I love Mondays. Só que não, sua linda!

Smile! Today is Monday!

 

I know, i know…it’s not easy. Buuuut, we are here today to prove that you can start your week LEARNING something new, even if it’s Monday 🙂

There’s this new brazilian slang being spread on the internet: “Só que não”. You use it to be ironic about something you just said. It’s like “or not” in English. If you didn’t understand yet, let me explain you better: the idea is to say something and then immediately denied it by using the expression “só que não”. Look:

Eg:

Eu amo Segundas-feiras! Só que não. (I love Mondays. – not)

Eg 2:

__Você é um nerd? (Are you a nerd?)

__Sim, só que não!

 

 

Every day it seems there is a new expression on the internet and it doesn’t take much time until it is being used for everybody in conversations between friends.  We don’t know exactly where they first came from, their origin varies greatly and can come from videos, social networks, TV programs and photos. The expression “sua linda”, that means something like “you pretty girl”/ “you cutie”, for example, came from a profile on Twitter called “Pedreiro Online“. It is a fictional and humorous profile, where the character is a mason who writes phrases for flirting with girls and usually ends with the famous phrase “sua linda!” and it’s greatly used among brazilians.

 

Good morning for you who is so beautiful that you waking up as if you were starring a L’OREAL Paris commercial. You cutie! (Photo printed from Twitter)

Check here some other brazilian expressions common specially on the internet:

• #chatiado: to show that you are bored or disappointed
• “ri litros”: laughed a lot. Eg: Eu ri litros vendo essa foto. (I laughed a lot looking at this picture)
• VDD: abreviation for “verdade”(true)
• “Sou desses”: I’m one of those. Eg: Digo “estou saindo” quando na verdade ainda nao estou nem arrumado. Sou desses! (I say “I’m leaving” when I’m actually not even dressed up. I’m one of those)
• “Ui!”: It’s the brazilian version for “We got a badass over here!”

🙂 Now that you’ve learned how to be ironic and more in our brazilian way:

 

 

 

Brazilian Expressions You Should Learn

When we are learning a new language is common to be interested in how natives really speak, their common expressions, slangs and to learn them is always cool because make us feel a little bit less “gringos” and it also make brazilian people loves you even more 🙂 because we love when foreigners try to speak Portuguese ( <3)

When I was learning spanish in Colombia the popular slangs and expressions used to be my favorite words and I was trying to use them all the time, sometimes at the same time…hahaha (oops! =P). The truth is that by learning them I could understand easily what were people saying and it also helped me to interact. So today I brought you this small list of some popular brazilian expressions you should try to learn. 🙂 I bet you will be a much more popular gringo after you start to use them! 😉

 “Legal”

It means “Cool.” But sometimes it can sounds like “ok”.

You’re gonna hear it a lot! It is one of the most useful slang words in the Portuguese language and  you can use legal to describe almost everything you like.

Eg 1:

__Eu comprei um carro novo! (I’ve bought a new car!)

__ Sério? Que legal! (Really? That’s cool!)

Eg 2:

__O que você achou do meu amigo? (What did you think about my friend?)

__Ah, ele parece ser legal (Uh, he seems ok/nice)

Another slang to say something is “Muito legal”(really cool) is “SHOW DE BOLA“.

Eg 1:

__Esse lugar é show de bola!! (This place is really cool)

Eg 2:

__ Ontem nós nos divertimos muito. Foi show de bola! (Yesterday we had a lot of fun. It was really cool!)

We love soccer, so there are many slangs which came from this sport. So here we go with one more useful expression in case you are at a stadium:

Ei juiz! Cadê o penalty?

“Hey, ref! Where’s the penalty?”

When it happens to our soccer team, I think the ref is always blind. Don’t you agree with me? hehehe.  Say it out loud(actually you should scream..hehe), to the TV, radio or when possible to the referee himself 🙂

É mesmo?? or “Sério?”

 They mean “Really?” and it’s used in the same way we use “really” :), when you want to react to something unexpected or new fact or even, to be ironic.

Eg 1:

__Você sabia que a Português é Massa oferece aulas de Português via Skype? (Did you know that Português é Massa offers Portuguese lessons via Skype?)

