Archive for February, 2010
Poetry Practice – Círculo de Aguinaldo Fonseca Posted by polyana on Feb 28, 2010
One important thing to remember when learning Portuguese is that the Lusophone world is goes much further than Brazil and Portugal. Cape Verde is a lusophonic country, with Portuguese being one of its official languages, and has an extremely rich culture, especially in its literature and music. Although some music and poetry is found in…
Snowstorm in Portuguese Posted by Rachel on Feb 26, 2010
Up here on the East Coast of the U.S., we had a massive snowstorm (nevasca, in Portuguese). It reminded me of one of my favorite videos of Brazilians living in the U.S., mineiros in Massachusetts shoveling snow in their flip flops. Test your knowledge: 1. What’s the temperature outside, according to the cameraman? 2. What’s…
Brazil’s money bill’s new appearance Posted by André on Feb 25, 2010
If you are used to Brazil’s money bills, prepare to say goodbye to them. Starting in April they will begin being replaced by new ones. The currency, Real, will remain the same. Only the design and size of the bills will be different. The main reason behind this change is for security matters. The new…
Reading Comprehension: Windows of São Paulo Posted by Rachel on Feb 24, 2010
We’re going to do a reading comprehension with a really cool feature from Estado de São Paulo’s “Olhar Sobre o Mundo” blog. It’s a post featuring a fantastic photo series of windows in the city of São Paulo. Read the article, Janelas paulistanas, and the accompanying text here. Excerpt: “Uma viagem poética pelas fachadas da…
Driving Vocabulary in Portuguese Posted by Rachel on Feb 23, 2010
In case you rent a car when you’re in Brazil or need to get around by car, it’s useful to know some driving vocabulary. Let’s take a look: car = carro/auto to drive = dirigir sign = placa highway = estrada to brake = frear to turn = virar speed limit = limite de velocidade…
Pico do Jaraguá Posted by polyana on Feb 22, 2010
Yesterday was a gorgeous sunny day in São Paulo. This hasn’t been the case recently, so my friend and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and do something outdoorsy. We decided on the Pico do Jaraguá, São Paulo’s city’s highest peak, since we’d never been and figured the view would be gorgeous…
A Vida do Viajante… Posted by polyana on Feb 19, 2010
Luiz Gonzaga or Gonzagão is one of the most prominent Brazilian folk singers of the 20th century. He popularized Northeastern baião music throughout the country, and much of his music was reproduced by artists such as Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Geraldo Vandré, amongst other great Brazilian artists. Baião is the foundation for forró, côco, and…