Real Brazilian Portuguese & Culture
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 [...]
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. [...]
Dialect of Brazil Before I begin, for those who are not familiar with the term “Dialect,” let me start off by explaining a little in detail exactly what are dialects when referring to a language. I’m sure you know someone who lives in the South of the US or know someone who knows someone that [...]
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 [...]
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 – [...]
Portuguese Government Vocabulary Random fact: voting for the presidential election in Brazil is required by law. If you don’t vote, you pay a fine. How do we talk about the government (o governo) the military or political elections in Brazilian Portuguese? Here’s a thematic vocabulary list! The Legislative Branch In Portuguese o poder legislativo – the [...]
[How About a Mixed Drink (Batidinha is the diminutive of Batida)? -Monday: Coconut- -Tuesday: Passion Fruit- -Wendsday: Caipirinha- -Thursday: Berry- -Friday: Sangria-] Brazilian Portuguese Phrases with Tal A seguir, umas frases e tal ; ) - Below, some phrases and stuff Tal - Such, Like (or Said) Ex. Falam que tal livro conta a história de nosso povo. Ex. [...]
Portuguese Shower Vocabulary tomar banho – to take a shower (this literally means “to take a bath” but Brazilians use it for showering as well. You could also say “tomar uma ducha” but I only rarely hear this.) ficar limpinho – to get clean chuveiro – this is the word for shower, but it also [...]
Portuguese Que Phrases I am not going labor over translating these phrases literally because the literal translations may only confuse you, or at times, make you afraid to ever use these phrases. Some of them are innocent, others are not so innocent, and I will indicate that. In Brazilian portuguese, que phrases are very common. [...]
Confusing Portuguese Verbs Sacar vs. Entender Sacar vs Entender – Sacar is to take out, withdraw but in popular slang it means to get it, to understand something. Entender is to understand, very basic. Ex. Me traz um suco de laranja e um todinho, sacou? (Bring me some orange juice and a todinho, got it?) Saquei! (I got it!) Clarificar vs. Esclarecer Clarificar vs Esclarecer – Clarificar [...]
Brazilian Portuguese Slang Brazilian Portuguese is quite a complex language as those of you know who have tried to tackle it before. I have made some lists of Brazilian Portuguese slang (Gírias) before, but this post will deal specifically with idiosyncratic expressions and colloquialisms in Brazilian Portuguese, basically things that won’t be found in a Portuguese language book. [...]
