Portuguese Phrase
Quais são suas principais tarefas?
Meaning
The sentence asks someone to list the most important duties they perform in their role. It is a neutral, professional way to inquire about a person's core responsibilities.
When to use
Use this question in job interviews, performance reviews, team meetings, or any situation where you need to clarify a colleague's or employee's key responsibilities.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Quaissãosuasprincipaistarefas?
Quais (interrogative pronoun)
Used to ask about plural items; matches the gender and number of the noun that follows.
São (verb ser)
Third‑person plural present of 'ser', used here as a copula linking the question word to the subject.
Suas (possessive adjective)
Feminine plural form of 'seu', agrees with the feminine plural noun 'tarefas'.
Principais (adjective)
Plural form of 'principal', placed after the possessive adjective and before the noun.
Tarefas (noun)
Feminine plural noun meaning 'tasks' or 'duties'.
Question order
In Portuguese, the interrogative pronoun can appear at the beginning followed by the verb, without inversion of subject and verb.
🗨In Conversation
Quais são suas principais tarefas?
What are your main tasks?
Eu cuido da gestão de projetos, supervisiono a equipe de design e faço o relatório mensal de resultados.
I handle project management, supervise the design team, and prepare the monthly results report.
✕Common Mistakes
Qual é sua principal tarefa?
Use the plural form 'Quais' because 'tarefas' is plural.
Quais são seus principais tarefas?
The noun 'tarefas' is feminine, so the possessive must be 'suas'.
Quais são suas principal tarefas?
The adjective must agree in number with the noun; use 'principais'.
↔Alternatives
Quais são as suas principais responsabilidades?
What are your main responsibilities?
O que você faz principalmente no seu trabalho?
What do you mainly do at work?
Quais são as tarefas mais importantes que você realiza?
Which are the most important tasks you perform?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, asking directly about someone's duties is perfectly acceptable in professional contexts, but it is polite to start with a brief greeting or a softener such as 'Poderia me dizer…' if the setting is very formal. Also, note that 'tarefas' can sound a bit generic; using 'responsabilidades' or specifying the area (e.g., 'tarefas de marketing') can make the question feel more tailored.