I am with luck. That is literally how you would say “I’m lucky” in Brazilian Portuguese: eu estou com sorte. estar com (beginner) In Brazilian Portuguese it’s important to remember that this special combination of ESTAR + COM is used to say things like: I’m hungry. > Eu estou com fome. I’m thirsty. > Eu…
Read more...Think of all the ways we use the word, first. It’s the first building on the right. We wanted to talk to you first. I’m always first in line. I liked the first album better. Primeiro, primeira in Portuguese (first) can take the meaning of before as well as literally: the first. The unusual…
Read more...Surely one of the most powerful verbs. Nothing happens without it. Why then you ask, does it have to be so tricky? It doesn’t have to be. Let’s de-construct the ways that PODER in Portuguese is really used. **PODER as a noun means: power. We’re talking just about the verb in this post. PODER in…
Read more...It’s confusing to say TO THINK in Portuguese. That’s mostly because there are two verbs for it: PENSAR & ACHAR. Let’s clear up the confusion with examples. ACHAR or PENSAR? :: TO THINK in Portuguese Most books will tell you that it’s Ok to use either. That may be grammatically correct, but it does not…
Read more...We all have a specific vocabulary stack for setting up and managing our time. Scheduling our lives is a top priority, right? In Portuguese, it’s no different. They have a core of really common verbs & vocab that they use again and again. But there are a few tricks to staying within the standards. Encontros…
Read more...What is the difference between the verbs ASSISTIR, and VER? Is there any real difference between OUVIR and ESCUTAR? I was taught that VER means to see and, ASSISTIR means to watch. : to see / : to watch I was also taught that OUVIR is to hear, and ESCUTAR is to listen. : to…
Read more...Do Brazilians lose their cool? Sure they do. They mostly try to maintain an I’m so relaxed appearance, that often gives way to the I don’t give a damn look. But when they lose it, things can turn ugly quickly. Let’s look at the most common ways Brazilians talk about anger. I’m not going to…
Read more...I began my quest for fluency using the Pimsleur Portuguese audio program and had committed to memory this useful phrase: » Come here! Not just useful but this was helping me remember how the Imperative Mood works. So why is this post about Vem cá!? Because you will never hear, Venha aqui in Brazil: everyone…
Read more...Sometimes, Brazilian Portuguese hurts so bad! There are several ways to talk about being hurt, injured or wounded. The most confusing thing I get questions about is the difference between MACHUCAR and MAGOAR. These two are the most important, most used verbs to say to hurt. MACHUCAR is used to talk about a physical injury….
Read more...Moleza! Deu Mole! If you’re starting to have real conversations with real Brazilians, DEU MOLE! is one of the first girias (slangs) that you will hear. To understand this one let’s look at where it comes from. Maria Mole. *Some people just want to know what this means, but I love to know the origins….
Read more...The Portuguese verb HAVER causes a lot of confusion. If you look at the definition it’s: haver = to be/to have (exist) But listening in on its actual use, you’ll find that it’s used just like the verb, TER. And then there’s the fact that it appears to be yet another verb to express TO…
Read more...Using IA in Portuguese to express “was going to do” or, “could do” is one of the most powerful hacks that I know of.
