Featured Shorty: “Diário de uma Quarent(o)ena II.”
A lot has happened, to say the least, since we last recorded a podcast episode!
We start out by challenging your comprehension with casual Portuguese conversation to get you up to speed on what’s been happening with us personally as well as in the world… since we know we are definitely your primary resource for all things COVID-19!
We spend the rest of the episode tweaking the pronunciation of our brave listeners who once again contributed their recordings. (Obrigado!)
We review the pronunciation of the different R, S, E, and O sounds, perfecting the cadence and flow of Portuguese sentences… plus, you’ll discover a word that even Rui has trouble pronouncing!

In this episode, we once again analyze record audio clips from our brave listeners! We listen to the Shorty, “À Busca de Doces“, and explore how to make your Portuguese sound more native with pronunciation subtleties and word choice. We also clarify some other challenging concepts, such as the differences between “aí, ali, & lá”.

Today, the tables have turned, because YOU, (our listeners) are the main voices of this special episode! European Portuguese learners from around the world bravely submitted recordings of themselves reading our featured Shorty, “Um Encontro“.

We listen to each one, while suggesting subtle improvements for perfecting their pronunciation, including some challenging vowel sounds, and rules of the letter “S”, and more.

A BIG “thank you” to everyone who bravely submitted their recordings. Let us know if you enjoy this and we’ll do more of this in future episodes!
(Learn more about the pronunciation of the letter “S” here: The Letters “S” and “C”)

Before we usher in the New Year, Avó Odete wants to wish you a (belated) Feliz Natal! Recorded on Christmas Eve, Rui’s grandmother reminisces about how she met her husband, and shares her latest crochet projects with her fans. You’ll also learn the names of several traditional sweets and other food served during the holidays.

‘Tis the season… to spread misinformation about the origins of Christmas and Santa Claus! In this special holiday episode, Rui and Joel explore the food and other traditions of Christmas in Portugal, while featuring one of our latest Shorties, “a Consoada“. Boas festas a todos! 🎄

In this episode, we deconstruct one of our latest “Shorties”. We go through some useful food vocabulary, discuss verb and tense choices, and Rui irons out Joel and Molly’s “estrangeiro” pronunciation! There’s also some exciting news about Practice Portuguese, especially for those of you who might be in the Algarve next weekend.

As a gift to us and all Practice Portuguese fans, our friend Wayne Wilson has turned this episode into a fully-animated cartoon. 

With this newly-animated version of one of our early podcast episodes, we flash back to a time when Joel’s Portuguese skills were in their infancy! (Can you hear a difference?)

In this episode, Joel arrives to Lisbon and is faced with a challenging (and frustrating) taxi ride.

Joel goes to the Cinema and is faced with various decisions… Let’s see whether his Portuguese skills are up to the challenge!

Currently living in Portugal and learning the language, Joel bumps into a helpful local.

A tourist struggles to find his way to his hotel… but not as much as he struggles with understanding Portuguese expressions.

Two friends get together for a conversation and run into some “false friends” (false cognates), leading to a nice teaching moment!

Come along with Rui and Joel (and friends) on their journey walking the Caminho de Santiago, through Northern Portugal and Spain!

Total runtime: 1:51:29

With the holiday season approaching, Rui and Joel announce a special early gift for members of Practice Portuguese! Listen and find out exactly what is on “the Way”…

Updated December 1, 2018: It’s launched!

Come along with Rui and Joel (and friends) on their journey walking the Caminho de Santiago, through Northern Portugal and Spain!

Total runtime: 1:51:29

The Caminho de Santiago adventure begins! Rui and Joel start off their journey in beautiful Porto, Portugal, and immediately experience the warmth, simplicity and uncensored honesty of the Northern Portuguese people, and embrace their new role as ‘peregrinos’ (…or is it ‘pelegrinos’?).

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Approaching the border into Spain, Joel and Rui try to figure out at which point Portuguese will start transitioning to Spanish, as well as the curious Galego (Galician), a curious hybrid between the two. As they delve deeper into the local habits of Northern Portugal, Rui’s injury starts to catch up with him…

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The pilgrims are finally in Spain, and have their first contacts with speakers of Galician, Portuguese’s sister language. As the streak of sunny days comes to an end, the unforgiving weather leaves everyone grumpy!

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The journey comes to an end as the group arrives to Santiago de Compostela. They reunite with their fellow pilgrims they met along the way, and start making their way back home. It may take weeks for the blisters on their feet to heal, but their memories of O Caminho de Santiago will last forever.

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Fully immersed in the spirit of the Caminho, the pilgrims spread out and begin traveling a bit more independently, rather than sticking together as a group. But the isolation gets to them, prompting Rui to give the performance of a lifetime to nobody except for perhaps a few farmers (and lucky for us, the camera!). Meanwhile, Joel gets so isolated that he starts wondering if he’s actually even on the right Caminho at all…

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As the group inches closer to Santiago de Compostela, Rui and Joel attempt their best Portunhol (Portuguese + Spanish) to talk with a lovely, patient Galician farmer. As they feel the end of the Caminho approach, they start reflecting on their journey and on what they’ve learned so far.

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Joel and his new sidekick continue trying to find their way back to the other pilgrims, and Rui starts dealing signs of a problematic injury…

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At this point of their journey, Joel has already sacrificed his fashion sense (and dignity) for maximum comfort and UV protection. Later, Rui finds himself in a conversation for which even he wishes he had subtitles!

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On their second day of walking, the beauty of the Caminho is already starting to reveal itself, just like the blisters on the pilgrims’ feet. Rui and Joel also begin discovering some of the regional terms and expressions used in the North of Portugal.

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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…