New York Hosts “Brazilian Modern” Posted by Rachel on Mar 6, 2009
The New York Botanical Garden will be home to th “Brazilian Modern” exhibit from February 28 – April 12, featuring thousands of orchids as well as bromeliads, cacau trees, palms, bamboo and other Brazilian plants. The exhibit was designed by landscape artist Raymond Jungles, who was inspired by Brazil’s most famous landscape designer, Roberto Burle…
Online Brazil Photography Collection Posted by Rachel on Mar 5, 2009
Until June, you can access one of the most spectacular collections of Brazilian photography with works dating from the late 1800s to the 1980s, taken by professionals and amateurs alike. The majority of the collection was taken in Rio de Janeiro but there are sections in other states, like São Paulo. The collection is organized…
Say what? Posted by Rachel on Mar 4, 2009
There are a number of different ways to react when you don’t understand or didn’t hear what someone said in Portuguese. Let’s take a look: 1. Oi? This is frequently used when you didn’t catch what the person said. Though it literally means hi, it is also used as what? 2. Como? Though this also…
São Paulo Restaurant Week Posted by Rachel on Mar 3, 2009
Inspired by New York Restaurant Week, São Paulo began its own restaurant week four years ago. It begins today and runs through March 15th. Over one hundred restaurants are participating, offering R$25 lunches, R$39 dinners or both. To see the full list of restaurants, see the official site and the Globo guide. This year’s edition…
Video Learning Series in Portuguese Posted by Rachel on Mar 2, 2009
Continuing with the video learning series in Portuguese, we’re going to take a look at some videos today to help practice listening comprehension. In this week’s three part series, we’re going to learn about Machado de Assis (1839-1908), one of Brazil’s most acclaimed writers.
Podcast: Using the past tense to discuss Carnival Posted by Rachel on Feb 27, 2009
Carnival Past Tense Podcast Make sure you check out the BYKI list here. Today, we’re going to look at the difference between the perfect preterite and the imperfect preterite in the past tense using ser and estar, as well as other verbs. We’ll also be talking about Carnival. Ontem eu fui assistir o desfile no…
Carnival in Brazil: Rio de Janeiro Posted by Rachel on Feb 26, 2009
Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival is the best known worldwide. Though the most famous part is the Sambodrome parade, the blocos (street parades) are also the mainstay of Rio’s Carnival. Over two nights, twelve samba schools parade down the avenue in the Sambodrome for 82 minutes. Judges analyze a number of aspects about each school, including…