__ É mesmo? Vou mandar um email para saber mais informaçoes. (Really? I’m gonna send an email to get more informations.)

Eg 2:

__Deus do céu! Esse vestido da Lady Gada está deslumbrante! (OMG! This Lady Gaga’s dress is gorgeous!)

__ Sério?! Eu nao acho. (Really? I don’t think so.)

Pra caramba!

Here’s a great expression to emphasize how off-the-charts something is. “Pra caramba” is most often used  when you don’t want to simply say “muito” (very) and it usually comes in the end of the sencentes.

Eg 1: Essa cerveja é boa pra caramba! (This beer is great/amazing)

Cerveja gelada PRA CARAMBA!!

Eg 2: Eu gosto dela pra caramba! (I like her very much)

Fala sério!

It means “You’re kidding!” or “No way! Brazilians also say “Não acredito!”(I can’t believe it!) or “Mentiiiiiiiiira!” (It’s a lie – btw, I love this one!) to express the same feeling.

Eg 1:

__Eu acho que o Justin Bieber é o novo Michael Jackson. (I think Justin Bieber is the new Michael Jackson.)

__O quê??? Fala sério!! (What??? No way!/You’re kidding!)

Eg 2:

__Eu vou pedir demissao amanha e depois vou viajar pelo mundo. (I’m gonna quit my job tomorrow and after that, I’m gonna travel the world.)

__Mentiiiiiira!!! =O

Imagina!

You probably have already heard that brazilians are very hospitable.  So when someone says “Obrigado” (you say it if you’re a man)  or  “Obrigada” (if you’re a woman), brazilians usually reply it saying “De nada” or “Imagina!”. It literally means “imagine!” but what we really want to say is “It’s no trouble at all!”, “It’s a pleasure for us to help you”.

Eg:

__Obrigada por nos ajudar. (Thank you for help us)

__Imagina! Foi um prazer. (It’s not trouble at all. It was a pleasure)

Com certeza!

This expression means “Definitly!” or more “Of course”. You cal also say it to agree with someone’s opinion.

Eg 1:

__Você vai pra festa mais tarde? (Are you going to the party, later?)

__Com certeza! (Definitly!)

Eg 2:

__Eu acho que as passagens de aviao deveriam ser mais baratas no Brasil (I think the flight tickets should be cheaper in Brasil.)

__Com certeza. Eles sao muito caros. (Definitly! They’re very expensive.)

Did you like it?? Sim or com certeza?? 🙂 🙂 So give us a “LIKE”,  spread the good news, leave us your comments! Your opinion is very important to help us make this space better and better for you!

Beijos e até a próxima!

Love is in the air in Brazil – Dia dos Namorados <3

In Brazil, the Dia dos Namorados (lit. “Lovers’ Day”, or “Boyfriends’/Girlfriends’ Day”) is celebrated on June 12, probably because it is the day before Saint Anthony’s day, known there as the marriage saint, when traditionally many single women perform popular rituals, called simpatias, in order to find a good husband or boyfriend.

Even Frebruary, 14th being the most recognized date in the world to celebrate the day of love, there are several countries that celebrate the love of couples at different times. In most of Latin America the Día del amor y la amistad and the Amigo secreto (“Secret friend”) are quite popular and are usually celebrated together on the 14th of February (one exception is Colombia, where it is celebrated on the third Saturday in September). The latter consists of randomly assigning to each participant a recipient who is to be given an anonymous gift (similar to theChristmas tradition of Secret Santa).  After all, as other stories, this did not become widespread in all cultures. In Brazil, for example, until 1949 there was no date on the calendar to celebrate the romance between lovers, suitors and lovers.

According to an article published in the website Terra, the psychologist Thiago Almeida said that the fact that Valentine’s Day is in June is related to the trade issue – until then, this was a month of market little heated, considered the weakest for trade. “To improve sales, a publicist named João Doria, connected to the Advertising Standard Agency, launched at the request of the former shop Clipper, a campaign to improve sales in June. The campaign, with the support of the Confederation of Commerce in São Paulo consisted in changing the Valentine’s Day to June 12 with the slogan: ‘is not only kisses living love,’ “says the researcher.

