Portuguese Phrase
As atividades extracurriculares te ajudam a fazer amigos.
Meaning
The sentence means that extracurricular activities help you make friends. It emphasizes the social benefit of joining clubs, sports, or other non‑academic groups.
When to use
Use this phrase when talking about school, university, or community life, especially when encouraging someone to join a club, sport, or hobby group to expand their social circle.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Asatividadesextracurricularesteajudamafazeramigos.
Definite article (As)
‘As’ is the feminine plural definite article, used before plural feminine nouns.
Noun phrase (atividades extracurriculares)
‘atividades’ (activities) is a feminine plural noun; ‘extracurriculares’ is an adjective that agrees in gender and number.
Clitic pronoun (te)
‘te’ is the second‑person singular object pronoun, placed before the verb in European Portuguese and after in Brazilian Portuguese in informal speech.
Verb agreement (ajudam)
‘ajudam’ is the third‑person plural present of ‘ajudar’, matching the plural subject ‘atividades’.
Preposition + infinitive (a fazer)
The preposition ‘a’ introduces the infinitive ‘fazer’, indicating purpose or result.
Plural noun (amigos)
‘amigos’ is a masculine plural noun meaning ‘friends’.
🗨In Conversation
Você tem participado de alguma atividade extracurricular?
Have you been taking part in any extracurricular activity?
Sim, as atividades extracurriculares me ajudam a fazer amigos.
Yes, extracurricular activities help me make friends.
✕Common Mistakes
As atividades extracurriculares te ajuda a fazer amigos.
The verb must agree with the plural subject ‘atividades’, so use ‘ajudam’ not ‘ajuda’.
As atividades extracurriculares ajudam‑te a fazer amigos.
In formal written Portuguese the clitic usually precedes the verb: ‘te ajudam’. Placing it after (‘ajudam‑te’) is also correct but less common in Brazil.
As atividades extracurriculares te ajudam fazer amigos.
Do not omit the preposition ‘a’; ‘fazer amigos’ alone changes the meaning to ‘to make friends’ as a direct object, which is ungrammatical here.
↔Alternatives
Participar de atividades extracurriculares facilita fazer amigos.
Participating in extracurricular activities makes it easier to make friends.
As atividades fora da sala de aula ajudam a criar novas amizades.
Activities outside the classroom help create new friendships.
Ao se envolver em projetos extracurriculares, você conhece gente nova.
By getting involved in extracurricular projects, you meet new people.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, schools and universities strongly encourage students to join ‘atividades extracurriculares’ such as sports teams, music groups, volunteer projects, and academic clubs. These activities are seen not only as a way to develop skills but also as essential for building a network of friends and professional contacts. Informal speech often drops the clitic pronoun after the verb (e.g., ‘as atividades te ajudam’ → ‘as atividades ajudam‑te’), but the version given is perfectly acceptable in both Brazil and Portugal.