How are you?

I am sure you’re a nice person and therefore are very kind to people and always ask them how they are. If you’re in Brazil, you don’t need to lose your kindness because of a language barrier, just say: Como vai você? It is simple, right? Then, click here to listen to a dialogue that uses this very common expression in Brazil.

Bellow you find the dialogue in Portuguese and its translation to English:
- Bom dia! Como vai você? Good morning! How are you?
- Bem, obrigada. E você? Fine, thanks. And you?
- Mais ou menos. Eu moro na Avenida Paulista. O trânsito está muito ruim lá. More or less. I live on Paulista Avenue. Traffic is very bad there.
- Não é fácil morar em São Paulo! It is not easy to live in São Paulo!

Word of the week: Bola

Click here to learn how to pronounce BOLA.

BOLA is the favorite toy of every Brazilian boy. Every little kid in Brazil has his soccer ball. Soccer or futebol, as it is called in Brazil, is the number 1 sport in the country and everything starts when the boys first kick the BOLA in a backyard, in a park or in the streets. No green field is required, just the BOLA. And for those that are too poor to buy one, a BOLA made of socks will do. After all, this is how Pelé got started. And the toy becomes a magic instrument in talented feet of the white, black, rich and poor kids. It becomes a catalyst of dreams.

Polite Expressions

Treat everybody the way you want them to treat you!! So, be polite!! Always!

Below you will find some polite expressions or "expressões de cortesia" in Portuguese. Click here to listen to the pronunciation.

Obrigada (if you are a female)/obrigado (if you are a male)
Thank you

De nada
You’re welcome

Por favor
Please

Muito prazer
Nice to meet you

Desculpe
I am sorry

Com licença
Excuse me

Word of the week: Açúcar

AÇÚCAR is what most people use to sweeten coffee, tea, or to make delicious cakes. Click here to learn how to pronounce AÇÚCAR.

In Brazil, AÇÚCAR is produced from sugar cane. The sugar cane was introduced in Brazil by Portugal and AÇÚCAR became known at the time as “white gold” because of its economic importance. Today, sugar cane still plays an important role in Brazilian economy, especially now with the world's interest in Brazilian ethanol, a biofuel derived from sugar cane.

Another product derived from sugar cane is the most famous distilled beverage of Brazil – cachaça. Next time you’re in Brazil, order a caipirinha – a delicious cocktail made with cachaça, sugar, limes, and ice cubes.

Introducing yourself

Do you want to meet some Brazilians? The first thing you need then is to learn how to introduce yourself. Here is a dialogue between Maria, a Brazilian, and Sally, an American:

- Olá, meu nome é Maria. Qual é o seu nome? Hello, my name is Maria. What is your name?
- O meu nome é Sally. Muito prazer. My name is Sally. Nice to meet you.
- Igualmente. Bem-vinda ao Brasil! Likewise. Welcome to Brazil!
- Obrigada. Thank you.
- De nada. You’re welcome.

Brazilians are very friendly people and they will always welcome you! When they welcome you, say "obrigada" if you are a woman. If you are a man, say "obrigado".

Click here to listen to the dialogue and practice pronunciation.

The word of the week

This segment will be present in this blog every week to introduce new Portuguese words for you. You will learn how to write and pronounce the words here. And you will also have some information about cultural aspects related to these words.

Since it is Carnival in Brazil right now, our first word in "the word of the week" segment is CARNAVAL. Click here to listen to the pronunciation.

In Brazil, CARNAVAL is celebrated all over the country. In Rio and São Paulo, people celebrate CARNAVAL with the "escolas de samba." In Salvador, CARNAVAL is celebrated with the "axé-music", played by the "trios elétricos". Recife is famous for its "frevo". If you never heard of "frevo", check Lenine, a very good composer and singer from Brazil, singing a frevo song in an event to celebrate 100 years of this fun Brazilian music style. Check it out:

Vamos Brincar!

Now that you know the Portuguese alphabet, let's play a little! In this site for kids, you will play a game called "O jogo das letras". You need to click "jogue agora" (play now) to start the game. In this game, you need to drag the object that is inside the train to the house. Pick the object that starts with the letter shown on the house. Have fun! And don't forget to pay attention to the name of the object you picked. It will appear if you pick the right object! Write it down, so you will learn better.

The alphabet

The alphabet is known in Portuguese as alfabeto or abecedário. The Portuguese alphabet consists of 23 letters; the letters K, W, Y are not part of the Portuguese alphabet but are used in words of foreign origin or in abbreviations.

Click here to listen and practice the pronunciation of the Brazilian Portuguese alphabet. Knowing how to pronounce the letters will help you to pronounce the words.

Now, have some fun with Xuxa singing the song "Abecedário da Xuxa"!

Here are the lyrics, so you can sing with Xuxa!

Abecedário da Xuxa
Composição: Cesar Costa Filho & Ronaldo Monteiro de Souza

A de Amor (A for love)
B de Baixinho (B for kid)
C de Coração (C for heart)
D de Docinho (D for candy)
E de Escola (E for school)
F de Feijão (F for beans)
G de Gente (G for people)
H de Humano (H for human)
I de Igualdade (I for equality)
J Juventude (J youth)
L Liberdade (L liberty)
M Molecagem (M prank)
N Natureza (N nature)
O Obrigado (O thank you)
P Proteção! (P protection!)
Q de Quero-Quero (Q for Southern Lapwing)
R de Riacho (R for stream)
S de Saudade (S for longing)
T de Terra (T for Earth)
U de Universo (U for universe)
V de Vitória! (V for victory)
X o que que é? (X what is it?)
É Xuxa! (It’s Xuxa!)
Z é zum zum zum zum zum (Z is zum zum zum zum zum)
Vamos Cantar (Let’s sing)
Vamos Brincar (Let’s play)
Alegria pra valer! (Real happiness!)
O abecedário da Xuxa (Xuxa’s alphabet)
Vamos Aprender! (Let’s learn)