OFL - Onomatopoeia as a Foreign Language

As an adult, I came to realize that not everyone grew up in an onomatopoeically and ideophonically inclined household. It was only after the 20th comment, or so, by a random stranger that I noticed not everyone's O.I. vocabulary is quite as, um, "developed."

Okay, okay... I use weird sound effects in place of regular words sometimes.

Onomatopoeias and ideophones are words that phonetically imitate the sound of something that we otherwise wouldn't have a word for. They may eventually reach the point that they're officially recognized words which is how oink, swoosh, bam, and meow came into being. These kinds of words are vital to the comic book industry.

The need for onomatopoeic and ideophonic words is universal, as most languages incorporate a handful into the language. There are those that argue this is how some languages developed at a base level.

One might think that this shared phenomenon could be used as a bridge to cross language barriers, but strangely enough, that is most often not the case. Whatever language we speak and whatever sounds we are accustomed to hearing, directly influences our perception of other sounds.

To see some interesting differences in how we hear animal sounds in different languages, check out this video. I found it intriguing that every language featured, with the exception of Japanese, does hear a version of "Meow."

Bow Wow Meow - Animal Sounds in Different Languages from properniceinnit on Vimeo.

The differing perceptions of everyday sounds is why I feel so strongly that the absolute first step to getting a grasp on any language is to learn the sounds of the language.

For example:

I used to be unable to correctly hear the name of one of the doormen at my apartment in Goiânia — a guy that I depended on for my safety & security. Not only did I need to get to know him, but I needed him to get to know me (which isn't always easy when there's a language barrier). ...but I couldn't even understand his name, much less say it.

So I tried.

...and tried.

I must have asked him to repeat his name about a dozen times, before I finally asked him how to spell it. And after this experience, I no longer hesitate to ask how to spell anything.

Why didn't I ask him in the first place?

Someone (giver of unending bad adaptation/assimilation advice) had told me that I "shouldn't ask people how to spell their names because they'd think it was weird."

I think that meeting someone regularly, and never being able to say their name is more weird, personally.

I also think that they only said that because they thought it was embarrassing, for some reason. Or maybe I seemed too nerdy with my pen & mini spiral that I could whip out at a moment's notice. Whatever the reasoning, it was bad advice, and as soon as I ignored it the doors to understanding opened up.

Prior to getting the correct spelling so that I could sound it out, it went something like:

Me: "I'm sorry, what is your name, again?"
Him: "Jblblbz%tuiblblblblϟgkblblblo@iwblblblber." (...or something?)
Me: "Oh... Okay. Thanks!" (not getting it, at all)

So when I finally asked him to spell it, it went like this:

Me: "I'm sorry, but could you spell your name for me? It's hard for me to understand because Portuguese is my second language."
Him: "Sure. It's J-U-R-A-N-D-I-R."
Me: "Oh, 'Zhuuur-rdahhhhn-zheer'"
Him: "Yes. That's it." (probably thinking, "Finally!")
Me: "Okay, great, Jurandir! Thank you!" (thinking, "Wow, that was easy ...and I'll never have to ask again!")

Although knowing the sounds of a language makes it easier to understand how another culture hears the world, homegrown sounds that you may have taken for granted to fall back on (if your language isn't up to par) may not help you out as much as you think they will.

For instance, there is very basic and simple onomatopoeic sound that is identical in both English & Portuguese, that is in no way related to the other.

The same clicking sound made with the tongue, used for getting a horse to "giddyap" in the United States, is used in Brazil as a big fat "negatory," or "não." They are not telling you to get along, little dogie, they are just saying no, without an actual word.

(To enlarge, right-click and open in a new window.)

Then there's this classic.

The first time you're in a place where you are supposed to be quiet, but are needing to get the attention of someone, you might think that the good ol' fashioned, "Psssssssst!" will suffice in getting someone's attention.

Uh, not in Brazil.

It honestly perplexed me when I found out how similar (to me, anyway) the Brazilian Portuguese version is to the "Psssssst" I was using (because I didn't know how the other one went, yet).

It was like everyone had on Pssssst-cancelling headphones.

When I later discovered that the way to do it in Brazil is "Psiu" (pronounced: "P-see-you") I just couldn't believe that no one got my American English version.

Really?!? No one thought that I might be discreetly trying to get their attention? Huh.

Speaking of classics, it reminded me of this comic by Gary Larson, creator of The Far Side.

So now ya know, and we all know that is half the battle.

