Chapter 8

Shopping

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Grasping basic shopping lingo

Bullet Buying clothes

Bullet Checking out Brazilian handicrafts

Bullet Knowing when and how to bargain

In Brazil, you can shop for prazer (prah-zeh) (pleasure) or out of necessidade (neh-seh-see-dah-jee) (necessity). In this chapter, you get an overview of your shopping options and discover the vocabulary you need to shop with style. I also introduce some of Brazil’s most popular souvenirs that you may want to check out and give you tips on when bargaining is appropriate and how to negotiate successfully.

Scoping Out the Shopping Scene

As in most countries, in Brazil you can fazer compras (fah-zeh kohm-prahz) (shop) in four main settings:

  • uma feira (ooh-mah fay-rah) (an outdoor market)
  • uma loja na rua (ooh-mah loh-zhah nah hoo-ah) (a store on the street)
  • um shopping (oong shoh-ping) (a shopping mall)
  • online (ohn-lah-ee-nee) (online)

Cultural wisdom Brazil’s shoppings are very similar to malls in the United States and other Western countries. They have lojas de roupas (loh-zhahz jee hoh-pahz) (clothing stores), livrarias (lee-vrah-ree-ahz) (bookstores), farmácias (fah-mah-see-ahz) (drugstores), salas de cinema (sah-lahz jee see-neh-mah) (movie theaters), and a praça de alimentação (prah-sah jee ah-lee-mehn-tah-sah-ooh) (food court). One thing’s a little different though: In Brazil, shoppings are more associated with the middle and upper classes. Most Brazilians prefer lojas na rua or feiras, where coisas (koy-zahz) (things) are mais baratas (mah-eez bah-rah-tahz) (cheaper).

At Brazil’s feiras, in addition to finding comida (koh-mee-dah) (food), you can comprar (kohm-prah) (buy) locally made artesanato (ah-teh-zah-nah-toh) (handicrafts), which vary according to region. You can find bonecos feitos à mão (boo-neh-kooz fay-tohz ah mah-ooh) (handmade dolls) in Pernambuco state, lots of items made from pedra (peh-drah) (stone) in Minas Gerais state, and excellent redes (heh-jeez) (hammocks) in practically any Brazilian povoado (poh-voh-ah-doh) (small town).

Saying What You’re Looking For

In this section, I start with shopping for roupas (hoh-pahz) (clothes). When you enter a loja (loh-zhah) (store), expect to hear Posso ajudar? (poh-soo ah-zhoo-dah?) (Can I help you?). The atendente (ah-ten-den-chee) (salesperson) may then say one of the following phrases:

  • Está procurando algo em específico? (eh-stah proh-koo-rahn-doh ah-ooh-goh ang eh-speh-see-fee-koh?) (Are you looking for something in particular?)
  • Já conhece a nossa loja? (zhah kohn-yeh-see ah noh-sah loh-zhah?) (Are you already familiar with our store?)
  • Temos uma promoção. (teh-mohz ooh-mah proh-moh-sah-ooh.) (We’re having a sale.)

And here are some things you can say to the atendente:

  • Estou só olhando. (eh-stoh soh ohl-yahn-doh.) (I’m just looking.)
  • Estou procurando… . (eh-stoh proh-koo-rahn-doh… .) (I’m looking for… .)
  • Tem… ? (tang… ?) (Do you have… ?)

Talking about what you want to buy

Now for the goods. O que precisa? (ooh keh preh-see-zah?) (What do you need?). Say you need roupas (hoh-pahz) (clothing). You can tell the salesperson, Estou procurando (eh-stoh proh-koo-dahn-doh) (I’m looking for) one of the following items:

  • biquini (bee-kee-nee) (bikini)
  • blusa (bloo-zah) (woman’s shirt)
  • calça jeans (cow-sah jeenz) (jeans)
  • calças (kah-ooh-sahz) (pants)
  • camisa (kah-mee-zah) (man’s shirt)
  • camiseta (kah-mee-zeh-tah) (T-shirt)
  • chapéu (shah-peh-ooh) (hat)
  • cinto (seen-too) (belt)
  • meias (may-ahz) (socks)
  • relógio (heh-law-zhee-oh) (watch)
  • saia (sah-ee-ah) (skirt)
  • sapatos (sah-pah-tohz) (shoes)
  • sunga (soong-gah) (men’s swim briefs)
  • vestido (ves-chee-doo) (dress)

You may want to specify a tamanho (tah-mahn-yoh) (size). Os tamanhos can be either European (numbers, which are used for both clothing and shoes; see Chapter 4 for the rundown on Brazilian words for numbers) or generic (small to extra large). Here’s how to express generic sizes:

  • pequeno (P) (peh-keh-noh) (small)
  • médio (M) (meh-jee-oh) (medium)
  • grande (G) (grahn-jee) (large)
  • extra grande (GG) (ehz-trah grahn-jee) (extra large)
  • tamanho único (tah-mahn-yoh oo-nee-koh) (one size fits all)

Cultural wisdom Brazilian sizes run smaller than those in North America and some European countries. A size medium shirt in the United States is the equivalent of a large in Brazil. Don’t feel like you need to go on a regime (heh-zhee-mee) (diet) after you hit a Brazilian clothing store!

