Speaking Portuguese like a Brazilian

Hi there and welcome to our Portuguese Basic Tips number 97, called speaking Portuguese like a Brazilian

On today’s podcast, we are going to practice new ways of saying the same sentence, but in the way we speak day to day in Brazil: speaking Portuguese like a Brazilian.

For instance:

• Você sabe o que é isso? (Do you know what this is?)

Click the link to visit our previous episode called meaning of sem choro nem vela, carro na frente dos bois and bater um fio or dar um toque

Now listen:

• Você lá sabe o que é isso? (Do you know what this is?)

The second sentence has the same meaning, but the fact that we use the term “lá” makes the sentence more emphasized. I mean, in this second case, there is really a question if you know “what this is”.

Let’s see other ways to emphasize the sentence:

Normal sentence:

• Se ligássemos para ela, não adiantaria. (if we called her, it wouldn’t make difference.)

Another way:

Ainda que ligássemos para ela, não adiantaria. (Even if we called her, it wouldn’t make difference).

See: when we use “ainda que”, we emphasize the sentence, but the information remains the same

• Veja o que eu achei! (Look what I found!)
• Veja só o que eu achei!! (Look what I found)

The term “só” in the sentence is what in Portuguese we call “partícula expletiva”. This is something  we can remove from the sentence, without any change in its meaning.

The same happens here:

• Mas como você é inteligente! (How smart you are!)

The original sentence could be just “você é inteligente” or “you are smart”. However, in daily conversations, we use “mas como você é inteligente” more often.

 

Situations that introduce a slightly change in the course of what is being said

Listen to the sentence:

• Quem lhe contou isso? (Who told you that?)
• Mas quem lhe contou isso?

See the intonation change in the second sentence. There is a bit of surprise on it, as if it were something you shouldn’t be aware of.

• Quem lhe contou isso? (Who told you so?)
• Então, quem lhe contou isso (So… how do you know that?)

The same thing: the fact that we use “então”, causes kind of a suspicion.

Next term: falando nisso (By the way)

• Falando nisso, quando você vem a minha casa? (By the way, when are you coming to my house)

We also use “por falar nisso” or “a propósito” meaning “by the way”.

• Por falar nisso, quando você vem a minha casa? (By the way, when are you coming tom my house?).

See that when we use “falando nisso” (literally, “speaking of which”), we are continuing with an issue that has already been started by the other person in the conversation. I could simply say: quando você vem a minha casa? But I preferred to give the sentence an idea of permanence instead.

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Click the link to visit a text about partícula expletiva (Portuguese only)

See you!

Marcos Sales

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