Psiu! Pass it on!

Lonely

Check out this beautiful song by Bebel Gilberto, a Brazilian American singer. Music runs in her family. Bebel is the daughter of two famous Brazilian singers, João Gilberto and Miúcha, and is the niece of famous Brazilian singer, guitarist, composer, writer, and poet, Chico Buarque.

Lonely is one of many great songs from her 2000 electronic bossa nova album, Tanto Tempo. Although she has been singing since she was 11 years old (performing with her mother at Carnegie Hall when she was only 13) she was 20 at her professional solo debut in 1986.

source

If you like this song, you will enjoy the other gorgeous melodies on the rest of her Tanto Tempo cd, such as August Day Song and Mais Feliz, as well as her 2004 self-titled album which features songs like Simplesmente and Cada Beijo.

Enjoy...

Foi você quem me ensinou
A ouvir
Foi você que soube achar isso em mim

Sem te ver
Não sei mais o que sentir
Só ouvindo aquele espaço ali

Lonely, Lonely

Todo dia te sinto
E fico pensando que você pode até me ouvir (2)

Lonely, Lonely, Lonely, Lonely.

_______________

It was you who taught me
To listen
It was you who knew how to find this in me

Without seeing you
I don't know what to feel anymore
Just listening to that space out there

Lonely, Lonely

Everyday I feel you
And keep thinking that you can even hear me, too (2)

Lonely, Lonely, Lonely, Lonely

Fastest Way to Learn Brazilian Portuguese

Image found here.

Here are 5 steps to put you on the fast track to speaking Brazilian Portuguese.

• Step 1: Learn the alphabet and sounds of the language.
• Step 2: Learn vocabulary and basic phrases.
• Step 3: Learn one past, two present, and one future form of the 17 different forms of verbs.
  Hint: Go for the simple forms. They aren't called simple for nothing.
• Step 4: Get a Brazilian Portuguese dictionary that shows the stressed syllable in the pronunciation of a word.
• Step 5: Get a handle on the false cognates and false friends. The misuse of a word can make for a really bizarre conversation, and the mistaken assumption that you are not only a foreigner, but a total weirdo.

What are the best resources to accomplish this quickly and easily?

For those whose native language is American English, I recommend Portuguese in 10 minutes a day by Kristine Kershul. You can learn the sounds of the language, some basic phrases, and vocabulary. It is written in a Carioca accent, so just change the "sh" to "s" for other regions. Using this book, I caught up to a local Portuguese class for estrangeiros that had been in session for two and a half months ...in a mere 2 weeks! Everyone was amazed (and a wee bit jealous).

The most comprehensive vocabulary resource I have found is the Word by Word Illustrated Dictionary English/Brazilian Portuguese - Second Edition by Steven J. Molinsky & Bill Bliss. It is important to get the 2nd edition because they added common phrases and additional vocabulary words. Although there is no pocket edition, I carried this thing around everywhere during the first year that I was here. Don't be shy! Embrace your inner nerd.

As for the verbs, I recommend that you scour the internet for conjugation tables in English and Portuguese. You can also find conjugation tables in the dictionaries listed below. Verbs end in —ar, —er, or —ir, in the base and infinitive forms. Compare them, and focus on the following four forms of the verbs until you are more fluent. If, at that point, you feel that you can tackle the other 13 forms of the verbs, then more power to you! :)

The Present Continuous tense:

I am writing. = Eu estou escrevendo.

(English —ing = —ando, —endo or —indo in Portuguese.)


The Simple Present tense:

Do you like vegetables? = Você gosta de verduras?


The Simple Past tense:

She wrote an informative book. = Ela escreveu um livro informativo.


The Simple Future or Futuro do Presente tense:

We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Or the medium way. Or the semi-medium-easy-hard way. Or the sort of hard, with a touch of awkward, easy-difficult-challenging way.

So that's how you want to play it, huh?

Me, too.

The easy way is a form of the future (futuro composto), which is closest to how we speak in English.

He is going to work tomorrow. = Ele vai trabalhar amanhã.

The harder version of the same thing means changing the end of the verb. That involves more memorization, which you could focus elsewhere... Here's an example of the same sentence in a more difficult version of the simple future form (Futuro do Presente do Indicativo):

Ele trabalhará amanha.

Just remember that everything begins and ends with a KISS ("um beijo") in Brazil, so...

Keep It Simple, Superstar!

Image found here.

