Archive for September, 2008
Podcast: At a hotel Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 30, 2008
Click to hear the Podcast! Today, we’re going to learn how to check into a hotel in Portuguese. In Portuguese, it’s polite to greet someone based on the time of day, instead of a simple “hello” that we use in American English. Therefore, we use “boa tarde,” which means good afternoon. Brazilian Portuguese…
The Brazilian Pet Shop Industry Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 29, 2008
Known as “pet shops” (in English), these small businesses are amongst the most successful in Brazil. Dogs are popular pets and are often treated like children: owners buy them outfits, shoes, fancy collars, and doggie beds. Also, since Brazilians are very concerned about personal hygiene, they also keep their dogs very clean, often bringing them…
Festival do Rio 2008 Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 28, 2008
From September 25 to October 9th, Rio de Janeiro will host the annual “Festival do Rio,” an international film festival featuring some of the best films from Brazil, Latin America, and the world. Hundreds of films will be shown at nearly 30 theaters all over the city, including several free films at the Centro Cultural…
Portuguese Plurals: Part III Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 25, 2008
Today we’re going to do the last part in the plural nouns series, to finish up with the irregular nouns. 1. Words ending in al With these nouns, the al changes to ais. sinal –> sinais [stoplight -> stoplights] capital –> capitais [capital -> capitals] moral –> morais [moral –> morals] 2. Words ending in…
Brazilian Profile: Sônia Braga Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 24, 2008
Born in Maringá, Paraná in 1950 to a seamstress mother and a realtor father, Sônia Braga went on to become one of Brazil’s most famous and successful actresses. Sônia began her career at age 18, when she starred in the musical Hair. From there, she moved on to TV and film. She got her big break…
Brazil Travel News Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 23, 2008
If you’re planning a trip to Brazil, here are some news tidbits and some tips to help you. TAM Airlines recently announced two new direct flights from the U.S. to Rio de Janeiro: one from Miami, and one from New York. This is the only direct flight to Rio from JFK or any New York…
Brazilian Cooking Series: Part II Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 22, 2008
Today we’re going to learn about brigadeiro, one of the most delicious Brazilian treats. Brigadeiro is a chocolate truffle that is most commonly made in little balls in tiny cupcake wrappers, but can also be a topping for other desserts or can be made as an entire cake. It is made with condensed milk…