Portuguese Language Blog

Today, we’re going to read about a Brazilian phenomenon on Twitter – a mixture of World Cup enthusiasm and very amusing opportunism. Click the link below to read the story, and then try to answer the questions.

Galvão Bueno: Campeão do Twitter, Gazeta Web

Excerpt: “Poucos minutos depois de a cerimônia de abertura da Copa do Mundo começar, a competição já tinha um vencedor: Galvão Bueno. O locutor da TV Globo foi o primeiro lugar entre os assuntos mais comentados no Twitter no mundo inteiro no dia da festa e, pelo menos até quinta-feira, não saía dos dez mais. Embalada num truque de aparência ecológica, a frase “Cala boca, Galvão!” ganhou o mundo e foi repetida milhões de vezes, numa corrente para a frente que levou Galvão às páginas do New York Times e do El País.”

Questions

1. What did many foreigners think the “Cala boca Galvao” phrase meant?

2. How many people viewed the Galvao birds video (in Portuguese)?

3.  How did Galvão react to the “Cala boca, Galvão” campaign?

4. When did Galvão begin his broadcasting career?

Read More…

Hey everyone. The World Cup is going on and Brazilians are just crazy about it, at least most of us. Check out this video I made about how my city (Montes Claros – Minas Gerais)  is turning green and yellow and also some reactions to Brazil’s first game.

Is this different from your country?

Today we’re going to do a little listening comprehension exercise using a short report from BBC Brasil (which by the way, is a fantastic resource for Portuguese students).

Questions

1. Where is the healer from?

2. What does the healer foresee about the World Cup, and how did he find out?

3. How many people has the healer treated?

4. Why doesn’t the healer want to help his country’s team?

5. Based on the context, what do you think “desempenho” means?

Read More…