It's your lucky day. The Dicionário Didático Básico by Edições SM is perfect for beginners. The best feature is the way the (7,000+) words are broken down phonetically in Brazilian Portuguese, with emphasis on the stressed syllable. The definitions are as simplified as they can get in the Portuguese language. (It's for kids.) As you progress to a more thorough understanding of basic Portuguese, graduate to the Dicionário Didático that has fewer pics, but over 43,000 additional definitions to add to your vocabulary.

False cognates and false friends (linguistically and personally speaking) are the bane of my existence. Yours, too. You'll be trying to tell people that you intend to do something, while you're really saying that you understand (entender) something... that makes absolutely no sense. Someone will tell you that they intend (pretender) to do something, and you'll wonder why they are planning on pretending to do something.

For this reason, it is so very worth it to pick up a copy of Inglês Urgente! Para Brasileiros by Cristina Schumacher. It has the most complete list of false cognates (in English and Portuguese) that I've seen, yet, and is a great addition to your arsenal of books to help you conquer Brazilian Portuguese as a second language.

Again, I'll reiterate that Portuguese in 10 minutes a day is the best solution for those that speak American English. If you speak British English, then the book Brazilian Portuguese by Sue Tyson-Ward, from the Teach Yourself series is a great resource. The phonetic base of any foreign language is key, and like Kristine Kershul, Ms. Tyson-Ward does it up right.

Just so you know, I am not being paid by any of these book publishers to promote their products. I simply hate to see anyone waste their time, money, and efforts in methods that do not work.

Boa sorte in your studies!

Misdemeanin'

When learning Portuguese, you may be surprised to hear a few English words peppering conversations here and there. A handful of English words have entered Brazilian Portuguese. Most are Brazilianized forms of an English term, and are spelled according to Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation, such as "blogue" for "blog." However, there are other seemingly random English words that appear in everyday conversation that don't actually hold true to the original English meaning.

source

Depending on just how well you speak Portuguese and which English word it is, this could make for some major confusion. You see, there are some English terms or phrases that only halfway entered Brazilian Portuguese. These English words might be connected somehow through a word map, but then again, it could just be something that someone heard somewhere and brought back here, with a misunderstood or slightly different meaning.

Though some of these words may have started out as slang here, they are now full-fledged proper terms. As a foreigner trying to make the transition, you will need to learn the Brazilian Portuguese meaning of some originally English words.

Here are the top 5 English words that mostly made it into Brazilian Portuguese. They are pronounced the same as in English, unless otherwise noted.

1. Shopping = We know this as a shopping mall or mall.


2. Smoking = We know this as a tuxedo.
   
   I have four theories on that one. It is either derived from...
   • a "smoking jacket"
   • from the phrase "smoking hot"
   • someone heard someone else say, "You're smokin'!" and misunderstood it as, "Your Smoking[, Sir]."
   • or someone heard the phrase, "a smoking gun," and got a mental image of James Bond. Hence, um smoking turned into a tuxedo.


3. Personal [pronounced: "pear-sown-all"] = We know this as a personal trainer or trainer.


4. Outdoor [pronounced: "ouch-door"] = We know this as a billboard or a large panel for outdoor advertising.


5. Face = This is what all the kids in Brazil are calling facebook, these days.

source

Not knowing the Brazilian Portuguese definition of these English terms can cause major confusion. Here is a conversation that took place between my husband and me when we first arrived.

Him: "I'm thinking of working with my brother in the outdoors."
Me: "Oh, really? What does he do?"
Him: "Outdoors."
Me: "...but what does he do outdoors?"
Him: (frustrated) "He works with the outdoors."
Me: (wondering where the miscommunication is) "Okay, but out... in the great outdoors... what does he do?"
Him: @#$%^&*!

...and now you know. Be sure to jot down these English words (and new meanings) inside the back cover of your English to Portuguese dictionary.

I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of the Dicionário Didático (Guided Dictionary) by Edições SM. It has over 50,000 definitions that include the latest generation's slang terms, newly coined words, acronyms, and abbreviations. It truly gives you the best glimpse into modern Brazilian Portuguese.

They also have the Dicionário Didático Básico, which is a kids' edition. It has 7,000 words, more illustrations and pictures, and the definitions are explained simply & clearly. If you are just starting to learn Portuguese, it will be a great addition to your study materials.

Contact info for this book dealer is on the last page of the pdf for the Dicionário Didático & Dicionário Didático Básico. I was fortunate to find a location nearby, here in Goiânia. I only wish that I had run across these resources during the first few years! It would have made life so much easier. Then again, I'd have fewer ridiculous stories to tell...

