Chapter 12

Recreation and the Outdoors

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Going to the beach

Bullet Checking out the biodiversity of plant and animal life in the Amazon rainforest

Bullet Asking someone which activities they enjoy

Most of Brazil’s population is concentrated near its litoral (lee-toh-rah-oo) (coastline), making praias (prah-ee-ahz) (beaches) a focus of daily life for many Brazilians. That’s why a Brazilian beach is an ideal place to practice your Portuguese. Tons of people are there who, because they’re probably enjoying themselves, are generally de bom humor (jee boh-oong ooh-moh) (in a good mood; Literally: of good humor).

When talking with a Brazilian — whether you’re sipping água de coco (ah-gwah jee koh-koh) (coconut water) through a straw out of a green coconut in Rio (hee-ooh) or enjoying a cerveja (seh-veh-zhah) (beer) in Hawaii — watch your companion’s eyes light up at the mention of a beach.

But don’t make the mistake of thinking that Brazilians are limited to the beach for outdoor fun. Other interesting places in Brazil for outdoor recreation include the Amazônia (ah-mah-zoh-nee-ah) (Amazon rainforest) and the Pantanal (pahn-tah-nah-ooh), a safari-like wetlands landscape with rare animal species in Brazil’s central-west region.

In this chapter, I point out how you can talk about beaches, plants, and animals as well as a bit about soccer and other sports in Portuguese. And, yes, you also find out how to ask people what they like to do.

Finding Out What’s Really on a Brazilian Beach

Beaches in Brazil are packed with people enjoying the company of old friends and making new acquaintances. At urban beaches, you’re likely to see surfistas (soo-fee-stahs) (surfers) and people correndo (koh-hen-doh) (jogging) on the beachfront avenue.

In this section I teach you the names of things you may see on a Brazilian beach, as well as stuff people do on them.

Rio (hee-ooh) is home to Brazil’s most famous beaches. Yet almost all of Brazil’s beaches are lovely.

Tip To get away from the tourists and ladrões (lah-droh-eez) (pickpockets) in Rio, locals and tuned-in visitors head to Barra da Tijuca (bah-hah dah tee-zhoo-kah), which is several beaches over from Ipanema (ee-pah-neh-mah). Barra da Tijuca is known for having the cleanest water. This beach is located in front of one of the newest high-rise developments in Rio’s Zona Sul (soh-nah soo) (South Zone), Rio’s fanciest area, with nice apartment buildings and hotels.

Getting outfitted for a day at the beach

It’s a myth that all Brazilian mulheres (moo-yeh-reez) (women) wear itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, thong bikini bottoms. You may see this type of bathing suit on many Rio de Janeiro (hee-ooh jee zhah-nay-roo) state beaches but only in isolated cases on other Brazilian beaches. That said, it’s true that the average top and bottom pieces of a Brazilian biquini (bee-kee-nee) (bikini) are menor (meh-noh) (smaller) than the average American or European bikini.

Soundnative In Portuguese, thong bikini bottoms are called fio dental (fee-oh dang-tah-ooh) (dental floss) — Brazilians always have a sense of humor!

Most Brazilian men wear sungas (soong-gahz) (small, tight-fitting swim briefs, like Speedos), and young male surfers tend to wear bermudas (beh-moo-dahz) (Bermuda shorts) — longer, American-style swimming shorts.

Though Brazilians are known for being vaidosos (vah-ee-doh-zooz) (vain) and are famous for wearing skimpy bathing suits (both men and women), they’re incredibly de mente aberta (jee men-chee ah-beh-tah) (open-minded). People of all shapes and sizes can feel confortável (kong-foh-tah-veh-ooh) (comfortable) and enjoy themselves on a Brazilian beach.

So don’t feel pressured to buy a Brazilian bathing suit if it’s not your thing. Brazilians are plenty used to turistas (too-rees-tahz) (tourists) expressing a different estilo (ehs-chee-loh) (style) and cultural background. In fact, most Brazilians are curiosos (koo-ree-oh-zooz) (curious) about differences in style and may be eager to discuss them with you.

