Learning a new language has its ups and downs.
Aprender uma Nova Língua
Learning a New Language
Que Dia É Hoje?
What Day Is Today?
Happy World Day of the Portuguese Language! 📚 In 2009, the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries defined May 5 as the World Day of the Portuguese Language, and on 2019 the date was recognized by Unesco. The first celebration took place in 2020. Portuguese is the official language in 9 countries and in Macau 🇲🇴: […]
Vamos Falar Algarvio!
In this article by Lena Strang, originally published in Tomorrow Magazine, she shares an inside look at the Algarvian dialect and how it complements the lively culture of the Algarve region of Portugal. Throughout the article, you can listen to examples of how Portuguese is spoken in the Algarve. Then, to explore the character and […]
Ser Bilingue É Ser Multicultural
To Be Bilingual is to Be Multicultural
Learning a language is one of the best ways to connect with other cultures!
A Língua Portuguesa
The Portuguese Language
Learn more about the history of the Portuguese language in this Shorty adapted and translated from Lena Strang‘s article in Tomorrow Magazine.
Viva o Português!
Hooray for Portuguese!
Adapted and translated from an article written by Lena Strang which was published in the latest issue of Tomorrow Magazine.
Lena Strang, originally from Finland, now lives in sunny Algarve. As a journalist for a community magazine, she has interviewed local people about their lives and researched intriguing histories behind abandoned buildings. These stories form part of two books available both in English and Portuguese: “Touching Lives/ Vidas que nos Tocam and Crossing Cultures / Culturas que se Cruzam.
You can connect with Lena and learn more about her work here.
A Escola De Línguas
The Language School
Language schools are a great way for students to spend their holidays learning something new or improving their skills!
Influência Árabe na Língua Portuguesa
Arabic Influence on the Portuguese Language
Have you ever wondered about the origins of the Portuguese language? Throughout history, the Iberian Peninsula was populated and governed by several different nations. This rich and fascinating blend of influences is reflected in both our language and our culture. (Note: This episode is a rare exception to our “Shorty” format, as it is about 5 minutes in duration)
A Influência Celta na Língua Portuguesa
The Celtic Influence on the Portuguese Language
The Portuguese language has completely changed over time as a result of the historical influences of many different languages and dialects. Learn more about its Celtic roots!
BONUS: Palavras Japonesas Inspiradas na Língua Portuguesa
BONUS: Japanese Words Inspired by the Portuguese Language
After listening to our last podcast on foreign words derived from Portuguese, a Japanese member, Ryoko, came to our rescue with recordings of every Japanese word we mentioned, plus a bunch of new ones for good measure. Join us as we explore surprising similarities between Japanese and Portuguese in this bonus episode!
(“Arigato” once again to Ryoko Kawaoka for her generous time in preparing the list and recordings for this episode!)
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!
Supermix Interview (with Tatiana, Rui & Joel)
When we launched Diálogo 24 Um Café Em Lisboa (with our special guest, Tatiana from Brazil), it understandably created some controversy with our audience, who normally looks to us for European Portuguese content!
While most members loved exploring the differences between the two dialects, a few members were worried that we were losing our European Portuguese focus. (We’re not!)
To discuss why we occasionally expose our audience to Brazilian content and much more, Tatiana invited Rui & Joel to her radio program, Supermix (based in Italy), for a special interview. We also talk about other aspects of Practice Portuguese that you might have been curious about too! (Note: Some of Tatiana’s audio had to be re-recorded because of technical issues, so some editing was necessary. However, we’ve tried to retain the authenticity of the live interview as much as possible!)
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!
Aprender Português? Vejo-me Grego! (Video)
Learning Portuguese? I'm Seeing Myself Greek (I'm Struggling)!
In this video, Joel (o Canadiano) interviews Pedro, a personal trainer in Lisboa. When he saw which videos and website his Greek girlfriend was using to learn Portuguese, he immediately recognized Rui and Joel as members of the gym!
Instead of just taking a photo together, we decided it would be a bigger surprise for her to see her boyfriend pop up in her YouTube activity feed! So we recorded this interview to make it happen…
During the conversation, we discuss:
• Common challenges that make Portuguese difficult for non-natives to master
• Learning your partner’s language while in a relationship
• Specific grammar and pronunciation peculiarities in European Portuguese
Disclaimer: Since this interview is spontaneous and Joel is not a native speaker, he makes a few mistakes (eg. “Isto é” instead of “Este é” when introducing Pedro!) Members who see the subtitles / transcription will see the corrections, and hopefully learn from these common errors. But for those who just hear the audio or view the video without subtitles, just make sure to take Joel’s grammar with a grain of salt and focus more on Pedro! 🙂
Introduction to European Portuguese
🌍 Countries that Speak Portuguese Did you know that Portuguese is the 6th most spoken language in the world? 🗣 Portuguese is spoken in Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores), of course, but there are also many other countries and regions that speak the language. For example: Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, East Timor, the Special […]
Dicas Para Aprender uma Segunda Língua
Tips for Learning a Second Language
It’s not easy to learn a new language, much less Portuguese, but here are some tips that we think could be useful!
O Que É Português Europeu?
What is European Portuguese?
European Portuguese…who knows the main characteristics?
Encontra os Erros! (Entrevista com o Joel do Canadá)
Find the Mistakes! (Interview with Joel from Canada)
Joel’s back, “eh”! He reveals his level of Portuguese after six months of living in Portugal. Find the mistakes and leave a comment!
Síndrome do Sotaque Estrangeiro, Como Sobreviver Muitas Horas no Avião
Foreign Accent Syndrome, How to Survive Many Hours on a Plane
We present the second episode! The topics are:
- Síndrome do Sotaque Estrangeiro
- Como Sobreviver Muitas Horas no Avião
We hope you enjoy it!