Portugal: it looks like Spanish and sounds like nothing I knew — Page 3

Portugal: it looks like Spanish and sounds like nothing I knew

So I dropped back to five words and used them properly. Good morning. Thank you. Please. A coffee. Cool. That is a whole day of interactions if you say them at the right moments.

The one that surprised my students most is "obrigada" — you thank people in the gender of the speaker, so I say obrigada and a man says obrigado. There is no equivalent decision to make in English.

Portugal is the clearest argument I know for teaching listening from day one. Recognising a word on paper and catching it at speed are two different skills, and only one of them gets you a coffee.

Portugal: it looks like Spanish and sounds like nothing I knew

The words that opened this door

Five things to say, and when to say them.

Bom dia
in Portuguese
Good morning
The opening move for almost every interaction before midday.
Obrigada
in Portuguese
Thank you
The word agrees with the speaker's gender — a woman says "obrigada", a man "obrigado".
Se faz favor
in Portuguese
Please
More common in Portugal than "por favor".
Um café
in Portuguese
An espresso
Ask for "um café" and you get a small strong shot, not a mug.
Fixe
in Portuguese
Cool
Pronounced roughly "feesh".

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Portugal: it looks like Spanish and sounds like nothing I knew — Page 3 of 3

The words that opened this door