Primeiro, Primeira in Portuguese

Think of all the ways we use the word, first. It’s the first building on the right. We wanted to talk to you first. I’m always first in line. I liked the first album better. Primeiro, primeira in Portuguese (first) can take the meaning of before as well as literally: the first. The unusual…

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PODER in Portuguese

Surely one of the most powerful verbs. Nothing happens without it. Why then you ask, does it have to be so tricky? It doesn’t have to be. Let’s de-construct the ways that PODER in Portuguese is really used. **PODER as a noun means: power. We’re talking just about the verb in this post. PODER in…

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TO THINK in Portuguese

It’s confusing to say TO THINK in Portuguese. That’s mostly because there are two verbs for it: PENSAR & ACHAR. Let’s clear up the confusion with examples. ACHAR or PENSAR? :: TO THINK in Portuguese Most books will tell you that it’s Ok to use either. That may be grammatically correct, but it does not…

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Tô chegando in Portuguese

We all have a specific vocabulary stack for setting up and managing our time. Scheduling our lives is a top priority, right? In Portuguese, it’s no different. They have a core of really common verbs & vocab that they use again and again. But there are a few tricks to staying within the standards. Encontros…

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Getting mad in Portuguese

Do Brazilians lose their cool? Sure they do. They mostly try to maintain an I’m so relaxed appearance, that often gives way to the I don’t give a damn look. But when they lose it, things can turn ugly quickly. Let’s look at the most common ways Brazilians talk about anger. I’m not going to…

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Vem cá!

I began my quest for fluency using the Pimsleur Portuguese audio program and had committed to memory this useful phrase: » Come here! Not just useful but this was helping me remember how the Imperative Mood works. So why is this post about Vem cá!? Because you will never hear, Venha aqui in Brazil: everyone…

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MACHUCAR in Portuguese : injured in Brazil

Sometimes, Brazilian Portuguese hurts so bad! There are several ways to talk about being hurt, injured or wounded. The most confusing thing I get questions about is the difference between MACHUCAR and MAGOAR. These two are the most important, most used verbs to say to hurt. MACHUCAR is used to talk about a physical injury….

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Deu mole!

Moleza! Deu Mole! If you’re starting to have real conversations with real Brazilians, DEU MOLE! is one of the first girias (slangs) that you will hear. To understand this one let’s look at where it comes from. Maria Mole. *Some people just want to know what this means, but I love to know the origins….

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Portuguese verb HAVER

The Portuguese verb HAVER causes a lot of confusion. If you look at the definition it’s: haver = to be/to have (exist) But listening in on its actual use, you’ll find that it’s used just like the verb, TER. And then there’s the fact that it appears to be yet another verb to express TO…

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Cadê in Portuguese

Is this really Portuguese? Sim, é. You will hear it every day in Brazil. And for some reason, it’s not presented in any of the Brazilian Portuguese grammar books or other learning materials! Probably because it’s relatively recently become part of the common (conversational) vernacular. But it’s omnipresent. In conversational Portuguese, Brazilians will use CADÊ in…

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O que que você fez?

Que-que-que-que-que… That’s the sound of Brazilian Portuguese. Just as we have the word it and that in almost all of our sentences, so Portuguese has que. And sometimes it sounds as if that’s all they’re saying: que que que. Brazilians have the habit of swallowing the words on either side of the que. But the…

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Colocar in Portuguese

On my second trip down here to Rio de Janeiro, I realized that it might actually be a good idea to learn some Portuguese. My temporary girlfriend at the moment was sure she could get me up to speed. COLOCAR is one of the cornerstone verbs to get down as a beginner, and she was…

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Já in Portuguese

zzZZahhh is how it’s pronounced. Brazilians love to use this adverb. You will hear it all_the_time. That’s because there are many different ways they use it. Já in Portuguese can mean many different things. Let’s look at the most common. The first thing you need to know, is that it always keeps the core meaning…

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Num Corpo Só

You already know that learning a Portuguese song helps your language learning. But, did you know that it in-fact, super-charges you? It does. Images & music sets your brain in a highly stimulated state — and that makes it record what is happening in a uniquely powerful way. Here is a fantastic song by Maria…

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Saying MOST in Portuguese

Saying most in Portuguese isn’t that obvious. The confusion comes from the fact that in English, we use most to talk about two different things: – NUMBER: Most of time it’s rainy. – DEGREE: I like rainy weather the most. In Portuguese these are expressed in different ways, depending on the context. When talking about…

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Physical descriptions in Portuguese

It seemed so strange to me to first hear people being referred to as: the white guy, that fat girl, the tall one. Maybe we’re too socially correct in the US or just more sensitive (cautious?) — but we don’t casually call people by their physical attributes, especially if it’s potentially unflattering or offensive. But…

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Chega in Portuguese

Some verbs have very different meanings in the context of specific situations. Here we see a Brazilian favorite: CHEGA! – in action. ~Enjoy. FELIPE O que você achou? CLAUDIA Oi? * Brazilians use “oi” to say “what”. FELIPE Do filme. O que você achou? JOSH Você viu esse ator no outro filme? CLAUDIA Oi? FELIPE…

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Você viu?

From the video learning course, INTENSIVO. To ask “did you see…” or, “have you seen…” use VER (to see). Like this: Você viu Gabriela? ➜ Have you seen Gabriela? Você viu o jogo? ➜ Did you see the game? O que você viu lá? ➜ What did you see there? Você já viu tudo? ➜…

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Countries and Nationalities in Portuguese

I always struggled with the pronunciation of these. It made me feel pretty ignorant. Brazilians automatically expect foreigners to magically know how to say these (reasons unknown!). Countries and Nationalities in Portuguese: spoken by a native! From the video learning course, INTENSIVO.

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Somewhere, anywhere, nowhere in Portuguese

As a beginner you can use expressions like, não tem, and nada to express nothingness. But to say somewhere, anywhere, nowhere in Portuguese properly, it takes a little practice. These are not very obvious. How would you say for example, Let’s eat somewhere; Sit anywhere you like; or, She has nowhere to go -? Somewhere…

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Portuguese verb FICAR

The Portuguese verb FICAR is mainly used to express: to remain/stay, become & to be located. to remain/stay: » I’m going to stay here. to become: » It’s getting late. to be located: » Where’s the bank located? ficar in the present tense to remain, stay, become ficar I stay eu fic o you/he/she stay(s)…

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Shopping in Brazil: Eu levo

You’ve just entered a clothing store in Brazil. Most likely, one of the sales clerks on the floor will immediately rush over to meet you. It will usually be someone your opposite sex. The clerk will try to be your instant friend and ask you where you are from and try to say whatever english…

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Qual filme é?

The last place on earth you’ll find a video rental store is in Brazil. Here, they still thrive yet no one actually knows why. Perhaps it’s because they are such great places to hook-up. You only need to ask the question: Qual filme é? From the video learning course, INTENSIVO. CLAUDIA Aqui tem algum filme…

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de vez em quando

Once in a while. Portuguese does a lot with the word . It’s important to get up-to-speed on the way vez is used. Almost none of it is intuitive – you need to memorize these. Think about how English uses time and once to say different things: The time of my life. Once upon a…

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