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Archive for August, 2007

Cultura de Ficar Posted by on Aug 27, 2007

In Brazil, when people speak of the cultura de ficar, they are referring to the modern practice of casually displaying affection in public, and the general tendency of young people to warm up to each other rather quickly. It is very common in Brazil for people who have just met to wildly make out if…

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How to type in Portuguese Posted by on Aug 27, 2007

Do you have a US keyboard and want to type in Portuguese? Blog reader David Stephensen sent in this terrific .pdf file that will take you step-by-step through the process of implementing the Portuguese language keyboard in Windows and also how to type all the accents using a standard North American-style keyboard. The method he…

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Fica a Vontade Posted by on Aug 24, 2007

Fica a vontade means make yourself at home. This is another very common, useful phrase, and is the centerpiece of Brazilian hospitality. … Continue Reading

Expressing Annoyance Posted by on Aug 24, 2007

Sometimes we all get a little annoyed, no matter what language we speak. This post will show you how to express your frustration in the most succinct and culturally common manner. Chatear is the first word you will need to know; it means to bother or annoy. If you are upset, you may say that…

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Dia dos Namorados Posted by on Aug 23, 2007

Valentine’s Day in Brazil Yes, Brazilians celebrate Valentine’s Day… big time. Brazil celebrates o Dia dos Namorados on the 12th of June, as opposed the the internationally common 14th of February. I guess there is enough to celebrate in Brazil in fevereiro, what with Carnaval and all. The 12th of June is véspera the day…

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Jazzafinado Posted by on Aug 23, 2007

This talented band from Rio shows how deeply intertwined samba and jazz have become within the elite community of musicians in the Cidade Maravilhosa. To boot, the members of Jazzafinado are, I believe, all under 30. The name is a play on words. Afinar means to tune as in ‘to tune an instrument. João Gilberto…

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Combinado? Posted by on Aug 22, 2007

Making social plans in Brazil requires an extra step. Without this step, one can expect to be invariably ‘stood up’ without explanation. After coming up with an idea for, let’s say, nighttime plans with friends (um programa), it is imperative not to assume that you have all agreed on actually doing those plans. The right…

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