Archive by Author
Folclore brasileiro – Brazilian Folkore Posted by Ester on Jun 1, 2015
Folclore brasileiro is part of Brazilian culture and represents popular culture and social identity from different parts of the country. There are various myths, tales and legends which originated from either cultura africana (African culture), tradição indígena (indigenous tradition), a igreja católica (the Catholic Church) or medieval Iberian traditions brought to Brazil by the Portuguese…
Pronomes reflexivos em Português Brasileiro (Portuguese) Posted by Ester on May 25, 2015
Oi gente, tudo bom? Using the pronomes reflexivos reflexive pronouns in Portuguese is easier than you think. They are used when the subject and the object are the same. Sujeito (subject) + me/se/nos/te + verbo Eu me Você se / Tu te Ele se Nós nos Vocês se Eles se Como usá-los (how to use…
Regiões (regions) do Brasil Posted by Ester on May 18, 2015
In order to understand Brasil, the language and the culture it is important to know more about each one of the 5 regiões (regions). Brasil has 27 unidades federativas (federative units): * 26 estados (states) * 1 Distrito Federal (Federal District) The country is divided in 5 regiões: Norte (North), Nordeste (Northeast), Centro-oeste (West-Central), Sudeste (Southeast) and…
Catching some Z’s in Portuguese Posted by Ester on May 11, 2015
Some people need more sleep than others, but who doesn’t enjoy a good night sleep or even taking a nap during the day? Talking about how you slept and sleeping habits in general are topics which are highly likely to come up in everyday conversation. For you to be able to properly engage it is…
OMG! Texting your friends in Portuguese Posted by Ester on May 4, 2015
Oi galera! Tudo bom? Gírias na internet (internet slangs) can add some extra difficulty for someone who is trying to understand a post on Facebook, twitter or any of the variety of social networks which are used by most people on a daily basis. Nowadays it can be really hard, not to say impossible, to…
13 Brazilian Portuguese expressions with the verb “dar” Posted by Ester on Apr 27, 2015
Olá pessoal. Nesta semana (this week) we are going take a look at some idiomatic expressions with the verb dar. This verb means literally to give, but it could also mean something else if applied to the contexts below: Dar zebra Meaning: zebra means the same in English as it does in Portuguese with…
Jogos Olímpicos – Olympic games, Brazil 2016 Posted by Ester on Apr 20, 2015
After successfully hosting the Copa do Mundo de Futebol (Soccer World Cup) last year, Brazil is also hosting the 2016 Jogos Olímpicos which will take place in Rio de Janeiro, the amazing Brazilian city also known as “Cidade Maravilhosa” (marvellous city). Rio was given this nickname due to a song which became some kind of…