Grammar Lesson #1: Gostar vs.

Gustar Sitting on the Grass Dialog

Michelle: Valdo, olhe pro gramado. Veja como os universitrios americanos gostam de livros, de msica Valdo, mira la grama. Ve como a los universitarios americanos les gustan os libros, y la msica Valdo, look at the lawn. You see how American university students like music, book Valdo: E voc gosta de sentar na grama como eles para estudar? Te gusta sentarte en el csped como ellos para estudiar? Do you like to sit on the lawn to study like they do? Michelle: No, no estou acostumada. Mas os alunos aqui nos Estados Unidos adoram. No, no estoy acostumbrada. Pero a los alumnos de aqu de los Estados Unidos les encanta. No, I'm not used to it. But the students here in the United State love it. Valdo: Pois , no gosto disso no. um pouco desconfortvel e tem muita formiga. Pues, a m no me gusta. Es un poco incmodo y hay muchas hormigas. Yea, I don't like it either. It is kind of uncomfortable and there are a lot of ants. Michelle: Eh, eu tambm no gosto de formiga no. Onde voc prefere estudar? De acuerdo. Tampoco me gustan las hormigas. Dnde prefieres estudiar? Yea, I don't like ants either. Where do you like to study? Valdo: Eu gosto muito de estudar no conforto da minha casa ou na biblioteca. Me gusta mucho estudiar en la comodidad de mi casa o en la biblioteca. I really like to study in the comfort of my home or in the library.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

In Brazil it is not common for college students to lie down on the grass on campus to study, to chat or hang out in general. In fact the whole idea of "lawns" is different in Brazil. College campuses rarely have what North Americans identify as lawns. As such, there isn't a tradition of going outside to sit on the lawn.

Grammar Notes
The verb "to like" in Portuguese is gostar and it is basically what is called a "regular verb, meaning the conjugation is simply: Eu gosto Ns gostamos Voc Vocs Ele gosta Eles gostam Ela Elas Michelle no gosta de formigas. (Michelle doesn't like ants.) Valdo gosta de estudar. (Valdo likes to study.) This is similar to English phrases with the verb "to be fond of". In English we say things like, "I am fond of strawberries and cream." We would never say in English, "I am fond strawberries and cream." In the same way, in Portuguese we have to include the preposition de "of". We should make you aware of one small exception. If the last word in the sentence is the verb gostar, there is no need to add the word de. For example: Voce gosta de estudar? Gosto. Marcos gosta de livros? Gosta, sim. Second, for all of the native speakers of English who have had to learn how to use gustar in Spanish, congratulations! However, none of it applies to Portuguese. The Spanish forms with the indirect objects are simply not a part of Portuguese. For example: Me gusta el libro. Eu gosto do livro. I like the book. Me gustan los libros. Eu gosto dos livros. I like the books. Te gusta cantar. Voc gosta de cantar. You like to sing. Les gusta cantar. Eles gostam de cantar. They like to sing. 1

Grammar Lesson #2: Contractions Getting Change From A Machine Dialog

Michelle: Ficar na fila duro, n? Esperar en la fila es duro, verdad? Wating in line is tough, isn't it? Valdo: Que tal se a gente passar pelo meio e chegar naquele outro caixa? Qu tal si pasamos por el centro y esperamos en aquel otro cajero? How about if we go towards the middle and wait at the other cashier? Michelle: Do lado de l? T bom. Del otro lado? Est bien. That other side over there? OK. Valdo: Viu, s vezes me confundo com o troco nesses supermercados. Por que eles nunca colocam as moedas nas nossas mos? Sabe, a veces me confundo con el cambio en esos supermercados. Por qu ellos nunca dejan las monedas en nuestra mano? You know, some times I get confused with the change in these supermarkets. Why don't they ever put the change in your hands? Michelle: Porque as moedas caem das maquininhas que ficam ao lado do caixa. Porque las monedas caen de las maquinitas que estn al lado de la caja. Because the coins come out of the little machines that are next to the cashier. Valdo: Ah, t... que nos supermercados brasileiros a gente recebe todo o troco dos prprios caixas. Ah, entiendo... es que en los supermercados brasileos uno recibe todo el cambio de los propios cajeros. Ah, I get it, it's just that in the Brazilian supermarkets you get your change directly from the cashiers.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

In Brazil there are no change machines in the supermarkets. Cashiers always hand you your change. And speaking of change, in Brazil be prepared for a low tolerance for large bills. It is not uncommon to find it difficult to break a $20. Some times they will even send someone to another store to find change. Or even more interesting is when they won't sell you something because they can't break your change.

Grammar Notes
People often ask if it is true that Brazilians understand Spanish better than Spanish speakers understand Portuguese. And the answer is yes. It is true. Brazilians do understand Spanish much better than the other way around. One of the possible reasons is because Portuguese has a number of contractions that do not exist in Spanish. In Spanish we have del which is a combination of de el, "of the". Spanish also has al which is a combination of a el, "to the". Portuguese has a lot of these types of contractions, especially with the prepositions em, de, a, and por. Here are some charts, some very long charts, to summarize things: Chart #1: em em Portuguese English Spanish em + o no in the en el em + a na in the en la em + os nos in the en los em + as nas in the en las em + um em + uma em + uns num numa nuns in a in a in some en un en una en unos

em + umas em + este em + essa em + estes em + essas em + esse em + essa em + esses em + essas em + aquele em + aquela em + aqueles em + aquelas de + aquelas

numas neste nesta nestes nestas nesse nessa nesses nessas naquele naquela naqueles naquelas daquelas

in some in this in this in these in these in that in that in that in that in that in that in that in that of that

en unas en este en esta en estos en estas en ese en esa en esos en esas en aquel en aquella en aquellos en aquellas de aquellas

Grammar Lesson #3: Plurals with "l" Gas Stations Dialog

Valdo: Aquele homem est fazendo sinal pra gente baixar o farol do carro? Aquel hombre nos est indicando que bajemos las luces del carro? That man is signaling that we should turn down the headlights? Michelle: No! Vamos deixar os faris acesos... E onde est o frentista pra colocar o combustvel no nosso automvel? No! Vamos a dejar las luces ascendidas Y dnde est el mozo para poner el combustible en el carro? No! Let's leave the lights on... And where is the attendant to put gas in our car? Valdo: Aqui no to fcil como no Brasil. Os automveis so abastecidos pelo prprio motorista. Aqu no es tan fcil como en el Brasil. Los carros son abastecidos por el propio motorista. It's not as easy here as it is in Brazil. The cars are filled up by the drivers themselves. Michelle: Como assim? Por que as coisas so to difceis aqui? Cmo as? Por qu las cosas son tan difciles aqu? What do you mean? Why are things so difficult here? Valdo: Ah, no to difcil assim! Pagar com o carto e colocar a mangueira no carro so coisas bem fceis de fazer... voc consegue! Ah, no es tan difcil as. Pagar con la tarjeta y poner la manguera en el carro son cosas bien fciles de hacer t lo consigues. It's not so difficult. Paying with the credit card and putting the hose in your car are easy things to do you can do it! Michelle: , mas voc tem que concordar que no h sinais claros indicando nada disso. S, pero tendrs que estar de acuerdo que no hay ninguna sea clara que indique nada de eso. Yea, but you have to agree that there are no clear signs indicating any of this.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

Brazilian gas stations always have attendants to help costumers to pump their gas, change their oil, and wash their windshields, etc., unlike gas stations in the U.S. where the drivers do it all themselves.