It seems to have worked. Nowadays the date is expected not only by trade, but for couples who enjoy the day by swapping demonstrations of affection, either with gifts or with small gestures. Check here for some TIPS FOR CREATIVES VALENTINE’S GIFTS.

But if you are single, don’t worry, there are ALWAYS great parties for singles on June, 12th 🙂 Maybe you can find your “gatinho” (handsome guy) or “gatinha” (pretty girl) there! 😛

Now that you already know the story we have prepared something to help you to express your feelings on this day, IN PORTUGUESE! 😀 Please let me know if your life completely change thereafter…hehehe 😛

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foncLC1n9TA

FELIZ DIA DOS NAMORADOS PRA VOCÊS!!

(Text adapeted and translated from from Terra.)

Simple Present in Brazilian Portuguese – REGULAR VERBS

Hello guy! How are you doing? After a short break on our posts we’re back to talk about VERBS IN PORTUGUESE! 😉

Doubts in the conjugation of verbs are very common, even for native speakers, but we are here to try to help you to understand how to conjugate a verb in Portuguese by learning some good tips that may help you to understand the logic behind Portuguese verbs.

The first thing you should know is that all the verbs in Portuguese end in -AR, -ER or – IR, for exemple: caminhAR, escrevER and partIR. So we say that there are verbs divided into 3 conjugations: 1°: AR, 2°: ER and 3°: IR. This conjugations are also the INFINITIVE of the verbs. For example, “cantar”(to sing), “sentar” (to sit down) are verbs in infinitive and they are from first conjugation because they end in -AR.

The most important thing when we are learning how to conjugate verbs in Portuguese is to know that for each one of these conjugations (-AR, -ER and -IR) there is a verb ending. When the verbs are REGULARES it is easier because the ends will be the same, changing only according to the personal pronoun and the conjugations.

So today let’s start with the Simple Present or PRESENTE SIMPLES – INDICATIVO. Look at the example below:

CAMINHAR (To walk)

Eu caminho

Você caminha

Ele/Ela caminha

Nós caminhamos

Vocês caminham

Eles/ Elas caminham

Now you can see that all the REGULAR VERBS ending in AR will have the same end. Let’s see another verb:

FALAR (to speak)

Eu falo

Você fala

Ele/ Ela fala

Nós falamos

Vocês falam

Eles/ Elas falam

As you can see they will always end in the same way. Now check this  verb from the 2nd conjugation (-ER):

COMER (to eat)

Eu como

Você come

Ele/ Ela come

Nós comemos

Vocês comem

Eles/ Elas comem

All the regular verbs from the 2nd conjugation will end in -o, -e, -e, -emos, -em, -em.

Now to finish, let’s see how to conjugate verbs from the 3rd conjugation (-IR)

PUNIR (to punish)

Eu puno

Você pune

Ele/ Ela pune

Nós punimos

Vocês punem

Eles/ Elas punem

And this is all that you need to know to start to use the regular verbs correctly 😉

I hope this text has helped you to understand better the regular verbs. Leave you comments or your doubts, I will be glad to help you further. If you think it could be helpful to a friend feel free to SHARE IT.

See you  soon! Até logo!

Tchau!

Brazilian Portuguese vs. European Portuguese

After one of our posts on Facebook showing the a comparitive between few words in Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese, I received a lot of emails and ibox messages asking for more information about this topic. So here we are! 🙂 I found this very interesting text (the source is at the end of the text) that summarize everything you need to know about it.  I hope you enjoy it! 😉 – Lívia Almeida

(Translated by Luana Cavalcanti)

This is a comparison,which the main goal is to spot the differences Between Brazilian Portuguese and Continental Portuguese.
Portuguese people and Brazilians can understand each other very well, just like English people can understand Americans without the need of subtitles.
The main differences are predominantly in phonetics and vocabulary. Some Brazilians might find it difficult to understand the European Portuguese because the Portuguese from Portugal has a tendency to compress words to a greater extent than in Brazil – for example, tending to drop unstressed phoneme like /e/. The language syntax is remarkably the same, and in morphology the distinctions are not numerous. Finally, there is Portuguese language here and there. To prove it, if you are learning the Brazilian variant, simply open a book or read a news website published in European Portuguese, you will understand it perfectly.

