In learning Portuguese, you may have come across two words that sound a lot alike, but are different when they’re written. But they also have different meanings.

História [eest-OH-ree-ah] is history, as in the history of Brazil, or the history of music. It can also be an occurrence or a biography; in other words, something that really happened. Here’s an explanation in Portuguese:

Evolução da humanidade; narração crítica e pormenorizada de factos sociais, políticos, económicos, militares, culturais ou religiosos que fazem parte do passado de um ou mais países ou povos; sucessão natural desses mesmos acontecimentos; ramo do conhecimento que se ocupa do estudo do passado, da sua análise e interpretação; estudo da origem e do progresso de uma ciência, arte, ou área de conhecimento; narrativa; conto; biografia.

Meanwhile, estória [ehst-OH-ree-ah] is a story, like an Aesop’s fable, a fairy tale, or a fiction novel. Here’s a brief explanation in Portuguese:

História de carácter ficcional ou popular; conto; narração curta.

Let’s take a look at some examples.

Ouviram atentos aquelas estórias de mentira do saci. Mais tarde tiveram que mergulhar fundo nas histórias de verdade, para saber como foi construído o Brasil. They listened attentively to the tales of the saci. But later they had to dive into real history to find out how Brazil was founded.

Ela contou uma estória para a menina que achava que fosse uma história real. She told the girl a story, who thought it really happened.

Can you think of more examples?

Olá! Tudo bem com você?

I’m sure you’ve heard of Michel Teló, the Brazilian pop and sertanejo singer who took over the world with his song Ai Se eu Te Pego.

He has a new song hitting big on Brazilian radios, Humilde Residência (Humble Abode) and it talks about a guy who’s so darn broke but still has a lot of love to give!

Check out the video and the lyrics and try to sing along, it’s a good pronunciation exercise!

If you’re reading this post in your e-mail, click here to watch the video.

Humilde Residência
Michel Teló

Vou te esperar aqui, [I'm going to wait for you here]
Mas vê se atende o telefone mesmo se for a cobrar [Try and pick up the phone even if I call collect]
Hoje eu não vou sair [I'm not going out tonight]
Porque meu carro tá quebrado, [Because my car is broken]
Eu não tô podendo gastar [And I can't spend a lot]
Quando chegar aqui, [When you get here]
Me dê um grito lá na frente, [Shout my name at the front]
Eu vou correndo te buscar [I'll come running to get you]
Não tem ninguém aqui, [There's nobody here]
Mas vou deixar a luz acesa [But I'll leave the lights on]

Já te passei meu celular e o endereço [I gave you my cell phone number and my address]
Naquele dia em que te vi sair de casa [That day I saw you leave your house]
Eu tô ligado que você sempre me deu uma moral, até dizia que me amava [I'm aware that you like me, even said that loved me]
Agora tá mudada, se formou na faculdade [Now you're changed, graduated from college]
No meu cursinho eu não cheguei nem na metade [I couldn't even finish prep school]
Você tá muito diferente [You're very different]
Eu vou atrás, você na frente, [I'm behind, you're forward]
Tô louco pra te pegar [I'm crazy to hook up with you]

Vou te esperar [I'm going to wait for you]
Na minha humilde residência [At my humble abode]
Pra gente fazer amor [So we can make love]
Mas eu te peço só um pouquinho de paciência, [All I ask is a little patience]
A cama tá quebrada e não tem cobertor [Bed's broken and there's no blanket]

Vou te esperar [I'm going to wait for you]
Na minha humilde residência [At my humble abode]
Pra gente fazer amor [So we can make love]
Mas eu te peço só um pouquinho de paciência, [All I ask is a little patience]
A cama tá quebrada e não tem cobertor [Bed's broken and there's no blanket]

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One of the lasting remnants of the era of slavery in Brazil are its quilombos, former slave runaway communities in rural areas. One of the most famous of the quilombos was Palmares, home of the national hero Zumbi dos Palmares, but there were quilombos in states throughout the country.

Here’s a little background, in Portuguese from Só História:

No período de escravidão no Brasil (séculos XVII e XVIII), os negros que conseguiam fugir se refugiavam com outros em igual situação em locais bem escondidos e fortificados no meio das matas. Estes locais eram conhecidos como quilombos. Nestas comunidades, eles viviam de acordo com sua cultura africana, plantando e produzindo em comunidade. Na época colonial, o Brasil chegou a ter centenas destas comunidades espalhadas, principalmente, pelos atuais estados da Bahia, Pernambuco, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais e Alagoas.

National Geographic recently did a great story about quilombos, some of which still exist today. Here’s an excerpt:

At first glance, the surviving quilombos look like other poor Brazilian villages. But most retain cultural elements of their residents’ African homeland, mixed with European and native traditions. Brazil has a host of hybrid spiritual regimes—candomblé, umbanda, macumba, terecô—in which Afro-Brazilians dance, drum, and practice the dancing martial art of capoeira. In their isolation, quilombos built pageants and festivals atop these spiritual traditions, tying communities together with the supple bonds of shared memory. Across Brazil’s north and northeast quilombos celebrate Bumba-Meu-Boi, a festival that satirically retells the tale of slaves escaping their fate with the help of Brazil’s original inhabitants. The struggle for freedom is revisited even more overtly in the ritual dance of Lambe-Sujos, in which “runaway slaves,” many covered head to foot in shimmering black oil, suck on baby pacifiers, symbolizing the cruel circular plugs strapped into the mouths of recalcitrant slaves. Clinging together in a spirit of resistance, the Quilombolas are celebrating their history even as they preserve it.

Here’s a short documentary about Brazil’s remaining quilombos.