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English is pretty popular in Brazil and English courses are a dime a dozen. When applying for the average desk job in a major city, I hear that it's expected that one knows English. Knowledge of a third language is the new added bonus for the employer. When it comes to non-professional life, Brazilians already use many English words, even if they alter their meanings. While I wouldn't recommend coming here and trying to get by with just your English fluency, I do think it's important to understand how to use what you already know. READ MORE>

Any student can get a dictionary and look up the meaning of these verbs, right?

• To bring = trazer
• To take = levar

However what you do not find in dictionaries or in any traditional Portuguese language blog is the key difference in the use of these verbs in Portuguese and in English. These verbs are tricky for both students of Portuguese and for Brazilian students of English. READ MORE>

This past Sunday 30 Portuguese language enthusiasts got together to chat. What a great way to end the Easter weekend! Our bate papo was really great! I met some old MeetUp friends and made new ones. I learned about their experience with Brazil and the Portuguese language, got to know about other countries, talked about art, and laughed a lot! Larissa -- our Aula Viva actress and instructor -- was fantastic performing mime quizes :) READ MORE>

I found a very good article on learning a language on Lexiophiles.com: www.lexiophiles.com: an interview with Spanish translator and TV show presenter Xosé Castro.

In my opinion, Xosé's three special tips for learners are really at the heart of learning a foreign language and having fun along the way. I am sure that my students will recognize this advice :) READ MORE>

Fernando Pessoa was a Portuguese writer and poet, and in my opinion one of the best poets this world has even seen. Born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1935, Pessoa left an extensive, complex, and beautiful collection of writings. READ MORE>

On February 3, 2010 the San Francisco Brazilian Portuguese Language MeetUp Group got together to meet and greet the new group organizer, Rodrigo. The meeting was such a joy! I had the chance to see some of the fantastic people from previous MeetUps and was fortunate to meet new friends.

We had name tags in which we also indicated the cities or sites in Brazil that we know or that we would like to learn more about. The tags made it easy to start conversations and meet new friends. READ MORE>

Say you like chocolate. How would you answer if your friend asked:

• “Você gosta de chocolate?” (Do you like chocolate?)

  READ MORE>

 Just finished the latest Street Smart Brazil flyer.  Look for it in a cafe near you, and get 5% off of 3 classes when you sign up by December 1, 2009.  (applies to regular classes for new clients only)

Check out this site: AllVerbs.com

Muito legal. You type in the verb that you want and the site offers you all the conjugations for that verb. READ MORE>

Here is a great way to practice your Street Smart Portuguese and build your vocabulary: Below is a list of Brazilian magazines on a wide variety of subjects. Some of them make all their content available online; others offer their .com edition on their site. Either way, you will keep informed and enjoy lots of practice.

Here is a tip for you: Read it out loud -- it is great practice.

Boa leitura! READ MORE>