Archive for 'Vocabulary'
Portuguese Idioms… Translated? Posted by polyana on Sep 21, 2010
Have you ever wondered how some expressions or idioms sound so silly if you were to translate them literally? Imagine explaining “get off your high horse,” or “blow a lid off” to someone who doesn’t speak English… Well, if you think idioms in English are bizarre, imagine those in Portuguese!! There’s a great “dictionary” that’s…
Besta in Portuguese Posted by Rachel on Sep 10, 2010
Besta is one of those words in Portuguese that has so many meanings that it’s worth taking a closer look at. 1. Animal, particularly a four-legged animal used for cargo, like a donkey Examples: besta de carga (beast of burden) Ele comprou a besta para transportar seus produtos. He bought the animal to transport his…
Words in Portuguese You Don’t Want to Get Mixed Up – Part 2 Posted by polyana on Aug 30, 2010
So last week I wrote about confusing words in Portuguese, and I clearly didn’t write about enough because a bunch of you reminded me of some I couldn’t think of!! So I figured why not keep clearing things up with your suggestions?! Let’s get straight to it, shall we? barato/a vs. barata barato/a = cheap…
Words in Portuguese You Don’t Want to Get Mixed Up! Posted by polyana on Aug 26, 2010
While travelling these past couple of weeks, I caught myself being victim to making false friends mistakes. You know those words that sound exactly like a word in your native tongue but mean something completely different? With making these embarrassing mistakes, I started thinking about words in the same language that sound alike, especially in…
Telegrama – Zeca Baleiro – Lyrics & Video Posted by polyana on Aug 24, 2010
For some reason I can’t get this song out of my head… Zeca Baleiro is one of my newest obsessions and the lyrics to “Telegrama,” make me laugh and smile and just feel good inside, so I thought I’d share with you all. Test out your listening (sort of) and try to figure out the…
Weather in Portuguese Posted by Rachel on Aug 23, 2010
It’s important to know how to talk about o tempo (the weather) in Portuguese, especially when traveling in Brazil. Today we’re going to take a look at a few basic phrases that will help you discuss the forecast and other weather-related issues. 1. Como vai estar o tempo hoje? Como estará o tempo hoje? When…
Travelling Portuguese Essentials Posted by polyana on Aug 10, 2010
Hola from Barcelona!! This is my second time ever in a country where I don’t speak the language and the first time was in Argentina where everyone spoke Portuguese anyway because of all the Brazilian tourists and I also had my friend who speaks fluent Spanish with me… I mean, I speak sooomme castellano and…