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Language learning is easy with Dummies
Brazilian Portuguese For Dummies can help you achieve your goals of learning another language. Traveling to Brazil? Taking a class in school? Want to meet people and pick up a new hobby? Just curious about the sixth most spoken language in the world? We’ve got you covered, with easy-to-follow lessons on the basics, plus phrases and topics you need to know, like greetings, travel phrases, business phrases, numbers and measurements, and social media. Add speaking Portuguese to the long list of cool things you can do—with the help of Brazilian Portuguese For Dummies.
Whether you’re studying Portuguese for business, school, or pleasure, Dummies is the best guide for getting started with this beautiful language.
Karen Jacobson-Sive is fluent in Brazilian Portuguese. She worked as a journalist in Brazil for many years before re-locating to New York where she taught language classes. She is the author of the previous editions of Portuguese For Dummies.
Introduction 1
About This Book 2
Conventions Used in This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 4
How This Book Is Organized 4
Part 1: Getting Started with Brazilian Portuguese 4
Part 2: Brazilian Portuguese in Action 4
Part 3: Brazilian Portuguese on the Go 5
Part 4: The Part of Tens 5
Part 5: Appendixes 5
Icons Used in This Book 5
Beyond the Book 6
Where to Go from Here 6
Part 1: Getting Started with Brazilian Portuguese 7
Chapter 1: You Already Know Some Portuguese! 9
Exploring the Roots of Portuguese 10
Reciting Your ABCs 11
Conquering Consonants 13
The letter C 13
The letter D 14
The letter G 14
The letter H 15
The letter J 15
The letter L 15
The letters M and N 16
The letter R 16
The letter S 17
The letter T 17
The letter W 18
The letter X 18
Exercising Your Jowls with Vowels 18
The letters A and à 18
The letters E and Ê 19
The letter I 20
The letters O and Ô 20
The letter U 20
Differentiating Regional Accents 21
Rio de Janeiro 21
Interior of São Paulo state 21
Northeastern Brazil 21
Rio Grande do Sul 22
Recognizing the Sound of Portugal’s Portuguese 22
Chapter 2: The Nitty-Gritty: Basic Portuguese Grammar 25
Agreeing with Nouns and Adjectives 26
Looking at Articles 27
Introducing Pronouns 28
Examining Verbs and Building Simple Sentences 30
Delving into Verb Conjugations 31
Using the -ar verbs 31
Using the -er and -ir verbs 34
Making Contractions: It’s a Cinch! 35
To Me, to You: Indirect Objects 37
Chapter 3: Oi! Hello! Greetings and Introductions 39
Saying Hello 40
Making Introductions 41
Using First Names, Last Names, and Nicknames —
Brazilian-Style 42
Dividing the World between Formal and Informal 43
Describing Permanent Qualities: Ser 46
Using an example 47
Warming up to ser 48
Describing Temporary Qualities: Estar 51
Using an example 52
Warming up to estar 53
Speaking about Speaking: Falar 53
Saying Goodbye 57
Chapter 4: Getting Your Numbers, Times, and Measurements Straight 61
Counting to 100 and Beyond 62
Ordering Sequences: First, Second, Third 65
Telling Time 66
Talking about Days of the Week 68
Specifying Times and Dates 71
Getting Familiar with the Metric System 72
Chapter 5: Speaking Portuguese at Home 77
Seeing What Makes Up a Home 78
Living in the Big City 80
Getting Some Sleep 82
Waking Up 83
Chatting about Food 84
Getting breakfast 85
Discussing lunch 86
Cooking up dinner 87
Cleaning House 89
Going for a Walk Around the Neighborhood 90
Making a Phone Call 92
Connecting with the calling verb: Ligar 96
Dealing with verbal mush 97
Being a Gracious Guest 99
Part 2: Brazilian Portuguese in Action 101
Chapter 6: Getting to Know You: Small Talk 103
Where Are You From? 103
Figuring Out Family Connections 107
Using Possessives: “My ” 108
Knowing Who, What, and Where 111
Talking in the Past Tense 112
Pulling It Together with Connector Words 117
Three “Save Me!” Phrases 118
Sharing Your Contact Information 118
Chapter 7: Dining Out and Going to the Market 121
Trying Brazilian Foods 121
Sampling the classics 122
Finding a place to eat 123
Perusing the menu 124
Bom apetite! Ordering and enjoying your meal 126
Satisfying your sweet tooth 128
Buying Drinks 131
Basking in Brazilian Barbeque 132
Mastering Eating and Drinking Verbs 133
Shopping at the Market 135
Picking up practical items 136
Buying produce at an outdoor market 136
Chapter 8: Shopping 141
Scoping Out the Shopping Scene 141
Saying What You’re Looking For 142
Talking about what you want to buy 142
Naming colors in Portuguese 144
Trying and Trying On: The Verb Experimentar 145
Taking It: The Verb Levar 146
Making Comparisons and Expressing Opinions 148
Exploring Brazilian Treasures 151
Negotiating Price in Outdoor Markets 153
Chapter 9: Going Out on the Town 157
Talking about Going Out 157
Inviting someone out and being invited 158
