Did you know the verb “dar” has at least 60 different meanings in Portuguese? 😱 The simplest translation is “to give”, but it also has many idiomatic meanings, which depend on the context. Today, Joel and Rui take a deep dive into “dar”, with some help from one of our Shorty episodes: Dar Uma Mãozinha. […]
The Verb “Dar” And Its Many Meanings
Despedidas e Parcerias
Farewells And Partnerships
2021 has already been off to a busy start! Rui & Joel update you on everything that’s going on, in Portuguese: • Rui & Joel get COVID swabs jammed up their noses… for TV • Rui quits something and joins something else within the same week (Huh?) • Our mobile app is on the way! […]
Dona Amélia Vai À Farmácia
Dona Amélia Goes to the Pharmacy
Dona Amélia, an old-fashioned woman who only believes in natural remedies, pays a visit to the pharmacy. Will the pharmacist be able to help her, despite her hearing difficulties?
Carro Alugado, Caos Instalado
Rental Car, Chaos Takes Place
Cláudio and Joana are a Portuguese couple who decide to take a trip to Tomar in a rental car. When it comes to driving, they can’t seem to agree on anything. Will they make it to their destination without driving each other crazy?
Dona Gertrudes e a Conta do Gás
Dona Gertrudes and the Gas Bill
Dona Gertrudes, a retired 65-year-old woman, has just a received a surprisingly large bill from her gas company. Upset and nervous, she attempts to sort the matter out on the phone.
Roupa Na Varanda, Afinal Quem Manda?
Clothes On The Balcony, Who's In Charge Anyway?
Monica has just moved to an apartment in the Historic Center of Porto. She meets her neighbour Eduardo who tries to impose some unexpected rules. Will she be able to deal with these strict requirements?
À Caça de Descontos no Supermercado
The Hunt for Supermarket Discounts
To prepare for an upcoming birthday party that they’ll be hosting, a modern grandma and her jokester husband stock up on groceries at the local supermarket. While taking advantage of every promotion they can, will they actually remember to pick up everything they went there for in the first place?
Uma Ida Ao Supermercado
A Trip to the Supermarket
While making her way through her lengthy shopping list (containing useful food vocabulary, of course), Sra. Rosa shares her elderly wisdom with a young employee who is eager to help.
Special Guest: Eliana Silva
Um Natal de Crescer Água na Boca
A Mouth-watering Christmas
This holiday season, a Practice Portuguese TV reporter takes to the streets to hear directly from Portuguese natives about their family Christmas traditions… until a particularly talkative woman steals the show!
Cabelos, Tesouras e Desilusões
Hair, Scissors, and Disappointments
Salvador and Mariana (– no, Adriana! –) visit a hair salon to freshen up their looks, but quickly find themselves in a hairy situation! In this episode, you’ll learn lots of new vocabulary and expressions that should come in handy the next time you find yourself going under the scissors…
Parte II: À Caça de Casa
Part II: Hunting for a House
Today we revisit Diálogo 29 to discuss some of the vocabulary and expressions surrounding the Portuguese housing market. There’s also an extra listening challenge waiting for you in the second half, so stick around!
À Caça de Casa
House Hunting
In this episode, we explore the Portuguese apartment rental market with James, a young adult of Portuguese descent looking for a new place. To find some leads, he recruits the help of his friend, Luís. However, Luís happens to be going through a bit of drama with his ex-girlfriend, so let’s see if he’s able to be of any help…
Palavras Inspiradas na Língua Portuguesa
Words Inspired by the Portuguese Language
In this unscripted dialogue between Rui and Joel, we discover words in English, Spanish, French and Japanese that apparently derived from Portuguese vocabulary… Come for the comprehension practice, stay for the butchered non-Portuguese pronunciations!
As Sardinhas Que Fumavam
The Sardines That Smoked
Hoping for a calm, vegetarian dining experience at a local Portuguese restaurant, Sr. John gets thrown off guard by unprofessional service and a problem with his order! Find out how he deals with these challenges, and learn lots of vocabulary and expressions to use the next time you’re dining out.
A Tartaruga Ninja
The Ninja Turtle
Our fabulously fictional Portuguese family is back (with peculiarly different voices 😂) and this time, they’re considering adding a new member. We explore new vocabulary surrounding food, animals and more, and also run into some new usage examples of the conjunctive and conditional moods. And just like in the last episode, Rui continues to help Joel identify some more of his “estrangeiro” pronunciation habits!
Update (April 12, 2018): After launching this episode, it was helpfully pointed out to us that keeping a turtle as a pet is irresponsible: They die earlier in captivity and live a miserable, unnatural life. They’re part of our wildlife heritage and need their protected, natural habitat to thrive. Instead, consider adopting a cat or dog from a shelter – surprisingly, they’re less work, and you’ll be doing some good! More details here and here. (Obrigado, Joanna!)
