Archive for June, 2013
How to increase your vocabulary Posted by Adir on Jun 24, 2013
We, as language learners, know that having a vast vocabulary helps when we are trying to convey our ideas, so how do we increase our vocabulary when learning a foreign language? Let me share some tips with you. 1. Read, read, and read some more. What are you going to read? Anything and everything. Choose…
June Festivities in Brazil Posted by Adir on Jun 18, 2013
Hello, there! June came with a wave of protests in Brazil’s largest cities, but today we will be taking a look at a very typical Brazilian festivity: Festa Junina. The June Festivities or popular saints festivities are Catholic celebrations that date back to the Middle Age to celebrate St John’s Day on June 24th. In…
Is making a little cow something bad? Find out now! Posted by Adir on Jun 15, 2013
Hello, there! Today I’m going to teach a very common Brazilian expression: fazer uma vaquinha. Literally it means “to make a little cow” and you may wonder, “Adir, what on earth is that?” Well, fazer uma vaquinha means to raise money, informally, for something or someone. For example, your friend wants to audition for American…
Happy Valentine’s Day! … in Brazil Posted by Adir on Jun 11, 2013
Olá, pessoal! Tomorrow is Dia dos Namorados, Valentine’s Day, in Brazil so I thought I’d teach you some “loving” vocabulary in Portuguese. Namorar = to date Ter um encontro com = to have a date with Um encontro = a date Você parece mais feliz depois que começou a namorar o Mike. – You look…
Contractions in Portuguese Posted by Adir on Jun 6, 2013
Hello, there! Today’s post was suggested by a reader and it covers one aspect of learning Portuguese that has students somewhat confused: the contractions. Contractions come mostly with prepositions and articles so here they are! 01. Em – in, on or at em + o = no em + a = na em + os…
How to apologize and forgive in Portuguese Posted by Adir on Jun 4, 2013
Hey, there! How’s it going? We all mess up one day or the other so it is very important to be able to say I’m sorry and also to forgive and forget, so this is the topic of our post today. Pedindo Desculpas – Apologizing Desculpe. – I’m sorry. Foi sem querer. – I didn’t…