Archive for 'Culture'
Brazilian Literature Posted by carol on Nov 5, 2015
Oi, gente! (Hey guys!) Reading texts in a foreign language is a great exercise for achieving fluency. Literature then, has a significant role on that regard, because it helps on the process of enriching vocabulary and developing reading comprehension skills. Today’s post will talk about Brazilian literature or, more specifically, about the prize-winning escritora (writer)…
8 expressions that use parts of the body in Portuguese Posted by Ester on Nov 3, 2015
Olá amigos! When you are practicing Portuguese, are you one of those people who speak through their elbows? If you do not know what that means, check out these expressions that use parts of the body. Now, I’m giving you the heads up, in the beginning it could be hard to remember all the expressions…
Folk Tales Posted by carol on Oct 30, 2015
Olá a todos! (Hello, all!) Since Halloween está chegando (is coming), this week’s posts have been all about showing you the scary side of our culture. Last post was about some sinister children’s songs and lullabies. Hoje (Today) we will delve even deeper into the macabre and aprender sobre (learn about) some traditional folk tales…
Scary children’s songs em Português Posted by Ester on Oct 26, 2015
Feliz Halloween, gente! Yay, it is Halloween again! With the amazing colours in nature that you can only get this time of the year, in outono (Autumn), when we celebrate the end of harvest. However, in this time of the year it is primavera (Spring) in Brazil. This is probably one of the reasons why…
Music to listen to (Part II) Posted by carol on Oct 22, 2015
Olá, amigos! (Hey, buddies!) Music tem um papel relevant (plays a relevant role) in the learning process of a foreign language. It can improve listening skills and help build up vocabulary, especially if you acompanhar a letra (follow the lyrics) to the song. Eu escrevi (I wrote) a post mês passado (last month) suggesting two major Brazilian…
The word “feira” in Português Posted by Ester on Oct 19, 2015
In most línguas (languages) the days of the week refer to either astrological bodies or pagan gods. Portuguese, however, seems to be the only Latin language which uses a different name for the dias da semana (days of the week): they all end in “feira”. The explanation dates back to the year 563 when Portuguese…
Brazilian Cinema Part II Posted by carol on Oct 9, 2015
Olá a todos! (Hey, everybody!) Mês passado (Last month) we discussed how important movies can be in shaping your understanding of a certain culture and aperfeiçoar (perfecting) your language skills. As a part of this ongoing series on Brazilian cinematic achievements, today’s selection foi baseada (was based) on the Academy Awards. Embora (Though) several Brazilian…