INTRODUCTION |
Hello and welcome to Portuguese Survival Phrases brought to you by PortuguesePod101.com, this course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Brazil. You will be surprised at how far a little Portuguese will go. |
Now, before we jump in, remember to stop by PortuguesePod101.com and there, you will find the accompanying PDF. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
Lesson focus
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In today’s lesson, we’ll introduce you to directions that will help you find the place you're looking for. Previously we introduced, Is there a Bradesco near here? and Where is there a something? But while we can now ask, we haven't addressed understanding the answer? Today we’re going to work on understanding what is said. So today we’ll go over basic directions. |
First we have, ”go straight.” |
In Portuguese, "go straight” is vai reto. |
vai reto. |
Let’s break it down by syllable: vai reto. |
Now let's hear it again: vai reto. |
The first word, vai means "go.” |
Let's break down this word and hear it one more time: vai |
vai |
This is followed by reto, which in Portuguese is “straight.” |
reto |
reto |
So all together, we have: vai reto. Literally, this means "go straight. |
Now we’re going to work on turning. Let’s try “turn right.” |
In Portuguese, “turn right” is vira à direita |
vira à direita |
vira à direita |
The first word, vira means "turn.” |
Let's break down this word and hear it one more time: vira |
vira |
This is followed by à, which in Portuguese is to the. |
à |
à |
The last word is direita, which means "right.” |
direita |
direita |
So altogether, we have: Vira à direita, which literally means "turn to the right.” |
Now, “turn left.” |
In Portuguese, “turn left” is the same phrase, just substitute the word esquerda for the word direita. |
esquerda |
esquerda |
Esquerda means "Left.” |
So altogether, we have: Vira à esquerda, which literally means "turn to the left.” |
So, turn right OK, got that. Turn left OK, got that too. But turn right where? How about at the light? |
“At the light” in Portuguese is no sinal. |
no sinal |
no sinal |
No sinal is actually two words but they go together. |
So altogether, we have: Vira à direita no sinal. |
Vira à direita no sinal. |
Vira à direita no sinal. |
Another place where you could turn is at the end of the block. |
“At the end of the block” is no final da quadra. |
no final da quadra. |
no final da quadra. |
First, we have no final, which means "at the end.” |
no final |
no final |
Next, we have da, which means "of the.” |
da |
da |
Last, we have quadra, which means "block.” |
So, quadra, qua-dra quadra. |
Altogether, you have: no final da quadra, which means "at the end of the block.” |
Then you attach it to our first phrase and you get: vira à direita no final da quadra. |
vi-ra à di-rei-ta no fi-nal da qua-dra. |
vira à direita no final da quadra. |
In Portuguese, "It’s on the right.” is Está no lado direito. |
Está no lado direito. |
Let's break it down by syllable: Es-tá no la-do di-rei-to. |
And one time fast, Está no lado direito. |
The first word, Está means "is.” |
Let's breakdown this word and hear it one more time: es-tá |
And, está. |
This is followed by no, which in English is “on the.” |
no |
no |
Next, we have lado, which means "side.” |
Let's break down this word and hear it one more time: lado |
lado |
So to recap here, we have: está no lado. |
Literally, this means "is on the side.” |
Let's take a look at the next word, direito, which means "right.” |
direito |
direito |
So all together, we have: Está no lado direito. |
Literally, this means "It's on the right side.” The “it” is inferred. |
In Portuguese, "It’s on the left.” is Está no lado esquerdo. |
Está no lado esquerdo. |
Let’s break it down by syllable: Está no lado esquerdo. |
And one time fast: Está no lado esquerdo. |
The first word, Está, means "is.” |
Let's break down this word and hear it one more time: Está |
Está |
This is followed by no, which in English is “on the.” |
no |
no |
Next, we have lado, which means "side.” |
Let's break down this word and hear it one more time: lado |
lado |
So to recap here, we have está no lado. |
Literally, this means "is on the side.” |
Let's take a look at the next word, esquerdo, which means "left.” |
esquerdo |
esquerdo |
So all together, we have: Está no lado esquerdo. |
Literally, this means "It's on the left side.” The “it” is still inferred. |
CULTURAL INSIGHTS |
Getting lost in a new place isn't fun so you should ask for directions. The problem is that many people in Brazil aren't used to giving directions so they can be quite confusing and even faulty. When you ask someone for directions you should always check if that information is correct by asking a least one more person. |
My own experiences of getting directions when I lived in Brazil were often humorous. I lived in three different regions of Brazil and eight different cities, and |
I often walked or rode the bus systems alone. Asking directions would not always solve my problem, so one thing I learned to do was carry a map of every city, broken down by neighborhood.These maps are available in every phone book, and always available in hotels. If you have a smartphone, you could probably take a picture of the map to keep with you that way. |
Outro
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Okay, to close out this lesson, we'd like you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for saying it aloud. You have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so boa sorte! |
"go straight" - vai reto |
vai reto |
vai reto |
"turn right" - vira à direita |
vira à direita |
vira à direita |
"turn left" - vira à esquerda |
vira à esquerda |
vira à esquerda |
"at the light" - no sinal |
no sinal |
no sinal |
"At the end of the block" - no final da quadra |
no final da quadra |
no final da quadra |
"It’s on the right" - Está no lado direito |
Está no lado direito |
Está no lado direito |
"It’s on the left" - Está no lado esquerdo |
Está no lado esquerdo |
Está no lado esquerdo |
Alright, that's going to do it for today. Remember to stop by PortuguesePod101.com and pick up the accompanying PDF. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
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