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In Person by Fernanda L. Ferreira, Ph.D.

You will have lots of opportunities to converse in Portuguese when you get to Brazil, and in this chapter you will review some information that you have already learned but want to sharpen up. First, make sure to greet people correctly when you are in Brazil. Here are some familiar greetings:

TRACK 90

<tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <thead> <tr> <td><p>Portuguese</p></td> <td><p>English</p></td> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Olá, como vai?</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>Hello, how are you?</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Como vai o senhor?</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>How are you (sir)?</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Como vai a senhora?</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>How are you (ma'am)?</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Bem</emphasis>, <emphasis>obrigado</emphasis>.</p></td> <td><p>Fine, thanks. [<emphasis>Obrigada</emphasis> for women speakers]</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Oi</emphasis>, <emphasis>tudo bem?</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>Hi, how's it going?</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Tudo bom!</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>Great!</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Tudo legal!/Tudo jóia!</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>Great! [a little slang]</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>E aí, tudo bem?</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>So, how's it going?</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Mais ou menos</emphasis>.</p></td> <td><p>So-so.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Tudo em ordem</emphasis>.</p></td> <td><p>Everything is fine [literally “in order”].</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Até logo./Até mais</emphasis>.</p></td> <td><p>See you soon./See you later [literally “until…”].</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>Tchau!</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>Bye!</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <p>One quick note on saying goodbye: Brazilians have adopted the word <emphasis>tchau</emphasis> from the Italian <emphasis>ciao</emphasis> (bye), pronounced very closely to the Italian, but with a Portuguese spelling. The original word from Portuguese for “good-bye” is <emphasis>adeus</emphasis>, which is still very common in European Portuguese. The diminutive <emphasis>adeuzinho</emphasis> is also heard among friends. If, however, a Brazilian says <emphasis>adeus</emphasis>, it usually has a serious connotation, as in “goodbye forever.” So you might want to avoid saying that, especially after you have made some friends!</p> <h2>At a Social Gathering</h2> <p>Learning a language can be so much fun because you are able to make so many new friends from a different culture. In a social gathering, you have to master not only familiar greetings, but also ones that are a bit more formal in nature. The following are some examples of greetings and introductions that will help you with your newly acquired “social skills.”</p> <p><emphasis role="Bolditalic">Q:</emphasis> Flávia: <emphasis>Rodrigo</emphasis>, <emphasis>eu gostaria de te apresentar à Dona Maria</emphasis>. (Rodrigo, I would like to introduce you to Mrs. Maria.) [The word <emphasis>Dona</emphasis> is an honorific, a sign of respect, but it is followed by one's first name.]</p> <p><emphasis role="Bolditalic">A:</emphasis> Rodrigo: <emphasis>Muito prazer, Dona Maria</emphasis>. (Nice to meet you, Mrs. Maria.)</p> <p><emphasis role="Bolditalic">Q:</emphasis> Flávia: <emphasis>Dona Maria, eu gostaria de lhe apresentar ao meu amigo Rodrigo</emphasis>. (Dona Maria, I would like to introduce you to my friend Rodrigo.)</p> <p><emphasis role="Bolditalic">A:</emphasis> Dona Maria: <emphasis>Muito prazer, Rodrigo, você é o noivo da Flávia?</emphasis> (Nice to meet you, Rodrigo, are you Flávia's fiancé?)</p> <p>Other less formal examples are as follows:</p> <p><emphasis role="Bolditalic">Q:</emphasis> Michele: <emphasis>Olá pessoal, eu gostaria de apresentar para vocês o meu amigo Robert</emphasis>. (Hello guys, I would like to introduce you (pl.) to my friend Robert.)</p> <p><emphasis role="Bolditalic">A:</emphasis> Robert: <emphasis>Prazer!</emphasis> (My pleasure!)</p> <p><emphasis role="Bolditalic">Q:</emphasis> Felícia: <emphasis>Oi Robert, tudo bem?</emphasis> (Hi Robert, how's it going?)</p> <p><emphasis role="Bolditalic">A:</emphasis> Robert: <emphasis>Tudo bem, mas estou morrendo de calor!</emphasis> (Great, but I'm dying from this heat!)</p> <p>Here are some more casual examples:</p> <p><emphasis role="Bolditalic">Q:</emphasis> Flávia: <emphasis>Este é o meu amigo Patrício</emphasis>. (This is my friend Patrício.)