Music to listen to (Part II) Posted by carol on Oct 22, 2015
Olá, amigos! (Hey, buddies!) Music tem um papel relevant (plays a relevant role) in the learning process of a foreign language. It can improve listening skills and help build up vocabulary, especially if you acompanhar a letra (follow the lyrics) to the song. Eu escrevi (I wrote) a post mês passado (last month) suggesting two major Brazilian…
The word “feira” in Português Posted by Ester on Oct 19, 2015
In most línguas (languages) the days of the week refer to either astrological bodies or pagan gods. Portuguese, however, seems to be the only Latin language which uses a different name for the dias da semana (days of the week): they all end in “feira”. The explanation dates back to the year 563 when Portuguese…
Preposition of place em Português Posted by Ester on Oct 12, 2015
Como vão vocês, amigos? Where is there a pen I can use? There are better ways of answering that question than pointing and saying “there”. Knowing the following prepositions of place will be of great help: Em cima de – on Em baixo de – under Acima de/sobre – over Entre – between Do lado…
Brazilian Cinema Part II Posted by carol on Oct 9, 2015
Olá a todos! (Hey, everybody!) Mês passado (Last month) we discussed how important movies can be in shaping your understanding of a certain culture and aperfeiçoar (perfecting) your language skills. As a part of this ongoing series on Brazilian cinematic achievements, today’s selection foi baseada (was based) on the Academy Awards. Embora (Though) several Brazilian…
Going to the médico (doctor) in Brazil Posted by Ester on Oct 5, 2015
Oi de novo pessoal! Going to the doctor is never pleasant, having to do so in a different culture and language could be quite estressante (stressful). So here are some tips and vocabulary to help you out. In some cultures it is quite common for people to go first to the General Practitioner, who will…
Historical Cities in Brazil Posted by carol on Oct 2, 2015
If compared to European countries, Brazil is relatively jovem (young), being only a little over 500 years old. No entanto, (nevertheless), there are a great deal of cidades históricas (historical cities) like Ouro Preto, Tiradentes, Paraty, Olinda, Porto Seguro, Salvador among others that are part of our cultural heritage and stand as tributes to nosso…
Letters L, NH, LH and QU in Português Brasileiro Posted by Ester on Sep 28, 2015
Olá mais uma vez, gente! (Hello again, guys) For the past two weeks, we have been busy getting to know some letters and their sounds in Portuguese. We have covered the letters S and R, and X and CH. This week we will finish up with some relatively easier ones: the letters L, NH…