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The vocabulary of PAIN: Dor, o vocábulario

Posted By jhall on August 28th, 2010

The experience of discomfort and pain has it’s very own, very specific and very weird vocabulary. If you’re studying Brazilian Portuguese via this site or podcasts or whatever, you may be having some perceived pain but, the real physical kind has it’s own language. I just realized this after getting fully taken apart at a diagnostic clinic. They asked me: “sua perna está formigando?” and, “o dor está radiando para o pê?”

I’m now learning the hard way the words of hurt.

Let’s learn some now, before your next MRI appointment:

o dor = pain
doloroso/a = painful
dolorido/a = sore

Dor formigamento = pain or tingling from lack circulation or after anestesia.

> “A ponta do meu dedo está formigando.”
Dor latejante = pounding, throbbing pain.

> “Minha cabeça está latejando de dor.”
Dor radiante = Radiating pain.

> “O dor está radiando para o pescoço e braço.”

Dor aguda = acute pain.

> “A dor era aguda”

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Fica à Vontade

Posted By jhall on August 5th, 2010

ficar a vontade

‘Remain to your will‘ is the literal translation but, não pegar o pé da letra – you can’t take this one literally!

I first heard this from a stewardess on-route to Brazil: “fica à vontade” – she said after I had asked if I could see what newspapers they had.

Be my guest, make yourself at home, feel free to… > do what you need to do, don’t worry about me.

Can also mean “Relax, unwind” for example, after getting home from work you change into more comfortable clothes in order to “FICAR À VONTADE” .. entendeu?

> ‘Entra, senta e fica à vontade’ *as the saying goes.

Posted in Portuguese grammar and vocab, Portuguese slang and expressions

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Cabelos, pelos e caichos

Posted By jhall on August 1st, 2010

It’s all about the hair.

Cabelo CACHEADO (or, CRESPO) > CURLY

Cabelo DECAPADO > BLEACHED

Cabelo LISO > STRAIGHT

“Tenho cabelo cacheado e todo mundo acha maravilhoso, mas ja estou um pouco cansada dele e queria mudar um pouco. Queria um tratamento que só deixasse ele liso quando eu secasse sem altera meus cachinhos, Alguem pode me indicar algum tratamento, alguma escova, ou produto pra isso?”

POR FAVOR!

Posted in Learn Portuguese, Portuguese grammar and vocab, Portuguese slang and expressions

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What does “a fim de” really mean?

Posted By jhall on July 26th, 2010

That (surprise), depends on the context.

The simplest (and coolest) use is to combine it with ESTAR like this:

a) Estou a fim de viajar para Brasil.

b) Você está a fim de comer algo agora ou, depois?

c) Tô a fim de conhecer a Raquel!

ESTAR A FIM DE – To want

In this use it’s basically: TO WANT.

“estar a fim” é sinónima de “estar com vontade de” (= disposto a, interessado em)

d) I really feel like going out >> Estou a fim de sair.

e) Do you want to see a movie? >> Está a fim de ir ao cinema?

f) I could use a good rest. >> Estou fim de descansar um pouco.

No Brasil, a expressão “estar a fim” é sinónima de “estar com vontade de” (= disposto a, interessado em).

You could also be, ESTAR A FIM DE RAQUEL if you were really running after say, Raquel: “Estou a fim da Raquel”

In summary, you can be ‘a fim de’ doing something (comer pipoca) as well as being ‘a fim de’ someone (a Raquel!) !!! Raquel is just a ficticious name being used for the example. I would never do that to Raquel.

Portuguese lessons, Ipod / DVD

Posted in Learn Portuguese, Portuguese grammar and vocab, Portuguese slang and expressions, YouTube sing-alongs

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Está com pressa?

Posted By jhall on June 26th, 2010

learn portuguese

In a hurry, short on time…. your day was rushed?
Obviously these expressions are not directly translated into Brazilian Portuguese. But, their not hard to learn either.

You need to know that:

‘To be in a hurry’ > ESTAR COM PRESSA
So for example, ‘I’m in a hurry” = estou com pressa.

