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I Wish! Posted by Rachel on Mar 25, 2011
Today we’re going to learn a helpful expression to say “I wish”: Quem dera. Literally, it doesn’t make much sense to a non-native speaker, since literally it translates as “who gives.” But it really means “I wish”or “If only!” Let’s look at some examples. -Você vai no casamento real? Are you going to the royal…
The Carioca Accent Posted by Rachel on Mar 24, 2011
We’ve talked about regional slang in the past, including vocabulary about how to speak like a Carioca. But after I saw this video, I thought it would be helpful to talk a little bit about regional accents as well, and in this case, the Rio de Janeiro accent. Cariocas da gema (which literally means, people…
Restart Interviews Posted by Rachel on Mar 17, 2011
Restart is a popular Brazilian pop band especially popular with teenagers. Today, we’re going to listen to some of their interviews to practice listening comprehension. The band recently got into trouble because of this interview. Why is that? In this interview, the guys talk about how they got started. When did the idea for the…
Obama’s Brazil Trip Posted by Rachel on Mar 15, 2011
President Barack Obama is headed to Brazil this week in his first ever visit to Brazil, and in his first official trip to Latin America. He will spend a day in Brasília, where he will meet with President Dilma Rousseff and government officials, and then he will spend a day in Rio de Janeiro, where…
Listening Comprehension: TEDx Posted by Rachel on Mar 10, 2011
I recently discovered that there are dozens of TED Talks from independent events in Brazil available online, and they’re not only fun and interesting, but they’re a perfect opportunity to practice your listening comprehension skills. It’s a great way not only to listen to a short speech, but to also pick up some slang and…
Rio De Janeiro Samba Schools Posted by Rachel on Mar 6, 2011
Já é Carnaval! Recently, we learned about Carnival in São Paulo and Minas Gerais, and we’ve learned about Carnival in Rio and Recife before. Today begins Rio de Janeiro’s samba school competition, when the city’s top twelve schools compete against each other at the Sambodrome. A samba school is a group that develops original songs…
Bora and Embora Posted by Rachel on Mar 3, 2011
Embora is a very helpful word for everyday use in Portuguese, and bora is a nice slangy expression that comes from it, one that will make you sound like much more of a native speaker. Let’s take a look at how they are used, and then to practice. Try writing a sentence of your own…