Posted by Rachel
Today’s interactive feature has to do with travel, rather than language. The question at hand is:
What’s your favorite city in Brazil?
This is a tricky question, since I’ve loved every city I’ve been to in Brazil, and there are so many that I haven’t been to yet. In terms of big cities, my favorite is Rio de Janeiro. In my opinion, it’s the most beautiful big city in the world. Even though it has the reputation for being a laid back beach city, it also has wonderful museums, movie theaters, exhibitions, and shows, as well as its famed music, beaches, and tourist attractions.
My favorite small city is Tiradentes, a colonial town located in Minas Gerais. The colonial architecture and streets have been preserved, so visiting the city is like going back in time. It has stunning views of the surrounding mountains and countryside, and it is also very hip, with cool cafés, pousadas, and restaurants.
What about you?
Posted by Rachel
Caetano Veloso, one of Brazil’s most beloved musicians and songwriters, has released a new CD, Zii e zie. It’s now on sale in Brazil and abroad (see here and here).
Caetano composed the songs in Rio de Janeiro last year, when it was very rainy, and was inspired by the weather. He also includes aging and the Brazilian political reality as themes. The title of the album means uncle and aunt in Italian, but Caetano says he wanted the title to sound nonsensical and odd. You can read more about the CD on his blog and hear more in the interview below. You can also listen to one of his new songs here.
Posted by Rachel
In today’s video learning series, we’re going to practice listening comprehension using a Brazilian TV show.
One of the best TV shows you can watch to learn Portuguese and to see different parts of Brazil is “Vai para onde?” from Brazil’s Multishow channel. They’re great to learn from not only because the host speaks clearly without a strong accent, but also because he travels all over Brazil, so you can get a taste of regional accents.
The host, Bruna de Luca, travels around Brazil (and the world) and shares his experiences on a handheld camera. You can see more of his videos on Youtube and on the show’s official site.
In these videos below, Bruna travels to São Paulo, Porto Alegre, and Fortaleza. Check them out and happy listening!
Posted by Rachel
Today we’re going to look at the headlines to see the latest in Brazilian news.
Posted by Rachel
Today we’re going to do another interactive post. The question is: What is the biggest obstacle you’ve encountered while learning Portuguese? What part of the language do you find the most difficult?
In my experience, one of the most difficult grammar rules to learn is hypenating words. It’s difficult to memorize what kind of accent goes over the vowel and whether to put lo, la, o, or a. (Example: observá-lo)
I’ve also had a bit of trouble memorizing what type of accent to use on certain words, and now that the accent rules have changed, I’m more confused than ever, but tend to stick to the old rules.
In terms of pronunciation, I have a lot of trouble with the “lh” sound, and it’s what usually gives me away as a gringa.
What about you? What has been the most difficult component of Portuguese to learn?
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