Portuguese Language Blog

E aí, tudo bem com você?

Today we have another pronunciation video with a very common sound in Portuguese, represented by the letters LH. Remember to practice the words presented in the video to get better and better. You can download the audio of the video in the link below, ok? Aproveite o vídeo!

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It’s winter in Brazil! And by winter, I mean low-40s – mid-60s, dry weather, occasional cold rain… in São Paulo at least, and no, I don’t have heat in my home. Nor are there usually heated office buildings and restaurants and the like. And I still like to pretend I’m a tough American and can handle the “cold” here sans big puffy coats, hats, gloves & scarves (ok, not scarves, I love scarves).

Long story short, I am deathly ill caught tonsilitis.

One of the things I had the most trouble with when I got to Brazil was finding familiar medicine… I mean, they have Tchilenól and Veequis, but what about Midol, Advil, Tums, Thermacare & Benadryl? Good thing I didn’t need Preparation H or else it would be really awkward having to explain what it is I had, exactly.

The good news is, here in Brazil, a lot of the medicines used are actually called by their main ingredient! There are tons of different brands, but that’s just a matter of asking around or just asking for the generic and trying your luck.

(Quick sidenote: The same thing goes for doctors! Who knew an Ear Nose and Throat Doctor was called an Otorrinolaringologista in Brazil?! No wonder we say ENT in the U.S.)

Here are a few names that might come in handy for you!

Dipirona (gee-pee-rô-nah) – Overall pain & fever medicine. Kind of like Tylenol, I guess?

Amoxicilina (ah-mow-xcee-cee-lee-nah) – This is the antibiotic I’m taking for my tonsilitis. I’ve just used it frequently because of my plum sized tonsils, so I assumed it would be handy.

Bicarbonato de Sódio (bee-kah-bore-nah-tu gee só-giu) – It’s the main ingredient in any antacid but if you ask for it at the farmacy, they’ll give you some antacid they have with a different name. One popular medicine is ENO… this is your Alka Seltzer!

Aspirina (ah-spee-ree-nah) – um, Aspirin.

Xarope (shah-ró-pee) – Cough syrup. There are many brands (including Vicks!)

Buscopan (boo-sco-pã) – The girls will love me for this one. This is a popular medicine for menstrual cramps. Boys, you can use it too. It’s also used for overall stomach pains/cramps.

Dorflex (door-flex) - Muscle relief in tiny pills!

Repelente (hep-eh-lay-n-chee) – Depending on where you are in Brazil, you’ll need bug repelent. There’s “Off!” here in Brazil

Can you think of any others you may need?

beijos!

ps – for those in the heat of the northern hemisphere… I hate you.

pps – I’ll write a post on the homeopathic culture of medicine that I <3 here too! Just let me get off my throat drugs first!

For beginner and intermediate learners, it’s sometimes daunting to listen to Portuguese spoken at a normal pace in videos or in person. So we’re going to look at some sites where you can listen to Portuguese pronounced clearly and slowly to help you really learn how to speak.

1. Transparent – We have hundreds of flash cards for you to use, where you can read the word or phrase and listen to how it is pronounced. You can even make your own flash cards! If you haven’t seen it already, check it out now.

2. Forvo – One of the best known sites for how to pronounce words in Portuguese, as well as a number of other languages. Highly recommended!

3. Learn Portuguese Now – This YouTube channel has dozens of videos with simple text and pronunciation of Portuguese words and phrases. Very helpful!

4. Language Now – This YouTube channel has many useful videos for learning how to pronounce words in both Portuguese and Spanish.

5. Portuguese Tutor – Although this site requires payment to use on a long term basis, they allow you a free trial where you can translate words and phrases from English to Portuguese, and then listen to how they should be pronounced in Portuguese.