Here are some words you can use to talk with people about beach attire and accessories:

  • canga (kang-gah) (sarong)
  • chinelos (shee-neh-looz) (flip-flops)
  • óculos de sol (oh-koo-lohz jee soh-oo) (sunglasses)
  • prancha de surf (prahn-shah jee sooh-fee) (surfboard)
  • protetor solar (proh-teh-toh soh-lah) (sunblock)
  • toalha (toh-ahl-yah) (towel)

Cultural wisdom Brazilians tend to sit on cangas (kang-gahz) (sarongs) more often than actual toalhas (toh-ahl-yahz) (towels) at the beach. Camelôs (kahm-eh-lohs) (street vendors) often sell cangas on the beach. Or you can find one at a nearby loja (loh-zhah) (store).

Brazil’s most popular flip-flop brand, Havaianas (ah-vah-ee-ah-nahz), has become hugely successful worldwide. You can see thousands of people wearing the famous brand on Brazilian beaches as well as on the streets of New York and Paris. The name Havaianas means Hawaiians, oddly enough. That’s because Hawaii is the most exotic beach location Brazilians can think of. Never mind that to non-Brazilians, Brazil is a super exotic locale.

Checking out other beach attractions

Of course, bikinis aren’t the only attraction on a Brazilian beach. You may be pretty excited to find and rent a cadeira de praia (kah-deh-rah jee prah-ee-ah) (beach chair) and sombrinha (sohm-breen-yah) (beach umbrella; Literally: little shade) from a vendor on the beach.

Remember You can also buy beach snacks, which are cheap. You may hear someone walking by, shouting Cinco reais! Cinco reais! (sing-koh hay-ah-eez! sing-koh hay-ah-eez!) (five reais! five reais!) along with the name of the food they’re selling. Typical beach snack foods include queijo coalho (kay-zhoh koh-ahl-yoh) (grilled cheese cubes), espetinhos de carne (eh-speh-cheen-yohs jee kah-nee) (beef shish kabobs), amendoim (ah-mang-doh-eeng) (peanuts), and picolé (pee-koh-leh) (fruity popsicles). See Chapters 5 and 7 for more about Portuguese words for different kinds of food.

Here are a few other terms you may want to use when talking with a Brazilian about the beach:

  • areia (ah-ray-ah) (sand)
  • barraca (bah-hah-kah) (beach shack [that serves food/drinks])
  • castelo de areia (kah-steh-loo jee ah-ray-ah) (sand castle)
  • crianças (kree-ahn-sahz) (kids)
  • frescobol (freh-skoo-bah-ooh) (beach paddle ball)
  • futebol (foo-chee-bah-ooh) (soccer)
  • golfinhos (goh-ooh-feen-yohs) (dolphins)
  • livros (leev-rohz) (books)
  • peixes (pay-ee-shees) (fish)
  • pescadores (pehs-kah-doh-reez) (fishermen)
  • pôr do sol (poh doo soh-ooh) (sunset)
  • revista (heh-vee-stah) (magazine)
  • tubarão (too-bah-rah-ooh) (shark)
  • vôlei de praia (voh-lay jee prah-ee-ah) (beach volleyball)

Describing beautiful beaches

Determining which regions of Brazil have the best beaches is a matter of opinion. If you like lush green mountain landscapes and turquesa (too-keh-zah) (turquoise) water, head for southeast Brazil (Rio or São Paulo (sah-ooh pah-oo-loh) states). If you prefer água quente (ah-gwah kang-chee) (warm water) and lots of coqueiros (koh-kay-rohz) (coconut trees), head for the northeast — north of (and including) Bahia (bah-ee-ah) state or west of (and including) Rio Grande do Norte (hee-ooh grahn-jee doo noh-chee) state.

