Wednesday 16 December 2015

Brazilian Culture: Differences #9

Brazilian Culture: Differences #9

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #93

Estar com cara de quem não sabe se quer casar ou comprar uma bicicleta - To be looking like you don’t know whether you want to get married or buy a bicycle

When someone has that lost look on their face like they have no idea what the wanna do but they wanna do something.

Literally, “To be with a face of someone who doesn’t know if they want to get married or buy a bicycle”

Saturday 5 December 2015

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #92

Nóis é pobre mas a gente se adiverti - We be poor but we has fun

The sentence “nós somos pobre mas a gente se diverte” (we are poor but we have fun) in “improper” Portuguese in reference to a country bumpkin/lower class Portuguese dialect. Kind of reminiscent of “we make our own fun” (ish).

Monday 30 November 2015

Tuesday 24 November 2015

In Brazil, These Books Double as Subway Tickets

In Brazil, These Books Double as Subway Tickets:

libraryjournal:

A creative way to promote literacy. I am on board!

The Ticket Books collection included ten titles: Peanuts: Friendship. That’s What Friends Are For by Charles M. Schulz, Garfield: Sorry by Jim Davis, Hundred Love Sonnets by Pablo Neruda, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of Baskerville by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Murder Alley by Agatha Christie, Chives In Trouble! by Mauricio de Sousa, and Quintana Pocket by Mario Quintana. The books also featured cover art inspired by subway maps.

Wednesday 18 November 2015

Words matter in ‘ISIS’ war, so use ‘Daesh’ - The Boston Globe

Words matter in ‘ISIS’ war, so use ‘Daesh’ - The Boston Globe:

pandora-the-curious:

blcsquared:

That lefait is very crafty! Is this pronounced ‘douche’?

LOL, Lefait is pretty crafty. He knows a lot of things about a lot of things, too.  In this case he knew what was up with calling them daesh nearly 2 years before almost anyone else over here figured it out.  I don’t think it’s pronounced douche. I pronounce it dash. Sometimes I wonder if it is really supposed to be pronounced with 2 syllables: dah-esh. But I’m not sure. Maybe @lefaitjugelhomme can clarify.

Tuesday 10 November 2015

Brazilian Portuguese Grammar: Homonyms #5

Cela - a small room, usually used in the term of a cell (such as you might find in a jail)

Sela - to seal; saddle

Tuesday 27 October 2015

Brazilian History: The Years of Lead #1

The years between 1964-1989 are known in Brazil as Os Anos de Chumbo (The Years of Lead). That’s because during this period Brazil was under a brutally violent US-controlled puppet government military dictatorship.

How did it come into existence?

1. Brazilians vote in a very left-wing candidate whose policies benefit Brazil and the Brazilian working class, not the US economy.

2. The US sends its navy over to Brazil to be at the ready in case the Brazilian military is met with armed resistance during its takeover of the government.

3. Military dictatorship is put in place. 

Sunday 25 October 2015

Brazilian Culture: Differences #8

In Brazil there is no distinction between a raven and a crow.

They’re both called corvo (plural, corvos).

Brazilian Culture: Differences #2

writer-voice:

brazilspill:

In Brazil to say that something is bárbaro (barbarian/barbaric) isn’t always a negative thing - usually it means something is good.

It’s a term used somewhat in the same way “awesome” or “cool” would be used in English.

i.e. Que bárbaro o que eles fizeram na instalação de arte! (How cool what they did at the art installation!)

It can, however, also have with a negative connotation.

Though come to think of it I’m pretty sure we typically only use the negative meaning of the word when translating something described in another language as “barbaric" such as in “tratamentos bárbaros” (barbaric treatments)…

Same thing in Argentine Spanish! I learned the hard way…

Tuesday 20 October 2015

typhlonectes: Gang Of Hairless Kittens Refuses To Let Woman...



typhlonectes:

Gang Of Hairless Kittens Refuses To Let Woman Make The Bed

(via: The Dodo)

What she says:

Opa! (an exclamation akin to ”Whoops!” or”Whoa!”)

