Phil and Jill go to Brazil

Have you ever dreamed of visiting Ipanema's poetic beaches? Of samba'ing in Bahia's carnavais? Of meeting a wild mico-leão in an Amazonian adventure? Whatever your dreams and hopes may be, my goal is to make your tongue dance with Brazilian Portuguese.

A preview of what I will deliver:

Pronunciation notes for all new words and phrases

My pronunciation key is designed to make Americans sound as authentic as possible, by using the right combinations of letters.

João foi pra praia e voltou com um paralelepípedo.
John went to the beach and came back with a pavement block.

Zhoo-'uh-oong 'fo-ee bprah 'bprah-ee-uh ee vo-oo-'dto gkong oong bpah-ttah-lae-lae-'bpee-bpeh-dtoo (it's easier to understand than it looks)

Note: I am from São Paulo, and will strictly teach the paulista accent. I may cover other regional accents superficially.

Key phrases that summarize grammatical points

Pairing the subjunctive and conditional tenses in a hypothetical situation

Se eu tivesse cinco reais, compraria um abacaxi.
Si eh-oo chee-'vae-si 'seeng-gkoo heh-'ah-ees, gkong-bprah-'ttee-uh oong ah-bah-gkah-'shee.
If I had five reais, I would buy a pineapple.

Possessive pronoun agreement

Minha mãe achou a sua carteira e o seu chaveiro.
'Mee-ñuh 'muh-eeng ah-'sho-oo ah 'soo-uh gkahr-'dteh-ee-ttuh ee oo 'seh-oo shah-'veh-ee-ruh.
My mother found your wallet and your keychain.

The gender of possessive pronouns (and articles) agree with the noun following them.

Thinking around linguistic barriers

When you cannot find the words you need, simplifying your line of thought and using synonyms can still convey effectively the core of what you mean.

For example, máquina (machine) can replace several inanimate nouns with a capability of doing specific tasks. If you cannot remember geladeira (refrigerator), try máquina fria (cold machine), or máquina pra guardar comida (machine to place food in). Be descriptive and creative!

Grammatical shortcuts

In colloquial speech, one of the most useful simplifications is replacing "nós" (us) with the more informal "a gente" (literally, the folk) to reduce your need to memorize first person plural verb conjugations. Because "gente" is a third person singular noun, a verb following 'a gente' is conjugated as third person singular (ele/ela), instead of first person plural (nós).

In a similar vein, the second person singular conjugations (tu, vós) are practically unnecessary because everyone says você and vocês, saving tu and vós for drama. Você(s) are conjugated as third person.

Paz e amor, (bpahz ee ah-'mor)
Peace and love,

Heitor