Grammar Notes

If there were two Brazils, in Portuguese that would be Brasis! How weird is that? The plural forms of words that end in "l" may look strange to speakers of English and Spanish, but the rules are actually fairly easy, basically drop the "l" and add "is": AL animal -> animais; radical -> radicais; nacional -> nacionais EL papel -> papis; tnel -> tneis OL espanhol -> espanhis; farol -> faris; sol -> soles UL azul -> azuis This basic rule does have a few twists and turns. The first is when a word ends in "il", there would be no reason to have double "ii": IL barril -> barris; infantil -> infantis Another exception is if the word ending in "il" is not stressed on the last syllable. In those cases, we change things to "eis". This is one of those rules that we accept without worrying about why it is what it is: difcil -> difceis; fcil -> fceis; fossil -> fsseis Finally, there are a few words that just want to do their own thing, side-stepping the normal tendencies all together: mal > males (evils); gol -> gols

Grammar Lesson #4: Future Subjunctive Soda Refills at Restaurants Dialog

Michelle: No sei, t me sentindo meio gorda ... se a gente for jantar hoje noite eu s vou tomar gua. No s, me siento un poco gorda si comemos esta noche solamente voy a tomar agua. I don't know, I'm feeling a little fat if we go out to eat tonight I'm only going to drink water. Valdo: Eu vou tomar refrigerante e o quanto eu puder, afinal com esse sistema de refil a gente pode beber o quanto quiser. Yo voy a tomar refrescos, y todo lo que pueda, a final con ese sistema de refill se puede beber cuanto desee. I'm going to drink sodas and as much as I want, after all, with this refill system we can drink as much as we want to. Michelle: Eh, mas quando ns chegarmos l fique atento com os copos... Est bien, pero al llegar cuidado con los vasos... OK, but when we get there, keep an eye on your cups Valdo: Fique tranqila, os copos so diferentes. E se estivermos com muita fome, ser que eles vo deixar a gente repetir sem pagar de novo? Tranqulate, los vasos son diferentes. Y si tenemos mucha hambre, ser que se permite que nosotros repitamos sin pagar otra vez? Don't worry, the cups are different. And if we are really hungry, do you think that they'll let us have seconds on food without paying again? Michelle: Claro que no! O refil s pra bebida. Claro que no! El refill es slo para la bebida. Of course not! The refills are only for the drinks. Valdo: Se Deus quiser a gente ainda vai adotar esse sistema no Brasil. Si Dis quiere, tal vez podamos adoptar ese sistema en el Brasil. God willing, maybe we can adopt this system in Brazil.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

In Brazil there is no refill system for sodas at restaurants, bars, fast food places, etc. You pay for each drink and seldom see soda machines where customers fill their own cups.

Grammar Notes
The grammar term "future subjunctive" seems to strike fear in the hearts of language learners. Native speakers of English scream, "No not another subjunctive!" and native speakers of Spanish scream, "Hey, what is this? We don't have this is Spanish so why do

they have it in Portuguese?" Truth is, the future subjunctive is super common in every day speech, when you use it is super easy to define, and the forms to create it are super regular. You might say that the future subjunctive is super! Let's look at two parts: how to create the forms and how to use it. First, let's see how to conjugate the forms. The good news is that there are no exceptions in the whole language. Not one. Every verb follows the rule 100% of the time. Here's the rule: Take the 3rd person past tense form of any verb (the form that always ends in "ram") and drop the "am". For the 1st person plural form, we, add "mos" and for 3rd person plural, they, add "em". For example: Cantar: cantaram (past tense) -> cantar, cantarmos, cantarem Comer: comeram (past tense) -> comer, comermos, comerem Abrir: abriram (past tense) -> abrir, abrirmos, abrirem Dizer: disseram (past tense) -> disser, dissermos, disserem Querer: quiseram (past tense) -> quiser, quisermos, quiserem Poder: puderam (past tense) -> puder, pudermos, puderem Ter: tiveram (past tense) -> tiver, tivermos, tiverem No exceptions, it works 100% of the time. Go ahead, try your least favorite verbs, it will work every time: trouxeram -> trouxer; puseram -> puser; vieram -> vier. Now, how to use it? Begin with this sentence that has the word "if": Se voc quiser, eu vou falar com Joo. If you want, I will talk with Joo. This is the classic future subjunctive sentence because 1. There are two clauses a. se voc quiser b. eu vou falar com Joo 2. The first clause has the word "if" 3. The second clause is in the future (or at least has a future feeling) Look at the following examples that follow this classic pattern: Se voc estudar, vai aprender muito. Se Marcos tiver dinheiro, ele vai comprar o carro. Se eu puder, eu vou comer pizza. Once you get the classic pattern down, you can then modify the word "if" with other little words that work the same: Quando voc quiser, eu vou falar com Joo. Logo que voc quiser, eu vou falar com Joo. Assim que voc quiser, eu vou falar com Joo. Depois que voc quiser, eu vou falar com Joo. Enquanto voc quiser, eu vou falar com Joo. Similarly the future subjunctive works in phrases that I call the "Confucius says" phrases. Notice that they are very similar to the classic pattern, you just have to use Confucius words like he who, those that, etc.: Os que qusierem, vo falar com Joo. Aqueles que quiserem, vo falar com Joo. Quem quiser, vai falar com Joo. There is a bit more to it, but this will get you started. So, if you want, you will learn it. And when you do, it will be cool. And those who use it, will impress the Brazilians.

Grammar Lesson #5: Disappearing Reflexive Verbs

Use of Coupons Dialog

Valdo: Voc deitou tarde ontem? Te acostaste tarde ayer? Did you go to bed late yesterday? Michelle: Deitei bem tarde e levantei bem cedinho. Me acost muy tarde y me levant muy temprano. I went to bed really late and I got up really early. Valdo: Por que? Senta aqui e me conta. Por qu? Sintate aqu y cuntame. Why? Sit down hear and tell me about it. Michelle: Eu lembrei que tinha um monte de cupons que vencia hoje... da eu corri pra loja para us-los. Me acord que tena un montn de cupones que se venca hoy as corr a las tiendas para usarlos. I remembered that I had a whole bunch of coupons that were expiring today so I ran to the store to use them up. Valdo: Eu acho legal esse sistema de cupons daqui. Sempre aproveito os descontos e ganho vrias coisas de graa. Me gusta este sistema de cupones de aqu. Siempre aprovecho los descuentos y gano varias cosas gratis. I love this system of coupons that they have here. I always take advantage of the discounts and I get a lot of things for free. Michelle: Oh, desculpe, tenho que ir... esqueci que tenho mais dois cupons pra usar agora tarde. Oh, desclpaame, tengo que irme se me olvid que tengo dos cupones ms que necesito usar esta tarde. Oh, I'm sorry, I've got to go I forgot that I have a couple of coupons that need to be used this afternoon.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

Using coupons are not as common in Brazil as it is in the United States. There isn't a tradition of having a coupon section of the newspaper where you can get things at a discount or even for free.

Grammar Notes
Ah, the dreaded definition of reflexive verbs: A situation where the subject and the object of a sentence is the same person. A typical description of reflexive verbs makes a comparison between sentences like Mary dresses her baby versus Mary dresses herself. In English we see that speakers avoid the reflexive pronouns by using the word "get", e.g., Mary gets dressed. In Spanish the reflexive pronouns are alive and well, e.g., Yo me visto, T te vistes, Mara se viste, Nosotros nos vestimos, Ellos se visten. And in Brazilian Portuguese? Well, yes, you could use reflexive pronouns just like Spanish. However, chances are that most Brazilians drop them in oral speech. So, where a grammar book might say that you should say Eu me levanto, Voc se levanta, Maria se levanta, Ns nos levantamos, Eles se levantam, the reality is that most Brazilians would simply say Eu levanto, Voc levanta, Maria levanta, A gente levanta, Eles levantam. In the dialog from this lesson we see that Valdo and Michelle used the verbs deitar, levantar, sentar, lembrar, and esquecer, all without using reflexive pronouns. Is this bad grammar on Valdo and Michelle's part? No, it's just that in oral speech the tendency is that Brazilians drop their reflexive pronouns.

