“Gringo” is not a bad word in Brazil. It’s used as a kind word for any foreigner. DO NOT be offended when someone calls you a gringo! In these next two dialogs we’ll learn some very useful new vocabulário. Whenever you’re getting new vocab in a story with rich context, it’s supremely memorable! Article: Contextual…
Read more...This was going to be an intermediate level post, but this phrase is so popular that it’s important for everyone to know how to use it. Right away! Pode deixar is one of those phrases that finds it’s way into just about every conversation here. Pode deixar: PODER (to be able to,can) + DEIXAR (to…
Read more...This always gave me a real hard time. In English it seems so simple to say for example, I can’t wait to see you or, I can hardly wait to see you.. I’d heard people saying, mal posso esperar para… But this didn’t make much sense. I was understanding this as, bad can wait for……
Read more...Vamos emobra! When Brazilian’s say goodbye. IN ORDER OF USAGE (most common first) — the ways Brazilians say good-bye. (1) Tchau! (2) eu vou embora EMBORA = away. Eu vou embora. = I’m going away (leaving). Most dictionaries list this as: em•bo•ra | {conj.} (apesar de; ainda que; ainda) That’s because this is an expression…
Read more...Como você anda? Easily one the most common ways Brazilians express, How are you doing? / How have you been? » Como você anda? (also: Como tu andas?) Yet, you will not find it in any language book! Is it slang? Is it an idiomatic expression? Is it a very new phrase? Não, não &…
Read more...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….
Read more...This clip caught my attention. It’s a soft news piece. Except for the intro, it’s spoken clearly and not too fast. The vocabulary is really core also. Once you get past the intro it’s perfect for training your ear (intermediate-advanced level). We use a lot of video (quase 100%) in our course, but we generally…
Read more...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…
Read more...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…
Read more...ATUALIZAR is a really great verb that you can use to say things like, Eu preciso atualizar omeusoftware. ➜ I need to update my software. and the past participle, atualizado (a): O seu currículo está atualizado? ➜ Is your CV (resumé) up-to-date? and in the form of an adjective, atual: Ele comprou o sistema mais…
Read more...This is a really easy to learn expression that means basically, “done” or, “it’s a done deal”. You will get big bonus points using this. But save it for some situation where you really want to be cool like, Let’s have lunch together sometime? Já é! Já é literally means, It already is. Vinte reais…
Read more...That’s what olympic athlete Rafaela Silva said after being eliminated (declassificada) for an illegal Judo move. And the expression, “cabeça quente” — hot head is something we would say as well. What’s worth learning from this is that Brazilians use ‘cabeça’ in expressions all the time. Let’s see… de cabeça para baixo = upside-down >…
Read more...Are they calling you a ‘nota dez’ or simply a ‘um-sete-um’ -? You better know. Brazilians love to use numbers with hidden meanings. Let’s look at the most common; zero = brand, spanking, new. > Ele ganhou um carro zero para trabalho. 10= really, really good. > Ela é linda, inteligente e simpatica — Ela…
Read more...When Brazilians want to say that something unexpected came up, they do it like this: “Aconteceu um imprevisto!” Which just seems strange for two reasons: 1) The verb is at the very start of the phrase; and 2) where is the ‘came up’ part? (from Semantica Series 2: advanced dialogs) A beginner would try and…
Read more...Soul mates. The perfect fit. Not something you bump into everyday but, when it happens it’s a beautiful thing. In portuguese the expression is perfect: ‘soul twin’ > alma gêmea ALMA = soul, spirit, heart or essense GÊMEA = twin Alma Gêmea. “As pessoas acham que alma gêmea é o encaixe perfeito (perfect fit) e é isso que todo…
Read more...A girlfriend of mine used to say, when talking about an ex of hers that “ele não me dava valor.” At the time, I thought she was saying that the guy “didn’t give her money” ;-). And that may have been true, but not at all what she was saying! Let’s review… “Dar valor” to…
Read more...Anything that is a rough draft or, a sketch of something can be called um RASCUNHO. That includes a document, a work of art, something being made – really anything that’s not yet ready, can be referred to as a RASCUNHO. Some examples, > O relatório é um rascunho. A versão final vai sair só depois….
Read more...It’s a little strange to hear some one that you hardly know sending you “hugs & kisses” after a brief phone conversation. But, that is how it goes here in Brazil. A man commonly ends a phone or email conversation with “abraço” (hug). A woman will often say “beijos” or call you “querido/a” (darling). This…
Read more...Once upon a time, the orelhão – public phones, required a token or, ficha. After placing the token in the coin slot it would cair once the party picked-up.
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