LEARN BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE

Some words in Portuguese reflect a phenomenon often called grammatical gender. This just means that these words belong to a certain group or order. Portuguese has two of these groups: masculine and feminine. We won't get very deep into this subject right now, but, from here on, pay a little attention to the words you meet. I'll give you a little clue: notice that the male Roberto says obrigado and the female Ana says obrigada. More on this to come...

Obrigado and obrigada (in Ana's response) both mean thank you or thanks, so how do we know when to use one or the other? If you're a male, you must say obrigado (just like Roberto), and a female will always say obrigada (just like Ana). Unless you momentarily forget your gender, you'll be just fine.

Pastel is a typical Brazilian dish, consisting of crisp pastry with assorted fillings. In Brazil the Pastel is a salgado (salty snack) primarily sold on the street in markets (feiras) made out of a thin pastry envelope containing minced meat, catupiry and chicken, shrimp, cheese and herbs or another filling and then deep fried. Sweet pastéis also exist and may contain guava jelly and cheese or other fillings.

THE STORY.... Senhor do Bonfim wrist ribbons can be found all throughout latin america. Known as fitas in northern brazil, these ribbons are used as good luck wishing ribbons. Brazils first capital, Salvador, has a rich history of distributing these fitas over the past 200 years. the original fita, created in 1809, was known as the “measure of bonfim.” Measuring 47 centimeters, the bracelets equaled the length of the right arm of a statue of Christ found at the high altar of the Senhor do Bonfim church. From the 18th century onward, millions of people have traveled to the Senhor do Bonfim church in Bahia, asking for miracles. These fitas served as a symbol and remembrance of the miracles and wishes people hoped for. Today the common fita can be found in every corner of Brazil. Patrons most commonly tie them around their left wrist -- making 3 knots for 3 wishes. it is believed that your wishes will only come true by letting your ribbon take its natural course. Let it wither off ...

You can also check your level, get advice, have your say and share your stories. http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/portuguese/index.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Coelho

Quanto é? How much is it? Quanto custa? How much does it cost? Quanto custa isto? How much is this? Onde eu posso trocar dinheiro? Where can I change money? Onde tem uma Casa de Câmbio? Where is there a Money Exchange? Qual é a cotação do dólar? What is the exchange rate for the dollar? Quero trocar US$100 (cem dólares). I would like to change US$ 100. Você pode trocar US$100 (cem dólares)? Can you change US$ 100? Eu não tenho trocado. I don't have small change. Aqui está o troco. Here is the change. Posso pagar com cartão de crédito? Can I pay with credit card? Tem desconto à vista? Is there any discount if I pay cash?