Grammar Lesson #6: The verb Ficar Studying in Cafes Dialog

Valdo: Eu fico pensando como as pessoas aqui conseguem se concentrar nos estudos ficando horas e horas sentadas nos cafs. Sigo pensando como las personas aqu consiguen concentrarse en los estudios pasando horas y horas sentadas en los cafs. I keep wondering how people here can concentrate on their studies while sitting around for hours in cafes. Michelle: mesmo! No Brasil a gente geralmente fica em casa ou na biblioteca estudando. De acuerdo. En el Brasil generalmente nos quedamos en casa o en una biblioteca para estudiar. I know. In Brazil we generally stay at home or study in the library. Valdo: Eu fico meio distrado com o movimento das pessoas entrando e saindo. Me distrai con el movimiento de personas que entran y salen. I get distracted with all the movement of people coming in and out. Michelle: Fora que voc fica mais pobre, porque pra ficar l voc sempre tem que consumir algo. Y adems uno pasa a ser ms pobre porque para sentarse all uno siempre tiene que tomar algo. Besides that, you end up poorer because in order to stay there you have to keep drinking something. Valdo: E ainda ficar de molho na fila pra comprar qualquer coisa. Y todava tienes que esperar en la fila para comprar alguna cosa. And you've also got to wait in line just to buy something. Michelle: , s vezes eu fico com um pouco de receio de ir estudar nos cafs exatamente por isso.. S, a veces me siento un poco reticente en estudiar en los cafs precisamente por eso. Yea, sometimes I feel a little reticent to study in cafes precisely because of that.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

In Brazil people go to cafes to socialize with friends, but they don't normally go to cafes to study. The idea of opening up your books and studying in cafes seems a little strange. Brazilians prefer to study at home or at a library.

Grammar Notes
If there is one verb that we wish we could transfer to Spanish it would be ficar. There is a wide range of uses for ficar in Portuguese that just leaves you wondering what to use in Spanish. Here are a few of those uses: To stay, remain: Eu fiquei no Brasil por 8 meses. (I stayed in Brazil for 8 months.) To be located: O banco fica na esquina. (The bank is located on the corner.) To become, get: Marcos ficou doente. (Marcos got sick.) To keep on, continue: Alex fica falando e no diz nada. (Alex keeps on talking, but doesn't say anything.) Note that Spanish has different ways of dealing with each of the instances where ficar is used in Portuguese. To stay, remain: Me qued en Brasil. (Quedar is often used for the meaning of stay or remain.) To be located: El banco est en la esquina. (The verbs ser and estar are often given as ficar in Portuguese.) To become, get: Marcos se puso enfermo or se enferm. (Spanish uses reflexive pronouns to give the idea of becoming, something that is not common in Portuguese.) To keep on, continue: Alex contina hablando y no dice nada. (The ongoing sense to keep on is better rendered with continuar or seguir in Spanish.)

Welcome to the verb ficar! Once you start using it, you'll wish you could add it to your Spanish collection too.

Grammar Lesson #7: "Para" with Indirect Pronouns Serving Ice Water at Restaurants Dialog
Valdo: Por que o garom trouxe tanta gua para aquele povo da outra mesa? Por qu el camarero les trajo tanta agua a aquellas personas de la otra mesa? Why did the waiter take so much water to those people at that other table? Michelle: Aqui um costume servir gua nos bares e restaurantes para os clientes mesmo quando se pede outra coisa pra beber. Aqu a los clientes es normal servirles agua en los bares y restaurantes an cuando piden otra cosa para beber. Here it's customary to serve customers water in bars and restaurants even when they have asked for something else to drink. Valdo: Garom, traga duas cervejas pra gente, por favor. Nada de gua! Camarero, triganos dos cervezas por favor. Y nada de agua! Waiter, bring us two beers please. And no water! Michelle: Valdo, e pede pra ele uma salada de palmito tambm. Valdo, pdele que traiga una ensalada de palmito tambin. Valdo, ask him to bring a heart of palm salad too. Valdo: Puxa! O garom s fica dando gua pra eles, olha l. Eles vo ficar bbados com tanta gua! Uau, el camarero contina dndoles agua, mira. Se emborracharn con tanta agua. Wow! The waiter keeps on giving them water, look at that. They are going to get drunk on so much water. Michelle: Aqui impressionante... assim que voc chega, a primeira coisa que eles fazem entregar um copo cheio de gua com gelo pra voc. Aqu es impresionante luego que vengas, la primera cosa que hacen es entregarte un vaso lleno de agua con hielo. It's impressive here as soon as you arrive the first thing they do is bring you a glass full of ice water.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

"What's a guy got to do to get a glass a water in this restaurant?" Well, in Brazil, you've got to ask! In Brazil waiters never automatically bring water to customers. They only bring what you order. Furthermore, if you want ice in your water, good luck.

Grammar Notes
Quick grammar review 1: An indirect object is the part of the sentence that answers the question "to whom". For example, "I gave the apple to Mary" or "I gave Mary the apple." What did you give? An apple. Who did you give it to? Mary. So, "Mary" is the indirect object. Quick grammar review 2: An indirect object pronoun is a word that takes the place of an indirect object. For example, "I gave the apple to her" or "I gave her the apple." So, what does this have to do with Spanish and Portuguese? In Spanish there is a greater tendency to use indirect object pronouns (me, te, les, nos, les) but in Portuguese there is a greater tendency to avoid them. That is to say, Brazilians say something more like "I gave the apple to her" more than "I gave her the apple." Note the following examples: O garom trouxe a gua para ela. El camarero le trajo el agua. or El camarero le trajo el agua a ella. The waiter brought the water to her. O garom est dando agua para eles. El camarero les est dando gua.

or El camarero les est dando gua a ellos. The waiter is giving water to them. This ends up being a huge difference between the two languages. Where Spanish speakers use le and les so much that they even redundantly repeat the indirect object and the indirect object pronoun in the same sentence (le doy a ella), Brazilians on the other hand, almost never use the pronouns lhe and lhes. Note another exchange: Spanish: - Le diste a Carlos la carta? - S, se la di ayer. Portuguese: - Voc deu a carta para Carlos? - Dei sim, ontem. English - Did you give Carlos the letter? - Yea, I gave it to him yesterday. So, get used to hearing sentences without pronouns, and if the indirect object is necessary, use the phrase with para and you'll sound more Brazilian.

Grammar Lesson #08: Plural of words that end in 'o' Car Insurance Dialog
Michelle: Minha situao financeira melhorou e eu quero fazer um monto de coisas. Mi situacin financiera ha mejorado y quiero hacer un montn de cosas. My financial situation has improved and I want to do a whole bunch of things. Valdo: S toma cuidado pra voc no ficar acostumada com um padro de vida que no o seu. Pero cuidado para que no te acostumbres con el estndar de vida que no sea el tuyo. But be care that you don't get used to a standard of living that isn't yours. Michelle: Mas os padres daqui so diferentes do Brasil. As situaes so outras e eu quero aproveitar. Pero los estndar de aqu son diferentes a los del Brasil. Las situaciones son diferentes y quiero aprovechar. But the standards here are different then in Brazil. The situation is different and I want to take advantage of it. Valdo: Eh, voc tem razo. Se voc tem condies de pagar um seguro alto, compra logo um carro zero! S, tienes razn. Si tienes condiciones de pagar un seguro alto, compra luego un carro nuevo! Yea, you are right. If you are in a condition to pay the high insurance, buy yourself a new car right away. Michelle: Minha condio financeira realmente est boa, mas eu no quero fazer um seguro de automvel. Mi condicin financiera realmente est buena, pero yo no quiero comprar un seguro de automvil. My financial situation is really just fine, but I don't want to buy car insurance. Valdo: Mas aqui o seguro do carro obrigatrio. No Brasil, a gente faz por outras razes, voc sabe, tipo ser roubado. Pero aqu el seguro de automvil es obligatorio. En el Brasil nosotros lo compramos por otras razones, sabes, como el robo. But here car insurance is obligatory. In Brazil we buy it for other reasons, you know, like against theft.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

"Let me see your insurance and license." The phrase that none of us wants to hear a police officer say. In Brazil car insurance is not obligatory and people usually purchase it more as a precaution against theft or accidents.