</p> <p><emphasis role="Bolditalic">A:</emphasis> Sílvio: <emphasis>Esta é a minha esposa Isaura</emphasis>. (This is my wife Isaura.)</p> <p><emphasis role="Bolditalic">Q:</emphasis> Flávia: <emphasis>Encantada</emphasis>. (Nice to meet you.)</p> <p><emphasis role="Bolditalic">A:</emphasis> Sílvio: <emphasis>Muito prazer</emphasis>. (My pleasure.)</p> <p>Other responses to introductions include the following:</p> <p><emphasis>Igualmente</emphasis>. (Likewise.)</p> <p><emphasis>O prazer é (todo) meu</emphasis>. (The pleasure is [all] mine.)</p> <h2>Making Conversation in Portuguese</h2> <p>After introductions are done, the real conversation begins. Your host/hostess will probably say <emphasis>bem-vindo</emphasis> (if you are a man) and <emphasis>bem-vinda</emphasis> (if you are a woman). Once you have been introduced to people, you will have to carry on a conversation that goes beyond simple greetings. At times you might want to ask for clarification. Here are some useful guidelines:</p> <p>Getting into the conversation with polite interruption:</p> <p></p> <p>TRACK 91</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>perdão</emphasis> (excuse me; sorry)</p> <p><emphasis>por favor</emphasis> (please)</p> <p><emphasis>por obséquio</emphasis> (please [more formal])</p> <p><emphasis>por gentileza</emphasis> (please [more formal])</p> </div> <p>These expressions indicate you are not following the conversation:</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>Desculpa</emphasis>, <emphasis>não entendi</emphasis>. (Sorry, I didn't understand.)</p> <p><emphasis>Não escutei direito</emphasis>. (I didn't hear that well.)</p> <p><emphasis>Perdão, não compreendo</emphasis>. (Sorry, I don't understand.)</p> </div> <p>Here's how to express your confusion with a question:</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>Como?</emphasis> (What?)</p> <p><emphasis>Desculpa</emphasis>, <emphasis>o que o senhor/a senhora falou?</emphasis> (Pardon me, what did you say sir/ma'am?)</p> <p><emphasis>O que significa</emphasis>…<emphasis>?</emphasis> (What does… mean?)</p> <p><emphasis>Quando se diz</emphasis>…<emphasis>?</emphasis> (When do you say… ?)</p> <p><emphasis>Por que o senhor/a senhora disse que… ?</emphasis> (Why do you [sir/ma'am] say… ?)</p> </div> <p>Here's how to request that the speaker repeat what was said:</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>Por favor, o senhor/a senhora poderia repetir?</emphasis> (Please, could you repeat that [sir/ma'am]?)</p> <p><emphasis>Por gentileza, o senhor/a senhora poderia repetir o que disse?</emphasis> (Please, could you repeat what you said [sir/ma'am]?)</p> <p><emphasis>O senhor/a senhora poderia me fazer o favor de repetir?</emphasis> (Would the gentleman/the lady do me the favor of repeating that?)</p> </div> <p>When you are learning a new language, it may seem like people are speaking way too fast. This is because since you are still learning the beginning and ends of words, and they all seem to blend together. So you might want to ask speakers to slow down using the following expressions:</p> <p></p> <p>TRACK 92</p> <p><emphasis>Desculpe</emphasis>, <emphasis>não falo português fluentemente. Você poderia falar mais devagar?</emphasis> (Sorry, I don't speak Portuguese fluently. Could you speak a little slower?)</p> <p><emphasis>Por favor, o senhor/a senhora poderia falar mais devagar? Eu não entendi da primeira vez</emphasis>. (Please, would the gentleman/the lady speak a little slower? I didn't get it the first time.)</p> <p>Here are some other tips that you might find useful:</p> <ul> <li><p>Say <emphasis>com licença</emphasis> (excuse me) when you are passing through a crowd and need to get somewhere.</p></li> <li><p>Say <emphasis>perdão!</emphasis> or <emphasis>desculpa!</emphasis> (sorry) if you need to apologize for bumping into someone.</p></li> <li><p>Say <emphasis>com a sua licença</emphasis> (excuse me) if you need to excuse yourself from the table.</p></li> </ul> <h2>Conversation Starters</h2> <p>Suppose that you have no idea as to how to start talking. Here are some topics that can help you:</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>o clima</emphasis> (the weather)</p> <p><emphasis>a situação econômica</emphasis> (the economic situation)</p> <p><emphasis>a situação internacional</emphasis> (the international situation)</p> <p><emphasis>os filmes que estão passando no momento</emphasis> (the movies currently showing)</p> </div> <p>Here are some questions to get conversations started with native speakers:</p> <p></p> <p>TRACK 93</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>Que clima maravilhoso, não acha?</emphasis> (What wonderful weather, don't you think?)</p> <p><emphasis>Que tempo horrível lá fora, não?</emphasis> (What horrible weather outside, right?)</p> <p><emphasis>O que você acha?</emphasis> (What do you think?)