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Being rude in Portuguese Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 21, 2008
One of the things that is difficult for English speakers to deal with when learning Portuguese is the feeling that Portuguese can be really rude. Linguistically and culturally, Brazilian Portuguese has some important differences from English that one needs to be aware of. First of all, making requests in Brazilian Portuguese are generally made with…
Gente Boa Contest in Rio Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 20, 2008
One of Brazil’s most important newspapers, O Globo, is sponsoring a contest in Rio de Janeiro to pick Rio’s most popular figura, which translates best as a “colorful character.” For five years, the newspaper has had an annual competition to decide which Carioca (a person who lives in Rio) is the most popular colorful character…
‘Chalkboard’ in Portuguese Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 19, 2008
…is Lousa, pronounced ‘low-zah‘. To say ‘erase the chalkboard/blackboard’ in Portuguese, use the verb apagar: apagar a lousa (to erase the chalkboard).
Tecla SAP Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 11, 2008
Preeminent English-for-Brazilians blog Tecla SAP gets a facelift, new address, and continues to grow Ulisses W. Carvalho has been publishing this fantastic resource for some time now, which is evident from his readership, which hovers around the 30,000 mark! The focus is on easy-to-digest tips (dicas), translations of Brazilian colloquialisms (expressões idiomáticas), short quizzes, exercises…
Deforestation of the Amazon on Rapid Rise Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 4, 2008
Rising commodities prices have given developers added incentive to clear the Amazon lately. The BBC has an informative article about the disturbing velocity with which the rainforest has been disappearing. Seems like the world needs more and more soy. Read the article. Image: BBC
Go with the Flow: in Portuguese! Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 1, 2008
Ever try to say ‘chill,’ or ‘laid-back’ in Portuguese? For a long time I’ve been trying to find just the right way of saying the equivalent of ‘I’m just chilling,’ and I think I’ve found it. Here’s a quick list of terms for when you are ‘just kicking it’ in Portuguese: relax: relaxed, chill, ‘all-good’…
Fala Bonito Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 31, 2008
Fala Bonito is the most-read blog regarding the Portuguese language that I have found. Rene Marcondes posts often and well regarding aspects of the Portuguese language, Brazil, and also on varied aspects of linguistics in general. Rene also offers courses, though my impression is that they are mainly for native Spanish speakers, though I…