Archive by Author
The Librakery Posted by Rachel on Jul 12, 2011
What do you get when you combine a library and a bakery? In Curitiba, Paraná, you get a librakery! By combining a padaria (bakery) with a biblioteca (library), one man discovered that his neighborhood hangout, Pote de Mel, could be just more than a place to have coffee. Watch the video and see if you…
Se Beber, Não Dirija Posted by Rachel on Jul 8, 2011
Two bars in São Paulo, Bar Aurora and Boteco Ferraz, aren’t just local watering holes. They have an incredibly innovative marketing strategy, and they’ve created several commercials (really, public service announcements) that have won awards at Cannes. The concept is to campaign against drunk driving, by promoting the idea “se beber, não dirija” (don’t drink…
Brrr, It’s Cold! Posted by Rachel on Jul 6, 2011
While in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re enjoying summer, in the south of Brazil, it’s getting cold! Let’s take a look at some weather news and vocabulary. In Santa Catarina, it is getting very chilly. According to this article, they’re experiencing subzero temperatures (Celsius, that is): Ao menos 30 cidades da região Sul registraram temperaturas negativas…
Call a Plumber! Posted by Rachel on Jun 29, 2011
We’ve learned some bathroom vocabulary before, so today we’re going to learn some useful adjectives and verbs to go along with them, inspired by Adir‘s post from Inglês blog. 1. entupido = clogged A pia do banheiro está entupida! Precisamos de um encanador. The bathroom sink is clogged! We need a plumber. 2. consertar =…
Copa América Posted by Rachel on Jun 28, 2011
The Copa América tournament, or America Cup, is a major soccer championship held in South America every two to four years with twelve teams from Latin America and sometimes from North America or Asia (Japan, the US, and Canada have participated). The first edition was held in 1916 in Argentina, with games played between Argentina…
Veja Bem Posted by Rachel on Jun 23, 2011
Today we’re going to learn a useful expression that you can use in everyday conversation. Veja bem literally means “see here,” and can also translate as “Let me explain” or “Well now” or “Mind you.” It’s an expression you’d use before you’re about to tell someone something they may not like. Here’s an example that…
Collective Nouns in Portuguese: Objects Posted by Rachel on Jun 21, 2011
Today is our last installment of the collectives series, where we learn words for groups of objects. acervo – collection (art, collectibles, etc) baixela – tableware bagagem – luggage cartuchame – cartridges (ie for printers, video games, etc) clientela – clientele comboio – fleet of trucks, ships, or trains elenco – cast madeixa – tress/lock…