Archive by Author
Brazil’s Real-Time Facebook Likes Posted by Rachel on May 7, 2012
C&A, a large retailer in Brazil, decided to try an experiment that combines social media and fashion in a mall in São Paulo. From Vila Mulher: Estamos sempre sendo bombardeadas com novidades fashion que acabam hipnotizando a gente para ficar sempre de olho no que há de melhor nas fast fashions. A C&A inventou mais…
Dengue Fever in Brazil Posted by Rachel on Apr 30, 2012
While there are parts of Brazil where it’s recommended to get certain immunizations or take malaria pills, but there’s a health risk in many of Brazil’s warm coastal areas that has no preventable vaccine or drug. That’s dengue fever, called dengue (dehng-ee), which comes from mosquitoes. Though the most common type causes flu-like symptoms, there…
Working Out in Portuguese Posted by Rachel on Apr 28, 2012
Exercise (exercício) is an important part of life in several of Brazil’s big cities such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasília. Today we’re going to review some vocabulary related to exercise and working out. corpo – body malhar – to work out malhação – working out ginástica – work out entrar em forma…
História vs. Estória Posted by Rachel on Apr 27, 2012
In learning Portuguese, you may have come across two words that sound a lot alike, but are different when they’re written. But they also have different meanings. História [eest-OH-ree-ah] is history, as in the history of Brazil, or the history of music. It can also be an occurrence or a biography; in other words, something…
Brazil’s Quilombos Posted by Rachel on Apr 25, 2012
One of the lasting remnants of the era of slavery in Brazil are its quilombos, former slave runaway communities in rural areas. One of the most famous of the quilombos was Palmares, home of the national hero Zumbi dos Palmares, but there were quilombos in states throughout the country. Here’s a little background, in Portuguese…
Recipe: Biscoitos Amanteigados Posted by Rachel on Apr 24, 2012
Brazil has great desserts, and there are lots of good recipes for biscoitos, or cookies. One of the simplest cookie recipes is for shortbread cookies, or biscoitos amanteigados. Read the instructions and check out the video tutorial. Biscoitos amanteigados Ingredientes 1 xícara (chá) de farinha de trigo 1/4 xícara (chá) de açúcar 1/2 xícara (chá)…
Brazilian Freestyle Documentary Posted by Rachel on Apr 23, 2012
The other day, I came across an interesting short documentary on freestyle hip hop in Brazil. If you’ve seen the Elite Squad movies, you’ll notice a surprising familiar face! Watch the video, and see if you catch some of the keywords below. Keywords improviso – improvisation público – audience criatividade – creativity sentimento – feeling…