Wacky Haiku Wednesday IV

Today is a special occasion!

 

'Tis a holiday in Goiânia, and all over the city...

 ...everyone is resting. No one is busy.

 

Now you see why I stick to haiku.

 

I guess I'm giving you a twofer today: one really bad line of poetry and one pretty bad wacky haiku.

 

The city hasn't been this quiet in quite awhile. For those who live in Goiânia, and work in nearby towns, their only comfort is that each town will soon have its own birthday, er, holiday. That's right. Cities have birthdays here, and Goiânia is officially 79 years old.

 

I got to thinking that they should really implement city birthdays back home. Americans could certainly use an additional day off. Austin's birthday would be December 27th. It would guarantee an extra long Christmas holiday weekend for us Austinites. Of course, places like New York that don't have a definitive date, but more of a general year (or period of years), might have to just vote on a day that seems good to New Yorkers.

 

To honor this day appropriately, I composed a birthday haiku for the pretty city. Hold on to your party hats.

Image found here.

 

Here in Goiânia

é um feriado, viu?

Happy Birthday, G!

 

 

Goiânia is pronounced "Goy-ahn-nyuh."

 

 

É um feriado, viu? = It's a holiday, see?

 

• é [pronounced: "eh"] means it's.


• um [pronounced: "oom" as in zoom] means a.


• feriado [pronounced: "feh-rdee-ah-doh"] means holiday.


• viu [pronounced: similar to view (one syllable), but "vee-oo"] means see (got it / understand, etc.).

É is a form of the verb "ser" which means "to be," and is used for permanent conditions or characteristics. "Estar" also means "to be," but is used for transitory or passing states of things (nonpermanent characteristics).

See a quick explanation & chart here.

For example:

Eu sou uma mulher. Ele é um homem. Nós somos pessoas.
I am a woman. He is a man. We are people.

Those are permanent facts. Right?

Eu estou com fome. Ela está com sede. Nós estamos felizes.
I am hungry. She is thirsty. We are happy.

These things can change from moment to moment.

More on the pronunciations for these sentences later... Right now, I need to congratulate someone on looking so good for "her" age.

Parabéns, Goiânia!

 

 

Brazilian Slang - Show

Based on the title, you might be wondering what the Brazilian Portuguese slang term for "show" is... or which of the many definitions of the English word "show" I am referring to.

The closest would probably be "show" as listed in the Free Dictionary's Thesaurus by Farlex:

show - the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining;
"a remarkable show of skill"

...which is what, exactly?

Cool!

Therein lies the slang. The English word "show" made its way into Brazilian Portuguese slang via the sports arena. The term started out as "show de bola" [pronounced: "show jee boh-luh"] which meant "excellent showmanship in soccer."

The word bola means ball. It is understood that in this phrase bola is referring to soccer. Similarly, the old school American English slang term "ballin" originally meant "playing basketball [well]" (and eventually turned into "living the high life").

"Show de bola" means "a display of mad skills that takes the game to a whole new level" — the player not only has skills, but turns a play or move into an art form. To sum it up in another American English slang term: the player has game.

Like this guy:

Personally, I automatically associate a remarkable show of skill in a sport with Michael Jordan. He is, in my opinion, the most beautiful athlete ever. Watching him play was a breathtaking experience. I'm serious. I sometimes forgot to breathe when I was watching a game. He always brought it. So, if it helps, when you hear "show" or "show de bola" in Brazilian Portuguese, just think Jordan.

...who was?

Awesome!

Image found here.

Of course, "show de bola" is a term that originated in soccer — Brazilian soccer. When I hear "show de bola" I think of some of the most skilled players & beautiful moves that I've seen over the years. Naturally, there have been others (the most famous is Pelé) but my personal favorites in the past decade are Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Robinho (I call him "fancy feet"), Júlio César, Neymar, Luís Fabiano, and Marcelo.

...who are all?

Sensational!

Amazing!

Like any slang worth its salt, "show de bola" was shortened to the core word: "show." "Show" now means cool, awesome, sensational, da bomb, etc. in Brazilian Portuguese.

Other Brazilian Portuguese slang synonyms for "show" are:

• legal [pronounced: "leh-gahl"]
  This is the most commonly translated term for "cool."


• fera [pronounced: "feh-rduh"]
  I would say this is the equivalent of "neat."


• massa [pronounced: "mah-suh"]
  ...or in American English slang: "awesome."


