Learn some common Brazilian Portuguese slang
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
Intro |
|---|
| Michael: What is Brazilian Portuguese slang like? |
| Ana Clara: And is it commonly used? |
| Michael: At PortuguesePod101.com, we hear these questions often. Consider the following situation: Paula Pereira uses a slang expression Ben Lee has never heard before. |
| "Que bacana!" |
| Paula Pereira: Que bacana! |
| Dialogue |
| Paula Pereira: Que bacana! |
| Ben Lee: O que que isso significa? |
| Paula Pereira: Significa "Que legal!" |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Paula Pereira: Que bacana! |
| Michael: " ’Que bacana!’ " |
| Ben Lee: O que que isso significa? |
| Michael: "What does it mean?" |
| Paula Pereira: Significa "Que legal!" |
| Michael: "It means, ‘That’s cool!’" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: Slang is made of words and set phrases or expressions mainly used in colloquial language. It's a vivid part of any language and it's constantly changing. It's usually used by a certain group of people and it gives that group an identity, so that others may not understand that vocabulary at first. But, as time passes, many slang expressions spread and become part of the language. Here, you'll learn some great Brazilian Portuguese slang words to be up to date with native speakers! So, let's jump right in! |
| For example: |
| Ana Clara: curtir |
| Michael: "to like" or "to enjoy". Let's see it in a sentence: |
| Ana Clara: Curti muito o show de ontem! |
| Michael: "I really enjoyed yesterday's show!" |
| Instead, to say that you didn't enjoy something, you can use it in a negative sentence: |
| Ana Clara: Eu não curti o show de ontem... |
| Michael: "I didn't enjoy yesterday's show...". |
| In the conversation, Paula Pereira says: |
| Ana Clara: Que bacana! |
| Michael: This slang word is used with the meaning of "neat", "nice", or "cool". |
| In the conversation, as Ben Lee doesn't understand it, he asks: |
| Ana Clara: O que que isso significa? |
| Michael: "What does it mean?". In this case, Ben Lee used a colloquial form of making a question that is quite common amongst Brazilian Portuguese native speakers, adding another: |
| Ana Clara: que |
| Michael: in the sentence, which literally means "what". It's a very natural form of asking questions in Brazil. Let's hear it again: |
| Ana Clara: O que que isso significa? |
| Michael: To which Paula replied: |
| Ana Clara: Significa "Que legal!" |
| Michael: "It means, ‘That’s cool!’". |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In this lesson, you've learned Brazilian Portuguese slang words that will keep you updated with the language, especially in colloquial conversations. |
| As we've seen, slang is a dynamic aspect of any language, which is constantly changing. It is used by a certain group of people and can be understood as their code or identity, as it may not be understood by people outside their group initially. As slang gets more and more popular, it can become part of the language in many cases. |
| Now, let’s look at some examples. Our first example is: |
| Ana Clara: cara |
| Michael: meaning "dude". Let's see it in a sentence: |
| Ana Clara: Cara, cê não vai acreditar no que aconteceu! |
| Michael: "Dude, you won't believe what happened!". In this case, the speaker also used a colloquial form of saying "you": |
| Ana Clara: cê |
| Michael: which is used only in spoken Brazilian Portuguese, which is an abbreviated form of: |
| Ana Clara: você |
| Michael: "you" (regular form). You can use other words in Brazilian Portuguese that also mean "dude", for example: |
| Ana Clara: meu |
| Michael: It's literally "mine", but understood colloquially as "dude". For example: |
| Ana Clara: Meu, não vai se atrasar amanhã! |
| Michael: "Dude, don't be late tomorrow!" |
| The next example is: |
| Ana Clara: sem graça |
| Michael: meaning "something not funny" or "something plain". Let's check out some sentences with this slang: |
| Ana Clara: Nossa, que piada sem graça... |
| Michael: "Er …what a not funny joke...". |
| Ana Clara: Esta torta está bem sem graça... |
| Michael: "This pie is really plain...", expressing that the food lacks flavor, or is tasteless. |
| Expansion |
| Michael: Slang is used for certain groups giving them a unique identity. Let's check out an example of Brazilian Portuguese slang expressions commonly used by teenagers: |
| Ana Clara: só que não |
| Michael: meaning "just not" or "not", used as a joke to negate something previously said in the sentence, for example: |
| Ana Clara: Vou ter que limpar o meu quarto hoje, adoro! Só que não. |
| Michael: "I'll have to clean my room today, love it! Just not." |
| In texting, you may see this slang abbreviated as: |
| Ana Clara: sqn |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after Ana Clara focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how Paula Pereira says "Que bacana?" |
| Ana Clara: Que bacana! |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Ana Clara: Que bacana! |
| Ana Clara: Que bacana! |
| Michael: And do you remember how Ben Lee says "What does it mean?" |
| Ana Clara: O que que isso significa? |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Ana Clara: O que que isso significa? |
| Ana Clara: O que que isso significa? |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: There are some English words that were adapted to the Brazilian Portuguese language and are used as slang. Let's take a look at an example: |
| Ana Clara: stalkear |
| Michael: which means "to stalk", when someone follows or spies on someone else online or on social media. For example: |
| Ana Clara: Não é pra stalkear o cara online, viu! |
| Michael: "Don't go stalking the dude online, okay?" |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Ana Clara: Até a próxima! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
Comments
Hide