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Brazilian Wedding Gifts Posted by Rachel on Dec 6, 2010
In a previous post, Poly talked about Brazilian wedding traditions and what to expect at a Brazilian wedding. Today we’re going to discuss more wedding traditions, specifically about gifts. Inspired by seeing the tradition in action at my brother-in-law’s wedding, I thought it would be fun to share! There are a couple of different options…
Again in Portuguese Posted by Rachel on Dec 3, 2010
Inspired by the Spanish Blog post with the same concept, today we’re going to look at the different ways to say “again” in Portuguese. 1. de novo This can be used in all circumstances, and is the simplest way to use “again.” Adorei o filme! Queria vê-lo de novo. I loved the movie! I want…
How to Make Pamonha Posted by Rachel on Nov 30, 2010
Pamonha is a traditional Brazilian food made from corn and milk eaten throughout the country. Sometimes it has additional fillings, like meat or cheese, but you’ll most commonly find it sold in its simplest state wrapped in a corn husk. The word comes from the Tupi Guarani language, which means sticky. In certain regions of…
The Word Mergulho Posted by Rachel on Nov 23, 2010
Mergulho has few different meanings, so it’s a useful Portuguese vocabulary word to know, especially when traveling. 1. Scuba Diving This is the noun used for scuba in Brazilian Portuguese. Here’s an example: Durante as férias, gosto de curtir a praia e fazer mergulho. During the holidays, I like to enjoy the beach and go…
Portuguese-Speaking Countries Posted by Rachel on Nov 19, 2010
While Transparent’s Portuguese Blog’s main focus is on Brazil and Brazilian Portuguese, it’s also important to know where else Portuguese is spoken in the world! Here are the countries where Portuguese is the official language: 1. Portugal (population: 10 million) The birthplace of this beautiful language, there are around twelve dialects, ranging from Açoriano…
Brazilians Fighting Autism Posted by Rachel on Nov 18, 2010
This week, an interesting story came out in the news about Brazilian scientists working in the United States on an autism study. They discovered an autism “neuron” that they managed to fix in a laboratory experiment. The ground-breaking study, led by Brazilian molecular biologist Alysson Muotri, showed that there may be a possibility to treat…
Sloth in Portuguese Posted by Rachel on Nov 16, 2010
While you may remember that preguiça means laziness, it can also be used to describe a famous Brazilian animal: the bicho-preguiça, or the sloth. This animal, which in Portuguese is pronounced bee-shoo preh-gee-sah, not only lives in the Amazon, but also throughout Brazil, particularly in the Mata Atlântica. This sweet, slow-moving creature prefers to hang…