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Part II: Transitioning from Spanish to Portuguese Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 10, 2008
Today we’ll take a look at some more false cognates in Spanish and Portuguese, continuing with tips about how to transition from Spanish to Portuguese. SPANISH ENGLISH PORTUGUESEbarata sale promoçãocucaracha cockroach barata Examples:Hay una…
Brazilian City Spotlight: Walachai, Rio Grande do Sul Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 10, 2008
One of the most impressive things about Brazil is its regional diversity. In this series, we’ll take a look at just how different Brazil’s regions and even cities and towns can be. Walachai, pronounced “vala-hi” is a small town in the southernmost state of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul. It’s located 100 kilometers from the…
Infamous Copacabana Nightclub Shutting Down Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 7, 2008
The Rio de Janeiro city government announced recently that it is shutting down one of the city’s most infamous nightclubs, “Help” in Copacabana, known for rampant prostitution and to a lesser degree, drug trafficking. Though the club used to be a hot spot for middle and upper class Cariocas in the 1980s, it gradually transformed…
Part I: Transitioning from Spanish to Portuguese Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 6, 2008
Learning Portuguese is considerably easier if you have a background in Spanish, since much of the grammar and even the vocabulary is similar. However, here are some of the pitfalls of transitioning from Spanish to Portuguese. SPANISH ENGLISH PORTUGUESE practicar practice treinar* Example: Tengo que practicar…
Brazilian Profile: Silvio Santos Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 5, 2008
Everyone loves an American dream story, even if the subject isn’t American. Silvio Santos, also known as Senor Abravanel, was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1930, the son of humble Jewish immigrant parents from Turkey and Greece. He began his working career as a street vendor, and worked his way up working in…
Deixa! Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 3, 2008
Deixar [day-shar] is a useful verb in Portuguese because there quite a few expressions that use it. Literally, it means several things: “to leave”: Deixei meu cachorro com minha irmã.I left my dog with my sister. “to stop”: Ela deixou de fumar.She stopped smoking. “to allow”: Nos deixamos nosso filho sair com os amigos.We allow…
Happy Birthday, Rio! Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 2, 2008
Parabéns, Rio! This past Saturday, March 1st, marked the 443rd birthday of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and festivities around the city marked the event, including a six meter-long birthday cake at the train station to the Christ the Redeemer monument and a free bossa nova concert on the beach in Ipanema. (To watch video footage…