Dialogue

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Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

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 and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment.

Lesson focus
In today's lesson, we'll introduce you to a crucial phrase for all of you travelers out there who like to bring electrical equipment thousands of miles to die a fiery death on foreign soil. So, you made it to Brazil, but you neglected to bring a power converter. In today's phrase, we'll look at asking if a store has a particular item, and we'll start with power converters.
In Portuguese, "Do you have a power converter?" is Tem conversor de energia? Tem conversor de energia?
Let's break it down by syllable: Tem con-ver-sor de e-ner-gi-a?
Now, let's hear it once again, Tem conversor de energia?
The first word Tem, means "is there."
Tem.
Tem.
This is followed by Conversor, which in English means "converter."
Let's break this down: Con-ver-sor.
And one time fast, Conversor.
Next, we have de, which means "of."
de.
de.
Last, we have the word Energia, which means "energy" or "electricity." Energia.
E-ner-gi-a.
Energia.
So all together, we have Tem conversor de energia? Literally, this translates to "Is there a power converter?" But it means, "Do you have a power converter?"
Now, to ask for a different item, we can just replace the term for "power converter" with any other term and the phrase works just fine. Let's try "outlet adapter."
In Portuguese, "Do you have an outlet adapter?" is Tem adaptador para tomada? Tem adaptador para tomada?
The only thing that changes is the thing you are looking for. In this case, it's Adaptador para tomada?
Let's breakdown this term and hear it one more time: a-dap-ta-dor pa-ra to-ma-da.
And, Adaptador para tomada.
The first word, Adaptador, means "adapter." Adaptador.
A-dap-ta-dor.
Adaptador.
Next, we have Para, which means "to." Para.
Pa-ra.
Para.
And last, we have Tomada, which means "outlet."
To-ma-da.
Tomada.
So, all together, we have Tem adaptador para tomada? Literally, this translates to "Do you have an outlet adapter?"
Cultural Insights
So, what is a power converter? When I first went to Brazil, it was my first time on a plane and my first time in a foreign country. So, I wish someone had explained this to me before I left. Basically, different countries use different electrical systems. In the United States, we use 110. But in Brazil, they use a 220 system. In other words, there is twice the amount of electricity at every outlet. That may sound convenient, but if your electronic gizmos are not compatible with a 220 system, that energy will overload your equipment and burn it up.
Well then, what's an outlet adapter? Most of the more expensive gadgets, like notebooks, have power converters built in so you don't need to purchase a separate power converter. But, there is another issue beyond Brazil using a 220 system. The standards for plug designs are for two parallel cylindrical posts. This means that you may not even be able to plug in your notebook, even if you have a power converter. For situations like these, an outlet adapter is needed. You just plug your equipment into the adapter and then plug the adapter into the outlet. The major benefits being that a power converter is fairly large and will cost upwards of 35 USD, while an outlet adapter is very small and probably isn't any more than 5 USD.

Outro
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!
"Do you have a power converter?" - Tem conversor de energia?
Tem con-ver-sor de e-ner-gi-a?
Tem conversor de energia?
"Do you have an outlet adapter?" - Tem adaptador para tomada?
Tem a-dap-ta-dor pa-ra to-ma-da?
Tem adaptador para tomada?
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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