Chapter 19

Ten Ways to Pick Up Brazilian Portuguese Quickly

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Practicing Portuguese in Brazil

Bullet Meeting Brazilians in your hometown

Bullet Going online for real-world exposure to Brazilian Portuguese

Bullet Checking out Brazilian media and entertainment

Bullet Taking a language class and practicing aloud

The real fun of learning Portuguese comes when you put down this book and listen to some Brazilians talk. Even if you can’t find any Brazilians or other Portuguese-speaking people near you, you have options for immersing yourself in this language. Here are some ideas.

Go to Brazil!

The absolute best way to learn Portuguese, or any language, is to spend time in a country where the people speak it. Brazil is a particularly great place to learn a new language because locals are unbelievably friendly. Another bonus is the fact that most Brazilians don’t speak English fluently, which means you’ll be immersed in Portuguese.

You can practice what you’ve learned with waiters, people in shops, and new friends. They’ll probably speak a little English, and you’ll speak a little Portuguese. That’s the perfect language-learning situation — you can both have fun teaching each other some words.

Find Brazilians (Or Other Portuguese Speakers) Near You

To find out whether you’re in a Brazilian-immigration hot spot, look online for authentic Brazilian restaurants, Brazilian shops, or Brazilian live music in your area. If you get a hit, check it out. Ask one of the Brazilian workers (using a few Portuguese words if you can) where Brazilians in your area hang out. Or just make friends at the restaurant or venue.

Many Brazilians in the United States live on the East Coast — in Miami, New York City, New Jersey, and near Boston. San Francisco also has a sizeable Brazilian community. You’re in luck if you live near one of these places, but don’t worry if you don’t. There are plenty of other ways to meet Brazilians.

Tip If you’re a sporty person, consider trying to meet people at a capoeira (kah-poh-ey-rah) (Brazilian martial art/dance form) class. It’s very trendy at the moment, and most major U.S. cities have classes.

You can also investigate whether your area is home to a Portuguese-speaking community from Portugal. A few notable, large Portuguese-speaking communities, home to people whose families emigrated from Portugal, include Newark’s Ironbound District in New Jersey, Fall River, Massachusetts and New Bedford, Massachusetts. The accent is different, but any exposure to the Portuguese language helps. Besides, written Portuguese (think restaurant menus) in Portugal and Brazil is nearly the same.

Date a Brazilian

This option isn’t for everyone, of course. But if you do find a place where Brazilians hang out in your hometown and you’re single, it’s not a bad idea at all! Brazilians are a very affectionate and fun-to-date bunch. Plus, a sweetheart is sure to be more patient with your choppy sentences and questions about Portuguese than any formal teacher.

In major cities, you can join online communities to make friends, such as various groups on Facebook, InterNations (connects “global-minded” people and expats in various countries) or CouchSurfing (host Brazilians traveling to your city in your home — for the younger crowd). Face-to-face meetings can happen after you get acquainted with the members.

Read the News in Portuguese

Your brain is constantly absorbing new information in ways that you don’t even realize. By reading news in Portuguese, you can familiarize yourself with the way Portuguese looks and the patterns its words make.

If you enjoy reading, consider browsing the day’s top news online. First read a story in an English-language newspaper to get the facts. Then log on to a Brazilian newspaper’s website and read the same story in Portuguese. It’ll be easier to follow if you already know the context and most of the details, and it’s okay if you don’t recognize many of the words. I guarantee you’ll notice a few words that look like English, and you may understand a few more given the context. Hopefully, you’ll recognize other words that you pick up from this book.

The biggest newspapers in Brazil are O Globo (www.globo.com/) in Rio, the politically left-leaning Folha de São Paulo, known as Folha (www.folha.uol.com.br/), and the politically right-leaning O Estado de São Paulo, known as Estadão (www.estadao.com.br/). You can also check out BBC Brasil (www.bbc.com/portuguese), a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Check Out Brazilian Websites

To research any topic in Brazilian Portuguese, go to Google Brazil (www.google.com.br/). Pesquisa (pes-kee-zah) means Search. The button next to Pesquisa Google — Estou com sorte — means I’m feeling lucky. If you choose that, the search engine automatically takes you to the first page your search hits.

