Português II

Bom dia galera! Tudo bem?

You all ready how much I am in LOVE with Portuguese. I don't even need to get started on that right now, lol. Today, or rather, yesterday, I got to the near halfway point of Portuguese II, and I hit a big milestone. In every foreign language, not just Portuguese, there are certain very important words that you can't wait to start using.

In the beginning, you NEED to know how to say, "I don't understand" and "I understand a little" *insert whatever language you're learning here*. That's fine and well, but those are present tense. But if you think about it, most of the conversations we have are in the past tense. Here's an example:

Past tense
A: Hey, what's been going on?
B: Nothing much. I went to the store, and I got some apples, because my doctor told me that I should eat healthily.

Present Tense
A: Hey, what goes on?
B: Nothing much. I go to the store, and I get some apples, because my doctor tells me that I should eat healthily.

Weird when it's all in first-person, right? Exactly. Now I have gotten a grasp on how to conjugate normal verbs, but one of the trickiest verbs I got some help with today was the first-person, past tense conjugation of "ir", which means to go. Now, being that I have a lot of experience with Spanish, I knew that "I went" in that particular language is "Fui" or "Yo fui". Portuguese and Spanish are like cousins, so I should have had some idea that they would be similar.

I also learned how to use "foi" in a variety of sentences, as well as how to say lunch, which again, is similar to "almuerzo" in Spanish. In Portuguese, it's "Almocar" (forgive me for not having the proper 'c' with the mark at the bottom).

It's crazy how one word can open up a ton of conversation, and it makes you realize that even though we live in the present, we talk in the past.

I've been reading a book called "Dirty Portuguese: Everyday Slang" and have been able to translate things without needing to look them up. And let's face it, one of the first things everyone wants to know in a foreign language is how to curse (unless you're a goody-goody or don't believe in telling someone to shut the fuck up). It doesn't just teach you that, but it also gives you some really important phrases to use that a professional course won't teach you. I can't wait to try a couple of them when I speak to my Brazilian friend again.

As always, constructive comments, questions, and tips are welcome!

Ate logo meus amigos, e eu vou te ver mais tarde,

Your Favorite Polyglot
Twitter: @mistercapoeira