Real Brazilian Portuguese & Culture
What is a Gaúcho? Next on my Brazilian dialect series, is probably one of the most different of Brazilian states, “Gauchês,” spoken by those who live in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (and parts of Mato Grosso do Sul), the southernmost state in Brazil. Those who live in Rio Grande do Sul are [...]
Pernambuquês: The Portuguese of Pernambuco Pernambuco is a state in the northeast region of Brazil and Pernambucanos have great accents that are as phonetic as you’ll get with Brazilian portuguese. Pernambucanos, like other states in Brazil, also have their own vocabulary that is distinct to the region. For example, the word escroto to me means something sketchy or someone who’s [...]
How Do People Speak in Rio de Janeiro? The biggest tourist hot spot in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, has its own slang and almost overall dialect. Living in São Paulo and being around the Paulistanês “language” all the time, to me it’s quite refreshing to go to Rio and listening to Carioquês and its malandro nature. Cariocas (the Portuguese word for [...]
Paulistanês: Speaking Like You’re From São Paulo City The funny thing about people who live in the city of São Paulo is that they think everyone else has an accent except for them. And travelling to other parts of Brazil, I’ve learned most other people around the country realize they have a regional accent, except paulistanos who [...]
What is a Capixaba? Espírito Santo (literally means “Holy Spirit”) is a small state on the coast, squished between Bahia, Rio de Janeiro & Minas Gerais. It’s a state a lot of people say has no accent really, because each part of the state borders another state with such strong cultural and linguistic traits that [...]
How To Speak Portuguese Like A Mineiro Translated from Mineirês, the cartoon above reads: M1 – Antes de ontem achei um quilo de carne dentro do forno. Comi tudo. Que azia que deu. M2 – Nossa senhora. Doido demais. M1 – Só pinga com mel pra descer do estômago. M2 – Isso mesmo. M1 – Olha, pra você ver, guardei um pouco embaixo da cama que é pra eu comer amanhã. M2 – *Silêncio* Vish, divide aí. Have [...]
Dude! Man! Mate! Bro! For many learners who are seeking to speak the informal Portuguese of Brazil, the following vocabulary items are an absolute ‘must.’ Though the terms vary from region to region, a firm grasp of these words will help the casual Portuguese speaker fit in and make friends in no time. Cara dude: [...]
THE PORTUGUESE OF BAHIA Will you be in Salvador for Carnaval? Want to learn some frases ”baianês” – the dialect of the Brazilian state of Bahia? If you’re learning Portuguese, you’ve probably already realized that not only every country, but many states in lusophonic countries have distinct accents and sayings. Baianos have a great African influence in their culture and their [...]
