Archive for December, 2009
Bovespa Ends 2009 with Highest Global Gains Posted by Rachel on Dec 31, 2009
Estadão announced today that Bovespa, the Brazilian stock market located in São Paulo, closed the year with the highest gains of any stock market in the world. It closed at a high of 120.9 percent, compared to 118 percent in Indonesia, 25.4 percent in the United States, and 6.7 percent in Japan. This percentage is…
Réveillon Posted by Rachel on Dec 30, 2009
The word for New Year’s Eve in Portuguese is Réveillon, which actually comes from the French word réveillon, which means eve. Happy New Year is Feliz Ano Novo. On New Year’s in Brazil, people dress in white, a tradition that comes from Afro-Brazilian religions. In the coastal cities, people throw flowers into the ocean as…
Countries in Portuguese Posted by Rachel on Dec 29, 2009
Today, we’re going to take a look at the names of countries in Portuguese that appear frequently in the news that will be useful to know. Brazil = Brasil (pronounced brah-ZEEW) United States = Estados Unidos / EUA (short for Estados Unidos de América) Canada = Canadá (note that the stress falls on the last…
Lyrics Practice: Maria Bethânia Posted by Rachel on Dec 28, 2009
As the holidays come to a close, let’s take an opportunity to listen to a holiday song in Portuguese and follow along with the music. This song is called “Boas Festas,” which as you remember from Friday, means Happy Holidays. Listen to the song and follow along with the words, and then see if you…
Using “ao” Posted by Rachel on Dec 24, 2009
Today, we’re going to examine how to use “ao” as a preposition. Here, it is used as “upon” or “when.” Ao descobrir o rato no quarto, ela deu um grito. When she discovered the mouse in her room, she screamed. Ao encontrar o garoto perdido, ficamos aliviados. Upon finding the lost boy, we felt relieved…
In the News: Goldman Case Posted by Rachel on Dec 23, 2009
This week, it was hard to avoid the biggest news story coming out of Brazil: the fate of the Goldman case. Sean Goldman, born in the US, was abducted by his Brazilian mother in 2004 when he was four. She brought him to Rio de Janeiro, remarried, and died during childbirth last year. Sean’s father…
Piranha Attack Posted by Rachel on Dec 22, 2009
This week, tourists in Ubarana, São Paulo had a nasty surprise during a day at the river. People swimming in the Rio Tietê in São Paulo state were attacked by piranhas. Luckily, no one was badly hurt and those who were bitten were treated at a nearby clinic. According to the authorities, the piranhas attack…