Grammar Notes
This is one case where being a speaker of Spanish really helps. The rule for making the plural of words that end in 'o' may seem a little perplexing. Words that end in 'a' are made plural by adding 'os', 'es', or 'es'. Notice the following examples: a mo as mos o cristo os cristos a nao as nes a cano as canes o po os pes o alemo os alemes The advantage for speakers of Spanish is that they can look to the equivalents in Spanish, and then drop the consonant 'n', resulting in the Portuguese form. as mos las ma(n)os os cristos los cristia(n)os as naes las nacio(n)es as canes las cancio(n)es os pes los pa(n)es os alemes los alema(n)es This comparison between Spanish and Portuguese does not work 100% of the time. However, it does work 95% of the time and that is enough to get you going.

Grammar Lesson #9: Possessive Pronouns How to dress like an American Dialog
Michelle: Valdo, olha pra aquela menina veja a bolsa dela! Valdo, mira aquella chica mira su bolsa. Valdo, look at that girl look at her purse! Valdo: O que que tem a bolsa dela? parecida com a sua bolsa. Cul es el problema con su bolsa? Se parece a tu bolsa. What wrong with her purse? I looks like your purse. Michelle: Voc sabe, no Brasil a gente nunca usaria uma bolsa de paet como a dela durante o dia. T sabes, en el Brasil nunca usaramos una bolsa de lentejuelas como la de ella durante el da. You know, in Brazil we'd never use a sequined purse like she's got during the daytime. Valdo: verdade! Olha a cala dele jeans com chinelo! Es verdad! Mira sus pantalones vaqueros con chinelas! You're right! And look at her pants jeans with flip flops! Michelle: Eh, por a a gente percebe a diferena entre a roupa deles e a nossa. Por aqu te das cuenta de la diferencia entre su ropa y la nuestra. Yea, around here you notice the difference between their clothing and ours. Valdo: Mas esse o nosso conceito, como brasileiros, sobre a roupa deles. Ser que aos olhos deles as suas roupas tambm no so um pouco bregas? Pero esa es nuestra idea, como brasileos, sobre su ropa. Ser que para ellos la ropa tuya sera un poco rara tambin? But that is our idea, as Brazilians, about their clothes. Don't you think that in from their perspective your clothes might seem a little tacky too?

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

For a Brazilian, the way some Americans dress would sometimes be a little cheesy, like wearing jeans with flip-flops, shiny dresses, a lot of make up and extravagant hairdos during the day time etc.

Grammar Notes
Possessive pronouns are those that mean my, your, his, her, our, and their. In Spanish things are fairly direct: mi, tu, su, nuestro, etc. Things are a little more complicated in Portuguese. Look at the following charts to summarize things. Chart #1: my em Portuguese English Spanish Masc & Sing meu livro my book mi libro Fem & Sing minha casa my house mi casa Masc & Plural meus livros my books mis libros Fem & Plural minhas casas my houses mis casas Chart #3: his em Portuguese English Spanish Masc & Sing o livro dele his book su libro Fem & Sing a casa dele his house su casa Masc & Plural os livros dele his books su libros Fem & Plural as casas dele his houses su casas Note: Some speakers could seu and sua but most Brazilians eliminate ambiguity with dele. Things are more complicated in Portuguese because Brazilians try to avoid ambiguity that is allowed in Spanish. In Spanish a phrase like su casa could mean you, his, her, or their house. Context usually takes care of things. In Portuguese the ambiguity is directly resolved with different forms.

Grammar Lesson #10: Word Order of Negative Phrases Who pays when invited to parties Dialog
Valdo: Michelle, voc no quer ir no aniversrio do meu amigo? Vai ser em um restaurante aqui em Austin. Michelle, te gustara ir a una fiesta de cumpleaos de un amigo mo? Ser en un restaurante aqu en Austin. Michelle, do you want to go to the birthday party of a friend of mine? It will be in a restaurant here in Austin. Michelle: No, eu no quero no. No, no quiero. No, I don't want to. Valdo: Por que? C no quer comer comida boa no? Por qu? No quieres comer buena comida? Why? Don't you want to eat some good food? Michelle: Querer eu quero, mas aqui, mesmo sendo convidado, a gente tem que pagar! No, isso no est certo no! Querer, s lo quiero, pero aqu, aun cuando te invitan, somos nosotros quienes tenemos que pagar. No, eso no es cierto! I want to, but here, even if you are invited, we have to pay. No, that's not right! Valdo: Eh, no Brasil no se faz isso no. Quem convida d banquete. Mas aqui assim, fazer o qu. Voc no quer ir mesmo? S, en el Brasil no se hace as. Quien invita es el que paga todo. Pero aqu es as, qu se puede hacer? De verdad no quieres ir? Yea, in Brazil you wouldn't do that. Whoever does the inviting provides for all. But that's the way it is here. Are you sure you don't want to go? Michelle: No, no e no. No, no quiero.

No way.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

In Brazil, if a person invites other friends to celebrate a birthday, or any other special occasion, the person inviting will pay for all the expenses. The invited friends do not usually pay for anything. In the U.S. sometimes, even when invited, everyone shares in the cost.

Grammar Notes
All languages have different ways of showing emphasis. One of the ways to do so in Portuguese is to add an extra no to negative sentences. For example, if someone were to invite you to something in English and if you really didn't want to go, you might say something like, 'No, I really don't want to go'. The word 'really' adds the emphasis. In Portuguese, this emphasis is shown by adding an extra no at the end of the sentence. That is why in the dialog Michelle says, No, eu no quero no. 'No, I don't want to no.' The word no has three different functions in the sentence. No, negates the whole sentence eu no quero negates the verb no adds emphasis Notice also in the dialog that Michelle ends by saying, No, no e no. Sometimes when the verb is already understood by context, you can just repeat this phrase without a verb. Truth told, it sounds a lot like something that an exasperated mother says to her child when some request has been given 15 times.

Grammar Lesson #11: Topic-Comment Patterns Privileges for Elderly and Pregnant Women Dialog
Michelle: Voc acredita que eu fiquei quase duas horas na fila do correio ontem? L no Brasil, as grvidas, elas tm preferncia. T crees que tena que esperar casi dos horas en la fila del correo ayer? En el Brasil, las mujeres embarazadas tienen preferencia. Can you believe that I had to wait nearly two hours in the line at the post office yesterday? In Brazil pregnant women are given preferred treatment. Valdo: Mas aqui os idosos, as grvidas e as mulheres com crianas de colo, eles no tm prioridade nenhuma. Pero aqu los mayores, las embarazadas y las mujeres que tienen nios pequeos no tienen ninguna prioridad. But here the elderly, pregnant women, and women with small children don't seem to have any priority. Michelle: Pois , ainda bem que no Brasil isso lei. Meu pai, por exemplo, ele sempre pega a fila dos idosos no banco. As es, lo bueno es que en el Brasil eso existe por ley. Mi pap, por ejemplo, siempre entra en la fila de los mayores de edad que hay en el banco. Right, it's a good thing that in Brazil this is the law. My father, for example, always gets in the elderly line at that bank. Valdo: Por falar nisso, no Brasil um amigo meu, ele sempre leva a me idosa pro banco s pra no pegar fila. Hablando de eso, en el Brazil un amigo mo siempre lleva a su mam al banco para no tener que esperar en la fila. Speaking of which, I have a friend in Brazil who always takes his elderly mother to the bank with him so that he won't have to wait in line. Michelle: Eh, no Brasil as pessoas, s vezes, elas usam e abusam desse direito. S, en el Brazil, hay personas, a veces, que usan y abusan de ese derecho. Yea, in Brazil sometimes there are people who use and abuse this right. Valdo: Mas por outro lado, os cidados americanos, eles no tm essas facilidades. Pero por otro lado, los ciudadanos americanos no tienen estas facilidades.

But on the other hand, Americans don't have these options.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

Clearly both countries have traditions where help is given to the elderly, to pregnant women, and to women who have small children. The perception, however, is that certain privileges are more formalized in Brazil. For example, these individuals do not need to stand in line in any public places in Brazil.

