The main lesson asks you to recover the form. This page explains why the form works, what it means, and how to reuse it outside the original conversation.
From: Have We Forgotten How to Be Bored?
Grammar that came from the conversation
Start with meaning. Then look at the pattern. The examples stay close to the language used in the conversation instead of turning grammar into a museum exhibit.
01Grammar focus
have / has + past participle
Present perfect for a change that matters now
The opening question connects the past with the present. The speakers are not asking about one finished moment; they are asking whether society has changed.
From the conversation
Have we forgotten how to be bored?
From the conversation
People’s habits have changed enormously.
Notice the contrast: Use the past simple for a finished past event: We watched TV at a scheduled time.
PT support: Pense em algo que começou ou mudou no passado e ainda importa agora.
02Grammar focus
used to + base verb
Used to for past habits and past situations
The conversation constantly compares childhood habits with life now.
From the conversation
We used to understand that some things simply take time.
From the conversation
Nelsinho used to get annoyed when a child cried.
Notice the contrast: Used to describes the past. Be used to means be accustomed to something, which is a different structure.
PT support: used to = costumava / era assim no passado.
03Grammar focus
if + present simple, may / can / will + base verb
If + present, modal for a possible result
The speakers make real-world predictions about habits and consequences.
From the conversation
If I constantly stimulate my child, he may grow up without learning to wait.
From the conversation
If something is filmed in landscape, it can still be cropped vertically.
PT support: Use para consequências reais ou possíveis, não para uma situação imaginária impossível.
04Grammar focus
would / could + base verb
Would and could for stance, possibility and imagined situations
Would and could let the speakers sound less absolute and talk about choices or hypothetical situations.
From the conversation
I would never buy him a tablet for that.
From the conversation
How long could you go without entertainment?
PT support: would costuma marcar posição ou hipótese; could pode marcar possibilidade ou capacidade.