Brazil Economic News Posted by Rachel on May 5, 2009
Let’s take a look at some of the headlines about the Brazilian economy, which seems to be doing well despite the crisis: Brazil April Trade Surplus Widens to $3.71 Billion, Wall Street Journal Brazil’s GDP May Shrink Less Than Previously Forecast, Bloomberg Bradesco Earnings Drop 18% in Q1, Business News Americas Brazil Stocks Up More…
Brazil State Championships Posted by Rachel on May 4, 2009
Yesterday, Brazil held its state soccer championships, one of the most important sports events of the year. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights: The Corinthians won the São Paulo cup, though there was a potentially serious accident during the victory celebration; Cruzeiro beat Atlético to win the cup in Minas Gerais; Vitória…
Learning Portuguese Posted by Rachel on May 1, 2009
Today’s interactive post is about your motivation to learn Portuguese. The question is: Why do you want or need to learn Portuguese? Is it for business or pleasure? Do you have friends or family from Brazil? Or are you learning purely for fun? Let’s hear from you!
Podcast: Talking about the movies Posted by Rachel on Apr 30, 2009
Click here to listen to today’s podcast! Movie Podcast UPDATE: Here’s the temporary link to the podcast. Sorry about the problem–we’re working on fixing it. Check out the BYKI list! Today, we’re going to talk about movies. Eu gosto muito de filme. Estou acostumado a ver filmes de ação ou de drama. Mas de vez…
Brazilian Profile: Roberto Carlos Posted by Rachel on Apr 29, 2009
Though Brazil is known for its samba and bossa nova musicians worldwide, it may come as a surprise that Brazil’s most successful singer is actually a Barry Manilow-style crooner. In his fifty year career, Roberto Carlos has sold over 100 million albums, more than any Brazilian or Latin American musician. Born in 1941, Roberto grew…
Brazilian Cooking Series: Part VI Posted by Rachel on Apr 28, 2009
Today we’re going to learn how to make moqueca de camarão, or shrimp stew, a specialty from Bahia in Brazil’s northeast region. The recipe is based on an African recipe brought by the slaves from Western Africa to Brazil. It uses distinctly African ingredients, like dende oil and coconut milk. This stew is eaten with…
Video Learning Series: Commericals Posted by Rachel on Apr 27, 2009
A great way to practice your Portuguese is by watching television commercials, since they use straightforward language and important vocabulary words. I’ve included a few here which should hopefully not be too difficult, including one for juice, another for toothpaste, and another for shampoo. Take a look and practice your listening!