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A Banda Mais Bonita Da Cidade Posted by Rachel on May 27, 2011
A band from Curitiba, Paraná recently released a video that has blown up on the Internet with close to 3 million views and newfound fans from around the world. The song, called Oração, which means prayer, is performed by a group called A Banda Mais Bonita Da Cidade. They have various other songs out but…
Hard to Believe Posted by Rachel on May 25, 2011
The other day, I was talking to a Brazilian friend and he used an expression that I wanted to share, since it’s perfect for using in everyday conversation. Por mais incrível que pareça / Pelo incrível que pareça This expression roughly translates as, “As difficult as it is to believe,” or “As hard as it…
Collective Nouns in Portuguese: Animals Posted by Rachel on May 24, 2011
While these nouns aren’t as vital to daily conversation as some other nouns you’ll learn here, they’ll help you sound like a much more experienced speaker. Today, we’re going to learn about animal collectives, or coletivos. alcateia = pack (of wolves, hyenas, wild dogs) cáfila = caravan of camels cardume = school of fish enxame…
Non-Verbal Communication: Part II Posted by Rachel on May 17, 2011
Continuing with our non-verbal communication series, we’re going to learn another hand gesture common in Brazil. The two hand slap This gesture is used to express the idea that you don’t care, or that something doesn’t matter to you. Let’s say you’re talking with your friend about how your friends got tickets to a show…
Non-Verbal Communication: Part I Posted by Rachel on May 13, 2011
We’ve talked a bit about non-verbal communication in the past, namely about hand gestures used in conjunction with certain themes in Brazilian Portuguese. We learned that when using depois, you can use a hand gesture to signal “maybe later” or “come back later.” In a new series, we’re going to learn about hand gestures you…
Reading Comprehension: Rock in Rio Posted by Rachel on May 12, 2011
Rock in Rio is a series of music festivals held in Brazil, Portugal and Spain. The first concert series was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1985, attended by 1.5 million people. Two other shows were held in Brazil in 1991 and 2001, and now the mega-show is coming back to Rio in 2011. Today…
Hopefully Posted by Rachel on May 6, 2011
There’s a number of ways to say “hopefully” in Portuguese. Let’s take a look at the various expressions and learn how! 1. Oxalá If you know Spanish or Arabic, this word will look familiar to you, and with good reason. It comes from the same meaning (in sa alla in Arabic, ojalá in Spanish), which…