Archive for the year 2008
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…
Gringas in Brazil Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 1, 2008
In Brazil, the term “gringo” refers to any person who isn’t from Brazil. Let’s take a look at the American gringas who’ve been in Brazil recently. Reese Witherspoon, the Global Ambassador of “Speak Out Against Domestic Violence,” was in São Paulo last week. She was there to promote the joint campaign between Avon and…
Sea Lion Takes a Trip to Rio Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 31, 2008
A two-meter long leão-marinho (sea lion) washed up on the shore of the Praia de Sepetiba in the west part of Rio de Janeiro on Friday. He appeared to be injured, but before firefighters could move him, he returned to the ocean. However, the sea lion reappeared on Sunday on someone’s front porch on the…
Podcast: Ordering at a Restaurant Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 29, 2008
Click to hear the Podcast! Today, we’re going to learn language to use at a restaurant. Poderia me trazer o cardápio, por favor? Quero uma água com gas. Ela gostaria de um copo de vinho tinto. Queremos a cesta de pães como petisco, para compartilhar. Para a entrada, gostaria de salada verde. Para…
Tools for Traveling in Brazil Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 27, 2008
Globo Online has a few different tools that can help you plan your trip while traveling in Brazil, particularly in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Maps Traffic: check traffic conditions on the major roads in Rio and São Paulo, which is very important during rush hour and lunch time; Find a street: locate your…
Namorar Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 26, 2008
Namorar and the various offshoots have several meanings, so let’s take a look. 1. Namorar (I) This means dating. Estamos namorando tem um ano. We’ve been dating for a year. Estavam namorando mas terminaram. They were dating but they broke up. 2. Namorar (II) This means cuddling, snuggling, showing affection or caressing. O casal jovem…