Saiam daqui! (Get off! - literally, “leave here!”)

Saaai! (Get ooooff!)

Thursday 15 October 2015

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #91

Doença de primeiro mundo - [The] First World Disease

Literally, “illness/disease of [the] First World”

Allergies.

Very few people in Third World countries have allergies, because 99% of the time they allergies are caused by people living in over-sanitized environments (which then causes the body to start attacking itself, as it produces white blood cells no matter the environment you’re in, and they need something to fight).

Saturday 10 October 2015

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #90

Espirito de porco - Pig-Spirited

You know the people that litter beautiful wilderness areas? 

Yeah, this is them. 

Someone who is “pig-spirited” refers to people who dirty up nature areas (e.g. waterfalls, canyons, lakes, hiking trails, what have you), deface ancient buildings with graffiti, and generally ruin it for everybody. There’s more ways one can be “pig-spirited, but I’m sure you get the idea.

Thursday 8 October 2015

imperialtnt: brazilspill: Taken just outside Belo Horizonte,...





imperialtnt:

brazilspill:

Taken just outside Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais in 2006.

From what I understand, in English their name is “black tufted marmoset” or “black-tufted tamarin”.

In Brazil tiny little monkeys like these are all referred to as a mico (which made the name of Pocahontas’ raccoon - Meeko - really confusing for me as a kid). 

This specific kind is known as a mico estrela (star mico, due to the little star on its forehead). 

When I was young these guys would come onto our porch and take our food

There was one that would come up to my classroom and wait for us to share our lunch (his favourite was ham-flavoured Fandangos xD)

My mom’s friend lives in an area where she has to keep the windows locked at all times otherwise they get in and tear up the kitchen looking for snacks. Kinda like the scene from Jumanji with the monkeys in the kitchen.

Brazilian Portuguese: Loanwords #7

thetiredknifer:

brazilspill:

Shopping - The mall.

Outdoor - Billboard (though each state will pronounce it slightly differently, in my state, Minas Gerais,  it’s pronounced “ouch-daw’r”).

in my state (Rio Grande do Norte) it’s pronounced “ow-tee-daw’h)

Wednesday 23 September 2015

Literal Translations #1

Descançar - To rest

Literally translated, “to un-tire” (or better yet, “to de-tire”).

No one thinks of the  word in those terms any more than English speakers stop to think about what “welcome” literally means, but that’s where it comes from.

Tuesday 25 August 2015

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #89

Dar pau - To stop working/ to go wrong

Literally, “it ended in a stick”.

Even more literally, “it gave [a] stick”

e.g. O computador deu pau outra vez! - The computer’s frozen/stopped working again!

Friday 21 August 2015

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #88

Deus ajuda quem cedo madruga - God helps those who rise with the early dawn

The Brazilian equivalent of “the early bird catches the worm”.

Monday 10 August 2015

Taken just outside Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais in 2006.From...





Taken just outside Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais in 2006.

From what I understand, in English their name is “black tufted marmoset” or “black-tufted tamarin”.

In Brazil tiny little monkeys like these are all referred to as a mico (which made the name of Pocahontas’ raccoon - Meeko - really confusing for me as a kid). 

This specific kind is known as a mico estrela (star mico, due to the little star on its forehead). 

Thursday 6 August 2015

Game Changers: Brazilian Game Names #6

Par ou Impar - Even or Odd

Kind of like the mutant baby between tossing a coin and Rock-Paper-Scissors.

Particularly popular when a group needs a Rock-Paper-Scissors decision but there’s too many people for it to work.

One person calls Odd, one person calls Even, then everyone tosses in their hands. If the number’s odd, whoever had called Odd wins and vice versa.

It’s usually pronounced as if the name of the game was “Paroimpar”.

Fun fact: Par literally translates as “pair”.

