Posts in April 2009

Podcast: Talking about the movies

Posted by Rachel

Click here to listen to today’s podcast! Movie Podcast

UPDATE: Here’s the temporary link to the podcast. Sorry about the problem–we’re working on fixing it.

Check out the BYKI list!

Today, we’re going to talk about movies.

Eu gosto muito de filme.
Estou acostumado a ver filmes de ação ou de drama.
Mas de vez em quando, experimento assistir algo diferente.
Fui ao cinema ontem, e assisti um filme muito interessante.
Vi um documentário sobre o aquecimento global.
Antes do filme, vi vários trailers bons do mesmo tipo.
Agora queria ver mais filmes assim.

In Portuguese, movie is filme. Here, the speaker says, “I really like movies.” Note that although the noun is used in the singular, it is used to describe the plural. Gostar de means to like.

This means “I usually see action movies or drama.” Estar acostumado a means to be used to doing something, but it can also be translated as usually doing something (i.e. estou acostumado a acordar cedo – I’m used to getting up early). Note that ação is action. Some other genres include comedia (comedy), romance (romance), and infantil (for kids).

“But once in awhile, I try watching something different.” De vez em quando means once in awhile, or sometimes, and assistir means to watch, like a movie, TV show, or soccer game. Experimentar means to try, when we’re discussing doing something for the first time, or trying on clothes (for example: Experimentei a camisa, mas ficou grande –I tried on the shirt, but it was too big). We would use provar for other cases, like tasting new food (i.e. Provei a feijoada ontem e gostei - I tried feijoada yesterday and liked it).

Here, the speaker says, “I went to the movies yesterday, and I watched a really interesting film.” Cinema, which is a masculine noun, means the movies. Note that we say ao cinema (to the movies), since we are using ir (to go) and must include the article (o), which is combined with a (to). Ontem is yesterday.

This means, “I saw a documentary about global warming.” Documentário is documentary, and aquecimento global is global warming. Note that ver in the first person, simple past tense is vi.

“Before the movie, I saw several good previews for similar movies.” Like in English, we say trailer for preview. Mesmo tipo means the same type, or similar. Note that when we say before (antes), we must add de, which in this case becomes do, since we have a masculine noun after it (filme). If it were a feminine noun, it would become da (like antes da apresentação).

Finally, this means “Now I want to see more movies like this.” When you use querer in the past imperfect tense (queria), it expresses a desire to do something in the future, so it could be translated as “I want” or “I’d like.” It’s similar to the conditional of gostar (gostaria – I’d like) Assim means “like this” or “similar.”

 

Brazilian Profile: Roberto Carlos

Posted by Rachel

Though Brazil is known for its samba and bossa nova musicians worldwide, it may come as a surprise that Brazil’s most successful singer is actually a Barry Manilow-style crooner. In his fifty year career, Roberto Carlos has sold over 100 million albums, more than any Brazilian or Latin American musician. 

Born in 1941, Roberto grew up in the countryside of Espirito Santo, one of four children in a humble household. He began playing the piano and the guitar early in life, and began singing when he was nine. He suffered an accident and had to have his leg amputated, and has been using a prosthetic leg ever since. When he was a teenager, he moved to Niteroi, in Rio de Janeiro, where he first came in contact with rock and MPB. Initially, he formed a band with a group of friends, called the Sputniks, but began his solo career shortly after, singing samba and bossa nova.

In the 1960s, Roberto segwayed into rock, and recorded several successful albums and became a TV star, hosting shows on TV Record. Then, in the 1970s, he moved on to “romantic” music (crooning), when his career took off abroad. He sang for the Pope in Mexico in 1979, during a live broadcast watched by millions around the world. He began to focus on his international career in the 1980s, when he began recording in Spanish, Italian, French, and English. He won a Grammy in 1988 for Best Latin American Singer, and beat the Beatles’ Latin American record sales in 1994, surpassing 70 million records sold in the region.

Roberto got married in 1995, to a teacher named Maria Rita. But tragically, she was diagnosed with cancer three years later, and died in 1999. Though his success continued into the new millennium, he had to deal with other problems. In 2004, he was treated for OCD, which had led him to some odd habits and refuse to sing some of his most successful songs. In 2006, a tell-all biography about Roberto’s life was published without his consent or acknowledgment, and he sued the publisher, who was ordered by the court to remove the books from bookstores nationwide.

Roberto recently celebrated the fifty year anniversary of his career in his hometown of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim. He currently lives in Rio de Janeiro’s Urca neighborhood.

 

Brazilian Cooking Series: Part VI

Posted by Rachel

Today we’re going to learn how to make moqueca de camarão, or shrimp stew, a specialty from Bahia in Brazil’s northeast region. The recipe is based on an African recipe brought by the slaves from Western Africa to Brazil. It uses distinctly African ingredients, like dende oil and coconut milk. This stew is eaten with white rice.

Here are some recipes:

Happy cooking!

 

Video Learning Series: Commericals

Posted by Rachel

A great way to practice your Portuguese is by watching television commercials, since they use straightforward language and important vocabulary words. I’ve included a few here which should hopefully not be too difficult, including one for juice, another for toothpaste, and another for shampoo.

Take a look and practice your listening!

 

Listening Practice: Fill in the Blanks

Posted by Rachel

This is a favorite language learning activity, so I thought we’d give it a shot. Copy and paste the lyrics into Word, and then play the video. Listen to the song and follow the lyrics, and fill in the blanks with the correct word.

Maskavo, Folhas Secas

As folhas secas vão caindo
Eu posso ver pela ____
Ganharam novo colorido
A _____ se revela…

Vão enfeitar o seu caminho
Quando passar ____ à tarde
Quero te ver andar sorrindo
Com toda ____

Te ver passar
É me ver mais feliz
____ me encantou
O teu olhar
Não me deixa ____
Só espero seu amor

Te ver passar
É me ver mais feliz
____ me encantou
O teu olhar
Não me deixa ____

Se olhar prá mim
Eu ____ o dia
Grande sorriso estampado
Não ____ que estou mentindo
No peito levo só ____

Te ver passar
É me ver mais feliz
____ me encantou
O teu olhar
Não me deixa ____
Só ____ seu amor

Te ver passar
É me ver mais feliz
____ me encantou
O teu olhar
Não me deixa ____
Só ____ seu amor

Eu vou cruzar o seu ____
Vou te dizer a frase certa
E as ____ ____ que cairam
Só nos verão na ____

Te ver passar
É me ver mais feliz
____ me encantou
O teu olhar
Não me deixa ____
Só espero seu ____

Te ver passar
É me ver mais feliz
____ me encantou
O teu olhar
Não me deixa ____
Só espero seu ____

Seu sorriso me ____
Só espero seu amor (x2)

To check your answers, click here.