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Fun Brazilian Tumblrs to Follow

Nov 4 2011

Have you all been keeping up with other blogs besides Transparent to learn Portuguese? No? Well, a fun quick way is through Tumblogs, that have fun catchy phrases and lyrics or text in both English and Portuguese.

Here are a few I recommend!

This blog has funny images with lyrics to popular songs and backgrounds that reflect the literal lyrics, but not always the metaphorical (and sometimes dirty) sayings that go along with them! There will definitely be posts you might not understand, but that makes it even more interesting because you’ll have some fun stuff to look up!

Some of my favorite recent posts:

Metrophones

This tumblog stops people on the São Paulo metro and asks them what they’re listening to. The posts are in Portuguese & English, so you can get a translation of what the interviewees say AND discover new bands!

Do you guys know of any other cool tumblogs or blogs that are quick to read and easy?

Hope these help lighten up a little of the learning load

beijos!

I Can’t Take It

Posted by Rachel No Comments

Oct 26 2011

It’s helpful to be able to express frustration in an understandable way, so today we’re going to learn how to say “I can’t take it anymore” or “I can’t deal.”

1. Não dar mais

Não dá mais, cara. Tenho que sair do curso. I can’t take it anymore, dude. I have to quit the course.

Não dá mais para continuar no trabalho. Detesto meu chefe. I can’t take my job anymore. I can’t stand my boss.

2. Não aguentar mais

Não aguento mais ficar aqui. Está muito cheio. I can’t stand it anymore in here. It’s so crowded.

Ela não aguentou mais e foi embora da festa. She couldn’t take it anymore and she left the party.

3. Não suportar mais

Não suporto mais escutar esta música. I can’t stand to listen to this music anymore.

Não suporto mais ficar dentro de casa. Quero sair! I can’t stand to be inside anymore. I want to go out!

4. Não conseguir mais

Não consigo mais ficar sem malhar. Preciso ir na academia. I can’t stand to not work out. I need to go to the gym.

Não consegui mais comer o bolo. É muito doce. I couldn’t stand to finish the cake. It’s really sweet.

What can’t you stand anymore?

Barriga Cheia

Posted by Rachel 1 Comment

Oct 20 2011

As we’ve learned, it’s proper to say “estar satisfeito” rather than “estar cheio” when referring to eating. For example, if someone offers you a second helping but you’re full, you would say, “Não, obrigado. Estou satisfeito.” But there’s a great expression about having a full stomach, among many Brazilian expressions involving food.

You can either say reclamar de barriga cheia (complain about a full stomach) or chorar de barriga cheia (weep over a full stomach). They both mean to complain for no reason, or have no reason to complain, since the person is showing ingratitude in some form. Let’s look at some examples.

Estou tão cansado. Estou trabalhando muito. Mas não quero reclamar de barriga cheia. I’m so tired. I’m working a lot. But I don’t want to needlessly complain.

Ela estava reclamando da viagem para Europa. Falei para ela, ‘Ainda vai chorar de barriga cheia?’ She was complaining about her trip to Europe. I told her, ‘Are you really going to complain for no reason?’

Mãe, não gostei do presente da tia. Queria um Playstation, não um Wii. Mom, I didn’t like auntie’s gift. I wanted a Playstation, not a Wii.

Vai reclamar de barriga cheia, filho? Are you going to complain needlessly, son?

Can you think of other examples?

Learning Tip: Go With The Flow

Posted by Rachel 3 Comments

Oct 6 2011

While speaking Portuguese with Brazilians is one of the best ways to improve your speaking skills, you’ll sometimes find that some people don’t want to talk in Portuguese, but rather practice their English! That may have been the case with a host from the Multishow channel, who interviewed Shakira on the way to the stage during Rock in Rio last week, and kept falling back into English – even though Shakira was speaking to her in Portuguese.

It’s a conundrum, since sometimes the person just wants to practice their language skills, just like you! So it’s important to keep in mind that you should just go with the flow – maybe engage in English for a bit, and then start to respond in Portuguese. You can also be honest and tell the person that you’d really like to practice your Portuguese, and would he or she mind trying it for awhile? But if the person is very insistent and continues in English, é melhor deixar para lá. (It’s better just to leave it be). You’re bound to find someone who doesn’t speak English who will speak to you in Portuguese.

I also think it’s important to keep in mind that if the information is very important, you should go with the language that both people communicate best in. I’ve sometimes encountered Brazilian businesspeople very eager to practice their English, but when it came down to discussing important details, it was much easier to do in Portuguese. But of course, the opposite can be true as well, depending on the speakers.

What has your experience been with this issue? How have you dealt with it?

Rock in Rio 2011

Posted by Rachel No Comments

Sep 26 2011

Rock in Rio 2011 began on Friday in Rio de Janeiro, the first time in 10 years that the festival will be held in Brazil. Bands and artists from Brazil and all over the world are flocking to Rio over the next two weeks.

Let’s read a bit about one of the world’s biggest music festivals from an article about the history of Rock in Rio.

“Em 1985, a sociedade brasileira vivenciou o ápice da transição da ditadura para a democracia. Partindo desta condição, o empresário Roberto Medina teve a idéia de comemorar a liberdade organizando um festival de rock de primeira categoria; surgia então o sonho do Rock in Rio. Porém, desconfiança era o que os empresários das grandes estrelas mais tinham com relação ao Brasil. A equipe de Medina trabalhou de forma incessante até conseguir acertar a vinda de um nome de peso: Rod Stewart. Após o aval do roqueiro de voz rouca e cabelos esvoaçados, as coisas começaram a fluir e nomes como Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, Iron Maiden, George Benson, Yes, entre outros decidiram apostar no festival e garantiram suas presenças.”

Read the full history of Rock in Rio

And let’s check out some of the performances by Brazilian artists from this weekend.

Capital Inicial