Understanding the Differences
Portuguese language was established as the official language of Brazil in 1758, by this time the contact with indigenous people and African slaves had already changed the spoken language here. According to the linguist Rosa Matos and Virginia Silva from Federal University of Bahia.”The Africans who arrived as slaves did not attend school and learned the colloquial Portuguese, creating differences in the original language.” Later, in the late 19th century, European and Asian immigrants arrived in Brazil, and new changes in the Brazilian way of speaking where introduced.

Spelling differences: 
a) European Portuguese retains some consonants that are no longer pronounced in words like acto, excepto, óptimo. The Brazilian spelling has eliminated those consonants. Although with the new orthographic Agreement,those consonants in European Portuguese will be dismissed.
b) Some words that Brazilians pronounce with a closed vowel (written â, ê, ô) are pronounced with an open vowel in Portugal (written á, é, ó), and this is reflected in differing spellings
c) The Brazilian spelling distinguishes between a closed diphtong ei and an open diphtong éi. In Portugal, this distinction is not made, because both diphtongs are pronounced identically.

– Differences of vocabulary:
There are vast differences in vocabulary, and sometimes the same word may be employed differently in the two varieties
An example that is commonly used over the internet and in some books : The word for “pineapple” in European Portuguese is “ananás,” similar to other European languages, including the German “Ananas,” French “ananas” and even the Hungarian “ananasz.” In Brazil, however, the Portuguese word for pineapple is “abacaxi”. The Brazilian Portuguese in this case was heavily influenced by native Amerindian languages , in this particular case: tupi-guarani.
Some other examples:
1. comboio (EP) = trem (BP) (train)
2. autocarro (EP) = ônibus (BP) (bus)
3. hospedeira de bordo (EP) = aeromoça (BP) (stewardess)
4. bairro de lata (EP) = favela (BP) (slum)
5. desporto (EP) = esporte (BP) (sport)

– Grammatical differences :
a) Regarding the use of personal pronouns. The pronoun tu is replaced with você in most of Brazil, because você tends to be avoided in Portugal. A gente replaces nós much more often in colloquial Brazilian Portuguese than in Portugal .
b) Regarding the distinction between third person subject pronouns and object pronouns. In colloquial Brazilian Portuguese, the subject pronouns ele(s), ela(s), você(s)are often used as objects, where o(s), a(s), lhe(s) would be used in Portugal.
c) Regarding the placement of the clitic personal pronouns. In Portugal, the clitic personal pronouns can come after a verb under some circumstances (enclisis or mesoclisis): “Dê-me um cigarro”, “Desculpe-me“, “Pode dizer-me…?” They can also be placed before the auxiliary verb, in other circumstances: “Não me pode dizer…?”
In colloquial Brazilian Portuguese, the tendency is to always place the clitic pronoun before the main verb, and between the auxiliary verb and the main verb, in compound tenses: “Me dê um cigarro”, “Me desculpe”, “Pode me dizer…?”, “Não pode me dizer…?”
d) Compound verb tenses of the form “estar + gerund” tend to be replaced with “estar a + infinitive” in most of Portugal.This happens because in Brazil you use the gerund to describe something you are doing now, since in Portugal, you use the infinitive.
e) Regarding the use of prepositions. Brazilians sometimes replace the preposition a with em or para with verbs of motion. They occasionally eliminate prepositions or pronouns from verbs that are prepositional or pronominal (“reflexive”) in Portugal.

-Syntax:
the Portuguese use definite articles a lot.
Examples: o meu nome é (EP) = meu nome é (BP) (my name is, the Portuguese literally say “the my name is”)
Brazilians normally place the object pronoun before the verb (proclitic position), as in ele me viu (“he saw me”). In many such cases, the proclisis would be considered awkward or even grammatically incorrect in EP, in which the pronoun is generally placed after the verb (enclitic place), namely ele viu-me. However, formal BP still follows EP in avoiding starting a sentence with a proclitic pronoun; so both will write Deram-lhe o livro (“They gave him/her the book”) instead of Lhe deram o livro, though it will seldom be spoken in BP (but would be clearly understood).