Remember Brazilians themselves tend to glorify beaches in the northeast, where the ocean is often a bright blue-green color and palmeiras (pah-ooh-may-rahs) (palm trees) dot white sandy beaches and the local culture is particularly relaxado (heh-lah-shah-doo) (relaxed). Bahia state would probably win the prize as the favorite beach férias (feh-ree-ahz) (vacation) destination of Brazilians themselves because of the state’s reputation for throwing a good festa (feh-stah) (party).

Other destinations in Brazil that are known for their beaches include Florianópolis (floh-ree-ah-noh-poh-lees), an island off the coast of Santa Catarina (sahn-tah kah-tah-ree-nah) state in the south, Ceará (say-ah-rah) state in the north, and Fernando de Noronha (feh-nahn-doh jee noh-rohn-yah), a northeastern island that’s about an hour away by avião (ah-vee-ah-oo) (plane) from the Brazilian mainland, near Rio Grande do Norte (hee-oh grahn-jee doo noh-chee) state. Only a certain number of tourists are allowed to visit Fernando de Noronha each day, so make plans well in advance.

All beaches have a unique beauty, of course. Here are some phrases you can use to talk about how pretty a beach is:

  • Que bonita! (kee boh-nee-tah!) (How pretty!)
  • É maravilhosa! (eh mah-rah-vee-lee-oh-zah!) (It’s amazing!)
  • Incrível! (eeng-kree-veh-ooh!) (Unbelievable!)
  • Nossa senhora! (noh-sah seen-yoh-rah!) (Wow!)
  • Que legal! (kee leh-gah-ooh!) (How cool!)
  • Meu Deus! (meh-oo deh-ooz!) (Oh my God!)
  • Não acredito! (nah-ooh ah-kreh-jee-toh!) (I can’t believe it!)

Soundnative Nossa senhora! literally means Our lady! and would be the English equivalent of saying Holy Mary, mother of God! It’s very common in Brazil, and people often just say Nossa!

Exploring the Amazon Rainforest

The world’s largest rainforest, a Amazônia (ah ah-mah-soh-nee-ah) (the Amazon rainforest), provides the planet with a rich supply of oxygen and is one of the most biodiverse spots in the mundo (moon-doh) (world). Lucky Brazil is the owner of the majority of this magnificent natural resource.

Cultural wisdom As famous as a Amazônia is, very few Brazilians have ever visited it! This is in part because getting there is expensive, and it’s very far from where most Brazilians live, which is near the litoral (lee-toh-rah-ooh) (coast).

When traveling to a Amazônia, most people fly into Manaus (mah-nah-oohs), the largest city in the Amazon with about two million residents. If you actually make it to this lugar remoto (loo-gah heh-moh-too) (remote location), you’ll have a lot to tell Brazilians about their own country.

When you’re ready to explore the rainforest, check out these cool things to do:

  • assistir shows de dança indígena (ah-sees-chee shows jee dahn-sah een-dee-zhee-nah) (watch shows of indigenous dancers)
  • observar macacos nas árvores (ohb-seh-vah mah-kah-kooz nooz ah-voh-reez) (observe monkeys in the trees)
  • pescar piranhas (pes-kah pee-rahn-yahs) (go pirana fishing)
  • relaxar em cruzeiros pelos rios Amazonas e Negro (heh-lah-shah ang kroo-zay-rohs peh-lohs hee-ooz ah-mah-soh-nahs ee neh-groo) (relax on river cruises on the Amazon River and the Rio Negro)
  • ver golfinhos rosas (veh gohl-feen-yohs hoh-zahs) (see pink dolphins)

Another big tourist draw is seeing the point of first contact between the Rio Solimões (hee-ooh soh-lee-moh-eez) and the Rio Negro (hee-ooh neg-roh) (known as Rio Negro in English, too; Literally: black river). The former is brown and the latter is black, and for a while, the two rivers flow side by side in their respective colors.

