Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Notes

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Paloma: Olá! Eu sou a Paloma!
Gina: Gina here! Welcome back to PortuguesePod101.com. This is Upper Beginner Season 2 Lesson 12 - Learning Something New in Portuguese. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to talk about doing something new.
Gina: This conversation is between two children, and it takes place in the afternoon in the backyard.
Paloma: The speakers are friends as well as children, so they’ll be using informal Portuguese.:
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Paloma: Brazilian children have a different way of speaking than their parents, and since Brazilian children are learning Portuguese just like you are...
Gina: ...they can often be among the best sources for new vocabulary, better pronunciation, and a better understanding of Portuguese.
Paloma: Not to mention that they’re much more patient than adults in answering questions.
Gina: (laughs) Brazilian children, like most children, also have more sensitive ears to the variety of pronunciations around them. For that reason, the way they talk might even be more accurate than most textbooks.
Paloma: That’s true. I remember my little cousin asking me "why do you say "treis" and not "três"? Since she’s from Rio, she could hear how my pronunciation was different from hers.
Gina: Oh, that’s nice! Textbooks attempt to teach a correct form of Portuguese but in reality, very few people speak a version of Portuguese that anyone would consider correct.
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
Gina: Let’s take a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. What’s first?
Paloma: Okay, the first phrase we’re going to look at is Foi isso que eu falei! This is a fun phrase that is said so often even little children know it, as you heard in the dialogue.
Gina: That’s right! Literally translated, this phrase would be "It was that what I said!" Or in more colloquial English "That’s what I said!"
Paloma: And it can also be altered depending on context. For example, Foi isso que ela falou which translates to "That's what she said." You might hear many people saying it in Brazil.
Gina: The grammar here is a bit complex, but this phrase is used so often it’s very easy to memorize. You’ll hear it all the time.
Paloma: Foi isso que eu falei, Gina! (laughs)
Gina: (laughs)! Sorry! Okay, what’s next?
Paloma: Next is Prontos ou não, lá vou eu! This phrase is what Brazilian children say after they finished counting and they’re playing hide and go seek.
Gina: It’s equivalent to the English "Ready or not, here I come!" But the literal translation isn’t so exact. It’s more like "Ready or no, there go I."
Paloma: That's the different word order again, just like in our last phrase Foi isso que eu falei.
Gina: Exactly. It's because of things like this that Portuguese and English speakers often think the other is speaking "backwards." Okay, now onto the grammar.

Lesson focus

Paloma: In this lesson, you’ll learn to talk about doing something new.
Gina: That's right, in this lesson we’re going to look at learning simple things with short answers, and then we’ll look at more complex concepts and how to deal with them.
Paloma: Good plan! So, when you’re giving simple directions, you’ll most often use patterns or words and phrases that are repeated often.
Gina: That’s right. Like when someone asks you how to get to the bank, you can give them directions. Let’s hear an example.
Paloma: Com certeza! Vai reto nessa avenida e vira à direita depois de três quadras. Which translates to "Go straight on this avenue and turn right after three blocks."
Gina: Right. So, when you’re giving simple instructions on how to do something, the patterns are much the same. However, you should explain things in stages.
Paloma: Sounds confusing but it’s actually easy. Imagine you instruct someone on how to wash a table. Your instructions could be something like Primeiro, molha o pano e passa na mesa. Segundo, adiciona o produto de limpeza ao pano e passa novamente. Terceiro, passa um pano limpo para secar a mesa.
Gina: "First, wet the cloth and wipe it on the table. Second, add cleaning product to the cloth and wipe the table again. Third, wipe the table with a clean cloth to dry it."
Paloma: Right. Now, notice the steps in the explanation. It usually starts with "first…second..." and goes through a sequence of events.
Gina: What other ways can we use to show the steps?
Paloma: It can also be primeiro… depois… e daí… por último, that translates to "first, then, and then and lastly"
Gina: Right! But not all tasks or instructions are that straightforward. When the instructions or the task is very complex, it can be very difficult to explain.
Paloma: That’s true. For example, it’s very common to hear Brazilians say the phrase passar pano which literally is "pass cloth" but actually means "to clean the floor" using a very specific technique.
Gina: In these situations, when the tasks are complex and multi-layered, it’s best to ask many questions.
Paloma: And there are two excellent questions. The first one is Como que faz?
Gina: "How do you do it?" And what’s the other?
Paloma: It’s Qual é o próximo passo?
Gina: "Which is the next step?"

Outro

Gina: Ok, that’s all for this lesson. Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time. Bye!
Paloma: Até mais! Tchau!

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