• maneiro(a) [pronounced: "mah-nay-rdoh (rduh)"]
  To my sister's chagrin, I will have to go with "rad" (though unlike "rad" it is the opposite of outdated).


• sinistro [pronounced: "seen-ee-s-throw"]
  This is the Brazilian Portuguese twin of "wicked" (2nd Def.) or the current young American generation's version of "sick."


• bacana [pronounced: "bah-cah-nuh"]
  The American English counterpart is "sweet."

But let's be clear on one thing: it isn't cool to say cool in Brazil. Why? Because there is a profane term that sounds just like cool, without the "l," and you might not even get that far without somebody taking offense. So cool it with the American English slang while you're here. This will ensure your trip to Brazil is all the more bacana, or as I like to say, "suh-weet."

Image found here.

Wacky Haiku Wednesday III

Let's keep going with our adventures in code-switching!

 

Any idea what a cross between Portuguese & English is called?  Portuglish?  Engliguese?

Either way, we are sailing right along.

 

Destination: Port Eng

 

 

Image found here.

 

 By the way, for those of you who are averse to puns, feel free to penalize me with a noogie per pun, in case we meet in person one day. ;) There. Now I'm guilt free.

Weigh anchor, shipmates. We're off!

Que divertido!

(...a fun, but renegade path,

eu concordo.)

 



"Que divertido!"  =  "What fun!" ... or   "How fun!"

• Que [pronounced: "key"] means what.
• divertido [pronounced: "jee-vehr-chee-doh"] means fun.

"Eu concordo." = "I agree."

• Eu [pronounced: "ay-yo"] means I.
• concordo [pronounced: "cone/cohn-core-doh"] means agree.

 

I hope ye enjoyed this trip on th' high seas o' fun, tho we did come a wee close t' crackin' up on th' shores o' insanity. `Tis all in good fun, tho, an' I wager that we be sailin' straight enough t' eliminate any learnin' curve.

 

Can you tell I missed out on International Talk Like a Pirate Day this year? Ye nay be sure ye signed up fer this, arrrr ye? Don`t ye worry. Me inner searfarin' hearty only surfaces but a few times a voyage. [That'd be a year for you landlubbers.]

 

 Until the next one, mateys...

Wacky Haiku Wednesday II

As we boldly go where no hack has gone before, we continue on with haiku that combine American English and Brazilian Portuguese.

Monkey Pirates in a Storm by Hayes Roberts
I have been a fan of his art for a long time!
Check out more of his wonderful works of art at bluebison.net.



Moving right along
aprendendo português...
Legal (or cool), né?

"aprendendo português" = "learning Portuguese"

• Aprendendo [pronounced: "Ah-prehn-dehn-doh"]


• português [pronounced: "poor-*too-gaze"]
  (*the T is said with a dental stop)

"Legal, né?" = "Cool, huh?" or "Cool, isn't it?"

• Legal [pronounced: "leh-gal"]


• **né [pronounced: "neh"]

**Né is a slang contraction of não é [pronounced: (nasally) "now - eh"]
which means "isn't it."


Although we've only just begun, Wacky Haiku Wednesdays will be on hiatus until July 18th. While camping along the Araguaia River, I will use my downtime to compose a slew of haiku which I will unleash on you when I return.

I'd love to see any of yours, as well! Feel free to contribute to the July 18th installment of Wacky Haiku Wednesdays. (Please remember to keep it clean, folks!)

See you then!

Wacky Haiku Wednesdays

Oh, and by wacky, I mean code-switching.

I know... I'm breaking all the rules.

I can't help it.

I'm coming into my own, or coming right along in Portuguese, I guess. One of the things that I missed most when I was learning to speak Portuguese, is that I couldn't joke around or play on words (you know by now that I love a good pun), and conversations felt so empty to me. I felt like my personality couldn't come through.

The more Portuguese I've learned, I feel that I've been able to reclaim a little fun in my day-to-day interactions with people. I love that I'm able to joke around more, and do my favorite thing of all: play around with the meanings and sounds of words.

It didn't work right off the bat, of course. At first, people thought that the crazy foreign chick was reeeally missing the mark in vocabulary. Heh-heh... Now they know that I'm just one of those dorky people who do that kinda thing.

from the book Jest in Pun by Bil Keane
Image by Mark Anderson of Andertoons

At least, now that I'm pretty well understood, it's more obvious when I am making a joke ...or trying to. Then again, as I may have mentioned before, jokes don't always translate culture to culture. But hey, those closest to me have always said that I pun-ish myself too hard in this area.

