Archive for 'Learning'
Brazilian Portuguese vs. European Portuguese Posted by Rachel on Jun 16, 2010
We get a lot of questions on Facebook about why we don’t feature content teaching European Portuguese. The simple answer is that none of the Portuguese bloggers know European Portuguese – only Brazilian Portuguese. The longer answer, which follows in detail, is that the two are so different that they are taught individually, almost as…
Using Precisar Posted by Rachel on Jun 2, 2010
Precisar is a key verb to learn in Portuguese, especially since it is used in two different contexts with two different grammatical formats. The key grammatical difference is the use of the preposition de, which can sometimes be a little confusing. Precisar = to need When used as the verb to need, precisar is followed…
Tocar vs. Brincar vs. Jogar Posted by Rachel on May 25, 2010
Sometimes, there’s more than one word for a single word in English. The three words tocar, brincar, and jogar are a perfect example, since they all translate as “to play” in English. tocar = to play (instrument) or to ring brincar = to play (children) jogar = to play (game/sport) Let’s take a look at…
Brazilian Recipe: Strawberry Bon Bons Posted by Rachel on May 19, 2010
Despite Europe’s reputation for the world’s best chocolate, Brazil has some amazing chocolate of its own. Today, we’re going to learn how to make strawberry and chocolate bon bons, which is actually a relatively simple recipe using condensed milk, powdered milk, milk chocolate, and strawberries. Que saboroso! Bom bom de morango – from M de…
Levar vs. Trazer Posted by Rachel on May 18, 2010
Like those learning the equivalent English verbs to take and to bring, the verbs levar and trazer can sometimes be a little confusing, especially since we can translate levar as both to take and to bring in English. Here are some examples that will help you remember how to distinguish the two. For the purposes…
Reading Comprehension: Lizards Posted by Rachel on May 14, 2010
Today we’re going to look at an article about lizards and global warming. Have a read and try to answer the questions. Aquecimento global já leva populações de lagartos à extinção, Estadão Excerpt: “O aquecimento global está inviabilizando a sobrevivência de várias populações de lagartos, reduzindo o tempo em que os animais se mantêm ativos…
Reading Comprehension: Public Health Posted by Rachel on Apr 28, 2010
For today’s reading comprehension exercise, we’re going to take a look at a hot topic in Brazil this week: a new study about hypertension and Brazilian health. Principal causador da hipertensão, sal é o novo vilão da dieta – VEJA Excerpt: Depois da guerra travada contra o tabaco e o açúcar, as autoridades de saúde…