Language Lessons
Notes to reader: 1 - The pictures in this post have little to do with the content. They are all funny translations or random things we’ve come across that are attempting to appeal to Americans, maybe? Warning - it is not all kid appropriate!
2 - I still haven’t figured out how to type using accent marks on my personal computer keyboard, so they are lacking in this post. For those of you who might be secretly judging my un-accented words, I am aware they are missing!
Desculpe, estou aprender portugues, podia falar mais devagar, por favor?
We FINALLY started Portuguese classes. Jason and I are both excited and ready to communicate in Portuguese. It can be very tiring to not understand so much of what is going on, it wears you down.
English really is a universal language. Everyone knows some level of English. For people who don’t speak each other’s languages, for example Italian and Dutch or German - they will always speak to each other in English. It is so interesting to hear people walking around talking to each other in English when it is not their first language, in a country that is not English-speaking.
It isn’t Spanish
I have always loved languages, and yearn to be multi-lingual, but have never had a gift for it. I have to work hard at it. After four years and a degree in Spanish, I have lost so much of my Spanish it is a bit embarrassing. I would say it helps me with Portuguese, but I’d be lying. It mostly confuses me. Every time I try a word I think might be correct, I get the “that’s Spanish” glare, and every time I doubt myself and don’t guess the word, it is always a word I would have guessed in Spanish. I have tried to clear my head to learn this language, since even the words that are the same are pronounced differently.
Examples:
Ola, como estas, por favor - same in Spanish and Portuguese.
Monday - Lunes? Don’t be ridiculous, it’s Segunda-feira.
It is in fact a VERY different language than Spanish, it sounds and feels different, even though a good 50% of the words are the same (shhh don’t tell anyone I said that). It is insulting to Portuguese, as far as I can tell, to even suggest that the two are similar.
French doesn’t count.
So this is just an observation, probably not really accurate. Most Europeans and English I’ve met say they don’t speak another language, and they want to learn Portuguese. And then it somehow comes up they speak French. Does French not count as another language? I think a lot of people (maybe just in the UK?) learn French in school the way we learn Spanish in school in the US, and most people don’t really “speak Spanish” even with years of lessons. But I would say every single person I’ve met is at least bilingual, but usually speaks three or more languages, at least enough the get by.
Since it is so easy to speak in English, we have to actively work to communicate in Portuguese when out and about. Most people are very patient, helpful and encouraging. On occasion there is a very impatient store clerk, but that seems universal so no biggie. I was once an impatient store clerk myself.
We can order at restaurants and bakeries, ask people questions and be polite in Portuguese. But if we want to get the gas bill in our name or buy a car, well that’s another story. I’ve been trying to listen to Portuguese radio, and one thing I’ve found really helps me is going to the gym. Every class is in Portuguese, and class instructors are always repeating themselves, by nature - “breathe in, breath out” or “again/now/repeat/faster” so my vocabulary is expanding, which is great.
Maybe if I tell the gas company to breathe in and pick up the pace we’ll get the gas bill in our name a little faster.
I love being surrounded by so many languages, it is so exciting to me to hear the sing song of different intonations all around, and try to guess what people are speaking.
And now for something completely different…Because apparently I am a 12 year old boy, and not a 45 year old woman.
We pass this restaurant almost daily, and Jason pointed out one of the statues, which has unique features that have clearly been noticed by others, and is regularly fondled apparently. It makes us laugh every time.
One of the more beloved of the twelve Chinese zodiacs
Is this supposed to be appealing? The bacon picture looks like doggie bacon
Kid's backpack. Were they just looking up "cool words in English"?
Nothing funny about bleach. The funny part is I bought this thinking it was laundry detergent. I didn't think to even translate the package until I poured it in the laundry and it didn't seem right.
This is the laundry detergent. And apparently has multiple purposes - who knew?!
E tudo por agora. Ja tenho saudeds vossas. Tenham um otimo dia e mantenham-se curiosos!
~Cassandra