The Real El Dorado Posted by Rachel on Jan 7, 2010
Yesterday, The Guardian published an article about a study of the Brazilian Amazon that indicates that the long lost mythical city of El Dorado did in fact exist, and existed in pre-Columbian Brazil. While researchers haven’t actually found a city made of gold, they have discovered 200 earthworks built over a span of 155 miles…
Flooding in SP and RJ Posted by Rachel on Jan 6, 2010
This week, there was terrible flooding from heavy rains in both São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, which caused mudslides in several areas. In Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande, in the state of Rio, fifty people were killed by mudslides. On Ilha Grande, a mudslide destroyed an entire pousada and killed around a dozen…
Podcast: New Year’s Greetings Posted by Rachel on Jan 5, 2010
For today’s podcast, we’re going to look at greetings, some of which are specific to the New Year, and others that you can use for other occasions. We’re going to look at greetings that use the subjunctive, as well as some basic phrases. The podcast is a bit more conversational with less text to look…
Bovespa Ends 2009 with Highest Global Gains Posted by Rachel on Dec 31, 2009
Estadão announced today that Bovespa, the Brazilian stock market located in São Paulo, closed the year with the highest gains of any stock market in the world. It closed at a high of 120.9 percent, compared to 118 percent in Indonesia, 25.4 percent in the United States, and 6.7 percent in Japan. This percentage is…
Réveillon Posted by Rachel on Dec 30, 2009
The word for New Year’s Eve in Portuguese is Réveillon, which actually comes from the French word réveillon, which means eve. Happy New Year is Feliz Ano Novo. On New Year’s in Brazil, people dress in white, a tradition that comes from Afro-Brazilian religions. In the coastal cities, people throw flowers into the ocean as…
Countries in Portuguese Posted by Rachel on Dec 29, 2009
Today, we’re going to take a look at the names of countries in Portuguese that appear frequently in the news that will be useful to know. Brazil = Brasil (pronounced brah-ZEEW) United States = Estados Unidos / EUA (short for Estados Unidos de América) Canada = Canadá (note that the stress falls on the last…
Lyrics Practice: Maria Bethânia Posted by Rachel on Dec 28, 2009
As the holidays come to a close, let’s take an opportunity to listen to a holiday song in Portuguese and follow along with the music. This song is called “Boas Festas,” which as you remember from Friday, means Happy Holidays. Listen to the song and follow along with the words, and then see if you…