The Orthographic Agreement
Portuguese speaking countries signed an orthographic agreement in 1990. More than unifying spellings, the agreement is oriented to accept one another’s spelling as correct. It will be mandatory in Brazil in 2016.

Source: Azevedo, Milton. 2005. Portuguese: A Linguistic Introduction. Cambridge University Press.
Governo brasileiro vai adiar obrigatoriedade do Acordo Ortográfico para 2016,Observatório da Língua Portuguesa

Soy loco por ti, COXINHA! – Brazilian snacks!

If you are hungry right now and because of that you’ve chosen the tag “brazilian food” or if you just love or are curious about the flavours of Brazil, so this post is FOR YOU! 🙂

I’d like to introduce you one of the most famous brazilian snacks: COXINHA! 🙂 It’s part of a big list of “salgadinhos”(one more exemplo of diminutivos!). Roughly translated, “tasty little salty things” (tasty was my addition, because they’re really delicious), salgadinhos are indispensable at any children’s birthday bash, wedding or post-party munch fest and “coxinha” is so far the most famous But you also can find them anywhere: bus terminal, restaurants, bakaries, snackbars…If there is food being sold, so probably there is “coxinha” :P.

The name coxinha derives from the snack’s peculiar drop shape, mocking a chicken drumstick (which, in Portuguese, is curiously called “coxa” [= thigh] only when referring to chickens; the chicken thigh is called sobrecoxa…). The golden, crispy exterior of this salgadinho surrounds a layer of soft dough filled with lightly seasoned, moist shredded chicken (last month I’ve tried a variation of coxinha filled with salmon – O -M-G! – I totally recomend it, too!). Some people love to eat them dotting each bite with some good hot red pepper sauce.

We LOVE so much coxinhas that there is even a blog just about it: Soy Loco Por ti Coxinha (I’m crazy for you, coxinha!) It is in Spanish rather in Portuguese in homage to Caetano Veloso’s famous song “Soy Loco Por Ti, América!” The blog is the work of a group of coxinha enthusiasts and biologists fromUnifesp, the Federal University of São Paulo. It’s filled with coxinha lore and legend, and perhaps most interestingly, a complex and detailed evaluation of the coxinhas from a number of Brazilian bars and restaurants – all done with the goal of finding Brazil’s best coxinha.

So choose your and find you tasty wonderful COXINHA! 😉

Do you want to try to make it yourself?? So of course we’re gonna share the recipe 😉 Wash your hands and go for it!

Ingredients (Makes about 20 coxinhas)

Filling

• Chicken breast, boneless, skinless — 1 pound
• Water — 3 cups
• Salt — to season
• Oil — 2 tablespoons
• Onion, finely chopped — 1
• Tomato, seeded and chopped — 1 cup
• Cream cheese — 1/2 cup

Dough

• Flour — 2 cups
• Oil — 2 tablespoons
• Salt and pepper — to season

Crispy Coating

• Eggs, beaten — 2
• Fine breadcrumbs – 1 1/2 cups

• Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Heat the chicken breasts, water and salt in a large saucepan over medium-high flame. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Remove the chicken and reserve the poaching liquid. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it with your fingers.
3. Clean out the saucepan, and then add the oil and heat over medium-high flame. Saute the onion in the oil until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the tomato and cook down for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the chicken, salt and pepper and continue to simmer until most of the liquid is cooked away. Remove from heat, stir in the cream cheese and adjust seasoning to taste.
4. In another saucepan, mix 2 cups of the reserved broth with the flour, oil, salt and pepper and stir together until smooth. Then set the saucepan over medium flame and cook, stirring constantly, until the batter forms a smooth mass and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Chill the dough and chicken for at least an hour.
5. Flatten a golf ball-sized piece of dough into a round. Place a tablespoon of the chicken filling in the middle of the round and bring the sides of the dough up to encase the filling. Shape the dough into a little drumstick. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
6. Take a coxinha and dip it in the beaten egg and let the excess drip off. Then roll it in the breadcrumbs and set it on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining coxinhas.
7. Deep fry the coxinhas in batches at 365°F until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve hot.

