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Grammar: Contractions with Countries and Cities Posted by Adir on Sep 12, 2014
Olá pessoal! Portuguese has some preposition + article contractions that foreign students don’t always get right. So first let’s review the most common contractions with em (at, in, on) and de (of, from). Em em + o = no em + a = na em + os = nos em + as = nas De…
Pronunciation Practice: A Outra Noite Posted by Adir on Sep 9, 2014
Olá, pessoal! In this post we’re going to practice our pronunciation and reading in Portuguese. Below you have a text called “A Outra Noite”, by Rubem Alves. I recorded the text in regular speed (not too slow and not too fast) so you can follow with the text. My study tip is: listen to the…
Business: Making Appointments in Portuguese Posted by Adir on Aug 29, 2014
Hello there! So you’re already pretty good at Portuguese and want to improve your business language – this post is for you! We’re going to start with how to make appointments in a business scenario. Remember that these are ready-made sentences that are going to help you because you don’t need to reinvent the wheel –…
What The Hell Is A “Rodízio”? Posted by Adir on Aug 25, 2014
Olá, pessoal! Rodízio is a very Brazilian word and there are two basic meanings. 1. Rodízio de comida A rodízio is a kind of service at a restaurant that serves all-you-eat meals, especially barbecue. You can have: rodízio de carne rodízio de churrasco rodízio de pizza rodízio de risotto In restaurants where rodízios are served…
Dialogue: Life Without Computers Posted by Adir on Aug 20, 2014
A good way of learning a foreign language is studying the same dialogue over and over again. That way you’ll be able to see the same structure and end up noticing some patterns in grammar, vocabulary and also pronunciation. So were we go! Listen to the audio many times and *MASTER* this conversation! A Vida…
Brazilian Recipe: Bolo de Rolo Posted by Adir on Aug 15, 2014
I went to a teacher’s convention in João Pessoa, state of Paraíba, and there I had the chance to eat “bolo de rolo”. The bolo de rolo is a kind of roll cake with very thin layers and it has guava jam inside. It’s one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten! I found…
How To Say “It’s Said That…” in Portuguese Posted by Adir on Aug 5, 2014
In Portuguese grammar we have something called “voz passiva sintética” which is the shortest form of the passive voice. In Portuguese this kind of “voice” doesn’t have a subject so we use the main verb + the particle “se”. Instead of overanalyzing it, let me give you some real examples in Portuguese and in English…