Archive for September, 2008
Origins of Portuguese Expressions Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 11, 2008
Today we’re going to look at a few Portuguese expressions and their origins in the state of Minas Gerais. 1. Lavar à égua This expressions means “to do well,” “to have success,” or to “enjoy oneself.” It originated in Minas Gerais during the gold boom, when horses and donkeys were used to haul the gold…
Brazilian Cooking Series: Part I Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 10, 2008
In this new series, we’re going to look at a Brazilian dish, its origins, and how to prepare it, so that you can get a taste of Brazil as you study Brazilian Portuguese. Today, we’re going to look at the most famous Brazilian dish, feijoada. This dish, a bean and meat stew, has its…
Portuguese Verb Conjugation: Future Tense Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 9, 2008
Today we’re going to look at how to conjugate regular verbs in the future tense, which is the same for ar, er, and ir verbs. In this case, we add the conjugation to the infinitive, instead of cutting off part of the infinitive like in other verb tenses. This verb tense is used in the…
Brazil Business News Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 8, 2008
The international media is chock full of business and development news about Brazil. Let’s take a look: Brazil Governor Proposes New Rio-Sao Paulo Highway, Forbes Lula Wets His Hands in Brazil’s New Oil Wealth, Reuters Brazil Declines OPEC Invitation, BBC Brazil’s Real Falls Most in Seven Months on Global Slowdown, Bloomberg Lifted by the Consumer…
Brazilian Fruit Series: Part III Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 4, 2008
Today we’re going to look at the cashew fruit, called caju in Portuguese. Known as acayu or aca-iu, this fruit grows in the Northeast of Brazil. It grows on a tree averaging 10 – 12 meters tall, and the fruit grows from red flowers. The fruit that emerges is the “false fruit” known as…
Obama Running for Office…in Brazil Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 3, 2008
Local elections are rapidly approaching in Brazil. According to the Brazilian press, at least five candidates running in the local elections throughout the country are using the name “Barack Obama” in an effort to garner votes. The candidates, who are running for municipal positions, have registered their names as Obama on the ballots. The…
Portuguese Verb Conjugation: Present Tense Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 2, 2008
Today we’re going to start a series about Portuguese verbs. First, we’re going to start with the easiest tense (present), working with regular verbs. In spoken Portuguese, the four tenses you will most frequently hear are eu (I), você/ele/ela (you/he/she), nós (we) and vocês/eles/elas (all of you/them/them), so we’re going to focus on them. Let’s…