Archive for 'Learning'
Opa! Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 15, 2008
Today we’re going to look at some interjections. 1.Oba [oh-bah] — Wow! Woah! Example: Oba! Você está linda. Wow! You look beauitful. Oba! A casa está muito limpa. Woah! The house is really clean. Also, in the countryside and rural parts of Brazil, you’ll hear people use “oba” as a greeting, instead of “oi” or…
Poor thing! Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 9, 2008
The word for “poor thing” in Portuguese is coitado, which to the English-speaking ear may sound a bit odd, but don’t worry–it’s not a bad word. We use coitado for males and coitada for females, and add an –inho or –inha if we want to say “poor little thing.” For example: Ele está com dengue…
More than just a cat Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 3, 2008
In Brazilian Portuguese, the word “gato” has three very different meanings. 1. Cat Example: A velinha tem cinco gatos. The old lady has five cats. 2. Cute, hot, or attractive person Examples: Seu irmão é tão gato! Your brother is so cute! Eu acho ela muito gata. I think she’s really hot. 3. Stolen/illegal (usually…
Gostar Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 31, 2008
Gostar is an important verb to learn and is luckily fairly easy to use. It means “to like,” but is used in various contexts. Unlike the Spanish gustar, which is a bit tricky for English-speakers to learn, gostar is a completely regular verb. Here are of gostar‘s uses. First, in the present tense, it can…
Showing Surprise: Part II Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 28, 2008
To finish the week, we’ll look at three more expressions used to show surprise in Portuguese. 1. Puxa / puxa vida! (poo-shah / poo-shah vee-dah): Jeez! Man! Gosh! This expression is meant to show surprise, indignation, or frustration. Examples: Puxa! Esta cidade é bem cara. Man! This city is expensive. Puxa vida! Você esqueceu de…
Showing Surprise Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 24, 2008
There are a rich array of ways to display surprise in Brazilian Portuguese. Let’s look at some of them. 1. Nossa Senhora or Nossa! [Noh-sah Seen-yor-ah]This is a very common Brazilian expression. The full expression is “Nossa Senhora Aparecida,” which is the patron saint of Brazil. It’s a nicer way of saying “Oh my god!”…
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!…