Coxinhas Variations

• The type of cheese used for coxinhas in Brazil is called Catupiry and is similar to American cream cheese. Definitely use it if you can find it.
• Eliminate the tomatoes from the filling if you like.
• Add a squeeze of lime to the filling for extra flavor

Português do Brasil é muito bonitinho – Diminutives in Portuguese

Check this a “Coca-Cola” advertisement in Ecuador. They are making fun of a really popular brazilian way of speaking: DIMINUTIVO! 😀

Ela é tao bonitinha! (She’s so cute!)

Você quer um cafezinho? (Do you want some coffee?)

Nós vivemos pertinho de você. (We live close to you.)

A diminutive (diminutivo in Portuguese) is a word formed by adding “-inho(a)” or “-zinho(a)” to the end of a word to show that something or somebody is smaller. Diminutives are also used to denote affection, intimacy, courtesy, and sometimes even a pejorative tone.

To form the diminutive, you need to pay attention to the end of the noun:

• If it ends in “s” or “sa”, we just add “inho” or “inha”: lápis – lapisinho; princesa – princesinha; casa – casinha

• If it ends in z, a consonant or stressed syllable, you keep the z and add “inho” or “inha” or in case it ends in consonant or stressed syllable just add “inho” or “inha”: nariz (nose) – narizinho; flor(flower) – florzinha; maçã (apple) – maçãzinha; café – cafezinho

Here are  just a few other examples :

• With adjectives:

“Grande” becomes “Grandinho” – Slightly big
“Verde” becomes “Verdinho” – Vivid green. –> A grama está tao verdinha. (The grass is so green.)
“Barato” becomes “Baratinho” – Cheap and affordable –> Está baratinho. Vou levar. (It’s very cheap. I’m gonna take it)

• Even with some adverbs like:

“Depressa” becomes “Depressinha” – to give the idea of very quickly
“Nunca” becomes “Nunquinha” – to give the idea of Never ever.

Now check these other examples:

• Oi, amorzinho! – Hi, honey! (For somebody you love.)
• Seu bebê é tão bonitinho. – Your baby is so cute. (Showing affection.)
• Vamos tomar uma cerveja bem geladinha? – Let’s have a really nice cold beer. (To emphasize the quality of the adjective, meaning ‘nice and …’)
• Nós temos um probleminha. – We have a little problem. (Actually, it’s probably a huge problem. :P)
• Vou fumar só um cigarrinho. – I’m going to smoke just one little cigarette. (Maybe trying to hide a vice.)
• Você pode esperar só um momentinho? – Can you wait just a moment? (probably you will wait more than “a moment”)
• Vou dar uma saidinha. – I’m just going to pop out. (Implying a quick return, which is not always the case.)

In fact, it’s very popular in Brazil. Another way to use “diminutivo” is to create brazilian nicknames. It seems at times that everyone in the country has some sort of nickname. For example, my name is Lívia, but my friends usually call me Livinha. It’s a way to show affection. I’m sure you have heard about the most famous diminutive on the planet :P: the soccer star Ronaldinho. hehehe.

Brazilians usually won’t say what they really think about something to do not sound “rude”, so the diminutive is often used for this pupose too, because it sounds “less agressive” For example, the word bonitinho I used in the begining of this post, depending on the intonation you give, could mean “cute” or “ugly”.

–> Português do Brasil é muito bonitinho (I mean, it’s really cute!)

–> A: Você acha a Lady Gaga bonita? B: Humm…ela é bonitiiiiinha. (Actually, I think she’s not that beautiful or I really think she’s ugly, but I don’t want to say it because I don’t want to be “rude” – maybe you like Lady Gaga :P)

Many people use the word “bonitinho”(cutie) to refer to someone “feio arrumadinho” (which means that you are an well dressed ugly). ^^ So, if you think someone is really cute, you better say: Você é lindo/linda! Você é muito bonito/bonita! 😉 hehe

All in all, you should start to try “brazilian diminutivo” 🙂 It’s definitly a brazilian mark!!

Um beijinho pra todos vocês! :*

Prepositions in Portuguese – De onde você é?

Prepositions are small words or combination of words that connect some elements (nouns, pronouns or phrases)  to other words in a sentence. Thus, it’s very important to learn PREPOSITIONS and its structure because they are used in every day conversation.

