Real Brazilian Portuguese & Culture
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 [...]
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 [...]
“Você já imaginou todas as coisas bizarras que faria do meu lado?” “Did you ever imagine all of the bizarre things you would do by my side?” Renato asked me with that sly, yet timid grin pasted on his face. We sat stuffed together in the backseat of a weathered, 2001 Fiat. The subwoofers of [...]
Valentine’s day in Brazil Dia dos Namorados is Valentine’s day in Brazil (namorado/a means boyfriend/girlfriend in Portuguese). Valentines day in Brazil takes place on June 12th (it probably isn’t celebrated in Febuary like everywhere else in the world as to not compete with carnaval – a time when everyone in Brazil becomes “single” for a [...]
Feliz Páscoa! Páscoa (Easter) in Brazil follows the Catholic European tradition, with processions, church services, and religious rites. Minas Gerais in particular is famous for its lavish processions and traditional festivities. However, Brazilian Easter also follows the Western tradition of Easter eggs, the Easter bunny for children, and a big family celebration. Semana Santa, or Holy Week, [...]
Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s actually not Valentine’s Day in Brazil today – Valentine’s Day in Brazil, called O Dia dos Namorados, happens on June 12. But in honor of romance, I thought we’d learn some pet names you can use for your loved one in Portuguese. In Portuguese, you’d call them apelidos carinhosos. -amorzinho (love) -neném (baby) -fofinho [...]
Brazilian Halloween Instead of pumpkins and brooms, there will be pipes and red pants in Brazil this Halloween, (well, at least in the city of São Luiz do Paraitinga). That’s because on October 31st, this Brazilian city will celebrate the day of Saci, “O dia do Saci.” (Remember that article I wrote about frightening Brazilian [...]
WHAT IS A FESTA JUNINA? Festa Junina are two week long festivals that happen during the month of June in Brazil and are extremely popular throughout the entire country. The Brazilian June festival traditionally celebrates the Catholic Saints Santo Antônio (Saint Anthony) São João (Saint John) and São Pedro (Saint Peter). Therefore, many Brazilian Festa Juninas are run by churches and [...]
HOW TO LEARN PORTUGUESE The best way to learn Brazilian Portuguese (or any language) is to expand your vocabulary by gradually memorizing lists of related words. This technique will help orient your mind to making connections between words in a certain category or taxonomy, which will facilitate your retrieval of the newly learned words later [...]
Happy Birthday in Portuguese To say ”Happy Birthday” to someone in Portuguese, you say: “feliz aniversário” Sung to the tune of Happy Birthday, the song Parabéns pra você is what people sing in Brazil to celebrate someone’s birthday. Parabéns pra você Nesta data querida Muitas felicidades Muitos anos de vida! Parabéns pra você Nesta data querida Muitas felicidades Muitos anos de vida! Parabéns pra você Congratulations to you Nesta [...]
