Portuguese phrases for dummies

02_037508 ftoc.qxp 11/20/06 9:54 AM Page ix Table of Contents ix Lindo maravilhoso! ....................................................188 ẫ mesmo? ....................................................................189 Um beijo! or Um abraỗo!............................................189 Imagina! .......................................................................189 Pois nóo? .....................................................................190 Com certeza! ...............................................................190 Fique tranqỹilo ...........................................................190 Chapter 13: Ten Phrases That Make You Sound Like a Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 Nộ? ...............................................................................191 Tỏ .................................................................................192 Ah ộ? ............................................................................192 Entóo............................................................................192 Sabe?............................................................................192 Meio .............................................................................193 Ou seja/E tal................................................................193 Cờ Instead of Vocờ......................................................193 Pra Instead of Para a..................................................194 Tụ instead of Estou ....................................................194 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 03_037508 fflast.qxp 11/20/06 9:55 AM Page x 04_037508 intro.qxp 11/20/06 9:55 AM Page 1 Introduction T he world is shrinking. Communication technology is getting faster and faster, making it easier to contact people in what used to be exotic, faraway lands. Air travel has gotten a lot cheaper, too, so visiting these places has never been simpler. Experiencing um pouco (oong poh-koo; a little) of a new language is a great way to familiarize yourself with a region of the world or specific country. Not only does it allow you to communicate verbally, but knowing new words opens the door to understanding the specific culture itself. If youre curious about language and want to know how to ask someones name, ask for directions in a city, or talk about what your interests are, youve come to the right place. Im not promising fluency here, but this book provides a great start. This book tells you about the language spoken in Brazil. Thanks to Brazils huge population around 170 million or so Portuguese is the fifth-mostspoken language in the world. (Flip ahead to Chapter 1 to read about which other countries in the world speak Portuguese.) Brazilian Portuguese is specific because the accent and some basic words are unique to Brazil. And the country itself is a pretty popular destination these days, with its earned reputation as a land of funloving, generous people. A bonus to knowing Brazilian Portuguese is that it can help you to understand a little French, Spanish, and Italian, too. Theyre all Romance languages, which means many words among these languages sound similar. 04_037508 intro.qxp 2 11/20/06 9:55 AM Page 2 Portuguese Phrases For Dummies Brazilian Portuguese is very lyrical. The sounds can be difficult to make for nonnative speakers, but speaking Portuguese is fun after you get into it. I advise you to treat yourself while youre reading the book: Buy some Brazilian music. Youll fall in love with the sounds, and the background music adds great ambience. About This Book Heres the good news: This book isnt a class you have to drag yourself to. Its a reference book, so use it at your leisure. Youre the boss. You may choose to just leaf through, glancing only at chapters and pages that grab your attention. Or you can read the whole thing from start to finish. (From finish to start is okay, too no ones looking.) The first few chapters may be helpful to read first, though, because they explain some basic information about pronunciation and explain words that appear throughout the book. Conventions Used in This Book To make the book easy to read and understand, Ive set up a few stylistic rules: Web addresses appear in monofont. Portuguese terms are set in boldface to make them stand out. Pronunciations and definitions, which are shown in parentheses, follow the terms the first time they appear in a section. Within the pronunciation, the part of the word thats stressed is shown in italics. Knowing key words and phrases is important in the quest to speak a new language. I collect important words and put them in a special blackboard-shaped Words to Know box. 04_037508 intro.qxp 11/20/06 9:55 AM Page 3 Introduction 3 Verb conjugations (lists that show you the forms of a verb) are given in tables in this order: the I form, the you form, the he/she form, the we form, and the they form. Pronunciations follow in a second column. Heres an example of a conjugation chart for the word ser (seh; to be). Because the subjects always come in the same order, you can see that words in this chart mean I am, you are, he/she is, we are, and they are. Conjugation Pronunciation eu sou eh-ooh soh vocờ ộ voh-seh eh ele/ela eh-lee/eh-la eh nús somos nohz soh-mooz eles/elas sóo eh-leez/eh-lahz sah-ooh Foolish Assumptions To write this book, I had to imagine who my readers would be. Yes, you! I think if youve picked up this book, youre probably a pretty open-minded person who enjoys learning. Thats excellent. Because the first step to absorbing new information is wanting to absorb it. Here are some other things Im imagining about you: You dont want to memorize long lists of vocabulary to know Portuguese. You want to get your feet wet in Portuguese while having fun at the same time. Youre interested in learning about Brazilian culture as well as its language. Youre not looking for a book to make you fluent in Portuguese but one that instead gives you bite-size information that provides a solid base to understanding the language. 04_037508 intro.qxp 4 11/20/06 9:55 AM Page 4 Portuguese Phrases For Dummies Icons Used in This Book Drawings and symbols always liven things up a bit, dont they? Here are some icons that point you to important information: This icon shows you where you can find some fascinating tidbits that highlight either a linguistic aspect or give travel tips. Tips can save you time and frustration. This handy icon pops up whenever you run across a bit of information that you really should remember after you close the book, whether its about the Portuguese language or Brazil in general. Languages are full of quirks that may trip you up if youre not prepared for them. This icon points to discussions of these weird grammar rules. The Cultural Wisdom snippets help give insight into Brazilian culture. Where to Go from Here When you have a spare moment, pop open the book. All you need is a curious mind and the openness to learn about Brazil. Above all, dont think of reading the book as a chore. Its meant to be relaxing and enjoyable. Feel free to complement this book with other activities that enhance your knowledge of Portuguese, like entering a Portuguese-language chat room on the Internet or having Brazilian music on in the background so you can hear the sounds of the language. Oh, and boa sorte (boh-ah soh-chee; good luck)!