</p> <p><emphasis>Que filmes você gosta de ver?</emphasis> (What movies do you like to see?)</p> </div> <h2>Farewell</h2> <p>Everything must come to an end, and so do conversations. Here are some ways of saying “goodbye” in Portuguese.</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>Até logo!</emphasis> (See you later!)</p> <p><emphasis>Até mais!</emphasis> (See you soon!)</p> <p><emphasis>Até a próxima</emphasis>. (Until next time.)</p> <p><emphasis>Até amanhã</emphasis>. (Until tomorrow.)</p> <p><emphasis>Tchau!</emphasis> (Bye!)</p> </div> <h2>Cultural Differences in Conversations</h2> <p>Brazilians normally like to talk about a variety of topics, such as the weather, fashion, and hotly debated or even controversial topics. The role of the United States in the world, and how this affects Brazilians worldwide, is a favorite among many university students and young people in general. The concept of “Brazilianness” or what it means to be “Brazilian” is another common topic of discussion. In that same vein, be prepared to answer many questions about what it really means to be an “American” or about your views on current world affairs. If talking about these topics makes you uncomfortable, say so! Brazilians will most likely not insist, and then will invite you to a party so you can learn more about their country!</p> <!--/gc--> <div id="pagination"><ul><li class="prev"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/means-of-communication/" title="Means of Communication">Means of Communication</a></li><li class="next"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/means-of-communication/communication-by-mail.htm" title="Communication by Mail">Communication by Mail</a> </li></ul></div></div> <div id="coda"> <div id="rel"><div class="n5">Related Articles</div><ul> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/means-of-communication/in-person.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> In Person - Brazilian Portuguese </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/how-are-you-introducing-estar/mental-states.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Mental States - Brazilian Portuguese </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/nouns-articles-and-contractions/definite-and-indefinite-articles.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Definite and Indefinite Articles - Brazilian Portuguese </a></li> <li><a href="http://gobrazil.about.com/od/brazilcarnival/ss/saopaulocarnivalparade_6.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Unidos de Vila Maria - Profile of Unidos de Vila Maria - Sao Paulo Car... </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/traveling-to-samba-land/getting-real.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Getting Real - Brazilian Portuguese </a></li> </ul></div> <div id="sec"><div class="n5">Read More Means of Communication</div><ul><ul class="col1"><li class="btO">In Person</li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/means-of-communication/communication-by-mail.htm">Communication by Mail</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/means-of-communication/making-phone-calls.htm">Making Phone Calls</a></li> </ul><ul class="col2"><li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/means-of-communication/vocabulary-ficar-tornar-se-fazer-se-to-become.htm">Vocabulary: Ficar, Tornar-se, Fazer-se (to Become)</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/means-of-communication/more-vocabulary-expressions-with-estar-com-and-ter.htm">More Vocabulary: Expressions with Estar com and Ter</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/means-of-communication/communication-practice.htm">Communication Practice</a></li> </ul></ul></div> </div> <script>if(zSbL<1)zSbL=3;zSB(2);zSbL=0</script> </div> <div id="widgets"><script type="text/javascript">if(z336>0){w('<div id="adB">'+ap[0]+at[4]+as[0]);adunit('','','about.com',ch,gs,336,280,'1','bb',3);w('</div>')}if(z155>0){w('<div id="adP">'+ap[0]+at[4]+as[0]);adunit('','','about.com',ch,gs,336,155,'1','ps',4);w('</div>')}</script> <div id="pg" class="pane"><div class="n3">Shopping</div><div class="cntnr"><a href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-learning-brazilian-portuguese-book-with-cd/ "><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/np/brazilian-portuguese/Cover.jpg"></a><h4><a href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-learning-brazilian-portuguese-book-with-cd/ ">THE EVERYTHING LEARNING BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE BOOK</a></h4><p><a href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-learning-brazilian-portuguese-book-with-cd/ ">By Fernanda L. Ferreira, Ph.D.