Asking what a place or event is like 159
Taking in Brazil’s Musical Culture 160
Using the musical verb: Tocar 161
Using the dancing verb: Dançar 163
Using the singing verb: Cantar 163
Exploring Art 164
Going to the Movies 165
Falling in Love — in Portuguese 168
Chapter 10: Using Technology To Keep In Touch 173
Talking and Texting with a Digital Device 174
Dealing with verbal mush 177
Connecting with the calling verb: Ligar 179
Telling Someone to Call You 180
Leaving a Message 181
Making Arrangements over the Phone 183
Texting to Check In 184
Digital Talk Know-How 184
Staying Informed through the Internet 186
Emailing 187
Socializing on Social Media 190
Keeping Your Tablet at Your Fingertips 191
Talking about Feelings Using Words and Emoji 192
Chapter 11: Chatting About Business 195
Qual a sua profissão? What Do You Do? 196
Applying the doing verb: Fazer 197
Mailing Things the Old-Fashioned Way 201
Placing a Business Call 202
Making Appointments and Conducting Meetings 203
Expressing profit, loss, revenue, and expenses 204
Asking about business goals 205
Working from Home 205
Chapter 12: Recreation and the Outdoors 209
Finding Out What’s Really on a Brazilian Beach 210
Getting outfitted for a day at the beach 210
Checking out other beach attractions 212
Describing beautiful beaches 214
Exploring the Amazon Rainforest 216
Talking about Biodiversity 217
Considering plant life 218
Identifying wildlife 218
Asking People What They Like to Do 219
Part 3: Brazilian Portuguese on the Go 225
Chapter 13: Planning a Trip 227
Picking the Best Time for Your Trip 228
Obtaining a Passport and Visa 232
Researching Public Health Concerns 232
Packing for Your Brazilian Getaway 233
Deciding Where to Go 234
The North 235
The Northeast 235
The Central-West 236
The Southeast 237
The South 238
Talking about Going: The Verb Ir 241
Going Through Customs 244
Choosing a Place to Sleep 245
Making reservations 245
Checking in and out: Registration 246
Asking about amenities 247
Getting Possessive 248
Chapter 14: Money, Money, Money 253
Introducing Brazilian Reais and Centavos 253
Getting Ahold of Brazilian Currency 254
Using Brazilian Banks and ATMs 256
Checking Prices and Making Purchases 258
The paying verb: Pagar 259
Paying for items and services 260
Chapter 15: Getting Around: Planes, Buses, Taxis, and More 265
Making a Plane Reservation 266
Taking Buses 270
Traveling by Taxi 271
Using Ride-Hailing Apps 274
Renting a Car 275
Interpreting traffic signs 277
Parking it 277
Talking About Coming and Going 278
Announcing an arrival 278
Talking about leaving 279
Discussing the wait 280
Navigating Cityscapes 281
Talking about distance 283
Asking for directions 285
Discussing how to get there 287
Over here, over there 290
Chapter 16: Going to Sporting Events 293
Getting Hip to Soccer — Brazil’s National Pastime 294
Buying Tickets 295
Finding Your Seat 297
Ordering Brazilian Concessions 298
Making Sense of Yelling Fans 300
Talking about Sports 301
Using the verb jogar, to play 301
Considering practice 302
Expressing preferences 303
Winning and losing 304
Searching the Place 304
Chapter 17: O Carnaval! 309
Exploring Carnaval in Brazil 310
Rio’s Carnaval 311
Carnaval in Salvador 314
Carnaval in Recife/Olinda 318
Dancing the Samba! 320
Chapter 18: Socorro! Help! Handling Emergencies 325
Stick ’em Up: What to Say (and Do) if You’re Robbed 326
Don’t panic! 327
Asking for and receiving help 328
Reporting a problem to the police 329
Handling Health Emergencies 330
Heading off illnesses with vaccines 330
Watching out for tropical illnesses 331
Expressing pandemic-related needs 332
Dealing with your normal illnesses 333
Handling injuries 334
Talking about your health problem 335
Discussing Legal Problems 338
Part 4: The Part of Tens 341
Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Pick Up Brazilian Portuguese Quickly 343
Go to Brazil! 343
Find Brazilians (Or Other Portuguese Speakers) Near You 344
Date a Brazilian 344
Read the News in Portuguese 345
Check Out Brazilian Websites 345
Listen to Brazilian Music 346
Watch a Brazilian Movie 347
Watch Globo 348
Take a Portuguese Language Class 348
“Say It Again, João!” 348
Chapter 20: Ten Common Brazilian Portuguese Slang Words 349
Brega/Cafona 349
Cara 350
Chato 350
Chique 350
Esperto 350
Gato and Gata 351
Grana 351
Legal 352
Pinga 352
Valeu 352
Chapter 21: Ten (Plus One) Brazilian Portuguese Terms That Make You Sound Fluent 353
Né? 353
Tá 354
Ah é? 354
Então 354
Sabe? 355
Meio 355
Ou seja 355
Cê Instead of Você 355
A gente 356
Pra 356
Tô 356
Part 5: Appendixes 357
Appendix A: Verb Tables 359
Appendix B: Portuguese-English Mini-Dictionary 369
Appendix C: Answer Key 389
Index 393
The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.
The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.
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