[Atividade de escuta e leitura em Português]

Olá, galera! Hey, you guys!

Today we are going to practice some listening and reading skills. We are going over the text “O Primeiro Dia” (The First Day) extracted from the short story collection Comédias Brasileiras de Verão (Brazilian Summer Comedies) by beloved Brazilian author and comedian Luís Fernando Veríssimo. Are you up for it? This exercise is going to be divided into three parts:

1. Listen to the audio first. See if you can identify any words and write them down, if you want to.
2. Scroll down and read the text. You can try reading it out loud to practice your pronunciation and speaking skills, or play the audio again and follow as you listen. Read each sentence carefully and see what you can recognize and understand.
3. Check the translated text. What were you able to grasp? Which parts were the most difficult? Now it’s a good idea to read the text in Portuguese again now that you know its full meaning.

1.  Ouça/ Listen

2. Leia/ Read

O Primeiro Dia

No Brasil, como se sabe, o verdadeiro dia primeiro de janeiro é a quarta-feira de cinzas – à tarde. É o dia nacional do recomeço solene, quando milhões de pessoas em todo o país colocam a mão sobre uma agenda nova e juram dizer a verdade, fazer o bem e somente o bem, organizar suas estantes, procurar seus amigos, para de fumar, beber menos, comer melhor, visitar a tia Cleoci e pelo menos se esforçar para entender a teoria quântica, já que a econômica é impossível. Enfim, começar uma nova vida. Da Capo. Do zero. É o primeiro dia da volta ao Paraíso antes da serpente original. Descontada a ressaca, somos os adãos e as evas da segunda chance, prontos para reinaugurar o mundo. Isto se chama chão e isto parede, aquilo lá fora sol e isto na minha mão comprimido antiácido, ou será o contrário? Depende da nossa vontade e somente dela. O futuro é uma folha pautada, esperando a primeira anotação do ano, que tanto pode ser “Dentista” na sexta quanto “Deus, levar questionário” no sábado. Dia de contrição e onipotência. A virtude nos envolve como um halo e somos outros, somos decididamente outros, e certamente melhores. Uma sensação que geralmente perdura até a quinta, quando vamos ao banco ver o saldo da conta.

The first day

In Brazil, as you know, the real first day of January is Ash Wednesday – in the afternoon. It is the national day of solemn resumption, when millions of people across the country place their hands on a new appointment book and swear to tell the truth, to do good and only good, to organize their shelves, to seek their friends, to quit smoking, to drink less, eat better, visit Aunt Cleoci and at least try to understand quantum theory, since economic theory is impossible. Anyway, to start a new life. Da Capo. From scratch. It is the first day of the return to Paradise before the original serpent. Besides the hangover, we are the Adams and Eves of the second chance, ready to reinaugurate the world. This is called floor and this is a wall, that out there is the sun and this in my hand is an antacid tablet, or is it the other way around? It depends on our will and our will only. The future is a lined sheet, waiting for the first note of the year, which can either be “Dentist” on Friday as “God, take questionnaire” on Saturday. Day of contrition and omnipotence. Virtue surrounds us like a halo and we become others, we decidedly become others, and certainly better. A feeling that usually lasts until Thursday, when we go to the bank to check our account balance.

Até mais! See you later!