Posts written by Rachel

Tacky in Portuguese

Posted by Rachel No Comments
Dec 28 2011

Here are three ways to say tacky in Portuguese, meaning something with poor taste.

1. brega

Ela comprou uma calça rosa. Que coisa brega! She bought a pair of pink pants. How tacky!

noun version: breguice [tackiness, tacky stuff]

Não acredito que a casa dele tem tanta breguice. I don’t believe his house has so much tacky stuff.

2. cafona

Acho meio cafona usar bota Ugg com saia. I think it’s kind of tacky to wear Ugg boots with a skirt.

noun version: cafonice [tackiness, tacky stuff]

O site mostra cafonices no mundo da moda. The site shows tacky stuff from the world of fashion.

3. deselegante (tacky, rude)

Ela foi para a festa de crianças usando um vestido super curto. Que deselegante! She went to the childrens’ party wearing a really short dress. How tacky!

You can also see how deselegante is used in this Globo news clip that went viral this year.

Modernizing Morumbi

Posted by Rachel No Comments
Dec 27 2011

Though it’s unlikely to host games during the World Cup in 2014, São Paulo’s Morumbi Stadium is getting a makeover. The stadium is home to São Paulo Futebol Clube, one of the state’s four largest local teams. The project was announced last week by the city’s mayor. According to local media source Jornal da Cidade, the stadium will be redone to be able to host both sports and large events:

Além da cobertura do estádio, o Morumbi vai receber uma arena multiuso para shows e eventos, um hotel com centro de convenções, um novo memorial, terá a capacidade do atual estacionamento ampliada e os acessos do público serão reconfigurados. Durante as obras, a capacidade máxima para o público (67 mil pessoas) não será alterada, assim como a estrutura existente para receber os torcedores.

Watch this video about the modernization process, and how the stadium will be altered to be able to host different kinds of events:

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Top 10 Portuguese Blog Posts of 2011

Posted by Rachel No Comments
Dec 22 2011

We took a look at our most popular posts this year, and here’s what we found! It’s a great way to review what you’ve learned, or to read posts you may have missed.

1. How Hard is Portuguese to Learn? Find out what others think about the difficulties of learning Brazilian Portuguese.

2. How to Say Hello in Portuguese – Learn the different simple ways to greet people.

3. O Globo Online: Popular Brazilian Newspaper – Read one of Brazil’s best known newspapers online.

4. The Many Usages of Parabéns – Learn about how “congratulations” can be used in different contexts in Portuguese.

5. Saudade – Learn about what saudade means, since some linguists say it’s hard to translate.

6. Lyrics Translation: the Girl from Ipanema – Listen to one of Brazil’s most famous bossa nova songs and read the translation.

7. How to Sing Happy Birthday in Portuguese – Learn how to sing the happy birthday song in Portuguese.

8. Portuguese Numbers Pronunciation 1-100 – Review how to pronounce numbers in Portuguese.

9. BBB 11 – Learn about one of Brazil’s most popular reality shows.

10. Why Do Brazilians Speak Portuguese – Learn a bit about Brazilian history.

Xuxa

Posted by Rachel No Comments
Dec 21 2011

In Brazil and throughout Latin America, Xuxa is a cultural icon. Born Maria da Graça Meneghel, she was born in Rio Grande do Sul in the far south of Brazil and moved to Rio de Janeiro at age 7. She began modeling as a teenager, and dated two iconic Brazilian athletes: Pelé and Ayrton Senna. She became best known as an actress and singer, for her movies and TV shows for kids, who she calls “baixinhos” (little ones). Her TV show, movies, and songs are famous in Brazil and also in Latin America, where they’re dubbed in Spanish. She’s also a philanthropist, and has her own foundation.

One of Xuxa’s most famous songs (in Portuguese and Spanish) is the theme song from her show, called Ilariê. Ask any Brazilian born in the 1980s, and they’ll very likely know all the words.

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One of Xuxa’s most famous TV shows is her annual Christmas special. Here’s one of her more recent ones, though there were some really entertaining ones from the 80s.

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She also has celebrities on her TV show. Here’s Beyoncé, who appeared on her show earlier this month. She talked about how some of her songs are being used on Brazilian novelas.

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Earlier this year, Hebe Camargo, a famous TV personality, did a special on Xuxa and interviewed her about some of her charity work. Watch below:

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The iPhone in Brazil

Posted by Rachel No Comments
Dec 20 2011

Apple products are huge in Brazil, and last week was a big week for Apple there. The company released the Brazilian iTunes, launched the Apple TV, and began selling the iPhone 4S. Plus, for months, there have been rumors that Apple is producing iPhones in São Paulo.

Though the iPhone is selling for much higher prices than in the U.S., it’s still a hit. So why do people want it so badly? Reporters in Brasília and São Paulo asked customers who came for the launch. Everyone was excited about Siri–except for the fact that Siri isn’t available in Portuguese yet.

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Clearly, there was a lot of hype in Brazil about the iPhone 4S launch. But for such a high price, is it worth it? Macworld Brazil and two Brazilians in Boston discussed the differences between the 4 and the 4S, and whether the 4S is really worth buying.

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