Portuguese Phrases For Dummies

Karen Keller is a journalist who lived and worked in São Paulo, Brazil, for three years. Before moving to Brazil, the California native taught Spanish at a New York City–based foreign-language-education Web site. Keller is also a published travel-guide writer. She currently lives in New Jersey, where she is a local newspaper reporter.

• Introduction 1About This Book 2Conventions Used in This Book 2Foolish Assumptions 3Icons Used in This Book 4Where to Go from Here 4Chapter 1: Say It How? Speaking Portuguese 5Exploring the Roots of Portuguese 6Reciting Your ABCs 8Conquering Consonants 9The letter C 10The letter D 10The letter G 11The letter H 11The letter J 12The letter L 12The letters M and N 12The letter Q 13The letter R 13The letter S 14The letter T 14The letter W 14The letter X 15Exercising Your Jowls with Vowels 15The letters A and à 15The letters E and Ê 16The letter I 16The letters O and Ô 17The letter U 17Chapter 2: Grammar on a Diet: Just the Basics 19Constructing Simple Sentences 19Nouns 20Adjectives 20Articles 21Pronouns 22Verbs 23The Simple Tenses: Present, Past, and Future 24Present tense 25Past tense 27Future tense 28Conjugating the tenses 29Connecting It All Together 32Making Contractions: It’s a Cinch! 33To Me, to You: Indirect Objects 34Commanding an Audience 35Getting Possessive 35Chapter 3: Numerical Gumbo: Counting of All Kinds 39Numbers to Know: When Everything Counts 39The Big Countdown: Ordinal Numbers 41Telling Time 42Monday, Tuesday: Weekdays 44Tracking the Calendar: Months and Dates 46Naming the months 46Picking a date 47Money, Money, Money 48Currency and prices 49Getting money from banks and ATMs 50Measuring Distances and Other Stuff 52Chapter 4: Making New Friends and Enjoying Small Talk 55A Few Ways to Say Hello and Goodbye 56Introducing Yourself 58First Names, Last Names, and Nicknames 59Knowing Who, What, and Where 61“Where Are You From?” 62Describing the World around You 66Describing permanent qualities: Ser 66Describing temporary qualities: Estar 70Speaking about Speaking 71The Good, the Bad, and the Humid: Weather 73Figuring Out Family Connections 75Giving Out Your Contact Information 76Chapter 5: Enjoying a Drink and a Snack (or Meal!) 79Bom Apetite! Enjoy Your Meal! 79At the Restaurant: Trying Local Foods 81Ordering at a restaurant 82Ordering a drink 85First foods up: Salads and condiments 86On to the main course 88Basking in Brazilian barbeque 89Doing dessert 90Paying the bill 91Chapter 6: Shop ’Til You Drop 95Finding Places to Shop 95Out for the Perfect Outfit 96Skirts and shirts: Which to choose 97Trying it on 99Exploring Brazilian Treasures 101Shopping for Food and Necessities at the Market 103Getting some practical items 103Shopping at the outdoor market 104Making Comparisons and Expressing Opinions 105Paying for Your Purchases 106Chapter 7: Making Leisure a Top Priority 109Talking about Going Out 110Inviting someone and being invited 110Asking what the place or event is like 111Asking People What They Like to Do 113Taking in Brazil’s Musical Culture 114Playing an instrument 114Dancing around and singing out loud 116Exploring Carnaval in Brazil 117Exploring Art Galleries and Museums 118Going to the Movies 119Hanging Out at the Beach 120What to take to the beach 121Talking about beach safety 123Expressing beauty: “It’s so beautiful!” 124Getting Out for a Walk (or a Hike) 125Playing Soccer — Brazil’s National Pastime 127Falling in Love — in Portuguese 128Chapter 8: When You Gotta Work 131Picking Up the Phone 131Saying hello and goodbye 132Making a call 133Dealing with verbal mush 135Talking in the past 137Talking about Work 138Dealing with Computers 142Chapter 9: I Get Around: Transportation 145On the Move: Transportation 146Making a plane reservation 146Taking buses 150Hailing táxis 150Renting a car 152Onde? Where? The Question for Going Places 154Understanding Spatial Directions 157Navigating Cityscapes 159Over Here, Over There 162How Far? Perto ou longe? 163Chapter 10: Finding a Place to Lay Your Weary Head 165Finding a Place to Live 165Checking Out the Hotel or Pousada 167Deciding where to stay 167Making reservations 169Checking in and checking out: Registration procedures 170Talking about Sleep 171Chapter 11: Dealing with Emergencies 175Stick ’em Up: What to Say If You’re Robbed 176Asking for and receiving help 176Reporting a problem to the police 178Handling Health Emergencies 179Getting sick 180Handling broken bones and other injuries 183Discussing Legal Problems 185Chapter 12: Ten Favorite Brazilian Portuguese Expressions 187Que saudade! 187Fala sério! 187pra caramba! 188Lindo maravilhoso! 188É mesmo? 189Um beijo! or Um abraço! 189Imagina! 189Pois não? 190Com certeza! 190Fique tranqüilo 190Chapter 13: Ten Phrases That Make You Sound Like a Local 191Né? 191Tá 192Ah é? 192Então 192Sabe? 192Meio 193Ou seja/E tal 193Cê Instead of Você 193Pra Instead of Para a 194Tô instead of Estou 194Index 195