Archive for the year 2008
Part I: Transitioning from Spanish to Portuguese Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 6, 2008
Learning Portuguese is considerably easier if you have a background in Spanish, since much of the grammar and even the vocabulary is similar. However, here are some of the pitfalls of transitioning from Spanish to Portuguese. SPANISH ENGLISH PORTUGUESE practicar practice treinar* Example: Tengo que practicar…
Brazilian Profile: Silvio Santos Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 5, 2008
Everyone loves an American dream story, even if the subject isn’t American. Silvio Santos, also known as Senor Abravanel, was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1930, the son of humble Jewish immigrant parents from Turkey and Greece. He began his working career as a street vendor, and worked his way up working in…
Deixa! Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 3, 2008
Deixar [day-shar] is a useful verb in Portuguese because there quite a few expressions that use it. Literally, it means several things: “to leave”: Deixei meu cachorro com minha irmã.I left my dog with my sister. “to stop”: Ela deixou de fumar.She stopped smoking. “to allow”: Nos deixamos nosso filho sair com os amigos.We allow…
Happy Birthday, Rio! Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 2, 2008
Parabéns, Rio! This past Saturday, March 1st, marked the 443rd birthday of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and festivities around the city marked the event, including a six meter-long birthday cake at the train station to the Christ the Redeemer monument and a free bossa nova concert on the beach in Ipanema. (To watch video footage…
Good News for Travelers Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 29, 2008
This week, ANAC, the Agencia Nacional de Aviação Civil (the National Agency for Civil Aviation in Brazil) announced that airfares are going to drop significantly starting in March. This means international flights originating in Brazil will have price decreases from 30 – 50%, and officials say that by June there will be discounts of up…
Brazilians Immigrants Adapt to Microscopic Apartments in Japan Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 28, 2008
This year marks 100 years of Japanese immigration in Brazil, and all over Brazil there are cultural events, news specials, and happenings celebrating this anniversary. The first Japanese immigrants arrived in Brazil in June 1908, and brought with them cultural traditions that have become a part of Brazilian culture, most notably their cuisine. Globo has…
Mummies Found in Sao Paulo Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 27, 2008
Earlier this month, workers searching for termites found two mummified bodies in a convent in central Sao Paulo. Experts believe that the mummies are around 200 years old. The mummies, thought to be nuns, were found in Mosteiro da Luz (Monastery of Light), a monastery founded by Brazil’s first saint, Antonio Galvao, in 1774. An…