Naming colors in Portuguese

When shopping, you may want to talk about a certain cor (koh) (color). Here are some words you can use to request cores (koh-reez) (colors) or describe an item:

  • amarelo/a (ah-mah-reh-loo/lah) (yellow)
  • azul (ah-zoo) (blue)
  • branco/a (brahn-koh/kah) (white)
  • laranja (lah-rahn-zhah) (orange)
  • lilás (lee-lahz) (purple)
  • marrom (mah-hoh-oong) (brown)
  • preto/a (preh-toh/tah) (black)
  • rosa (hoh-zah) (pink)
  • verde (veh-jee) (green)
  • vermelho/a (veh-mel-yoo/yah) (red)

If you want a different shade, just add claro (klah-roh) (light) or escuro (eh-skoo-roh) (dark) after the name of the cor:

  • azul claro (ah-zoo klah-roh) (light blue)
  • vermelho escuro (veh-mel-yoo eh-skoo-roh) (dark red)

Cultural wisdom Brazilian atendentes can actually be a bit annoying on your first encounter. They never seem to leave you alone. Just keep in mind that they’re being friendly and trying to be helpful.

What happens if your cinto or camiseta is too small or too big? You can use the following phrases to tell the atendente:

  • É pequeno demais. (eh peh-keh-noh jee-my-eez.) (It’s too small.)
  • É grande demais. (eh grahn-jee jee-my-eez.) (It’s too big.)

Putting the word demais after a word is like adding the word too or really in front of an adjective in English. Check it out:

  • É caro demais. (eh kah-roh jee-my-eez.) (It’s too expensive.)
  • É bonito demais. (eh boo-nee-too jee-my-eez.) (It’s really beautiful.)

Soundnative É bom demais! (eh boh-oong jee-my-eez!) (It’s fantastic!) is a common phrase that literally means It’s too good!

Trying and Trying On: The Verb Experimentar

The verb for trying on clothes is experimentar (eh-speh-ree-men-tah). It’s easy to remember; what does the word look like? Tá certo (tah seh-toh) (That’s right) — experiment. In Portuguese, you experiment with new cores (koh-reez) (colors) and new looks by experimentando (eh-speh-ree-men-tahn-doh) (trying on) peças de roupa (peh-sus jee hoh-pah) (articles of clothing).

Experimentar has a second meaning that’s useful to know as well: to try, as in to try uma comida nova (ooh-mah koh-mee-dah noh-vah) (a new food). Here are some common phrases using experimentar:

  • Quer experimentar…? (keh eh-speh-ree-men-tah…?) (Would you like to try/try on…?)
  • Posso experimentar…? (poh-soo eh-speh-ree-men-tah…?) (Can I try/try on…?)
  • Tem que experimentar… . (tang kee eh-speh-ree-men-tah… .) (You’ve got to try/try on… .)
  • Experimenta! (eh-speh-ree-men-tah!) (Try it!)

The following table shows you how to conjugate experimentar.

Conjugation

Pronunciation

eu experimento

eh-ooh eh-speh-ree-men-too

você experimenta

voh-seh eh-speh-ree-men-tah

ele/ela experimenta

eh-lee/eh-lah eh-speh-ree-men-tah

nós experimentamos

nohz eh-speh-ree-men-tah-mohz

eles/elas experimentam

eh-leez/eh-lahz eh-speh-ree-men-tah-ooh

vocês experimentam

voh-sehz eh-speh-ree-men-tah-ooh

Practice these phrases that use experimentar:

  • Posso experimentar essa blusa? (poh-soo eh-speh-ree-men-tah eh-sah bloo-zah?) (Can I try on this [women’s] shirt?)
  • Gostaria de experimentá-lo? (goh-stah-ree-ah jee eh-speh-ree-men-tah-loh?) (Would you like to try it on?)
  • É só experimentar. (eh soh eh-speh-ree-men-tah.) (It won’t hurt just to try it/try it on. Literally: It’s just trying.)

After you leave the provador (proh-vah-doh) (dressing room), you need to decide whether you want to comprar ou não (kohm-prah ooh nah-ooh) (buy or not).