Resolver Um Problema Ao Telefone: Alô?!
Solving a Problem on the Phone: Hello?!
Update: April 10, 2018 – As a gift to us and all Practice Portuguese fans, our friend Wayne has turned this episode into a fully-animated cartoon. The video is free for everyone to watch, plus our supporting Members get access to a special version with subtitles for improving comprehension.
Telephone and Internet service companies are notoriously painful to deal with, and Portugal is no exception! In this dialogue, a pushy representative from “VOZ” calls in an attempt to recapture a former client. Have you had the pleasure of dealing with one of these services in Portuguese yet?
Como Falam Os Algarvios? (Conversa com Eliana)
How Do Algarvians Speak? (Conversation with Eliana)
After our very challenging Diálogo, dedicated to the Algarvian dialect, we decided to record a follow-up discussion with Eliana, (who voiced the Algarvian characters).
She will help us understand a bit better some of the difficult terms and expressions that came up in that episode, and how they’re typically used in the region.
Certificado de Residência (Como Pedir… Em Algarvio!)
Residence Certificate (How to ask for one...in the dialect of the Algarve)
In what might possibly be our most ambitious Diálogo to date, we explore some of the delightful bureaucracy that surrounds obtaining a residency permit in Portugal. With Michael (our special guest estrangeiro) moving to Algarve, we get a chance to explore some of the vocabulary and pronunciation quirks that set this region apart from the rest of Portugal!
A special “obrigado” to our friends who helped us put this episode together:
• Michael Reeve – provided his guidance, ideas and voice talent (from afpop.com, an organization that provides support to foreign residents and visitors throughout Portugal)
• Rui Coimbra Sénior – O pai do Rui!
• Eliana Silva – talented voice actress who not only brought the female characters of Algarve to life, but also helped us make sure the script was as authentic as possible
You’ll definitely find some of this Algarvian dialect challenging, but we’ll go over a lot of this episode’s content in a discussion between Eliana, Rui & Joel, to be released soon!
Note: This episode’s mention of afpop is not a paid endorsement, but just a friendly collaboration!
Update August 1, 2017: As promised, we posted a follow-up episode to explore this dialogue in more detail. Once you’re done listening to this episode, make sure to have a listen to our follow-up discussion!
Um Café em Lisboa
A Coffee in Lisbon
This episode is a collaboration featuring Tatiana Ribeiro, a Portuguese teacher (and fan of the project) from Brazil, currently living Italy! She recorded with us and also wrote the dialogue, which takes place in a café in Portugal.
Since we all know jokes are funnier after they’re explained in exhaustive detail, Rui and Joel discuss the key vocabulary and expressions used throughout. But rather than making it easy on you by switching to English, we decided to keep the entire conversation in Portuguese!
But don’t worry – For the first time ever, members using the podcast player on our website can now enable English translations at any point in this episode, to make sure you don’t miss a single “palavra”.
We’re excited to hear what you think!
Update, August 11, 2017: Shortly after launching this episode, we were invited on Tatiana’s radio show for an interview. We’ve released an edited version of this interview with transcript if you’d like to have a listen!
Pizza Na Hora Está a Contratar!
Pizza on Time is Hiring!
Márcio o Brasileiro calls in once again to everyone’s favourite Portuguese pizzeria, but this time to ask the owner for a job. Will they be able to overcome their cultural differences and work together? Have a listen and find out in this 3rd episode of Pizza Na Hora!
Desaparecido no Concerto
Missing at the Concert
Outdoor concert festivals are fun and everything… until someone goes missing! In this dialogue, a Canadian named Fred gets worried when his Portuguese friend João disappears unexpectedly. He attempts to file a police report in the middle of the night with an unhelpful officer who’d rather continue napping.
Uma Viagem a Marraquexe
A Trip to Marrakech
Today’s destination is Morocco, as we cover tons of new vocabulary to prepare you for wherever your future travels take you! Follow our journey through the airport, airplane, and all through the ancient city of Marrakesh.
(Featuring a very special guest, Ana Coimbra, Rui’s mãe!)
Diálogo 20 – O Rui Procura Emprego
Rui Looks for a Job
You’re unemployed in Portugal and you don’t know what to say in a job interview? This episode could be for you! The idea came from an email from a member (Obrigado Oleg!) who would like to hear a more formal dialogue in a professional context. This is our version, we hope you like it!
O Joel Vai Ao Hospital
Joel Goes to the Hospital
Update: January 12, 2018 – As a gift to us and all Practice Portuguese fans, our friend Wayne has turned this episode into a fully-animated cartoon. The video is free for everyone to watch, plus our supporting Members get access to a special version with subtitles for improving comprehension. ~~~ Getting sick can cause pain and […]