears more in formal writing. "Pra" is the shortened form, common in speech and informal writing. The meaning is the same; the difference is the register.

"Meio" as an adverb means "a little" or "partially" and does not vary. "Meia" is the feminine form of "meio" meaning half and agrees with the noun. The difference appears in its function in the sentence.