Thursday 30 July 2015

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #87

Casaco é aquela coisa que a gente veste quando mãe sente frio - Coats are those things we wear when moms feel cold

Literally “[A] coat is that thing that we wear when mom feels cold”.

Monday 20 July 2015

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #85

O que os olhos não veêm o coração não sente - What the eyes don’t see, the heart doesn’t feel

A Brazilian saying somewhere between “what she/he doesn’t know wont hurt her/him” and “out of sight, out of mind”, as it can be used both in reference to oneself or to someone else.

Wednesday 15 July 2015

Brazilian Portuguese: Loanwords #7

Shopping - The mall.

Outdoor - Billboard (though each state will pronounce it slightly differently, in my state, Minas Gerais,  it’s pronounced “ouch-daw’r”).

Friday 10 July 2015

Brazilian Pop Culture: Jokes #3

Qual é a sentença mais longa do mundo que só usa vogais?

(What’s the longest sentence in the world that only uses vowels?)

Ô, ó o auê aí ô!

=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ô - A way of calling someone’s attention. 

ó - A popular colloquial shortening of olha/olhe (look/see/check it out)

o auê - Auê is slang for trouble/kerfuffle

- Over there

ô - In Portuguese a double negative is used for emphasis. The same applies to certain exclamations (which in turn usually indicates annoyance or excitement depending on the situation).

Tuesday 30 June 2015

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #84

Me engana que eu gosto! - Fool/decieve me for I enjoy/like it!

A way of saying “Yeah, right - like I’m ever gonna believe that!” or “Nice try!”.

My guess is that the thought behind its origins is “try to fool/deceive me, for I find your  attempts amusing”.

Thursday 25 June 2015

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #83

Presente de grego - Greek present

A present that’s a disservice and/or not beneficial rather than a genuine gift. 

Usually used when someone gives you something that is gonna give you more work rather than make your life easier/a really boring present that isn’t good for anything.

E.g. Someone gives you a car accessory despite knowing full well you don’t own a car.

The term is referencing the Trojan Horse.

Saturday 20 June 2015

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #82

Nó!

Yet another permutation of Nossa!/Nossa Senhora! that I forgot to add in with that post. There’s a lot of variations. it’s hard to keep track.

Nó is also the noun for “knot”. 

Wednesday 10 June 2015

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #81

Deu nó no cérebro - There was a knot in/on the brain

Even more literally, “it gave a knot in/on the brain”

When you get things confused/switched around (i.e. you meant to say left instead of right, you get people confused in your head, etc). 

A close cousin of “getting one’s wires crossed”, the “brain fart” and “blonde moment” in English.

Brazilian vs European Portuguese #2

brazilspill:


anililina:

brazilspill:

Dublar vs Dobrar

Both refer to dubbing a film/tv show, etc.

Brazilians call it dublar (probably from the English term), while the Portuguese call it dobrar (literally, “to double” or “to fold”)

WoW! The Brazilian term looks spanish.

I know, right?!

It’s very common for that to happen, which makes learning one after knowing the other a double-edged sword - it’s easier to learn the basics but half the time you find yourself wondering “Oh damn, is that just me trying to make it sound like the other language or is that how it actually goes?”. Or using the wrong noun gender - when I lived in Cuba for 4 months I kept using “la” when asking for water because it’s a feminine noun in Portuguese. (The Cubans thought it was hilarious).

I’ve personally always felt that Brazilian Portuguese sounds/looks like Spanish with some French sounds thrown in (which is probably why it’s easier for Portuguese speakers to understand Spanish than the other way around - I think the nasal tones throw Hispanophones for a loop :P).  :)

Friday 5 June 2015

Brazilian Portuguese Grammar #4

When the letter H appears at the beginning of a word (i.e. helicoptero, hospital, Henrique, etc) the H is always silent. 

If you come across any exceptions (i.e. hamster or hashi, where the H is pronounced like an R), you can bet the word was borrowed from another language (in these cases, German and Japanese respectively).