Grammar Notes
When we hear of topic-comment constructions, we are talking about word order and how sentences are put together. The basic pattern is as follows: Minha me, ela muito inteligente. My mother, she is very intelligent. (Topic) (Comment on this topic) One of the major characteristics of a topic-comment sentence is the repetition of the subject pronoun. Notice in the example above that the topic is 'My mother' and the topic begins with a repetition of the pronoun 'she'. The standard way of saying this sentence in English would be something more like 'My mother is very intelligent' without the repetition of the pronoun. Speakers of Brazilian Portuguese use this topic-comment pattern a lot. Of course it is possible to do the same in both Spanish and English, but it is less common. Where it might seem forced in Spanish and English, all of the sentences from the dialog in this lesson sound normal and natural in Portuguese.

Grammar Lesson #12: Personalized Infinitive Paying for your Education Dialog
Michelle: bom fazermos as contas porque esse ms vai ser duro pagar a universidade. Sera bueno preparar el presupuesto porque este mes va a ser duro pagar la universidad. It would be a good thing to do our budget because this month it is going to be tough to pay for the university. Valdo: Quando eles mandarem o valor a gente se preocupa com isso. Cuando ellos mandan la cuenta nos preocupamos mucho. When they send the bill we really get worried about things. Michelle: Mas importante no esquecermos que as universidades pblicas aqui nos Estados Unidos no so gratuitas como no Brasil. Pero es importante recordar que las universidades pblicas aqu en los Estados Unidos no son gratuitas como en el Brasil. But it's important to remember that public universities in the United States are not for free like they are in Brazil. Valdo: Pois , e como custa caro! Por isso que depois de terminarem os estudos os alunos esto todos pobres e endividados. Es verdad, y qu caro es! Es por eso que despus de terminar con los estudios los alumnos estn pobres y endeudados. Right, and it is expensive! That's why after students are done with their studies they end up poor and in debt. Michelle: Ainda bem que para as universidades pblicas no Brasil s basta passarmos no vestibular e pronto. Lo bueno de las universidades pblicas en el Brasil es que nada ms se necesita pasar el vestibular y ya. Fortunately in public universities in Brazil you just need to past the vestibular and that's it. Valdo: verdade. Para os alunos freqentarem as universidades privadas no Brasil, eles tm que pagar, mas para cursarem as pblicas, que so mantidas pelo governo, no. Es verdad. Para asistir a las universidades privadas en el Brazil, hay que pagar, pero no para matricularse en las pblicas, que son mantenidas por el gobierno.

That's true. For those students who would like to attend a private university, they'll have to pay. But for those who enroll in the public ones, which are paid for by the government, they don't need to.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

In Brazil public universities are owned by the State and they are totally free for the students. Only private universities have tuition payments. Consequently, the costs of a U.S. education seem even more expensive from a Brazilian perspective.

Grammar Notes
The personalized infinitive refers to the use of a verb that could be in the infinitive (with no conjugation) but an extra ending is placed on the verb to help identify the person. For example, the following sentence allows for a verb in the infinitive and as such this sentence is ambiguous. Antes de sair, eu quero falar com Joo. Before leaving, I want to talk to Joo. The ambiguity is this, who is leaving? The answer is that we do not know. The sentence allows for a verb sair in the infinitive, and we don't know who the person is. The solution is what is called the personalized infinitive where we add extra endings to the infinitive of the verb that shows who the person is. Notice the following examples. Antes de sairmos, eu quero falar com Joo. Before we leave, I want to talk to Joo. Antes de sairem, eu quero falar com Joo. Before they leave, I want to talk to Joo. Antes de eu sair, eu quero falar com Joo. Before I leave, I want to talk to Joo. Antes de voc sair, eu quero falar com Joo. Before you leave, I want to talk to Joo. To form the personalized infinitive you simply add mos to the end of the infinitive if we are referring to 1st person plural "we" or em to the end of verbs if we are referring to 3rd person plural "they". In the singular, you simply add the subject pronoun in front of the verb. This works 100% of the time. There are no exceptions and no irregular forms. You are simply personalizing the infinitive form. Because the personalized infinitive is 'optional' many students of Portuguese think that the can go without using it. The truth is, however, it is very common in everyday speech. One final note. The personalized infinitive and future subjunctive look very similar. In fact, with regular verbs the two forms are exactly the same. This is not true of irregular verbs however. There is not need for a details decription here, but the following sentences give a brief comparison. bom estudarmos aqui. (Personalized Infinitive) I is good (for us) to study here. Se estudarmos aqui, vamos aprender muito (Future Subjuntive) If we study here, we'll learn a lot. bom fazermos o trabalho. (Personalized Infinitive) It is good (for us) to do the work. Se fizermos o trabalho, vamos aprender muito. (Future Subjuntive) If we do the work, we'll learn a lot.

Grammar Lesson #13: Masculine vs. Feminine in Portuguese & Spanish Minimum Age to Buy Alcohol Dialog
Valdo: O leite, o mel e o sal que voc pediu para eu comprar j esto aqui. La leche, la miel, y la sal que pidi que comprara ya estn aqu. The milk, the honey, and the salt that you asked me to buy are already here. Michelle: E o vinho, a cerveja e a gua, voc no trouxe? E o computador, onde est?

Y el vino, la cerveza y el agua, no los trajiste? Y la computadora, dnde est? And the wine, beer, and water, didn't you bring them? And the computer, where is it? Valdo: Eta, esqueci da gua e do computador. Mas as bebidas alcolicas no me deixaram trazer porque eu estava sem minha identidade. Ay, se me olvid el agua y la computadora. Pero no permitieron que comprara las bebidas alcohlicas porque no llevaba mi identificacin. Shoot, I forgot the water and the computer. But they didn't let me buy the alcohol because I didn't have my ID. Michelle: Mas como assim? Qual a origem disso? Pero como as? Cul es el origen de eso? What do you mean? What's going on here? Valdo: Pois , eles fizeram uma anlise equivocada do meu rosto. Acharam que eu tinha menos de 21 anos. Pues, se equivocaron en el anlisis de mi rostro. Pensaron que tena menos de 21 aos. Right, well they missed analyzed things based on my face. They thought I was less than 21 years old.. Michelle: Mas isso um bom sinal, Valdo. Acharam que voc era de menor! Mas voc sabe que independente da idade voc sempre tem que mostrar a identidade para comprar lcool aqui. Pero eso es una buena seal Valdo. Pensaron que eras ms joven! Y t sabes que no importa la edade que tengas, hay que siempre mostrar la identificacin para comprar alcohol aqu. But that's a good sign Valdo. They thought you were younger! But you know that it doesn't matter how old you are, you always have to show ID to by alcohol here.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

In Brazil, the minimum age to buy alcoholic drinks is 18, as opposed to the U.S., where the minimum age is 21. It should be noted, however, that in general young people in Brazil have easier access to alcoholic drinks regardless of their age.

Grammar Notes
All native speakers of English who learn Latin-based languages have to go through the process of learning about gender agreement. The mystery behind why some words are masculine and others are feminine can be a gigantic barrier at times. Of course the good news is that generally the gender of nouns is the same between Spanish and Portuguese. There are a few words, however, that are different. There is no logical reason and usually there is probably some historical explanation, but those words that are different seem to stand out. The dialog in this lesson provides a short list of some of the more common words that have different gender between Spanish and Portuguese and we add a few more as well. o leite la leche o mel la miel o sal la sal o computador la computadora a anlise el anlisis o sinal la seal a ponte el Puente a internet el internet o sangue la sangre a rvore el arbol o crcere la crcel o ramo la rama One special note about a agua el gua. Spanish has a rule where any feminine word that begins with a stress letter '' is used with the masculine article, even though the word continues to be feminine. This rule does not apply in Portuguese. A gua est fria. El agua est fra.