</a></p><div id="fp"><a href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-learning-brazilian-portuguese-book-with-cd/ ">Buy This Book</a></div></div></div> <div id="toc" class="pane"><div class="n3">Brazilian Portuguese Sections</div><ul><li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/introducing-the-portuguese-language/">Introducing the Portuguese Language</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/the-sounds-of-portuguese/">The Sounds of Portuguese</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/beginning-conversation/">Beginning Conversation</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/nouns-articles-and-contractions/">Nouns, Articles, and Contractions</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/who-are-you-introducing-ser/">Who Are You? Introducing Ser</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/how-are-you-introducing-estar/">How Are You? Introducing Estar</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/describing-people-and-things-in-portuguese/">Describing People and Things in Portuguese</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/the-vocabulary-of-numbers/">The Vocabulary of Numbers</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/first-conjugation-verbs/">First Conjugation Verbs</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/second-conjugation-and-beyond/">Second Conjugation and Beyond</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/important-verbs-to-know/">Important Verbs to Know</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/verb-tenses-an-overview/">Verb Tenses: an Overview</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/more-verbs/">More Verbs</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/negative-words-and-constructions/">Negative Words and Constructions</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/questions-and-exclamations/">Questions and Exclamations</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/the-future-and-other-tenses/">The Future and Other Tenses</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/imperative-and-subjunctive-constructions/">Imperative and Subjunctive Constructions</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/carnaval-samba-feijoada-and-futebol/">Carnaval, Samba, Feijoada, and Futebol</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/means-of-communication/">Means of Communication</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/traveling-to-samba-land/">Traveling to Samba-Land</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/appendix-a-english-to-portuguese-glossary/">English-to-Portuguese Glossary</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/appendix-b-portuguese-to-english-glossary/">Portuguese-to-English Glossary</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/appendix-c-answer-key/">Exercise Answer Key</a></li> </ul></div></div> <script type="text/javascript">zCi();validateForms();</script> <div id="abf" style="padding-right:0"><ol class="crumbtrail"><li class="home"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/">Home</a></li><li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/">Brazilian Portuguese</a></li><li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/brazilian-portuguese/means-of-communication/">Means of Communication</a></li><li>In Person</li></ol></div> <div id="aboutinfo" class="hlist"><div id="morefrom"><h6>Visit other About.com sites:</h6><ul><li><a href="http://caloriecount.about.com/" rel="nofollow">Calorie Count</a></li><li><a href="http://www.consumersearch.com/" rel="nofollow">ConsumerSearch</a></li><li class="last"><a href="http://www.allexperts.com/" rel="nofollow">Allexperts.com</a></li></ul></div> <ul id="siteinfo"><li><a href="http://spiderbites.about.com/sitemap.htm">SiteMap</a></li><li><a href="http://www.about.com/gi/pages/hc.htm" rel="nofollow">Help</a></li><li><a href="http://www.about.com/gi/pages/mprivacy.htm" rel="nofollow">Privacy Policy</a></li><li><a href="http://www.about.com/gi/pages/mprivacy.htm#adchoices" rel="nofollow">Your Ad Choices</a></li><li class="last"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/pform.htm" rel="nofollow">Contact Us</a></li></ul> <ul id="companyinfo"><li class="last"><a href="http://shop.everything.com/ " rel="nofollow">Buy Books</a></li></ul><div id="disclaimer"><p>Netplaces.com, a part of <a href="http://www.nytco.com/">The New York Times Company</a>.</p><p>All rights reserved.</p></div></div></div> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- zPxA[zPxC]=new Image();zPxA[zPxC++].src="http://b.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=6036459&c7=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2enetplaces%2ecom%2fbrazilian%2dportuguese%2fmeans%2dof%2dcommunication%2fin%2dperson%2ehtm&c8=In%20Person&c9=&cv=2.0&cj=1"; adclose() //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript">(function(){var po=document.createElement('script');po.type='text/javascript';po.async=true;po.src='https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js';var s=document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(po,s)})();</script> </body></html>