To say something like: ‘Where are you going in such a hurry’> ‘PARA ONDE VOCE VAI COM TANTA PRESSA’

You can also use the verb CORRER to express hurry and rush. Here’s how:

‘I’m in a rush’ = ESTOU NA CORRERIA

And, if something or someone was in rushed or hurried, you can say:

‘Meu dia foi corrido’ and,
‘Minha semana foi muita corrida’
* note the gender endings!

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Posted in Portuguese grammar and vocab, Portuguese slang and expressions

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Tá dando muito trabalho?

Posted By jhall on June 17th, 2010

dando-trabalho

DAR TRABALHO = ’to give work’ (literally) but, means ‘to make work’ , ‘to cause trouble’ or, ‘to make things difficult’. Let’s look at the context:

> Minha filha está me dando muito trabalho — ela chora toda hora!

> O cachorro está dando muito trabalho fazendo bagunça em casa e etc…

> Ele só tem onze anos e já está dando muito trabalho! (he’s already becoming a HANDFULL)

Learn Portuguese – it can change your life! Mas: vai dar trabalho para aprender.

Posted in Brazilian Culture, Learn Portuguese, Portuguese grammar and vocab, Portuguese slang and expressions

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Learning to laugh and smile online…

Posted By jhall on June 9th, 2010

sorria, você está sendo filmado

One of the best ways to practice your language skills is online. I can’t stress that enough — it’s free, it’s easy, it’s available. All you have to do is wander around the big www and find chat -rooms and online communities that are focused on language learning. Literally zillions of Brazilians are out there just dying for the chance to practice their English with a true native speaker. Don’t be shy! Work-out a practice exchange and oh – LEARN HOW TO SMILE and LAUGH online via the teclado (keyboard).

Here’s the deal: Brazilians use the same emoticons but, the mix it up, they say “rsrsrs” and “kkkkkk” as well as “hehehe“. Ok, the “hehehe” and “kkk” are pretty self-explanatory but the “rsrsrs” comes from the verbs:

Rir, to laugh and, Sorrir, to smile. RSRSRSRS, got it?

hauhauhau!!!

sorria

Posted in Brazilian Culture, Portuguese grammar and vocab, Portuguese slang and expressions

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Deu mole!

Posted By jhall on May 23rd, 2010

Ok, this is slang or, “giria” AND, very common! The 2 main sentidos are, ‘to mess-up’ (or worse) and, to ‘offer’ yourself up, in a flirty situation — as in, being ‘easy’

As most slang expressions there are many, many contextual uses. If you want to learn Brazilian Portuguese, you have to learn the slang too. Let’s look at a few of the common ones:

Olha, aquele menina está te dando mole. > Check it out, that girl is ‘available’. (as in, ‘loose’, making it easy)

Deu mole, podia te beijado antes!!! > You wimped-out man — you could have kissed her before!!!

“Deu” of course, is the past of “dar”. The expression usually used in the past-tense: “deu mole” but, also used in the present: “dar mole”

Joana estava dando mole para o Cassio só porque ele é bonito! > Joana was giving into him (or, flirting with) Cassio because he’s good-looking.

MOLEZA!

Posted in Brazilian Culture, Portuguese grammar and vocab, Portuguese slang and expressions, YouTube sing-alongs

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tá tudo tranquilo!

Posted By jhall on May 9th, 2010

Someone asked:

calma, tranquilo, sossegado, pacato…. Are these all just the same?

They’re similar! But , even though they have similar meanings, the common usage is defined by the speakers of Brazilian Portuguese! No surpise there. Let’s look at some of the common usages of these:

CALMO/A, usually describes the temporary state of someone or something:
O mar está muito calmo hoje / Fique calma, estou dirigindo! / As ruas estão bem calminhas já que é ferriado.

TRANQUILO/A, is used most popularly to express that something is “cool” or, “ok”. But, it can be used in lots of other ways too:
Está tranquilo cara, tudo vai dar certo. / Ele fez a prova tranquilamente.

SOSSEGADO/A, is usually used when talking about how “calm and peaceful” something/someplace is:
O bairro é muito sossego. / Eu só quero sossego.

PACATO/A, is used most often when describing a person or people and can mean: sossegado, neutro, normal, vazio:
Um homem pacato. / Acusado de dirigir carro-bomba de New York era pacato, dizem vizinhos.