A pun is the lowest form of humor, unless you thought of it yourself.

~ Doug Larson

A lurking pun is the worst pun, one the offender has been waiting to spring on you.

~ Harry Mahtar

Another result of being more fluent in Portuguese, is that now there is no rhyme nor reason as to how a conversation may play out at home with my husband. Sometimes we start a conversation in [pick a language: Portuguese or English], and finish in the other. Sometimes he responds in Portuguese while I reply in English. Then we do the every other sentence thing... or the most interesting: 95% of the sentence in one language, while emphasizing a few key words in the other. That is code-switching.

This is pretty normal for anyone who lives or grows up in a bilingual atmosphere, and is commonly seen in my home state of Texas, in varying degrees. It is most noticeable in "The Valley," or southernmost part of the state.

It is also something that is generally frowned upon by foreign language teachers. However, I want my family back home to learn a little Portuguese, as well as share in the newfound fun that I'm having with both languages. Hence, Wacky Haiku Wednesday was born.

Image via Microsoft Office Clip Art home page

I'll write a pretty bad haiku using a bit of English & Portuguese, and give you the definitions & pronunciations of the Portuguese words you didn't know before.

Here goes...

Ainda não sei...
I haven't tried this before.
New way to learn, hein?

"Ainda não sei." = "I still don't know."

• Ainda [pronounced: "I-yeen-duh"] means still.


• não [pronounced: (nasally) "now/oh"] means no, not, don't.


• sei [pronounced: "say"] means I know.

"Hein" = "Huh" or "Eh"

• hein [pronounced: "hey-n" or "ay-n"]

Dia dos Namorados, The Day of Lovers

June 12th is "Dia dos Namorados" [pronounced: "Jee-uh dohz Nah-more-ah-dohz"] or "The Day of Lovers," and is the Brazilian cousin of Valentine's Day.

Pic via Google Imagens

There are a few marked differences in the way we celebrate Valentine's Day back in the States. Dia dos Namorados is mainly celebrated by people in relationships: married, engaged, or dating. There is no blanket celebration like that of the United States, where people of all ages (especially kids in school) give cards, candy, cupcakes, balloons or gifts to each other in celebration of Valentine's.

Not knowing this, the first year I was here and teaching at an English school, I had some leftover Valentine's cards from the arsenal that I kept for my many nieces and nephews, and wanted to pass them out at the school. Since they celebrate every other American holiday, I thought everyone would get a kick out of seeing how we do it back home.

Image by Frescura

Not so. People at the school thought it was kinda weird, and weren't as thrilled with the Scooby-Doo Valentine's cards that I passed out as I'd hoped they'd be. All my husband said was, "That's because we don't do that here."

Oh, well... I guess I'll have to remember to bring them back with me on my next trip home, since it looks like I won't ever use them here.

Back to the Brazilian Day of Lovers...

Let's start by getting some terms under our belts. Remember that if the noun ends in an "—o" (in the singular form) it is masculine, and if it ends in an "—a" it is feminine. In the plural form, the regular ending is "—os," (m+m, m+f) unless, of course, it is indicating two feminine nouns (f+f) in which case it would be "—as."


The Essentials:

amor [pronounced: "ah-more"] = love

coração [pronounced: "koh-rdah-sown"] = heart

beijo(s) [pronounced: "bay-zh-oo/oh" (—ohz)"] = kiss, kisses

abraço(s) [pronounced: "ah-brah-soh (—ohz)"] = hug, hugs

apaixonado [pronounced: "ah-pie-show-nah-doh"] = in love

Image via Microsoft Office Clip Art home page

Relationships:

namorado(a) [pronounced: "nah-more-ah-doh (—dah)"] = boyfriend, girlfriend

namorados [pronounced: "nah-more-ah-dohz"] = bf/gf, a couple, lovers, sweethearts

noivo(a) [pronounced: "noy-voh (—vuh)"] = fiancé, fiancée

noivos [pronounced: "noy-vohz"] = fiancés

casal [pronounced: "cah-zahl"] = a couple, a pair, twosome, a married couple

esposo(a) [pronounced: "eh-spoh-zoh (—zuh)"] = spouse: husband, wife

esposos [pronounced: "eh-spoh-zohz"] = spouses

marido [pronounced: "mah-rdee-doh"] = husband

mulher [pronounced: "mool-yehr"] = woman (Think Murray in Clueless: 'Most of the feminine [references] do have mocking but not necessarily misogynistic undertones.' Personally, I side with Dionne on this one.)

