Foreign Business in Brazil: New Series Posted by Rachel on Oct 15, 2008
This is the first of a new series about foreigners doing business in Brazil, since the economy has grown and diversified in the last few years. Today we’re going to look at James Crane-Baker, the founder and CEO of a start-up based in Rio de Janeiro. After working on Wall Street for ten years, James…
Brazilian Oktoberfest Posted by Rachel on Oct 14, 2008
Believe it or not, Brazil has a huge Oktoberfest celebration every year in October, modeled after the German version. It takes place in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, which was originally settled by German immigrants. Brazilian Oktoberfest is the largest German festival outside of Germany, as well as the second largest Oktoberfest celebration in the world. Brazilian…
Portuguese Personal Pronouns Posted by Rachel on Oct 13, 2008
It’s important to know all of the person pronouns in Portuguese, even if you may not use all of them: Eu (I) [Ee-ew] Tu (you, informal) [Too] Você (you, formal), Ela (She), Ele (He) [Voh-say, eh-lah, eh-lee] Nós (We) [Noi-ss] Vós (all of you, informal) [Voice] Vocês (all of you, formal), Elas (them, feminine), Eles…
National Soccer Museum Opens in São Paulo Posted by Rachel on Oct 12, 2008
Last week, the official Brazilian National Soccer Museum opened in São Paulo, in a ceremony attended by soccer legend Pelé and the governors of São Paulo and Rio, amongst others. Maracana Stadium in Rio used to have a soccer museum, but poor attendance led to its closing, and the new museum hopes to attract domestic…
Brazilian Cooking Series: Part III Posted by Rachel on Oct 9, 2008
Today we’re going to learn about acarajé, a traditional snack from Bahia. Acarajé originally came from Western Africa, and is still sold on the streets of Nigeria. The recipe was brought to Brazil by slaves, and became a popular food in the Northeast of Brazil which had a high concentration of slaves. It is…
Valeu! Posted by Rachel on Oct 8, 2008
We’ve gone over this word before in podcasts, but today we’re going to take a closer look at its meanings. It is considered giria (slang) and has very specific uses. 1. Thanks! Valeu (prononced vah-lay-ew) is a slangy way to say thanks, and is used among young people. Boy 1: Pode me emprestar cinco reais?…
Brazilian Humor Online Posted by Rachel on Oct 7, 2008
Humor websites are a good way to practice your Portuguese, especially to see slang in context. Here are some good places to start: Irmãos Brain — a cartoon site about three Lego characters living outside of São Paulo Dr. Pepper — another cartoon site with off-color humor and bad words (featured below) BobAgento — a…