Real Brazilian Portuguese & Culture
My name is Laurena and I am currently based out of Boston. I write about law, finance, technology, style, Portuguese and everything to do with Brazilian culture. Please feel free to get in touch with me if you share these interests or if you are interested in getting involved with the Brazilian community in Boston.
Brazilian Portuguese Subjunctive Present In Brazilian Portuguese, the present subjunctive it is used when there is present expression of hope, uncertainty, desire, emotion, wish or a demand. The easiest cue to know when you should employ the subjunctive form of a verb in Brazilian Portuguese, is when you encounter a “que” phrase. Some examples of [...]
Yes = Sim. Yes in Portuguese is “Sim,” but since Brazilians pronounce the m’s at the end of words as n’s, Sim is pronounces as a nasally “si.” Yes = Sim, No = Não…wow, does it get more basic than this post? I don’t think so. Something Odd About Yes in Portuguese However, there is [...]
Dia dos Pais Today, on the second Sunday of August, it is Father’s day in Brazil, known as Dia dos Pais (Day of Fathers). Pai is the Brazilian Portuguese word for dad, and Pais is the plural of pai. However, pais, in Portuguese is also the word for “parents,” as in, “meus pais” (my parents). And, things [...]
Good Morning in Portuguese To say good morning in Portuguese, Brazilians actually say “good day” – “bom dia.” This can be very confusing, because the actual word for morning in Portuguese is manhã, but Brazilians never ever say “boa manhã.” In Brazilian Portuguese, you can say “de manhã” (in the morning), “na manhã” (during the morning), “8h da manhã” (8 [...]
To say good night in Portuguese, Brazilians say “boa noite.” If you are interested in expanding your Portuguese vocabulary, there are a few other things that you can say when telling someone good night in Portuguese: Dorme com deus – Sleep with God (Brazilians have a tendency to mention God in common phrases, you will [...]
Happy Birthday in Brazilian Portuguese Happy Birthday in Brazilian Portuguese is “feliz aniversário“. Click here for the lyrics to the song for Happy Birthday in Brazilian Portuguese. In Brazil, you can also wish someone Parabéns (congratulations) or felicidades (happiness) on their Birthday. Brazilians love birthday parties, even children’s birthday parties in Brazil are a big deal. Besides [...]
A Gíria Brasileira I have talked a lot about Brazilian Slang on this site, but I’m not sure if I have mentioned the Portuguese word for slang! The word for slang in Portuguese is gíria, as in “Ele fala muita gíria.” – “He uses a lot of slang.” In general, Brazilians use a lot of slang, mostly [...]
I have been writing this blog for a while now, and I have realized that I pretty much skipped the Brazilian Portuguese basics. So for those of you who are in the beginning stages of your Brazilian Portuguese mastery, the next few posts that I will write will be geared towards learning some easy Portuguese. [...]
Despedidas - How To Say Bye in Portuguese Bye in Portuguese is “tchau,” and it’s pronounced just like the Italian “ciao.” On MSN or in text messages, Brazilians may spell tchau differently, for example: xiao or xao. Bye in Portuguese is often spoken in the diminutive form, so tchau becomes “tchauzinho” or “tchauzin” (it just sounds [...]
Saying beautiful in Portuguese is not difficult, in fact it is a very easy word to pronounce. “Beleza” is the noun for beautiful in portuguese. As in “Que Beleza!” (How Beautiful! / What Beauty!) – the wonderful Portuguese phrase that we heard in the Brazilian song Pais Tropical by Jorge Ben Jor. However, the word beleza also [...]
The Reggae Scene in São Luís do Maranhão When the reggae movement was first taking roots in Brazil during the 1970′s, it’s influence was seen to be the strongest in Brazil’s Northern region. Reggae completely took over the music scene in the Brazilian state of Maranhão, especially in the capital city São Luís. So much, in fact that [...]
Brazilians have a phenominal sense of dark humor (and sarcasm). There are a few websites that I peruse once in a while, all great Brazilian humor sites. Here’s the list: 1. Não Salvo 2. Chongas 3. Jacaré Banguela 4. Não Intendo 5. Te Dou um Dado?
How do you say cool, sweet, sick, awesome, amazing, rad, dope in Brazilian Portuguese? Here are a few ways with examples: legal This is the most common way to say “cool” in Portuguese slang. Don’t get confused because it also means “legal” as in legality. This word is used way too much by gringos trying [...]
Portuguese Mau Vs. Mal The difference between the words ‘mau’ and ‘mal’ has always confused people, even Brazilians! The two words are pronounced identically, it’s when they are written that one needs to be careful. In general, “mau” means “bad” and “mal” means “badly.” Examples: O lobo mau está de mau humor. – The bad wolf is in a bad mood. Ela está dirijindo mal porque está se sentindo mal. - She [...]
Awkward in Portuguese How do you say awkward in portuguese? Americans love awkwardness, or at least you would think so given how much they talk about it. But Brazilians have never really had a concept for “awkwardness,” and so Brazilian Portuguese would logically not have a word for a concept that doesn’t exist. Brazilians are [...]
Crazy Brazilian Kid’s Parties Brazilians are great at throwing parties, but one thing that I’ve always found odd is how we regard the first birthday (primeiro aniversário) as this monumental occasion that needs to be extravagantly documented. I mean, why set the bar to such an incredibly high standard right out of the gate – [...]
Balloon Decorating – A Brazilian Specialty There are some things that Brazilians just do better than other people, cleaning, for example. And soccer. And now this. Brazilians have some serious balloon decorating skills. In fact, I can’t think of a culture that makes more use of balloons as a party decoration. The use of balloons [...]
Brazilian Landmarks This post will showcase Brazilian landmarks in the southeast region of Brazil. I have already written posts about Brazilian landmarks in the south, Brazilian landmarks in the north, and Brazilian landmarks in the northeast. Brazil is divided into five regions, and the southeast region encompasses four states: Espírito Santo (ES), São Paulo (SP) also known [...]
Carnaval in Olinda Along with Rio de Janeiro and Salvador, Olinda has one of three most attended carnivals in Brazil. The carnival of Olinda, however, is certainly the most popular in Brazil, in the sense that the party is protagonized by the people. In Rio, the main attraction is the parade of samba schools, which [...]
Olinda, Pernambuco Olinda is a historic city in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, located on the country’s northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, just north of Recife. It is one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Brazil. The city’s name can be interpreted as an exclamation regarding the beauty of its setting (“Ó, linda!” is Portuguese for “Oh, beautiful!”), but a much more likely source is [...]