Senhor(a) [pronounced: "sehn-yore (—uh)"]= Mr., Mrs.

amante [pronounced: "ah-mahn-ch"] = illicit lover


Nicknames:

meu amor [pronounced: "may-oo ah-more"] = my love

paixão [pronounced: "pie-shown"] = (my) passion

querido(a) [pronounced: "keh-rdee-doh (—dah)"] = dear, sweetie, darling


Bonus:

romântico [pronounced: "hoh-mahn-chee-koh"] = romantic

beijar [pronounced: "bay-zhar"] = to kiss

abraçando [pronounced: "ah-brah-sahn-doh"] = hugging


Dia dos Namorados is the day of lovers, so it is an exclusive thing. No love, no gift. If you have a significant other, then he or she will be delighted by any of the traditional pledges of your eternal love via gifts of chocolates, bouquets, cards, or gifts such as jewelry or perfume (at least, according to the commercials), plus one romantic dinner for two.

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to fan the flame of love. As always, should you be caught forgetting the date or blowing off your love of X number of months, cupid will disavow all knowledge of your actions, your relationship will self-destruct soon enough, and there will probably be a public scandal due to the internet and such. Good luck, Luv."

twoo wuv

Twoo wuv is also being agreeable to my man following his bliss, which literally means sleeping with the fishes. Instead of a card, I think I'll give him a personalized Gone Fishin' sign when he gets back.

Brazilian Slang - Mooch

Folgada (fem. sing.) [pronounced: "foal-gah-dah"] is the slang word for Mooch, according to the informal Portuguese dictionary.

Not this cute & fuzzy kind of Mooch:



...but this kind of mooch:




aka slacker, bum, etc.

Regular Portuguese adjectives are usually shown ending in the masculine singular form (—o). To change it to the feminine singular, substitute the ending "o" for an "a" (—a). For the plural form, just add an "s" ( m. pl: —os) (fem. pl: —as). The gender of the noun that is being qualified determines which gender you should use for the adjective.

Pics found on Google Images.

Cultural Quirks and Perks - Vol. II

Hello?! That was a stop sign!

Here's a quick **Goiano Portuguese lesson...

Oi [pronounced: "oy"] = Hi

Hola [pronounced: "oh-lah"] = Hello

There is also a funny (and sometimes pretty rude) way to use "Oi!?" as slang, which is the not-too-distant cousin of the "Hello!?" used by teenage girls in the United States.

U.S. teen girls when you are overlooking the obvious:

"Hello!!" (Variant:"Um, hello!")

Goiás peeps when they don't understand what you just said:

*"Oi!?"

(*Often yelled loud enough so that onlookers can help in deciphering the next go at it.)

And, no... This isn't only reserved for foreigners with accents. It's for anyone & everyone, and for some reason I find it either hilarious, or annoying - it all depends on how it is delivered. Sometimes it's way harsh, guys.

Depending on the intonation and [deliberate] volume it, more often than not, reminds me of a testy teen queen with a 'tude. It can be a major manners misstep. (So rude!)

More than once I've fought the urge to pull a Cher and exclaim, "As IF!" [in English - just for fun]. Of course, just imagining this scenario usually makes me giggle so much that it's all I can do to get through the rest of the conversation without drawing any additional, unnecessary attention.


You see, the "Oi" in this case serves as a "What's your problem!?" (aka "You can't speak normally.") or even, "Hey! Gather 'round people! Look at the loser who's wasting my time." People are generally pretty nosy, so this is a sure way to draw a crowd. (If you're a drama queen!) It's like it is a crime to try to keep things on The DL. I just don't get it.

I still crack up when I remember the first time I heard this use of "hi." I was signing in at the doctor's office, and the receptionist asked me for my detailed info. Since I didn't want to share with the rest of the group, I spoke in a low tone as I replied.

"Oi?" the receptionist asked, noticeably raising her voice.

I thought she was rebooting our [live, face-to-face] conversation that we'd begun a mere 2 minutes ago. I was confused.

"Oi?" I replied timidly.

That was when the testy teen queen surfaced. I saw it in her eyes:

Oh-no-she-didn't!

"O-o-o-o-o-i-i-i-i-i!" she roared back (with ear-splitting efficiency, enough to make everyone look up from their magazines).

Awwwwk-warrrrd.