One thing that really amazed me when I was in the Amazon was the fact that I didn’t get bitten by mosquitos (mohs-kee-tohs) (mosquitoes). Turns out, the Rio Negro’s pH and acidity levels aren’t great for mosquito egg-laying. I got bitten by more mosquitos in São Paulo than in the Amazon!

Talking about Biodiversity

The Brazilian government estimates that the country is home to at least 43,000 types of animal species alone and a few million different types of insects! In this section I can’t go through the whole list, obviously, but I can give you the Portuguese names of some typical plantas (plahn-tahs) (plants) and animais (ah-nee-mah-eez) (animals) that live in Brazil and make up one of the most biodiverse regions of the planet.

Considering plant life

Visiting the Amazon is a terrific way to see Brazil’s abundance of wild flora and fauna because this rainforest is home to many rare species of plant and animal life. Another option is to visit the Pantanal (pahn-tah-nah-ooh) (the Pantanal), a vast pântano (pahn-tah-noh) (wetland) area in the central-west part of the country, near Bolivia, that’s also rich with biodiversity.

Plant life is so much a part of the Pantanal that the name of the Brazilian state in which it’s located has a word related to mata (mah-tah) (forest) in it: Mato Grosso do Sul (mah-toh groh-soo doo soo), which translates to Thick Southern Forest.

Here are some words to help you speak about the most basic types of plant life in Portuguese:

  • árvore (ah-voh-ree) (tree)
  • coqueiro (koh-kay-roh) (coconut tree)
  • flor (floh) (flower)
  • mangues (mang-geez) (mangroves)
  • a selva (ah seh-ooh-vah) (the jungle)

Identifying wildlife

Aside from domestic cachorros (kah-shoh-hooz) (dogs) and gatos (gah-tooz) (cats), many other animais (ah-nee-mah-eez) (animals) live in Brazil. Here are some of the classics that inhabit the Amazônia and the Pantanal as well as some wild areas in other parts of the country:

  • arara-azul (ah-rah-rah ah-zoo) (Hyacinth Macaw), the largest flying parrot in South America
  • bicho preguiça (bee-shoo preh-gee-sah) (sloth)
  • capivara (kah-pee-vah-rah) (capybara), the largest rodent in the world
  • serpente (seh-pen-chee) (snake)
  • jacaré (zhah-kah-reh) (cayman), a small alligator
  • macaco (mah-kah-koo) (monkey)
  • onça-preta (ohn-sah preh-tah) (jaguar)
  • pássaro (pah-sah-roh) (bird)
  • rã (hah) (frog)
  • tamanduá bandeira (tah-mahn-doo-ah bahn-day-rah) (anteater)
  • tatu (tah-too) (armadillo)
  • tucano (too-kah-noh) (toucan)

I have a soft spot in my coração (koh-rah-sah-ooh) (heart) for the capivara, because I spotted many in the Rio Tietê (hee-ooh chee-eh-teh) (Tiete River), a very polluted river that runs through São Paulo (sah-ooh pah-oo-loh). They must have amazing survival instincts to live in such an urban environment.

Asking People What They Like to Do

When you’re making friends with Brazilians, you may want to figure out what you have in common. An easy thing to ask new acquaintances is what sports or forms of recreation they enjoy. After all, Brazilians like to play and enjoy other sports besides soccer.

Here are some words in Portuguese to use to talk about other esportes (eh-spoh-cheez) (sports) and types of recreation you can do in many different parts of the world:

  • alpinismo (ah-ooh-pee-nees-moh) (rock climbing)
  • basquete (bahs-keh-chee) (basketball)
  • beisebol (bay-eez-bah-ooh) (baseball)
  • correr (koh-heh) (to jog)
  • futebol americano (foo-chee-bah-ooh ah-meh-ree-kah-noh) (American football)
  • esquiar (es-kee-ah) (to ski)
  • acampar (ah-kahm-pah) (to go camping)
  • golfe (gohl-fee) (golf)
  • ir pescar (eeh pes-kah) (to go fishing)
  • natação (nah-tah-sah-ooh) (to swim)
  • andar de bicicleta (ahn-dah jee bee-see-kleh-tah) (to go bike riding)
  • patinar no gelo (pah-tee-nah noh zheh-loh) (to ice skate)
  • surfe/surfar (soo-fee) (surfing)
  • tênis (teh-neez) (tennis)
  • vôlei (voh-lay) (volleyball)

