Street Smart Brazil

We teach smart Portuguese

vocabulary

Open Your Heart: 8 Words to Talk About Common Emotions

I saw the picture below on Facebook and thought that it would be a good vocabulary lesson. The picture lists 8 problems and suggests the right wine and dosage for each one :) In this lesson you will learn how to use these 8 words and expressions in real-life situations. These are all common Read More

Brazilian Portuguese Vocabulary Mania

In English, we have the word mania which denotes a mental illness marked by periods of euphoria. In Latin, it means “insanity, madness”. It’s lesser used, secondary English definition is “an excessive enthusiasm or desire; an obsession”. In Brazilian Portuguese, the same word has the principal Read More

Brazilian Portuguese Vocabulary: Contramão – The wrong way

There are times when I realize I’ve forgotten the English word but recognize the Portuguese meaning and understand it in its context. It’s a bit of a strange sensation due to the fact that the sentence, in which a particular word is used, is not lost on me. I know what is being said and Read More

Imagina na Copa: Learn about the phrase and the movement

  "Imagina na Copa!”, loosely translated as “Imagine it during the World Cup!” is a phrase that has been oft-repeated in Brazil in the last year or two. For most of its lifespan, it has been used to refer to something that doesn’t work the way it should or to something that will worsen (such as Read More

Learn Brazilian Portuguese with Songs – Video 2

This is the second video in our series Learn Brazilian Portuguese with Songs. These lessons are a collaboration between Susanna Zaraysky, author of the book Language is Music, and Luciana Lage, from Street Smart Brazil, co-author of the book 51 Portuguese Idioms - Speak Like Read More

Learn Brazilian Portuguese with Songs – Video 1

I am thrilled to post the first video of the new series Learn Brazilian Portuguese with Songs in collaboration with Susanna Zaraysky, author of the book Language is Music. Below the video is the transcript of our interview. Enjoy! Susanna: Oi! My name is Susanna Zaraysky and I’m the Read More

Breakfast in Brazil – Vocabulary Flashcards with Sound

  (Pic source) I bet that you got hungry just by looking at the picture above. That is a typical breakfast buffet at hotels in Brazil. Doctors say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We, Brazilians, agree. We do take our time to eat a rich café da manhã. Whether you are Read More

On Easy Street

(Source) No matter what language you learned first, it's safe to say you've been linguistically lazy at some point. Sometimes we eat our words when speaking or send shorthand text messages, but the important thing is to remember that languages are living things and cutting corners comes with the Read More

How to Use Porque and Por Causa de – with Video

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u4--SZ0Hfc I want to show you how to use porque and how to use por causa de. Check out the examples below. What is the difference between the sentences with porque and the sentences with por causa de? Example 1: É melhor levar um casaco Read More