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A Beautiful Mind Posted by Adir on Oct 17, 2013
Lord Thomas Robert Dewar said, “Minds are like parachutes, they only function when they are open”. That’s right, a mind in Portuguese can also be open: aberto = open uma mente aberta = an open mind There are several other expressions using the word mente (mind) in Portuguese that are almost the same as in…
10 Expressions with Verb “Tomar” Posted by Adir on Oct 15, 2013
Tomar is a very interesting verb to learn because it is used in so many ways. I chose 10 useful expressions with tomar to share with you today. 1. Tomar a iniciativa = to take the initiative Eu estava esperando ela tomar a iniciativa. I was waiting for her to take the initiative. Tome a…
I bet you don’t know what a “gambiarra” is! Posted by Adir on Oct 10, 2013
Olá, tudo bem? My dad, Seu Adão, is a very cool guy. He’s 66, retired and is very active. My dad has always been known to fix “anything”. In his neighborhood he’s always called to fix showers, weld fences and things of the sort. My dad was a machine mechanic (not a car one) and…
How to say “mark my words” in Portuguese Posted by Adir on Oct 7, 2013
Olá, pessoal! Tudo bem? You know when you are certai that something is going to happen in the future and you say “mark my words”? Well, in Portuguese we say “Escreve o que eu estou te falando”. Literally it means “Write down what I’m telling you” and in everyday conversational Portuguese you will hear “tô”…
A Brazilian One-Night Stand(off) Posted by Adir on Oct 3, 2013
My name is Kevin and you may have heard of me from within the foreign community in Brazil. I’m known in some circles as the “go-to guy for everything Brazil” as my advice has helped thousands of foreigners like you to live a happy life in Brazil. My path to learning Portuguese fluently hasn’t been…
How to say ‘change’ in Portuguese Posted by Adir on Sep 26, 2013
Hello, there! Every language has words that have several meanings and this is the case with “to change”. So here’s a little tip for you to get it right every time! 01. When we consider the aspect of modifying or transforming something, we say mudar: Ela mudou seu corte de cabelo. She changed her hairstyle…
06 Expressions with Verb “Quebrar” Posted by Adir on Sep 19, 2013
Hello, there! The verb quebrar, which means to break, has several and useful expressions in colloquial Portuguese. Let’s learn six of them! Ok, vamos começar! 01. Quebrar a cabeça = to rack one’s brain(s) Ele quebrou a cabeça tentando achar a solução do quebra-cabeça. He racked his brains trying to figure out the solution to…