Enter search terms on Brazilian Google in Portuguese. Consider using words related to a hobby, such as NASCAR or knitting. If an English-language site comes up, ignore it and find one in Portuguese. Use an online dictionary to look up how to say gardening, for example. You’ll find that it’s jardinagem (zhah-jee-nah-zhang) in Portuguese. Don’t stress out when you see a ton of words you don’t know when the results show up. Your curiosity is your best learning aid. As you expose yourself to Portuguese, you’re taking steps toward improved understanding.

Here are some of Brazil’s most popular sites and stores. Visit them to find out about Brazilian culture and pick up a few new words:

Listen to Brazilian Music

Absorb the sound of Brazilian Portuguese through music. Take a look at the lyrics, too, if they’re available online.

Brazil has many musical genres. The most famous are Bossa Nova (boh-sah noh-vah), lyrical music set to a moderate tempo from the 1960s; Música Popular Brasileira (MPB) (moo-zee-kah poh-poo-lah brah-zee-lay-rah [eh-mee peh beh]), which is mostly acoustic guitar and singing; pagode (pah-goh-jee), a fun genre with a light beat; samba (sahm-bah), call-and-response music with a medium beat; chorinho (shoh-ring-yoh), the precursor to samba, from the 1920s; sertanejo (sehr-tah-neh-zhoh) (country); and axé (ah-sheh), ultra-fast music that’s typical of Carnaval (kah-nah-vah-ooh) in Salvador (sah-ooh-vah-doh). Of course, Brazil also has great musicians from genres that are popular worldwide such as pop (poh-pee) (pop) and rock (hoh-kee) (rock).

Here are some popular Brazilian musical artists:

  • Anitta (pop)
  • Bebel Gilberto (Bossa Nova/MPB)
  • Caetano Veloso (MPB)
  • DJ Patife (electronic)
  • Elis Regina (Bossa Nova/MPB)
  • Gal Costa (MPB)
  • Gilberto Gil (MPB)
  • Ivete Sangalo (axé)
  • João Gilberto (Bossa Nova/Samba/Latin Jazz)
  • Jorge Ben Jor (MPB/funk)
  • Marcelo D2 (rap)
  • Marília Mendonça (sertanejo — she belonged to a sub-genre called Feminejo, or country music from a female perspective)
  • Marisa Monte (MPB)
  • Milton Nascimento (MPB, pop rock, rock, jazz)
  • Os Mutantes (classic rock)
  • Pabllo Vittar (pop)
  • Revelação (pagode)
  • Tim Maia (funk)
  • Vinicius de Moraes (Bossa Nova)
  • Zeca Pagodinho (samba/pagode)

Watch a Brazilian Movie

Watching a Brazilian movie is a great way to learn about Brazilian culture and pick up some new words at the same time. Pick a movie with English subtitles so you can absorb the new sounds as you read the translation in English.

Here are some famous Brazilian movies:

  • Bingo: The King of the Mornings, 2017
  • Bye, Bye Brasil (Bye Bye Brazil), 1979
  • Carandirú (Carandiru), 2003
  • Central do Brasil (Central Station), 1998
  • Cidade de Deus (City of God), 2002
  • Deus É Brasileiro (God is Brazilian), 2003
  • Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos (Mrs. Flor and Her Two Husbands), 1976
  • Elite Squad, 2007
  • Eu, Tu, Eles (Me, You, Them), 2000
  • Linha de Passe (Pass Line), 2008
  • Ônibus 174 (Bus 174), 2002
  • Orfeu Negro (Black Orpheus), 1959
  • Pixote (the movie has the same title in English), 1981

Watch Globo

Order Rede Globo (heh-jee gloh-boo) (Globo Network), Brazil’s best-known TV station, and check out Brazilian novelas (noh-veh-lahs) (soap operas). This is an excellent way to learn about Brazilian culture! Simply sign up to its on-demand streaming service, Globoplay, on any smart device.

Take a Portuguese Language Class

If you can’t make it to Brazil, the next best thing may be to take a Portuguese class near you or online. Make sure the teacher is a Brazilian if you’re serious about learning Portuguese from Brazil and not Portuguese from Portugal. The accent and many common words are different.

“Say It Again, João!”

Talk to yourself on the street. If people think you’re crazy, that’s okay. Repetition is the only way to get new words to stick in your brain. Repeat words from this book and say them out loud whenever you feel like it.

I talked to myself on the streets of Brazil, attempting to get that nasal sound so I could fake being a real Brazilian for a minute while I was alone. I found practicing my accent easier that way because I’d get embarrassed trying to replicate all the new sounds in front of other people.