Talking About Family in Brazil: From “Mãe” to “Primo” — A Field Guide for Expats
Back when I still tripped over rolled r sounds and said “obrigado” with the enthusiasm of a toddler, my neighbor Dona Celeste invited me to her Sunday feijoada. I expected beans, rice, maybe some jokes at the foreigner’s expense. What I didn’t expect was an oral exam on family terms. Within five minutes I was […]
Slang You’ll Hear on the Streets of Rio & São Paulo
Uma lembrança de Copacabana que virou lição Last summer, while strolling down Avenida Atlântica, I was feeling proud of my ten-year residency badge—sun-worn skin, a half-Dominican, half-gringo accent, and a decent handle on Brazilian Portuguese vocabulary. Then a local vendor waved me over: “Chega mais, parça, essas cangas estão top!” I knew he was friendly, […]
Dating Vocabulary: Flirting, Compliments, and Relationship Talk
“Você tem o sorriso de quem já conhece o Carnaval.” That was the line that got me a dance in Olinda one steamy February night. It tumbled out before I had time to judge my accent, and I watched the woman in front of me laugh, roll her eyes, and—crucially—hand me her caipirinha so she […]
Making Friends: Portuguese Phrases for Meeting New People
From a Fumbled “Prazer” to Real Friendships I still remember my first weekend in Salvador, Bahia. I was standing beside a street vendor, determined to make small talk while devouring an acarajé. I stretched out my hand to the vendor and announced, “Prazer!”—meaning “nice to meet you.” Except I rolled the r so hard it […]
Brazilian Greetings Beyond “Olá”: “Oi,” “E aí,” and “Beleza”
How a Rain-Soaked Taxi Line Taught Me My First “E aí” My very first week in São Paulo I was still that wide-eyed gringo who answered every greeting with the textbook “Olá, tudo bem?”. One stormy evening at Congonhas Airport, the taxi line stretched like carnival ribbon, and the stranger behind me nodded and tossed […]
How Brazilians Really Say Goodbye: “Até logo,” “Falou,” “Tchau”
I still remember my first afternoon in Salvador, back in 2014. I’d just fumbled through ordering an acarajé, feeling victorious because not a single English word had escaped my lips. When I paid, the vendor flashed a smile and said, “Valeu, falou!” I froze, thinking she wanted a follow-up payment. Seconds later she was already […]
From Beach Sand to Stadium Lights: Navigating Sports Conversations in Brazilian Portuguese
On my first weekend in Salvador, a neighbor waved me over to a raucous sidewalk table just as Bahia was kicking off against Vitória. I raised my iced coconut, tried to congratulate the locals on a last-minute goal, and instead barked something closer to “parabéns pelo frango!”—which, unbeknownst to me at the time, celebrated the […]
Toasts & Cheers in Portuguese: Saying “Saúde” Like a Local
Caipirinhas in Copacabana: My First Stumble with “Saúde” On my third week in Rio, I decided that ordering a round of caipirinhas for new Brazilian friends would be a smooth way to test my freshly memorized Portuguese Vocabulary. The lime-scented glasses arrived, condensation dripping as if the ocean itself approved. I raised mine a little […]
Party Talk: Essential Expressions for Brazilian Barbecues (Churrasco)
From Rookie Gringo to Grill-side Conversationalist My very first churrasco in São Paulo was not the thunderous carnival of clichés you see on travel channels. It was a sleepy Sunday in a friend’s backyard, the neighbor’s dog snoring under a mango tree while the smell of beef ribs curled through the air. I stood there—James, […]
Music & Dance: Phrases for Samba, Funk, and Forró Nights
The Night I Learned to Swing My Hips – A Samba Baptism I still remember the first Friday I spent in Rio—back in 2014, fresh off a puddle-jumper from Santo Domingo and still translating Spanish in my head before I dared speak Portuguese out loud. A friend dragged me to Pedra do Sal, the open-air […]