It can be a little bit tricky in the beginning, but the more you pratice, the closer you get to mastering this language. In the following picture you can see some common prepositions in comparison with preposition in English:

Now let’s put them into some sentences:

1) Eu vou viajar depois de amanhã. (I’m going to travel after tomorrow.)

2) João vai estudar Português comigo próximo ano. (João will study Portuguese with me next year.)/ Eu  estou com ela. (I’m with her)

3) O cachorro está dentro de casa. (The dog is inside the house.)

4) As chaves estao sob a mesa. (The keys are under the table.)

5) Eu quero encontrar você antes do pôr-do-sol. (I want to see you before the sunset.)

6) Onde você está? Eu estou em casa. (Where are you? I’m at home)

7) Entre eu e você só existe amizade. (Between me and you there is only friendship.)

8) Há sete alunos e um professor entre nós. (There are seven students and one teacher among us)

Some verbs are also followed by preposition, such as GOSTAR, PRECISAR. In Portuguese these verbs are ALWAYS followed by the preposition “DE”(in English it is not necessary):

Eg: Eu gosto de você. (I like you)

Ana gosta de chocolate. (Ana likes chocolate.)

Carlos gosta de feijoada. (Carlos likes feijoada.)

Many students have difficulties to make difference between: DE and DO, DOS, DA, DAS. There are many situations where you can use them,  let’s see some exemples how to use it properly.

First of all, remember that main preposition is “DE”, the other ones are combination of DE + articles:

DE + A: DA (feminim, singular)

DE + AS: DAS (feminim, plural)

DE + O: DO (masculin, singular)

DE + OS: DOS (masculin, plural)

• DE:

__De onde você é? (Where are you from?)

__Eu sou de Fortaleza. /Eu sou de Sao Paulo/ Eu sou de Brasília/ Eu sou de Bogotá/ Eu sou de Buenos Aires/ Eu sou de Londres.

*exceptions: Rio de Janeiro and Bahia. Eu sou do Rio de Janeiro/ Eu sou da Bahia.

Use “DE” when you’re talking about the city where you’re from.

• DO/DA/DOS/DAS

__De onde você é? (Where are you from?)

__ Eu sou do Brasil/do Japao/do Peru./da Colômbia/da Inglaterra/ da República Tcheca/dos Estados Unidos/das Ilhas Malvinas.

*exceptions: Eu sou de Portugal./ Eu sou de Cuba

Use DO/DA/DOS/DAS when you’re talking about the country you’re from.

To use the correct preposition in this case you must learn the gender of the countries in Portuguese. We have a helpful list for you:

FEMININ

A Argentina

A Alemanha

A Colômbia

A Guatemala

A Espanha

A Eslovênia

A Inglaterra

A China

A Índia

A Angola

A África do Sul

A Hungria

A Russia

MASCULIN

O Japao

O Chile

O Equador

O México

Os Estados Unidos

O Brasil

O Canadá

O Ira

O Egito

O Panamá

Are we understood? 😉 Now that you have learned it, leave us a coment answering this question: “De onde você é?” 😀

Esta? Está? Estar? – What’s the difference?

These three words have some important differences that you need to know! And of course, after reading this post you will be able to use them properly 😉

Let’s start!

• ESTA: It’s a demonstrative pronoum, just like “this” and “that”. But in Portuguese we have different demonstrative pronouns for masculin and feminin and ESTA is for feminin. 

Eu estarei ocupada esta semana. (I will be busy this week)

Esta caixa é grande. (This is a big box)

* the masculin of ESTA is ESTE.

• ESTÁ: It’s the verb “ESTAR”(to be) in the 3rd person of singular in the Simple Present tense or when it’s conjugated with the pronoun VOCÊ.

Ele está cansado. (He is tired.)

Ela está doente. (She’s sick.)

Você está linda! (You look pretty!)

Você está estudando? (Are you studying?)

Você está trabalhando duro para atingir seus objetivos. (You’re working hard to achieve your goals)

 

The alternative form of “ESTAR” is “tá” or “tô” (singular). But it’s nonstandard.

Ele tá cansado. / Ela tá linda!

