Pearls of Brazilian humor
Brazil has its own share of great aphorisms, those witty, funny, sometimes mean little phrases that prove human nature is not kind, but still quite […]
Language
Tragicomic film translations
“Vertigo”, the Hitchcock masterpiece with James Stuart and Kim Novak, had its title translated as “A Mulher que Viveu Duas Vezes” (The Woman that Lived Twice) in Portugal – a massive, humongous spoiler.
Brazilian tongue twisters
In the Brazilian version of the movie My Fair Lady, when Eliza Doolittle is obliged to recite torturing tongue twisters to improve her accent, […]
Brazil, Indiana
Jimmy Hoffa, the trade union leader that mysteriously disappeared in the mid-seventies, was born in Brazil – which has less than 8,000 inhabitants, 97% White. […]
The best Brazilian insults
Time for some political incorrectness, folks. Is there a way of cursing, of insulting someone in Brazil without losing your elegance? If you are a […]
Brazil national bird, flower, holiday, anthem…
Ever wonder what’s Brazil national… bird? You might think it is the blue macaw or the toucan. In fact, sabiá-laranjeira (Turdus rufiventris or, in English, […]
Durex is not a condom
Once the consul of India told me that, when he first arrived in São Paulo, he was impressed by the popularity of Brahma, the […]
When famous people try to speak Portuguese
Sometimes I am so sorry for what stars have to do to please their crowds. First, teen starlet Miley Cirus trying to sing in Portuguese. […]
Learn Portuguese for free online
There are some 250 million Portuguese native speakers out there – can you communicate with them? It is is, indeed, a crowd: 190 million in […]
“English as she is spoke” – the best Portuguese/English translation ever
“What news tell me? All hairs dresser are newsmonger” – a phrase that you could use to insult a barber. “It is a noise which […]