Do you realize that the World Cup will be happening in a year? Yea, 2014 ! It’s coming up soon. Are you looking forward to it? I am. It’s going to take place in Brazil, my home country. It’s an exciting time for us, Brazilians. The whole country is excited about it.
Have you ever been to a soccer tournament of this magnitude? Not only the World Cup is a great event in the sports’ arena, but in 2014, it’s going to be in Brazil. Get it? Brazil – the land of soccer, where the population breathes soccer – where many famous soccer players were born. It’s rare opportunity. Brazil only hosted this tournament one other time, in 1950. And, Brasil is the only country that has played in all 19 tournaments of the FIFA World Cup and has been the champion five times. That’s an impressive record, isn’t it?
Brazil’s Preparation
Maracanã_Stadium_in_Rio_de_Janeiro from Macumbabeach.com
Brazilian authorities have made the necessary efforts to improve safety and get the venues ready for World Cup 2014. There will 12 host cities across the five regions of Brazil, featuring modern stadiums which have been either built or remodeled for the occasion: Belo Horizonte (Estadio Mineirao), Brasilia (Estadio Nacional), Cuiaba (Arena Pantanal), Curitiba (Arena da Baixada), Fortaleza (Estadio Castelao), Manaus (Arena Amazonia), Natal (Estadio das Dunas), Porto Alegre (Estadio Beira-Rio), Recife (Arena Pernambuco), Rio de Janeiro (Estadio do Maracanã), Salvador (Arena Fonte Nova) and São Paulo (Arena de São Paulo).
Traveler’s Preparation
How can you get the most out of your trip? There are two essentials ingredients that make a great recipe: First, be sure you love soccer. Second, learn the language of the country you’re going to be visiting. So, what’s the language spoken in Brazil? No, no, no! It’s not Spanish! Nope, there’s no such a thing as Brazilian. It’s Portuguese as in Portugal. But, there are some differences between European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese just as there are between European English and American English. So, the accent is different, and certain words may have the same spelling, but the meaning is totally adverse.
How about a little taste of the beautiful Brazilian Portuguese language?
Here we go: Please click on audio player to listen to the pronunciation of the words in green below: Play
Greetings and Expressions:
Saying “hi”: Olá! Oi!
Morning greeting: Bom dia!
Afternoon greeting: Boa tarde!
Evening and going to sleep greeting: Boa noite!
Asking how someone is: Informal
Como vai? Como vai você?
Formal
Como vai, o senhor? When speaking to a male.
Como vai, a senhora? When speaking to a female.
Answering the above question: Vou bem
Wishing someone a nice day: Tenha um bom dia!
Wishing the same back: Informal Você também!
Formal
O senhor também! When speaking to a male.
A senhora também! When speaking to a female.
Saying Thanks to someone:
Obrigado! If speaker is a male.
Obrigada! If speaker is a female.
Answering back: De nada!
Saying good-bye: Three different ways of saying it.
Tchau! Até logo! Adeus!
According to Brazil legend, Romario, “you have not really experienced a World Cup atmosphere unless you have been in Brazil during the World Cup.” So, plan to go to Brazil next year and attend the most important World cup tournament in history. Don’t hesitate to contact a savvy tutor, who’s a Brazilian Portuguese native speaker and who will be able to help you get ready to express yourself properly in this beautiful language. Learning Portuguese will allow you to connect with the most hospitable people in the world throughout the 5 regions of Brazil while enjoying a spectacular tournament.
P.S. You can reach me on Facebook or skype: liginha1976