Saturday 30 May 2015

Brazilian vs European Portuguese#2

Dublar vs Dobrar

Both refer to dubbing a film/tv show, etc.

Brazilians call it dublar (probably from the English term), while the Portuguese call it dobrar (literally, “to double” or “to fold”)

Friday 22 May 2015

Game Changers: Brazilian Game Names #5

Quebra-Cabeça - Puzzle

As in the puzzle games where you have a bunch of pieces you put together to form a picture (or a thing if it~s a 3D one).

Literally, “Brain-Breaker”.

Even more literally, “Head-Breaker”.

Tuesday 19 May 2015

It Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Does #2/Brazilian Culture: Differences #7

In Brazil we have two words for the colour black. It’s important to understand how they’re used so as to avoid giving (or receiving) insult:

Negro

Negro is a word in Portuguese that means “black/dark”, and is usually only used when describing a living thing, the exception almost always being in poetry/songs if it fits better for rhyme/meter/etc. i.e. A CD of lullabies I had as a kid had a song whose title was Negro céu (”Dark Sky”).

The word for someone with dark skin is negro (pronounced “n’eh-gro”, not like “nee-gro” in English). 

To Brazilians the word negro has ZERO racist connotations. In fact, it’s the politically correct way to refer to someone who has dark skin.

Preto

The most commonly used word for the colour black in relation to objects/non-living things (and oftentimes animals too; i.e. gato preto - “black cat”). 

When used in reference to a person, it’s considered pejorative (unless used by someone who’s black).

Sunday 26 April 2015

Game Changers: Brazilian Game Names #4

Pula-Sela* - Leapfrog

Literally, “Jump-[the]-Saddle”

*This is the name used where I’m from. Anything having to do with oral tradition, such as names and/or myths can vary greatly depending on where you live. Just because where you live doesn't use this version of the name doesn't make it wrong.

Friday 10 April 2015

Monday 6 April 2015

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, Slang #79

Viajando na maionese - Travelling in/through the mayonnaise


To be daydreaming, to have your head in the clouds, to be in one’s own world, to be “off in La La Land”.


Saturday 28 March 2015

Brazilian Portuguese Grammar: Homonyms #4

Ascender - to rise/climb


Acender - to light


ie. Acender uma vela - To light a candle


Acender a luz - To turn on the light


Thursday 26 March 2015

Brazilian Pop Culture: Protesting #30

image

This isn’t a government, this is a joke!


Literally, “Government? [Calling it by] that name is hilarious/a joke”.


Even more literally, “Government? That name is a comedy”.


Wednesday 25 March 2015

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #80

Criar caso - To create [a] case


To be outright trying to start a problem where there isn’t one (ie an argument).


Interestingly, caso is also a colloquial term for “story” or “tale” - which means this term can also be translated as “to create a story.”


Criar can also mean “to raise” (as in “to raise a child”), so yet another alternative translation could be “to raise a story.”


Thursday 19 March 2015

Saturday 28 February 2015

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #77

Vai tomar banho! - Go take a shower!


A friendly way of telling someone off (scr*w you, f*** you, bugger off, but without the harshness). As with most things of this nature, context and tone of voice should help indicate whether it’s meant harshly or not.


Parents also often enjoy playing around with this when telling their kids it’s bath time.


Saturday 14 February 2015

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #76

Dor de cotovelo - Elbow pain


Someone’s said to have “elbow pain” is someone who’s gone through a romantic heartbreak and is heartsick/heartsore.


Thursday 5 February 2015

Saturday 24 January 2015

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #74

Procurando chifre em cabeça de cavalo - Looking for antlers/horns on a horse’s head


You’re looking for complications when something’s actually simple; you’re making things harder than they need to be.


i.e. When taking a multiple choice test you get to the answer of a question really quick and then start thinking “no, it can’t be that easy. I must’ve done something wrong.”