Archive by Author
Cocada de Páscoa Posted by Rachel on Apr 12, 2011
Easter is coming up, and there are many delicious Brazilian recipes this holiday. But for those of you with a sweet tooth, cocada de Páscoa is a great recipe to try. The ingredients are fairly simple: condensed milk, eggs, coconut shavings, margarine, sugar, chocolate, and heavy cream. Cocada de Páscoa – Easter Coconut Pastry Ingredientes…
How to Say “What’s Up” in Portuguese Posted by Rachel on Apr 10, 2011
We’ve talked about similar slang expressions in the past, but for beginners, it’s helpful to know a few ways to say “what’s up?” Keep in mind that these expressions are to be used in informal circumstances amongst friends. 1. E aí? This is the easiest and most common way to say “what’s up?” in Portuguese…
Desejo a vocês Posted by Rachel on Apr 8, 2011
Carlos Drummond de Andrade (1902-1987) is one of Brazil’s most celebrated modern poets. We’ve read a bit of his work before, but today, we’re going to look at one of his untitled poems and learn some vocabulary. It’s simple and straight forward, and it’s also emblematic of Brazilian culture. Desejo a vocês Fruto do mato…
Feel Better in Portuguese Posted by Rachel on Apr 5, 2011
If you want to tell someone who is sick or injured to feel better, here are a few ways to do so. 1. Melhoras This is the simplest way to tell someone to feel better, with just a single word. Você está bem? – Are you ok? Não, estou doente. – No, I’m sick. Melhoras!…
Exaltasamba Posted by Rachel on Mar 31, 2011
You may have never heard of Exaltasamba, a pagode and samba group from Brazil, but they’re a popular group that has been around since the 1980s. The group began in 1986, when the members began playing at local bars in São Bernardo do Campo, in São Paulo state. They released their first album in 1992…
Empurra-Empurra Posted by Rachel on Mar 29, 2011
While this expression literally means “push-push,” it has two uses that are useful to know. Let’s take a look. 1. Pushing and shoving This means the type of confusion you’d find in big, rowdy crowds. Houve muito empurra-empurra durante o show de rock; foi um tumulto de verdade. There was a lot of pushing and…
Fables in Portuguese Posted by Rachel on Mar 27, 2011
Fábulas, or fables, are a helpful way to learn vocabulary in Portuguese. Let’s take a look at three fables and pick out some helpful vocabulary words. O Cachorro e Sua Sombra Um cachorro, que carregava na boca um pedaço de carne, ao cruzar uma ponte sobre um riacho, vê sua imagem refletida na água. Diante…