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O João Quer Ser Famoso

João Wants To Be Famous

João is determined to become famous. He just doesn’t know how yet…

This narrative uses many Portuguese-English cognates, so even as a beginner, you may be able to guess the meaning of many words!

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  • 00:00:03O João quer ser famoso.
  • 00:00:05Como é que ele se vai tornar famoso?
  • 00:00:07Ainda não sabe.
  • 00:00:09Mas ser famoso é muito importante para ele.
  • 00:00:12Ele é um pouco dramático e gosta da atenção de outras pessoas.
  • 00:00:16Por isso, ele pensa tornar-se ator.
  • 00:00:19Mas ele também quer ser o presidente…
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a arteart AtençãoAttention atletaathlete atoractor a ciênciascience ComplicadoComplicated DentistasDentists DisciplinasDisciplines, subjects DramáticoDramatic EconomistasEconomists a educaçãoeducation EngenheirosEngineers especializarto specialize estudarto study famosofamous fluentefluent a históriahistory, story importanteimportant IrresponsávelIrresponsible a jornalistajournalist fem. matemáticamathematics a oportunidadeopportunity, chance OtimistasOptimistic A políticaThe politician possívelpossible PreparadoPrepared O presidenteThe president a profissãoprofession PsicólogosPsychologists sociedadesociety SucessoSuccess a televisãotelevision
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Boa sorteGood luck Quem sabe?Who knows Como talAs such
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A Distração Perfeita
Cais do Sodré
Estação de São Bento
Jantar em Casa do José
Viver Para Dar aos Outros
Vasco da Gama
Rita E Raquel Vão Ao Cinema
Memórias De Ontem
O Miguel Faz A Vontade À Gisela
Tratado de Tordesilhas

Comments

  • Could you explain the meaning of the phrase ‘esta a ser’ in the sentence ‘Os professores acham que o Joao esta a ser irresponsivel’? I think it must meaning something like ‘he is almost irresponsible / bordering on being irresponsible’?

    • Pat, “está a ser” corresponds to the Portuguese form of the Present Continuous (auxiliary verb estar + preposition a + main verb in the infinitive). So, as the translation shows, it means “he is being irresponsible”. You can read about it here: Present Continuous in Portuguese

  • É o gerúndio do verbo ser. Eu nunca vi isso em inglês. Acho que os ingleses dizem “He is irresponsible.”

  • I think you use this kind of form to insist on the fact that , yes, he is irresponsible and it’s a bit irritating (for the one who speaks). So , not neutral.

    Bom dia
    Patricia

  • Just to clarify… In English we certainly do say ‘she/he is being irresponsible’. It indicates a temporary state, that the person is currently being irresponsible, implying that this state will end. The phrase ‘she/he is irresponsible’ indicates that this behavior is more permanent, an aspect of the person’s character for example. Anyway, back to Portuguese…

    • “Também lhe dizem” means “They also tell him/her/you (sing.form.)” and “Também eles dizem” means literally “They also tell/say”. In Portuguese, for this particular situation, it makes more sense using the “lhe” to specify that they tell HIM. In context it would be understandable that they are speaking to him, but it’s common to include the “lhe”. As for the word “eles” we usually omit it since the form of the verb already implies the subject: “dizem” = “eles dizem”. So “Também lhe dizem” sounds more natural than “Também eles dizem”. Even “Também eles lhe dizem” wouldn’t sound as natural.

  • Is the sense of “Não falo com os meus primos há muito tempo” similar to “Não falava com os meus primos há muito tempo”? Then, sorry to be pernickety, what about “Não falava … há muito tempo”, or “Não falava … havia muito tempo”? Are some valid, perhaps with nuance varying?

    • The first sentence indicates that you haven’t spoken to your cousins for quite some time now, whereas the second sentence indicates that you’ve spoken to your cousins recently after a long time not speaking with them.
      “Há muito tempo” and “Havia muito tempo” have the same meaning! 🙂

      • …… não falo com os meu primos há muito tempo……. Should it be “falei” in this case ? Could it be “falei” in this case? Or is it like sometimes for things in future also possible for things in past to use the present?

        • Olá! “Não falo” is correct in this context, assuming that this past situation remains ongoing at the present time. The simple past “Não falei” does not sound coherent for us when paired with “há X tempo”. You could, however, use the imperfect past, as explained in the comment above.

          – “Não falo com os meus primos há muito tempo” -> I have not spoken to my cousins in a long time (and it’s yet to happen again)
          – “Não falava com os meus primos há muito tempo” -> I had not spoken to my cousins in a long time (but already did in the meantime)

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