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A Different Kind of Easter Egg Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 19, 2008
This Easter season, artisans have sold 400,000 specially-made Easter eggs from the northern Brazilian states of Para and Amazonas. The chocolate eggs, bunnies and carrots are filled with Amazon fruits, like açai, banana, bacuri, cashew, and cupuaçu. Though most orders will go to major cities in Brazil, a portion of the chocolates will also be…
Not me! Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 19, 2008
One of my favorite little expressions in Portuguese is “Eu não!” It literally means “Not me!” but is used as a negative response to a question. Here are some examples:Você vai trabalhar no feriado? Are you going to work on the holiday?Eu não! No! Você gosta do Big Brother? Do you like Big Brother?Eu não!…
US Secretary of State Takes a Trip to Brazil Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 17, 2008
U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, met with Brazilian president Lula Inácio da Silva and other government officials in Brasilia last week on an official visit. However, after her business was done, she took a detour to Salvador, Bahia, before she had to fly to Chile for more meetings. According to Reuters, Rice has always…
Do you want to… Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 16, 2008
Happy Monday! Let’s work on some useful questions. There are a few ways to ask someone if they want to do something in Portuguese. We have the main way, which we can use in the present simple and present continuous tenses: a. querer (to want) 1. Você quer…? [Voh-say kehhr] Do you want to…Example: Você…
Big Brother Brasil Madness Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 14, 2008
Many foreign TV shows are adapted in Brazil, everything from “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” to “Desperate Housewives.” But undoubtedly, the most popular foreign TV show adaptation has to be Big Brother. Each season, 14 contestants are chosen from across the country to live in a mansion in Rio de Janeiro. They can’t leave…
Baby Pumas Found in Sao Paulo Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 13, 2008
Three puma cubs were found in a sugar cane field less than 200 kilometers from the city of Sao Paulo. The species is known as “onça parda” in Portuguese. The one male and two females were abandoned by their mother, but are now under the care of feline experts at a veterinary clinic. The cubs…
The Origins of Capoeira Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 12, 2008
Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian dance based on martial arts, has become famous world-wide in recent years, in part due to the athletic workout it provides, in part due to the beauty of the dance, and in part due to its cultural implications. Capoeira developed at the beginning in the 16th century, when African slaves were brought…