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Lyrics Translation: The Girl From Ipanema Posted by Rachel on Mar 23, 2010
One of the most internationally famous bossa nova songs of all time, The Girl from Ipanema is a classic with easy to follow lyrics. It’s useful to see a side by side translation, especially since the song is also sung in English (the most famous recording by Frank Sinatra), but with slightly different lyrics. Here…
The Ariranha Posted by Rachel on Mar 18, 2010
Today we’re going to learn about the ariranha, or giant otter, a mammal native to the Pantanal region and Amazon river basin in Brazil. The ariranha, a mammal with an amphibious lifestyle, lives most of the time on land but also lives in freshwater rivers and streams. It has large eyes and small ears…
The Floating Bank of the Amazon Posted by Rachel on Mar 17, 2010
Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal published a fascinating article about Bradesco Bank’s newest strategy for reaching Brazilians in rural areas of the Amazon: putting a bank on a riverboat. The article describes how the bank’s manager goes out every two weeks and searches for new customers along the banks of the Amazon. An excerpt: “Modest…
Reading Comprehension: On Tour Posted by Rachel on Mar 16, 2010
Today we’re going to do a reading comprehension exercise about an American band on tour in Brazil. Guns N’Roses deve se apresentar no Rio em abril Excerpt: “Cancelado no domingo por conta do temporal que caiu no Rio, o show do Guns N´Roses na Praça da Apoteose deverá ser remarcado para o início do mês…
Abafar and Desabafar Posted by Rachel on Mar 12, 2010
Two very handy verbs to learn in Portuguese are abafar and desabafar. Not only do they sound satisfying when spoken, but they are also useful in several contexts. abafar = smother / repress, keep a secret / muffle / cover to retain heat Examples: A imprensa abafou o caso do politíco corrupto. The press stifled…
Águas de Março Posted by Rachel on Mar 10, 2010
Happy March! The song “Waters of March,” originally written by Tom Jobim and performed here by Elis Regina, is a true classic. It also has an interesting backstory: in Rio de Janeiro, March is a very rainy month with lots of flooding, and Jobim was inspired by the Rio weather, and actually wrote the music…
Brazilian Novelas Posted by Rachel on Mar 9, 2010
Brazilian novelas, or soap operas, are famous the world over and are broadcast in countries throughout Latin America, Africa, and Europe. Watching novelas is an excellent way to work on your listening comprehension skills, as well as to build your vocabulary. Luckily, many novelas are now available on YouTube, and you can watch entire episodes…