Archive for May, 2008
Naturalidades: Part V Posted by Transparent Language on May 11, 2008
Today we’re going to do the last part of our lesson on naturalidades, which determine exactly where a person is from in Brazil: either the city or the state. These are written in lower case, as opposed to in English, in which we use upper case, as in Hawaiian or Alaskan. Let’s look at…
Experience the Amazon in New York City Posted by Transparent Language on May 8, 2008
From April 27 – July 13th, you can experience the Amazon in the heart of New York City. Called Amazônia Brasil, the 13,000 square foot exhibit features videos, photos, demonstrations and art about the customs and habits of indigenous groups in the Amazon, workshops and forums on environmental preservation and sustainable development, and a market…
A Brazilian in Bollywood Posted by Transparent Language on May 7, 2008
Who knew that a Brazilian model could become a Bollywood muse? Bruna Abdalah, 21, of Guaíba, Rio Grande do Sul, became a Ford model at age 15 and decided to pursue her career in order to buy her parents a house. She then went on to model in Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines, and was…
Combinar Posted by Transparent Language on May 6, 2008
The verb combinar [kome-bee-nar] has a number of meanings, but we’re going to focus on the three main ones. 1. Making plans Vamos combinar para sair na sexta-feira. Let’s make plans to go out on Friday.Já combinei com ela. I already made plans with her. Along these lines we can also say:Combinado! Agreed!2. Corresponding/matching Neste…
Tourism in Brazil: Salvador at Sea Posted by Transparent Language on May 4, 2008
The newest way to see the city of Salvador on the water is by caravela, an old-fashioned boat with sails modeled after the real boats used by the Portuguese in the 1500s. Costing R$800,000 to build, the caravel honors the 200 year anniversary of the Portuguese royal family in Brazil. Called the “Príncipe Regente,”…
Naturalidades: Part IV Posted by Transparent Language on May 4, 2008
In the fourth part of the series on naturalidades, where a person is from in Brazil, we’ll take a look at the Southeast/South central region. A person from the state of São Paulo is called paulista, and a person from the capital city, also São Paulo, is called paulistano. A person from the state of…
Brazilian Profile: Ayrton Senna, in memoriam Posted by Transparent Language on May 1, 2008
Ayrton Senna is one of Brazil’s most famous Formula-1 race car drivers and one of its most beloved sports figures. He was Formula-1 world champion in 1988, 1990, and 1991, and came in second in 1989 and 1993. Born into a wealthy São Paulo family in 1960, Senna had an early interest in cars, and…