Brazilian Portuguese

This is the second video in our series Learn Brazilian Portuguese with Songs. These lessons are a collaboration between Susanna Zaraysky, author of the book Language is Music, and Luciana Lage, from Street Smart Brazil, co-author of the book 51 Portuguese Idioms - Speak Like a Brazilian. We are going to use Brazilian songs to teach you Portuguese. Additionally, we are going to contrast Spanish and Portuguese to discuss pronunciation and grammar. READ MORE>

I am thrilled to post the first video of the new series Learn Brazilian Portuguese with Songs in collaboration with Susanna Zaraysky, author of the book Language is Music.

Below the video is the transcript of our interview. Enjoy! READ MORE>

Our lesson today is about pronunciation. I get a lot of questions from students asking about the sound of the letters D. This video will show you the pronunciation of the D syllable by syllable. READ MORE>

This old Brazilian song called Amigo é pra essas coisas was popping in my mind for no apparent reason. The lyrics are a dialogue between old friends who meet at a bar. One of them is feeling pretty down because his girlfriend broke up with him. You know how they say that there is a reason for something to insist on popping in your mind? Last week, while singing it in the shower, it occurred to me that Portuguese learners would benefit a lot from the song. It is a casual dialogue between friends and although it was written a few decades ago, most of its language is still current and useful. READ MORE>

What would you answer in the following situation? You are in Brazil and you meet your friend to go out for dinner:

YOU: Oi, tudo bem?
YOUR FRIEND: Nossa! Tô um bagaço. Bati perna o dia todo resolvendo coisas.
YOU: O quê?
YOUR FRIEND: Vamos? Estou verde de fome! E hoje vamos colocar o papo em dia :)
YOU: Ummmm... OK.

Colloquial expressions are a big part of life. In Brazil, they challenge even advanced students who often feel frustrated when they are among their Brazilian friends and participate in dialogues that are always full of idiomatic expressions. READ MORE>

(Pic source)

I bet that you got hungry just by looking at the picture above. That is a typical breakfast buffet at hotels in Brazil.

Doctors say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We, Brazilians, agree. We do take our time to eat a rich café da manhã. READ MORE>

When I was eight  I saw this TV series based upon a true story called Lampião e Maria Bonita. It took place in the dry lands of Brazilian Sertão, a bit similar to –and not far from- the region of Crisópolis, where grandpa Octavio had settled alone in a house, in the middle of nowhere, after leaving the big city once and for all. I remember having cherry tomato wars with my siblings, picking cotton from the trees in his backyard and eating his polenta. I also remember looking at the moon from the porch and feeling overwhelmed by its power, its mystery, and by the fact that it surely knew everything about my future (but it wouldn't tell me). In terms of landscapes, I am not sure where the memories of this TV series end and where those from my childhood at grandpa Octavio’s little ranch begin. READ MORE>

In Portuguese, there are several rules to form the plural of the words. It all depends on the word ending or the stressed syllable of each word. We will show you the main rules in a series of posts about this topic. READ MORE>

With the growth of social media in our lives I have decided to focus on the Street Smart Brazil Facebook community and close down our forum here on the site. The current forum content will still be available for search. As for new questions and discussions, I encourage you to use our Facebook community where you will find colloquial vocabulary, music, events, and news about Brazil. I will be happy to answer your questions there and will be thrilled to hear about your experience with Portuguese and Brazil.  READ MORE>

I will show you in a simple way how to use the pronouns lhe, o, a, and their plural forms. I will also show you a few common mistakes with the use of lhe. READ MORE>