Archive for the year 2007
Proverbs Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 23, 2007
Learn some really common proverbs that we say all the time in English – in Portuguese! It turns out that “All roads” still “lead to Rome” and “If the cap fits,” you should still “wear it” in Brazil too. Click the image above to begin learning 12 super-useful phrases. This is a great opportunity…
Brazilian Wii Costs $1,100 Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 22, 2007
So you thought the iPod was expensive in Brazil? It was no secret even before the popular game console was released that its retail price in Brazil would be, well, prohibitive. Though the high cost can be attributed to many factors, the real explanation lies in the burocracia alfandegária or customs bureaucracy. Getting goods into…
Guarana Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 19, 2007
Guarana is a tropical berry from which several different popular drinks in Brazil are made. I love Guarana soda. Thank goodness I can get it in grocery stores in the USA, because I really would be sad without it. Lately I’ve even been substituting my morning coffee with a Guarana Antarctica soda – diet of…
Arabic Influence on Portuguese Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 17, 2007
500 years of Moorish influence will leave a linguistic mark! The period in which the Moors ruled Spain (roughly from 700 to 1500 common era), also affected Portugal quite a bit. It wasn’t until 1250 that the Moors were expelled from Portugal, and by that point the Arabic language had made quite an impact on…
Mineirês: Part 1 Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 15, 2007
Have you ever heard someone from Minas Gerais speak Portuguese? The Portuguese spoken in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais is quite distinct from that spoken in other parts of the country. Full of idiosyncrasies, the Mineiran ‘dialect,’ or Mineirês can be hard to understand and even painful to listen to for some Brazilians. Indeed…
Asa Branca Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 11, 2007
In 1947, amidst a devastating drought in the Brazilian Sertão, two men wrote a song that has become a national epic. Many people consider this work, Asa Branca to be much more than a song; it is a poem, an emotion, a history and a destiny. The cyclical droughts of the Sertão have driven hundreds…
Jardim Botânico Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 11, 2007
Located next to the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas in Rio, Jardim Botânico is a popular spot to hang out and relax The park, which is located in the neighborhood of the same name in the Zona Sul, is home to over 6,500 different types of plants (some on the verge of extinction), both planted in…