Archive for September, 2012
Any problems in your apartment? (Portuguese version) Posted by Adir on Sep 28, 2012
Hi! Are you excited for the weekend? Let’s finish our September posts with something that happens to all us: problems at home! I’m talking about things like a toilet getting clogged up or your radiator is not working well. Let’s learn how to talk about this in Portuguese! Here are some useful sentences: A pia…
On the Farm in Portuguese Posted by Rachel on Sep 27, 2012
Brazil has some of the most beautiful farmland in the world, and is one of the world’s largest agricultural producers. So today, we’re going to learn some farm vocabulary. fazenda – farm fazendeiro – farmer colheita – harvest cultivo – cultivation espantalho – scarecrow trator – tractor arado – plow celeiro – barn galinheiro –…
Prainha Posted by Rachel on Sep 26, 2012
One of the lesser known but most spectacular beaches in Rio de Janeiro is Prainha, literally a “small beach” near the Barra area of the city. It has big waves that are good for surfing, and plunging hills that go straight into the sea. According to Guia das Praias: A Prainha é um santuário ainda…
Cartoon: O Pica-Pau (Woody Woodpecker) Posted by Adir on Sep 25, 2012
Olá, tudo bem? As a kid I used to love watching O Pica-Pau because he was a screwball and smart at the same time. The cartoon has been around for almost 50 years and reruns of episodes are still broadcast in Brazil and it has a legion of fans. I chose a 5-minute episode to…
Funny Brazilian Campaign Ads Posted by Rachel on Sep 25, 2012
Brazil’s municipal elections take place next month, and there are some pretty unique candidates running for office throughout the country–at least, some candidates with funny nicknames. There’s Wolverine… And Batman… And Jack Sparrow… And some very random characters, like Jony Venenoso… and Marquito Motoboy. And a whole lot more! Want to learn election-related vocabulary in…
O Dia Mundial Sem Carro Posted by Rachel on Sep 22, 2012
September 22 is World Car-free Day, or o Dia Mundial Sem Carro. So how will Brazil mark this day? In Rio: O movimento “Rio Eu Amo Eu Cuido” atua hoje no Centro e na zona sul para alertar sobre o uso racional do automóvel e promover a bicicleta como alternativa. Em Ipanema e na avenida…
How to use the verb “virar” Posted by Adir on Sep 19, 2012
Virar is a very common verb in Portuguese and in this post I will show you how its several uses. Are you ready? Estão prontos? Virar means basically to turn, flip: virar à esquerda = to turn left virar à direita = to turn right virar do avesso = to turn inside out virar de…