Eu tô doente.

Você tá estudando?

 

• ESTAR: It’s the infinitive of verb “to be” in Portuguese (remember: In Portuguese “to be” means “SER” or “ESTAR”)

Eu vou estar em casa mais tarde. (I’ll be at home later)

Estar com você me faz feliz. (To be with you make me happy)

 

Finally we have:

 

Listen to the audio of this post here:

Feijoada Brasileira – Brazilian Food

It’s Sunday! Most of brazilian families enjoy this day-off  together, going to the beach(if there’s beach in the city, of course), visit some friends, preparing a tasty churrasco (barbecue) or the famous FEIJOADA! 🙂

The word FEIJOADA (pronounced fay-ZWAH-da) comes from “feijao”,  Portuguese for “beans”.  In northwest Portugal it is usually made with white beans; in the northeast (Trás-os-Montes), it is generally prepared with kidney beans, and includes other vegetables such as tomatoes,carrots, and cabbage. The stew is best prepared over low heat in a thick clay pot. However, it gained its own version in Brazil and became a very popular dish among brazilians and also foreigners.

Brazilian feijoada is prepared with black beans, a variety of salted pork or beef products, such as pork trimmings (ears, tail, feet),bacon, smoked pork ribs, and at least two types of smoked sausage and jerked beef (loin and tongue). “Feijoada Completa”  is served with rice, farofa, steamed kale and vinaigrette sauce.

The taste is strong, moderately salty but not spicy, dominated by the flavors of black bean and meat stew.

IMPORTANT TIPS ABOUT FEIJOADA

1. It’s better eat it at lunchtime, because it’s a heavy dish.
2. Caipirinha can be served as an aperetif. Beer, soft drinks or juices for drinks.
3. Sliced oranges can be served along feijoada to help your digestion 🙂

I’ve found a lot of recipes in English teaching how to make feijoadas, but the most complete one I found on a very interesting blog about brazilian cuisine, called FLAVORS OF BRAZIL. Maybe you won’t find all the ingredients, but feijoada is a flexible dish 🙂 you can easily replace some ingredients. Check it out:

RECIPE – Feijoada (Classic, Traditional Recipe)
Serves 6

1/2 lb. (250 gr.) pork ribs, salted
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) pig’s tail, salted
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) pig’s foot, salted
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) pig’s ear, salted
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) pork loin, salted
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) carne-do-sol (click here for instructions on how to make your own carne-do-sol)
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) beef brisket
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) Linguiça sausage, or other smoked sausage
1/2 lb. (250 gr.)  Linguiça sausage, spiced, or pepperoni
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) Kielbasa sausage, or other garlic sausage
1 1/2 cups dried black beans
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch green onions
5 bay leaves
1/2 cup cachaça
1 unpeeled orange, scrubbed and quartered
1 lb. (400 gr.) pork lard
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) thick sliced smoked bacon, cubed
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
———————————————————————–
The day before cooking the feijoada, place all the salted,meats in a large pan, and cover with cold water. Refrigerate. Change the water every three hours, for minimum 24 hours. Drain thoroughly.

In a very large kettle or bean pot, place the beans, the meats and sausages, the cilantro and green onions tied together, the bay leaves, the cachaça, and the orange. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue to cook over low heat. As each meat in turn becomes fully cooked and tender (test with a fork) remove from the kettle, let cool, cut into bit-size pieces, and reserve.

When the black beans are fully cooked and soft (about 1.5 – 2 hrs.), remove 1 cup of beans and cooking liquid, and blend until smooth in a blender. Return 1/2 cup of this mixture to the beans in the kettle to thicken the cooking liquid.

In a large frying pan heat the lard, and cook the bacon in it until browned and crispy. Remove the bacon cubes, and in the same lard, fry the garlic and onion until soft and transparent, but not browned. Remove from heat, then stir in the reserved 1/2 cup of the blended beans. Stir entire contents of frying pan plus the reserved meats and bacon, into the beans in the kettle. Let cook over low heat for 20 minutes for flavors to blend.

Serve accompanied by Mineiro-style kale, thick slices of peeled oranges, white rice, farofa (recipe to follow), and caipirinhas to drink.