I adore this! I've been studying Brazilian Portuguese for the past two years, and I've wanted to go to visit Brazil for years, and I'm finally going this fall to Rio. This inspired me to take my language study more seriously, it's always been an intimidating but beautiful language to me. What was your learning process like? Especially as someone who knows Spanish too.
Omg, so excited for you to spend time there this year! And honestly yes, it’s such a hard language to learn — the pronunciation is so complex.
I picked up a lot of my Portuguese by immersion in Brasil! Now I have an online tutor and try to consume lots of Brasilian media to help with the accent. 😂 Spanish really helped with grammar but I VERY often get words confused.
How did you end up starting to study it? It was a bit of an accident for me, I just really loved so many of the people I met and wanted to keep visiting!
I've just been doing Duolingo, watching Brazilian media, and following Brazilian content creators. I might look into an online tutor once I finish the last couple of levels on my Duo. I often confuse Spanish with Portuguese as well, even though I now know way more Portuguese than Spanish. I'm hoping my visit will help me feel more confident speaking it.
Whenever I talked about being shy with my friends, they would remind me that Brasilians love people who try! Which is suuuper true, I was always met with excitement.
I sometimes get a little thrown off by the accent in Rio so hopefully you can watch a lot of media from there too!
As a Brazilian writer and eternal English learner, I have to say: que texto lindo! You manage to describe the particularities of our language and our people very well and, finally, your words felt like a warm hug. Obrigada por isso!
I always found Brazilian Portuguese to be beautiful and most likely because my body remembers it as a baby. I lived in Brazil for almost a year before I was adopted. Thank you for bringing me into your world with your writing about Brazil. I can’t wait to go in January. I need to dive back into studying the language again.
hahaha very funny article. I'm from the states and living in Medellin for a year before moving to Rio, and I rmemember being blown away by the language, it was so hard. Even after leaving off and on here for three years the language is still super hard to learn. It's because the carioca accent is nuts and plus they talk in a hilarious way sometimes. Like Brazilians don't even understand brazilians. Plus thye speak in a lot of slang. Very cool article tho, I hear what you were writing.
I’m so glad you could laugh along with me 😅The Carioca accent is absolutely the hardest for me, too! That must have been a wild intro to Portuguese. I would recommend learning the accents in SP or Minas, but since you’re moving to Rio I suppose you’ll have to put up with it haha :) But congrats on the move!
This line, Zefan.. Holy cow. "This sounded like watercolor, when all I had known was ink." Beautiful. 😍
I adore this! I've been studying Brazilian Portuguese for the past two years, and I've wanted to go to visit Brazil for years, and I'm finally going this fall to Rio. This inspired me to take my language study more seriously, it's always been an intimidating but beautiful language to me. What was your learning process like? Especially as someone who knows Spanish too.
Omg, so excited for you to spend time there this year! And honestly yes, it’s such a hard language to learn — the pronunciation is so complex.
I picked up a lot of my Portuguese by immersion in Brasil! Now I have an online tutor and try to consume lots of Brasilian media to help with the accent. 😂 Spanish really helped with grammar but I VERY often get words confused.
How did you end up starting to study it? It was a bit of an accident for me, I just really loved so many of the people I met and wanted to keep visiting!
I've just been doing Duolingo, watching Brazilian media, and following Brazilian content creators. I might look into an online tutor once I finish the last couple of levels on my Duo. I often confuse Spanish with Portuguese as well, even though I now know way more Portuguese than Spanish. I'm hoping my visit will help me feel more confident speaking it.
Whenever I talked about being shy with my friends, they would remind me that Brasilians love people who try! Which is suuuper true, I was always met with excitement.
I sometimes get a little thrown off by the accent in Rio so hopefully you can watch a lot of media from there too!
Good tips! Thank you.
As a Brazilian writer and eternal English learner, I have to say: que texto lindo! You manage to describe the particularities of our language and our people very well and, finally, your words felt like a warm hug. Obrigada por isso!
Such incredible praise! This alone makes me so happy to have shared this on Substack :) Obrigada, Andi! 💙
I always found Brazilian Portuguese to be beautiful and most likely because my body remembers it as a baby. I lived in Brazil for almost a year before I was adopted. Thank you for bringing me into your world with your writing about Brazil. I can’t wait to go in January. I need to dive back into studying the language again.
hahaha very funny article. I'm from the states and living in Medellin for a year before moving to Rio, and I rmemember being blown away by the language, it was so hard. Even after leaving off and on here for three years the language is still super hard to learn. It's because the carioca accent is nuts and plus they talk in a hilarious way sometimes. Like Brazilians don't even understand brazilians. Plus thye speak in a lot of slang. Very cool article tho, I hear what you were writing.
I’m so glad you could laugh along with me 😅The Carioca accent is absolutely the hardest for me, too! That must have been a wild intro to Portuguese. I would recommend learning the accents in SP or Minas, but since you’re moving to Rio I suppose you’ll have to put up with it haha :) But congrats on the move!