I was like, "Um, you had me at... 'Oi.'"

*****


**Does anyone know if this is a Brazilian, or a regional thing? I don't recall hearing "Oi" used in this manner, in any of the other regions I've visited. The locals I've asked don't seem to know the answer to this question, either.

All pics found on Google images.

A Note on Translating

Before I spoke Portuguese, my friends used to tell me that you cannot directly translate things from Portuguese to English, and I didn’t really understand why. Once I moved here I immediately noticed how movies and TV series were translated – with jokes being the main switcheroo. It started to make sense. Jokes are inherently a cultural thing, whether it be regional or international. Likewise, slang can vary with the dialect of a language.

Although I am writing to acquaint the international English-speaking community with the state of Goiás, and the Portuguese spoken here, I write from a distinctly American perspective. I will convert the kilometers to miles, as well as kilos to pounds. A good example of something that is not a direct translation, but the “American English equivalent” was found in the last article.

Grades are earned as a percentage of 100 in the U.S. – a 70% is passing, but a D. Here they use a scale of 1 – 10 (pretty easy to convert to a percentage of 100). This is where the phrase, “nota dez” comes from. Directly translated it means “10 note,” which further explained means “a grade of a perfect 10” …but for ease of translation in writing from an American standpoint I’ll say, “a score of 100%.”

In translating one language to another, sometimes it can take an entire paragraph to explain a one or two word saying. Here are a few words and phrases, and their meanings. It will be helpful, if you decide to visit, to have these phrases under your belt.

For you to see the difference in what it would be as a direct translation, versus the equivalent in American English, I will denote the direct translation in [brackets] and the equivalent in (parentheses).

• Achado não é roubado.
  [Found is not stolen.] ----- (Finders keepers, losers weepers.)



• É melhor prevenir do que remediar.
  [It's better to prevent than to remedy.] ----- (Better safe than sorry.)



• Ninguém é de ferro.
  [No one is of iron.] ----- (All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.)



• O barato sai caro.
  [Cheaper comes out expensive.] ----- (You get what you pay for.)



• Querer é poder.
  [Want is power.] ----- (Where there's a will there's a way.)

Here’s a little known fact about Brazilian Portuguese: the verbs have 17 different conjugations! (I feel like 17 exclamations here would be overkill, but somehow appropriate.) According to wikipedia, a typical regular verb has over fifty different forms, expressing up to six different grammatical tenses and three moods. Be glad that Brazilian Portuguese has one less verb conjugation than European Portuguese!

Before you freak out, know that I am interested in helping you as much as possible. For ease in helping English speakers to get a small grasp on the language, I will use the infinitive form in Portuguese alongside whichever English tense reads appropriately in the sentence. Looking these verbs up on both English & Portuguese conjugation tables will be the easiest way for the reader to figure out which Portuguese tense is appropriate, while learning the main (infinitive form) verb. I've found that this seems to be the least painful method for native English speakers to wrap their head around the verbs. Truthfully, we can get away with only learning 3 or 4 forms of the verbs, but more on that later…

Please note that some online conjugation tables list "you" as "tu" which is predominantly used in European Portuguese, and in Brazil: only a small region still uses this [antiquated] form. The correct and accepted way to say "you" in Brazilian Portuguese is "você" [pronounced: "v-oh-say"]. The plural form of you ("you all" - or y'all if you are from Texas) is "vocês" [pronounced: "v-oh-say-z"].

Fortunately, there are some phrases that remain the same in both languages. Here are a few...

• É dando que se recebe.
  [Whoever gives, receives.] ----- (It is in giving that we receive.)



• Isto é bom demais para ser verdade. (It’s too good to be true.)



• Nem tudo que reluz é ouro. (Not all that glitters is gold.)



• Melhor do que nada. (It's better than nothing.)



• Não julgue pelas aparências. (Do not judge by appearances.)



• Onde há fumaça, há fogo. (Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.)



• Quem ri por último, ri melhor. (He who laughs last, laughs best.)



• Uma coisa de cada vez. (One thing at a time.)



• Ver para crer.
  [See to believe.] ----- (Seeing is believing.)

It's good to know that some things translate directly in any language!

For more Portuguese verb help, see the following links...

Portuguese : Verb Tense Usage

Flashcards for Your Android Phone - Free App by Street Smart Brazil

Brazilian Portuguese Grammar Guide

Verb Conjugation in Brazilian Portuguese

Brazilian Portuguese info on Wikipedia

All images found on Google