Archive for May, 2009
Swine Flu Hits Brazil Posted by Rachel on May 11, 2009
Swine flu has officially arrived in Brazil, with eight confirmed cases. Some had all been in Mexico, the US or Europe, where they contracted the disease, while two got sick without leaving the country. Only one of the infected patients is still in the hospital, who is being quarantined. Doctors say he will be fine…
The Trickiest Accent Posted by Rachel on May 8, 2009
Today’s interactive feature has to do with accents. The question is: which is the most difficult accent to understand in Portuguese? This includes the different regions of Brazil, as well as Portugal and Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa like Angola and Mozambique. After learning Brazilian Portuguese, I find Portuguese accents (from Portugal) exceedingly difficult to understand…
Missing You Posted by Rachel on May 7, 2009
In Portuguese, there are a few ways to express the feeling of missing someone or something. Let’s take a look. 1. estar com saudades This expression means to miss or feel nostalgia for a person or thing. Estou com saudades tuas. I miss you. Eles estão com saudades do Brasil. They miss Brazil. 2. sentir…
Update: Technical Problems Posted by Rachel on May 6, 2009
Hi readers, I just wanted to update you to let you know we’ve had some problems posting photos and files on the site, including podcasts. We’re working on the problem, and in the meantime, I posted a temporary link to the most recent podcast on the original post. Thank you for your patience!
El Al Begins Direct Flights to Brazil Posted by Rachel on May 6, 2009
This week, El Al Airlines announced that it has begun direct flights from Israel to Brazil, the airline’s first new flight in a decade. The airline will run three direct flights a week from Tel Aviv to Sao Paulo and back. Each flight takes nearly 15 hours. The airline decided to begin service to Brazil…
Brazil Economic News Posted by Rachel on May 5, 2009
Let’s take a look at some of the headlines about the Brazilian economy, which seems to be doing well despite the crisis: Brazil April Trade Surplus Widens to $3.71 Billion, Wall Street Journal Brazil’s GDP May Shrink Less Than Previously Forecast, Bloomberg Bradesco Earnings Drop 18% in Q1, Business News Americas Brazil Stocks Up More…
Brazil State Championships Posted by Rachel on May 4, 2009
Yesterday, Brazil held its state soccer championships, one of the most important sports events of the year. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights: The Corinthians won the São Paulo cup, though there was a potentially serious accident during the victory celebration; Cruzeiro beat Atlético to win the cup in Minas Gerais; Vitória…