Grammar Lesson #14: Absence of Direct Object Pronouns

Mobile Homes Dialog

Michelle: Voc viu aquele caminho levando aquela casa inteirinha? Viste t aquel camin llevando aquella casa entera? Did you see that truck carrying that whole house? Valdo: Vi sim. Que coisa, n? S lo vi. Qu cosa, verdad? I did see it. How weird, huh? Michelle: Pois , a primeira vez que vi tomei um susto. Voc compraria aquela casa pra voc? Pues, la primera vez que lo vi, me asust. Compraras t aquella casa? Yeah, the first time that I saw one it surprised me. Would you ever buy that house for you? Valdo: No, no compraria no. Prefiro a minha casa de concreto no Brasil que est bem presa ao cho. E voc transportaria sua casa assim com tudo dentro? No, no la comprara. Prefiero que mi casa en Brasil sea de concreto y que est bien fijada en el suelo. Transportaras t la casa as con todo adentro? No, I wouldn't buy it. I prefer a concrete home in Brazil that is well attached to the ground. And would you transport your house like that with every thing in it? Michelle: Transportaria sim. Por que? Voc no gosta desse sistema no? S, la transportara. Por qu? A ti no te gusta el sistema? Yes, I would transport it. Why? Don't you like the system here? Valdo: No gosto muito no. Como j te disse, prefiro minha casa bem presa ao cho. No me gusta mucho. Como ya te dije, prefiero una casa que est en el suelo. No, I don't like it a lot. As I already told you, I prefer my house to be stuck to the ground.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

Normally in Brazil houses are made of concrete and cement, making it impossible to move them to another location. People in Brazil may move from one house to another, but they would never move the house itself. So, it is indeed strange the idea of a mobile or prefab home that is then placed on a semi heading down the street is a strange site indeed.

Grammar Notes
In this dialog we see examples of when Brazilians generally omit direct object pronouns. Let's look at a couple of examples. English (1) Did you buy the car? (2) Yes, I bought it yesterday. (3) Did you see Mary yesterday? (4) Yes, I saw her at the store. In English, speakers have to use the pronouns in order for the sentence to be correct. In response to the questions above, it would not be correct in English to say, "I bought yesterday" or "I saw at the store." Brazilians, however, commonly drop the pronouns from sentences. The idea is understood from context and as such "goes without saying." The English examples above are rendered in Portuguese as follows: Portuguese (5) Voc comprou o carro? (6) Eh, comprei ontem. (7) Voc viu a Maria ontem? (8) Eh, eu vi sim. If speakers do use the pronouns, the sentences above could be rendered: (9) Eh, eu o comprei ontem. (10) Eh, eu a vi sim. Another tendency in Brazilian Portuguese is to use the subject pronouns, even though the meaning in the sentence would call for object pronouns: (11) , eu comprei ele ontem.

(12) eu vi ela sim. So, what is a learner of Portuguese supposed to do? The forms with the direct object pronouns (examples 9 and 10) sound more formal. Save those for when you are writing or when you are speaking in formal settings. In general speech, just leave out the direct object pronouns and chances are that you'll sound just fine. And finally, save the sentences that substitute the subject pronouns (11 and 12) for those times where your general Portuguese has already advanced quite a bit. Deep down all Brazilians know that these forms are technically wrong, even if everyone uses them.

Grammar Lesson #15: False Cognates Driver's License Dialog

Valdo: Voc tirou sua carteira de motorista aqui no Texas? Sacaste t la licencia de conducir aqu en Texas? Did you get your driver's license here in Texas? Michelle: Tirei sim. E logo comecei a dirigir pra todos os lugares. S, la saqu. Y despus empec a manejar por todos los lugares. Yes, I got it. And then I began to drive everywhere. Valdo: Voc no ficou surpresa ao saber que aqui se consegue a carteira aos 16 anos? Porque no Brasil s a partir dos 18. E o seu teste, voc foi bem? No te sorprendiste al saber que aqu se consigue la licencia a los 16 aos de edad? Porque en el Brasil slo a partir de los 18. Y tu examen, cmo saliste? Weren't you surprised to find out that here one can get their driver's license at 16? Because in Brazil you have to be 18. And how about your test, how did it go? Michelle: Voc acredita que eu coloquei meu apelido no computador ao invs do meu nome e sobrenome? Puedes creer que puse mi sobrenombre en la computadora en lugar de mi nombre y apellido? Can you believe that I put my nickname on the computer instead of my first and last name.? Valdo: Ah, que voc ainda estava grvida! Voc no ficou embarassada em dirigir no dia do teste com aquele barrigo? Y todava estabas embarazada! No te avergonzaste en manejar el da del examen con esa barriga? Wow, and you were still pregnant! Weren't you embarrassed about driving for your test with that big stomach? Michelle: Claro que no! Eu at freqentei a universidade grvida. Claro que no! Yo tambin asist a la universidad embarazada. Of course not! I even attended the university while pregnant.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

Unlike the United States where generally people can get their driver's license when they are 16, in Brazil people need to be 18 years of age.

Grammar Notes
This grammar lesson is really a vocabulary lesson. That is to say, although many words between Spanish and Portuguese are similar, sometimes things don't transfer well, causing misunderstandings. What follows is a short list, not meant to be exhaustive, of some of the frequent false cognates. Portuguese Spanish sobrenome (last name) apellido (last name) apelido (nickname) sobrenombre apodo (nickname) escritrio (office) oficina (office) brincar (to play around) jugar (to play around) pegar (to get) coger, sacar (to get) tirar (to take out) quitar, sacar (to take out) esquisito (weird) raro (weird)

gostoso esquisito (exquisite) grvida (pregnant) embarazada (pregnant) freqentar (to attend) assistir (to attend) envelope (envelope) sobre (envelope) pronto (ready) listo (ready, clever) logo (soon) pronto (soon) deitar (lie down) acostar (to lie down) ainda (still) todava (still) dirigir (to drive) manejar (to drive, handle) dirigir (to manage) dirigir (to manage) carteira (license) licencia (license) carteira (wallet) cartera (wallet) licena (permission) permiso (permission) roxo (purple) morado (purple) vermelho (red) rojo (red) largo (wide) ancho (wide) longo (long largo (long) cena (scene) cena (dinner) escrivaninha (desk) escritorio (desk) acordar (to wake up) acordarse (to remember) barata (cockroach) barata (cheap) competio (competition) competencia (competition)

Grammar Lesson #16: Placement of Indirect Pronouns Greeting Friends Dialog

Michelle: Quando algum vai nos apresentar a outra pessoa aqui nos Estados Unidos, o que acontece? Cuando alguien nos va a presentar a otra persona aqu en los Estados Unidos, qu sucede? When someone wants to introduce us to another person here in the United States, how is that done? Valdo: Aqui, mesmo que as pessoas queiram te beijar no o costume. O mximo que elas vo fazer te estender a mo. Aqu, aunque las personas quieran besarte, eso no es la costumbre. Lo mximo que van a hacer es extenderte la mano. Here, even if the people want to give you a kiss, that's not the custom. The most they will do is to hold out their hand to you. Michelle: Pois , no Brasil as pessoas so mais informais. Elas j vo nos beijando e abraando logo de cara. Pues, en el Brasil las personas son ms informales. Eloas andan besndonos y abrazndonos desde luego. You're right, in Brazil people are more informal. Everyone is kissing and hugging each other right away. Valdo: Ento, e at engraado s vezes porque elas vm me dar um beijo e eu estou acostumado com dois. S, y es un poco chistoso a veces porque ellos vienen a darme un beso y estoy acostumbrado a recibir dos. Yea, and it's kind of funny sometimes because they come to give me a kiss and I'm used to getting two. Michelle: verdade! E dependendo da regio do Brasil at trs. Pra voc ver que quando os americanos vm nos cumprimentar, a gente sempre espera algo mais informal. Es verdad. Y dependiendo de la regin en el Brasil hay hasta tres. Vers que cuando los americanos vienen a saludarnos, nosotros siempre esperamos algo ms informal. That's true. And depending on the region in Brasil you can even have three. So you see that when Americans greet us, we're always expecting something more informal.