Of course, you may just want to talk about exercício (eh-seh-see-see-ooh) (exercise) and recreation. Perhaps you want to get to know someone better or extend an invitation to join you for some outdoor activity for the sake of boa saúde (boh-ah sah-ooh-jee) (good health) and diversão (jee-veh-sah-ooh) (fun). These words can come in handy:

  • academia (ah-kah-deh-mee-ah) (gym)
  • fazer caminhada (fah-zeh kahm-een-yah-dah) (to go for a walk or a hike)
  • malhar (mahl-yah) (to lift weights)
  • passear de buggy (pah-see-ah jee boo-gee) (sand dune buggy), common in northeastern Brazil
  • jangada (zhahng-gah-dah) (tiny sailboat), common in northeastern Brazil
  • andar de barco (ahn-dah jee bah-koh) (to take a boat ride)
  • fazer snorkeling (fah-zeh snoh-keh-leeng) (to snorkel)
  • fazer mergulho (fah-zeh meh-gool-yoh) (to scuba dive)
  • escalada em rocha (es-kah-lah-dah ang hoh-shah) (rock climbing)
  • andar de bicicleta (ahn-dah jee bee-see-kleh-tah) (to go bicycling)
  • stand up paddle (stahn-jee up-ee pah-dohl) (stand-up paddleboard)

You can also participate in esportes radicais (eh-spoh-cheez hah-jee-kah-eez) (extreme sports) in a number of places in Brazil. One of my favorites is voar de asa delta (voh-ah jee ah-zah deh-ooh-tah) (to go hang gliding) in Rio, over Ipanema Beach.

Tip To find out what someone likes to do, just ask, Você gosta de…? (voh-seh goh-stah jee…?) (Do you like…?) and then add the activity, as in these examples:

  • Você gosta de surfar? (voh-seh goh-stah jee soo-fah?) (Do you like to surf?)
  • Você gosta de ir à academia? (voh-seh goh-stah jee ee ah ah-kah-deh-mee-ah?) (Do you like to go to the gym?)
  • Você gosta de correr? (voh-seh goh-stah jee koh-heh?) (Do you like to go running?)
  • Você gosta de jogar futebol? (voh-seh goh-stah jee zhoh-gah foo-chee-bah-ooh?) (Do you like to play soccer?)

If someone asks you one of these questions, you can answer Sim, gosto (sing, goh-stoo) (Yeah, I like it) or Não, não gosto (nah-ooh, nah-ooh goh-stoo) (No, I don’t like it).

You can use the você gosta de … format for a ton of fun activities, including these:

  • Você gosta de viajar? (voh-seh goh-stah jee vee-ah-zhah?) (Do you like to travel?)
  • Você gosta de ir ao cinema? (voh-seh goh-stah jee ee ah-ooh see-neh-mah?) (Do you like to go to the movies?)
  • Você gosta de praticar o seu inglês? (voh-seh goh-stah jee prah-chee-kah ooh seh-ooh eeng-glehz?) (Do you like practicing your English?)
  • Você gosta de cozinhar? (voh-seh goh-stah jee koh-zing-yah?) (Do you like to cook?)

Soundnative It can be difficult to express your most passionate feelings in another language. But here are a few easy tricks: To say you love doing something, use Eu adoro … (eh-ooh ah-doh-roo …) (I love …). If you hate it, say Eu detesto … (eh-ooh deh-tes-toh …) (I hate …). Can you guess what the roots of these Portuguese words are? That’s right — to adore and to detest.