Read more...Is this really Portuguese? Sim, é. You will hear it every day in Brazil. And for some reason, it’s not presented in any of the Brazilian Portuguese grammar books or other learning materials! Probably because it’s relatively recently become part of the common (conversational) vernacular. But it’s omnipresent. In conversational Portuguese, Brazilians will use CADÊ in…
Read more...Que-que-que-que-que… That’s the sound of Brazilian Portuguese. Just as we have the word it and that in almost all of our sentences, so Portuguese has que. And sometimes it sounds as if that’s all they’re saying: que que que. Brazilians have the habit of swallowing the words on either side of the que. But the…
Read more...On my second trip down here to Rio de Janeiro, I realized that it might actually be a good idea to learn some Portuguese. My temporary girlfriend at the moment was sure she could get me up to speed. COLOCAR is one of the cornerstone verbs to get down as a beginner, and she was…
Read more...zzZZahhh is how it’s pronounced. Brazilians love to use this adverb. You will hear it all_the_time. That’s because there are many different ways they use it. Já in Portuguese can mean many different things. Let’s look at the most common. The first thing you need to know, is that it always keeps the core meaning…
Read more...You already know that learning a Portuguese song helps your language learning. But, did you know that it in-fact, super-charges you? It does. Images & music sets your brain in a highly stimulated state — and that makes it record what is happening in a uniquely powerful way. Here is a fantastic song by Maria…
Read more...Saying most in Portuguese isn’t that obvious. The confusion comes from the fact that in English, we use most to talk about two different things: – NUMBER: Most of time it’s rainy. – DEGREE: I like rainy weather the most. In Portuguese these are expressed in different ways, depending on the context. When talking about…
Read more...It seemed so strange to me to first hear people being referred to as: the white guy, that fat girl, the tall one. Maybe we’re too socially correct in the US or just more sensitive (cautious?) — but we don’t casually call people by their physical attributes, especially if it’s potentially unflattering or offensive. But…
Read more...Some verbs have very different meanings in the context of specific situations. Here we see a Brazilian favorite: CHEGA! – in action. ~Enjoy. FELIPE O que você achou? CLAUDIA Oi? * Brazilians use “oi” to say “what”. FELIPE Do filme. O que você achou? JOSH Você viu esse ator no outro filme? CLAUDIA Oi? FELIPE…
Read more...From the video learning course, INTENSIVO. To ask “did you see…” or, “have you seen…” use VER (to see). Like this: Você viu Gabriela? ➜ Have you seen Gabriela? Você viu o jogo? ➜ Did you see the game? O que você viu lá? ➜ What did you see there? Você já viu tudo? ➜…
Read more...In the previous post I presented some really solid, but basic conversation starters. Now it’s time for some Portuguese Sentences that are also very common, but more complex. These are for the intermediate-advanced level learner. Vamos nessa. Just as the previous post, these sentences are linked to Google translate, and if you click the speaker…
Read more...I always struggled with the pronunciation of these. It made me feel pretty ignorant. Brazilians automatically expect foreigners to magically know how to say these (reasons unknown!). Countries and Nationalities in Portuguese: spoken by a native! From the video learning course, INTENSIVO.
Read more...As a beginner you can use expressions like, não tem, and nada to express nothingness. But to say somewhere, anywhere, nowhere in Portuguese properly, it takes a little practice. These are not very obvious. How would you say for example, Let’s eat somewhere; Sit anywhere you like; or, She has nowhere to go -? Somewhere…
Read more...The Portuguese verb FICAR is mainly used to express: to remain/stay, become & to be located. to remain/stay: » I’m going to stay here. to become: » It’s getting late. to be located: » Where’s the bank located? ficar in the present tense to remain, stay, become ficar I stay eu fic o you/he/she stay(s)…
Read more...You’ve just entered a clothing store in Brazil. Most likely, one of the sales clerks on the floor will immediately rush over to meet you. It will usually be someone your opposite sex. The clerk will try to be your instant friend and ask you where you are from and try to say whatever english…
Read more...The last place on earth you’ll find a video rental store is in Brazil. Here, they still thrive yet no one actually knows why. Perhaps it’s because they are such great places to hook-up. You only need to ask the question: Qual filme é? From the video learning course, INTENSIVO. CLAUDIA Aqui tem algum filme…
Read more...I always wanted to have a quick summary of all the most common ways the verb IR in Portuguese is used. Se você aprender todos desse formas, você já saberia mais sobre o verbo IR do que a maioria dos brasileiros 😉 to go ir (irregular) I go eu v ou you/he/she goes(s) você/ele/ela v…
Read more...Some Portuguese adverbs are made for adding INTENSITY (emphasis). They have their own name too: adverbs of intensity. You don’t need to actually know what an “adverb of intensity” is – you already use them every day. You just need to know the vocabulary for expressing things like, ‘hardly’, ‘almost’, ‘completely’ as in, ‘I kind…
Read more...Once in a while. Portuguese does a lot with the word . It’s important to get up-to-speed on the way vez is used. Almost none of it is intuitive – you need to memorize these. Think about how English uses time and once to say different things: The time of my life. Once upon a…
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