Valdo: Nem espere! Aqui nos Estados Unidos as pessoas so bem mais formais do que no Brasil, muitas vezes elas nem vo te tocar e j esto dizendo: desculpa, com licena, por favor, sinto muito... Ni lo esperes! Aqu en los Estados Unidos las personas son mucho ms formales que en el Brasil, muchas veces ni siquiera te tocan y luego ya estn diciendo: perdona, con permiso, por favor, siento mucho Don't wait for that! Here in the United States people are much more formal than in Brazil, many times they barely even touch you and they are already saying: sorry, excuse me, please, I'm sorry

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

You will often hear Brazilians say, "comea a se despedir" (start getting ready to say goodbye). What they mean by that is it takes a little longer to say goodbye in Brazil. The math is complicated, but if five women are in the room and each one needs to give all of the others two kisses on the check before leaving, how many kisses are there and how long does it take? The point is that Brazilians tend to be more informal in their social relationships and it gives the impression that Americans are less emotional. Notice that in this lesson Michelle, Valdo, and Orlando discuss whether Brazilians give one, two, or three kisses on the cheek. The answer is that it depends on the region.

Grammar Notes
The grammar issue here is where to place pronouns, especially indirect object pronouns. The general rule in both Spanish and Portuguese is that indirect object pronouns go before a single verb. Spanish Marta me dijo la verdad. Carlos nos dio el libro. Portuguese Marta me disse a verdade. Carlos nos deu o livro. The difference is what happens when there are two verbs. In Spanish the indirect pronoun can go before or after the two verbs, but not in between the two verbs. In Portuguese, the Brazilian tendency is to put the indirect pronoun between the two verbs. Spanish Marta me va a decir la verdad Marta va a decirme la verdad. Carlos nos est dando el libro. Carlos est dndonos el libro. Ellos te quieren mandar una carta Ellos quieren mandarte una carta. Portuguese Marta vai me dizer a verdade Carlos est nos dando o livro. Eles querem te mandar uma carta. Observation #1: Brazilians often use para mim, para ns, para voc, para ele, etc. instead of the indirect object pronouns. In such instances the sentences above would be, for example, Eles querem mandar uma carta para voc. Observation #2: Notice that the examples above are written with the pronouns me, nos, and te. Since lhe is commonly substituted with para ele or para ela, it is not as common to see phrases such as Carlos est lhe dando o livro. Observation #3: It should be noted that it is not incorrect to put the pronoun after the two verbs (e.g., Marta vai dizerme a verdade). However, this sounds extremely formal and old fashioned, although it is typical of European Portuguese.

Grammar Lesson #17: Tambm x Tambm no Online Activities

Dialog
Valdo: Esse fim de semana eu tive que renovar os livros que eu tomei emprestado da biblioteca. Este fin de semana yo tuve que renovar algunos libros que tom emprestado de la biblioteca. This weekend I had to renew some books that I borrowed from the library. Michelle: Que coincidncia, eu renovei os meus tambm. Ainda bem que aqui a gente pode fazer isso online. Qu coincidencia, yo tambin renov los mos. Que bueno que aqu se pueda hacer eso online. What a coincidence, I renewed my books too. It's a good thing that here you can do that online. Valdo: verdade! Aqui nos Estados Unidos as pessoas usam a Internet tambm pra pagar contas, comprar coisas, pedir filmes, fazer lista de presentes... Es verdad! Aqu en los Estados Unidos las personas usan el Internet tambin para pagar las cuentas, comprar cosas, pedir pelculas, hacer listas de regalos... It's true! Here in the United States people also use the Internet to pay bills, buy things, order movies, make gift lists... Michelle: Mas infelizmente no consegui fazer minha matrcula para o prximo semestre porque o sistema estava fora do ar. Pero infelizmente no pude hacer la matrcula para el prximo semestre porque el sistema no estaba funcionando. But unfortunately I couldn't register for next semester's classes because the system wasn't working. Valdo: Que interessante, eu tambm no consegui. A hora que eu tentei estava fora do ar tambm. Qu interesante, yo tampoco lo consegu. Cuando intent el sistema tampoco funcionaba. How interesting, I couldn't do it either. When I tried things weren't working either.. Michelle: Pois , e eu tambm no pude pagar o pedgio online. Vou ver se fao isso hoje noite. Pues, yo tampoco pude pagar el peeaje online, veremos si lo consigo esta noche. Yea, I couldn't pay the toll either, we'll see if I can do it tonight.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

In some ways Brazilians are extremely advanced in how they use online services, e.g., the banking system. At the same time, however, people in the U.S. use Internet services in a wide variety of different areas. When Michelle was expecting her baby some of her friends threw a baby shower for her. The amazing part to Michelle was that the gift registry was online. How convenient! Recently Michelle had to pay a fine for driving on a toll road (welcome to Texas and our newest way to spend money). She paid for the toll online. Valdo recently renewed some library books online. In each case they were surprised by the number of services that are done online in the United States.

Grammar Notes
To put it simply, Spanish has the pair tambin (in the positive, 'also') and tampoco (in the negative, 'also not' or 'neither'). Portuguese uses tambm in the positive, but tambm no in the negative. Spanish - Me gust la comida. - Tambin me gust la comida. - No me gust la comida.

- Tampoco me gust la comida. Portuguese - Eu gosto da comida.. - Eu tambm gosto da comida. - Eu no gosto da comida. - Eu tambm no gosto da comida. Note: If you look up "tampouco" in a Portuguese language dictionary, you will indeed find the word. However, in everyday conversations it would be very rare to use it.

Grammar Lesson #18: Word Order Buses and Services Dialog

Michelle: Eu acho interessante que existam pessoas que colocam suas bicicletas na frente dos nibus. Yo creo que es interesante que existen personas que ponen su bicicleta en frente de los autobuses. I think that it's interesting that there are people who put their bicycles in front of the buses. Valdo: Pois , aqui nos Estados Unidos tem lugares especficos nos nibus pra carregar bicicletas. S, aqu en los Estados Unidos hay lugares especficos en los autobuses para llevar bicicletas. Yes, here in the United State we have specific places in front of the buses to carry bicycles. Michelle: Eh, e sobram motivos aqui para as pessoas levarem suas bicicletas na frente dos nibus e irem sentadas. S y eso les d el incentivo a las personas aqu para que lleven su bicicleta en frente del autobs para que se puedan sentar. Yes and it give people a reason to carry their bicycles in front of the bus so that they can sit down. Valdo: verdade! Sempre acontecem coisas inesperadas quando se anda de bicicleta, por exemplo: chuva, o sol muito quente, ladeiras. Es verdad. Siempre nos suceden cosas inesperadas al andar en bicicleta, por ejemplo: la lluvia, el sol muy fuerte, escaleras. That's true. Unexpected things always happen when riding a bicycle, for example: rain, hot sun, ladders. Michelle: De fato, sempre surge algum imprevisto que nos faz preferir o conforto do ar condicionado dos nibus. Adems, siempre surge algo imprevisto que hace que se prefiera el confort del aire condicionado del autobs. In fact, some unexpected thing always comes up that makes you prefer the comfort of the air-conditioned bus. Valdo: Puxa, falta s esse servio para o transporte pblico no Brasil ficar timo. Caramba, nos falta ese servicio para el transporte pblico en Brasil para que sea excelente. Gee, that's what we're missing in Brazil to make our public transportation system the best.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

Although the bus systems in Brazil are well developed, and with thousands of lines that intersect, there are no provisions for bicycle racks. In fact, because the bus system is so developed, you never see people who want to put a bicycle on a bus.

