Archive for the year 2007
Colors in Portuguese Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 9, 2007
Time to learn some new words or just brush up on your vocabulary! Here is a list of Colors in Portuguese. This list features images in addition to the native speaker sound that we include as standard in our BYKI Web lists. Enjoy!
Homem Cueca Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 9, 2007
O Homem Cueca is a super-hero who appears in the humor sketches (quadros de humor) that bear the same name. Homem Cueca translates as Underpants Man. Created by Felipe Xavier for the São Paulo radio network Jovem Pan 100,9 FM, o Homem Cueca is sort of a satire of Superman, an anti-hero who appears in…
Here and There: Aqui, Ali and Lá Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 8, 2007
English is easy, right? We have two prepositions, here and there for describing relative location to the speaker. Portuguese isn’t so tough itself, but in this instance the language is both more involved and more specific. Brazilians use four different prepositions for a similar purpose. Aqui, means here, just as it does in Spanish. To…
Vir and Ir, Coming and Going Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 8, 2007
It is very important in Portuguese not to confuse the verbs Vir to come and Ir to go. It is incorrect to say “Vou aqui de novo a semana que vem”, you would need to be sure to say “Veio…” By the same token, be careful not to translate in your head phrases such as…
X marks the sound Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 1, 2007
Pronunciation in Portuguese can be tricky, and there are several areas in which language learners are frequently confused. One such area in Portuguese is the letter X. This one letter has four different sounds! In the word Xangô, the ‘x’ is pronounced like the ‘sh’ in shampoo. In proximidade, it sounds like the ‘s’ in…
Avoiding the verb Pôr Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 1, 2007
The verb pôr is a common, useful verb in Portuguese, both Brazilian and European. Pôr means ‘to put or place,’ and in it’s reflexive form, pôr-se means to become. Though useful, the verb is highly irregular, and many forms of the verb are on the difficult side for beginner speakers to pronounce, since they involve…
Project Xingu Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 31, 2007
BBCBrasil.com | Interatividade | Projeto Xingu: No Coração do Brasil Today I will translate this article, so you can read it in Portuguese, then in English, then in Portuguese or use the translation purely as a reference. Enjoy! “Sue and Patrick Cunningham are realizing an incredible adventure throught the heart of Brazil. The two English…