Taking It: The Verb Levar

After you’ve tried on an item, the salesperson may use the verb levar (leh-vah) (to get/to take, as in to buy something) to ask whether you want to buy it. She may ask, Quer levar? (keh leh-vah?) (Would you like to take it?). Respond using levar:

  • Vou levar. (voh leh-vah.) (I’ll take it.)
  • Não, não vou levar, mas obrigado/a. (nah-ooh, nah-ooh voh leh-vah, mah-eez oh-bree-gah-doh/dah – use obrigado if you’re male and obrigada if you’re female) (No, I’m not going to get it, but thanks.)

Levar is an -ar verb (the easiest kind of verb to conjugate — see Chapter 2). Here’s what levar looks like conjugated.

Conjugation

Pronunciation

eu levo

eh-ooh leh-voh

você leva

voh-seh leh-vah

ele/ela leva

eh-lee/eh-lah leh-vah

nós levamos

nohz leh-vah-mohz

eles/elas levam

eh-leez/eh-lahz leh-vah-ooh

vocês levam

voh-sehz leh-vah-ooh

Levar also means to take in the general sense, and it’s used in Portuguese the same way to take is in English. Here are some examples of how to use levar to mean either to buy or to take:

  • Vai levar tudo ou só as calças? (vah-ee leh-vah too-doh ooh soh ahz kah-ooh-sahz?) (Are you going to get everything or just the pants?)
  • Levou aqueles sapatos? (leh-voh ah-keh-leez sah-pah-dohz?) (Did you get those shoes?)
  • Leva uma toalha. (leh-vah ooh-mah toh-ahl-yah.) (Take a towel.)
  • Leva ela para a escola, por favor. (leh-vah eh-lah pah-rah ah eh-skoh-lah, poh fah-voh.) (Take her to school, please.)

Tip The verb gostar (goh-stah) (to like) is always followed by de (jee), which means of. But in English, saying something like “I like of these” sounds odd, so when you translate Gostar desses (I like these) to English, just leave out the of.

Making Comparisons and Expressing Opinions

If you’re shopping with an amigo (ah-mee-goh) (friend), you may want to share your opinião (oh-pee-nee-ah-ooh) (opinion) about things in the loja (loh-zhah) (shop).

If you think something is just so-so, you can use one of these phrases:

  • Gosto. (gohs-doo.) (I like it [fine].)
  • Está bem. (eh-stah bang.) (It’s okay.)
  • Não está mau. (nah-ooh eh-stah mah-ooh.) (It’s not bad.)

If you see something that you like even more, you can express your opinion by saying:

  • Esse é melhor. (es-ee eh meh-ooh-yoh.) (This one’s better.)
  • Esse eu gosto mais. (eh-see ee-ooh goh-stoo mah-eez.) (I like this one more.)
  • É bem bonito esse. (eh bang boo-nee-too eh-see.) (This one’s really nice.)

When you see the best one, let your amigo know by using one of these phrases:

  • Esse é o melhor. (eh-see eh ooh meh-ooh-yoh.) (This one’s the best.)
  • É perfeito esse. (eh peh-fay-toh eh-see.) (This one’s perfect.)

RememberBetter is melhor (meh-ooh-yoh), and the best is o melhor (ooh meh-ooh-yoh).

Now comes the fun part. In Portuguese, adding the ending -íssimo/a or -érrimo/a to the end of some adjectives exaggerates whatever’s being said.

Brazilians love to exagerar (eh-zah-zheh-rah) (exaggerate). Something that’s nice but not really caro (kah-roh) (expensive) is suddenly chiquérrimo (shee-keh-hee-moh) (really glamorous). This exaggeration is all about Brazilians’ great quality of making the most of a vida (ah vee-dah) (life). Whatever’s in front of them is o melhor.

Soundnative Here are some common expressions you can use while shopping:

  • Caríssimo! (kah-ree-see-moh!) (So expensive! — from the word caro)
  • Chiquérrimo! (shee-keh-hee-moh!) (Really glamorous/expensive-looking! — from the word chique)

You can use the following exaggerating expressions in many kinds of situations:

  • Divertidíssimo! (jee-veh-chee-jee-see-moh!) (Incredibly fun! — from divertido)
  • Gostosérrimo! (goh-stoh-zeh-hee-moh!) (Really delicious!) — from gostoso)

Exploring Brazilian Treasures

Brazilian mercados (meh-kah-dooz) (markets) have plenty of artesanato (ah-teh-zah-nah-toh) (handicrafts) that you may want to levar (leh-vah) (take) with you. The type of objetos (ohb-zheh-tohz) (objects) you’ll find depends on the região (hey-zhee-ow) (region) of Brazil in which you’re shopping.