Grammar Notes
Generally sentences in Portuguese follow a patter of Subject - Verb - Object. Language teachers usually call this an SVO pattern. This is indeed the case for most sentences: Maria compra as frutas. S V O Marcos estuda francs. SVO However, there are some verbs, based on their meaning, that do not allow for direct objects. In these cases the default word order is Verb Subject, or VS. This is especially true if the subject is a long phrase. For example, Existem trs cachorros bem pequenos em casa. V S (There are three little dogs in the house.) Note that we do not say, * Trs cachorros bem pequenos em casa existem. Faltam boas instrues para poder entender tudo isso. V S (We are missing good instructions to be able to understand all of this.) Note that we do not say, * Boas instrues para poder entender tudo isso faltam. Chegaram todos esses emails ontem. V S (All the emails arrived yesterday.) Note that we do not say, * Todos esses emails ontem chegaram. Acabou a reunio com todos os grandes lderes do congresso. V S (The meeting with all of the great leaders of congress ended.) Note that we do not say, * A reunio com todos os grandes lderes do contresso acabou. Truth told, this is not really a big difference between Spanish and Portuguese as much as it is a difference between Portuguese and English. So, for all of the native speakers of English, for those verbs that dont have direct objects, use the VS word order.

Grammar Lesson #19: Present Perfect Naming People Dialog

Valdo: O que voc tem percebido de diferente nesses ltimos tempos em relao a gravidez e filhos aqui nos Estados Unidos? Qu has notado de diferente en esos ltimos tiempos en relacin a la gravidez y los hijos ac en los Estados Unidos? Have you been noticing anything different lately as related to pregnancy and having children here in the United States? Michelle: Eu tenho visto ultimamente que a questo dos nomes bem diferente do que no Brasil. He notado ltimamente que la cuestin de nombres es muy diferente que en el Brasil. Lately I've been noticing that the issue of names has been very different from in Brazil. Valdo: Voc j teve problemas com isso alguma vez? Has tenido problemas alguna vez con eso? Have you ever had any problems with this? Michelle: J tive, sim. Eu tenho tido dificuldade recentemente em explicar para as pessoas aqui que minha filha tem dois sobrenomes. S, Recientemente he tenido dificultades en explicarles a las otras personas que mi hija tiene dos apellidos. Yes I have. Lately Ive had some problems in explaining to people here that my daughter has two last names.

Valdo: Eh, voc tem que se acostumar com isso, porque aqui as pessoas sempre tm usado o sistema de nome do meio e ltimo nome em vez de s sobrenomes. S, hay que acostumbrarte con eso, porque aqu las personas han usado el sistema de usar un segundo nombre y apellido en vez de dos apellidos. Yes, you need to get used to that, because here people have used the a system where they have a second name and a last name instead of two last names. Michelle: E isso que confuso aqui. Em todos os lugares que eu tenho ido nesses ltimos meses as pessoas no entendem que minha filha no tem o segundo nome. Es eso lo que me confunde aqu. En todos los lugares que he ido estos ltimos meses, las personas no entienden que mi hija no tiene un segundo nombre. That is exactly what confuses me here. In all the places Ive gone during these last few months, people dont understand why my daughter doesnt have a second name.

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet, but having different ways of naming people sure causes confusion. In Brazil, people normally have two last names: the first one from their mother and the last one from their father, as in Joo Silva Souza. And this person would be called Sr. Souza. In most of the Spanish-speaking world we also see that people have two last names. However, they usually put the paternal name first and then the maternal name. So in this case Joo would probably be Juan and his complete name would be Juan Souza Silva, and he would still be Sr. Souza. In the United States, people generally only have one last name (paternal), but they do have middle names. And that is why Orlandos full name is Orlando Ren Kelm (Kelm from his German father, Ren as a good French namegiven that he was born in Canada, and Orlando, well thats a long story!) We should mention that this description is general, but also filled with exceptions. The best is to ask someone what they prefer to be called.

Grammar Notes
The major difficulty found with the present perfect in Portuguese is that "tenho estudado" does not mean "has studied" but rather "have been studying." It is frequently used with words like "ultimamente, esses dias, desde aquele dia" etc. There is no morphological way to say "have studied" in Portuguese. Instead Portuguese speakers use the word "j" (already) with the preterite form of the verb. Marcos estudou aquele livro ontem. (Marcos studied that book yesterday.) Marcos j estudou aquele livro uma vez._ (Marcos has studied that book once before.) Marcos tem estudado aquele livro ultimamente. _(Marcos has been studying that book lately. Marcos tinha estudado aquele livro antes._ (Marcos had studied that book before.)

Grammar Lesson #20: This Just Isn't Spanish Adapting to Handicapped Dialog
Michelle: Rapaz! Voc viu aquele cara na cadeira de rodas entrando no nibus hoje cedo? Chico, viste t aquella persona en la silla de ruedas que estaba entrando en el autobs temprano esta maana? Man, did you see that guy in the wheel chair getting into the bus early this morning? Valdo: Vi sim. Acho interessante esse jeito que os americanos tm de lidar com as pessoas com necessidades especiais, adaptando as ruas e os nibus. S, lo vi. Pienso que es interesante esta manera que tienen los norteamericanos de ayudar a las personas que tienen necesidades especiales, adaptando las calles y los autobuses.

I did see him. I think it's interesting the way that Americans take care of people who have special needs, changing the streets and the busses. Michelle: Pois , aqui as poltronas se fecham e as portas dos nibus se abaixam pra acomodar as pessoas. Pues, aqu las poltronas se cierran y las puertas de los autobuses se bajan para acomodar a las personas. I know, here the seats close up and the doors of the bus can be lowered to accommodate the people. Valdo: Embora no Brasil os nibus no tenham tantas adaptaes, ningum pode reclamar porque o sistema de transporte pblico bom. A pesar de que en el Brasil los autobuses no tengan tantas adaptaciones, nadie va a reclamar por que el sistema de transporte pblico es bueno. Although Brazil doesn't have busses that have such adaptations, nobody complains because the public transportation system is so good. Michelle: T, mas deixa eu fazer uma fofoca que talvez voc no se lembre: no Brasil no tem ar nos nibus, a gente tem que abrir as janelas pra ventilarse. S, pero cuidado en no exagerar porque tal vez no te acuerdes pero en el Brasil no hay aire condicionado en los autobuses. Hay que abrir las ventanas para ventilar. Right, but don't go too far with these stories because maybe you have forgotten that the buses in Brazil don't have air conditioning, you've got to open the window to get some air. Valdo: Por outro lado, tem o calor humano. As pessoas podem at deitar umas em cima das outras de to cheio que s vezes os nibus ficam. T vendo... pra que melhorar? Por otro lado, existe un calor humano. Las personas pueden hasta descansar unas encima de las otras porque a veces los autobuses anda muy llenos. Lo ves, para qu mejorar? On the other hand, you've got human warmth. People even end up lying on top of one another because the buses en up so full sometimes. You see, what is there to improve?

Cultural Notes
Besides the lessons in pronunciation and grammar, all of the dialogs key on some cultural issue that Valdo and Michelle have noticed as Brazilians living in the United States.

Brazil is not as developed in terms of accommodations for it's handicapped citizens. You will never see handicapped parking places, bathrooms that are especially accessible, special doors on buses, sidewalks with slopped curbs, ramps that go up to doorways, etc.

Grammar Notes
There are plenty of words between Spanish and Portuguese that are identical, or at least similar enough that learners can guess at their meanings. However, there are also some words that are simply so different that Spanish speakers will not get the meaning at all. These need to be learned individually. The following list provides some of the common ones, such as those that were used in the dialog. Spanish Portuguese pantalla tela sin embargo por outro lado autobs nibus aunque embora silla cadeira ventana janela calle rua nadie ningum cerda porca hasta at pensar, creer, creo que s achar, acho que sim as ainda

a propsito aburrido con tal de que oficina quedar hoy peridico pero vivir el hombre manera acostarse chico ayer listo muchacho novio prometido mirar edificio chico ojal nos vamos adis temprano lleno bajar raro ms gracias

alis chato contanto que escritrio ficar hoje jornal mas morar o cara jeito deitar rapaz ontem pronto moo namorado noivo olhar prdio rapaz tomara vamos embora tchau cedo cheio descer esquisito mais obrigado