Remember The two most popular lembranças (lem-brahn-sahz) (souvenirs) from Brazil are probably redes (heh-jeez) (hammocks) and berimbaus (beh-reem-bah-ooz) (musical instruments from the state of Bahia).

A berimbau looks like the bow from a bow and arrow with a semi-open wooden gourd at the bottom. To play it, you pluck the bowstring with a metal coin and a thin wooden stick. The sound has an unusual twang, and the instrument is only capable of veering a note or two up or down. The berimbau is a beautiful instrument, with striped colors on the gourd and on the bow. And beginners, delight! It’s impossible to make a bad sound on the instrument.

Also in Bahia are the famous, colorful fitas do Bonfim (fee-tahz doo boh-oong-feeng) (ribbons of Bonfim), which come from a church called Bonfim in the city of Salvador. When you buy a fita, the seller ties it around your wrist and tells you to make three wishes. The vendor then warns you nunca (noon-kah) (never) to take it off; otherwise, the wishes won’t come true. On the upside, if you let it disintegrate naturally, they say the wishes you made will become reality!

Havaianas (ah-vah-ee-ah-nahz) (Hawaiians), a brand of beach flip-flops, are also a popular Brazilian item.

Many people enjoy the inexpensive bijouteria (bee-zhoo-teh-ree-ah) (jewelry) sold in outdoor markets. You can find handmade anéis (ah-nay-eez) (rings), brincos (breeng-kohz) (earrings), and colares (koh-lah-reez) (necklaces).

Check out some of these other classic Brazilian souvenirs:

  • um biquini (oohng bee-kee-nee) (a bikini)

  • uma camiseta de um time de futebol (ooh-mah kah-mee-zeh-tah jee oong chee-mee jee foo-chee-bah-ooh) (Literally: a T-shirt of a soccer team)

    Tip Soccer T-shirts with the team’s name are sold all over Brazil. The shirts sold on the street are probably knockoffs. The official team shirts are very expensive. Check out Chapter 16 for more on talking about sports in Portuguese.

  • uma canga com a bandeira brasileira (ooh-mah kahn-gah koh-oong ah bahn-day-rah brah-zee-lay-rah) (a beach sarong used as a towel or skirt, printed with the Brazilian flag)
  • música brasileira (moo-zee-kah brah-zee-lay-rah) (Brazilian music)
  • uma pintura (ooh-mah peen-too-rah) (a painting)
  • pó de guaraná (poh jee gwah-rah-nah) (guarana berry powder, used to make a traditional natural energy drink)
  • produtos dos índios (proh-doo-tohz dooz een-jee-ohz) (products made by native Brazilian tribes; Literally: products of Indians)

In Brazil, you can find tons of knickknacks made from a wide variety of materials, including the following:

  • barro (bah-hoh) (clay)
  • cerâmica (seh-rah-mee-kah) (ceramics)
  • madeira (mah-day-rah) (wood)
  • palha (pahl-yah) (straw)
  • pedra (peh-drah) (stone)
  • renda (hen-dah) (lace)
  • sementes (seh-men-cheez) (seeds)
  • vidro (vee-droh) (glass)

Tip If you want to know whether an item is handmade, ask whether it’s feito à mão (fay-toh ah mah-ooh). For food, the term for homemade is caseiro (kah-zay-roh), which comes from the word casa (kah-zah) (house).

Negotiating Price in Outdoor Markets

Cultural wisdom As a rule of thumb, you can bargain in Brazil in feiras (fay-rahs) (outdoor markets) but not inside lojas (loh-zhahz) (stores). At feiras, most locals don’t try to negotiate prices, but you can always try; it isn’t considered offensive. (To find out how to say numbers in Portuguese, flip to Chapter 4.)

Start out by asking how much something costs and then offer a lower price (see Chapter 4 for Portuguese terms for numbers and Chapter 14 to find out about money). Or you can tell a vendor that you have only a certain amount of money. The following phrases are helpful for bargaining.

  • Quanto custa? (kwahn-toh koo-stah?) (How much does it cost?)
  • Quanto que é? (kwahn-toh kee eh?) (How much is it?)
  • Posso pagar [number] reais? (poh-sooh pah-gah [number] hay-ahys?) (Can I pay [number] reais?)
  • Só tenho vinte reais. (soh tang-yoh veen-chee hay-ahys.) (I have only 20 reais.)

You can then accept the price the vendor gives you or make a final offer.

Tip Of course, if you tell a vendor that you only have 15 reais, you don’t want to pay with a 20-real bill. Separate the bills you want to use to buy an item before approaching the stall.

When bargaining, keep your cool. If you make the first move, your first offer should be about half of what you’re prepared to pay; you can then accept the vendor’s counteroffer or state your final price. Be firm but polite. Few vendors will give you their best price if they feel you’re disrespecting them.