Meu Dicionário Português-Inglês / My Portuguese-English Dictionary

My Take on the World's Most Beautiful Language

Abraços = "hugs" the traditional goodbye along with tchau (pronounced chow).

Abacate = avocado, eaten with sugar here. See: Daniel está fazendo sanduiche de abacate!" below.

Academia = gym, they take looking good so seriously, that it is an academic pursuit

Adega = storage place for wine, etc. used for such things as cachaça as well.

Aeromoça = flight attendant

Agitado = agitated, disturbed

Ai que bonitinha! = oh how cute you are! (or more accurately - you cute little thing, you!)

Alambique = Its not an accident that this word falls between "Ai que bonitinha!" and "alegria", as if there were no alambiques in Brasil, there would be relatively less alegria, and fewer people feeling bonitinha. It is a place that processes sugar cane for cachaça.

ALCAN = the horrid, stinky aluminum factory that spews stinky shit all over us, and makes my asthma go into overdrive... rumor has it that it is closing... yay!

Aconchegante = cozy

Alegria = happiness, a most definite and overall Brazilian trait

Alfabetização = literacy, not a sopa with letters in it

Almoço = almoçar (aw mo sar) is to have lunch. For those of us from California, "Lets do lunch" = Vamos almoçar".

Almoço executivo = executive lunch... always a huge amount of food for a price... the best deal of all.

Amanhã = tomorrow

Ampulheta = hourglass

Anátema = anathema, condenação

Anjos = angels, anjos com in all shapes, sizes, ages and colors... Brazilians are very nice people, and love to help you out!

Apartamento = apartment, condominium

Apart hotel = is it an apartment or is it a hotel? its two, two places in one... you have a room, apartment, but they come in look around, clean up, and keep an eye on things... they serve breakfast, they are great places to make friends... the folks at Aparthotel Flomon are super!

Araucaria = People know that I am nuts about Araucaria angustifolias , almost as nuts as I am about the redwoods in Califórnia... they are big giant huge umbrella-like trees, same family as the monkey puzzle tree.

Arco-íris = rainbow

Armário = wardrobe, saindo do armário / coming out of the closet

Arroz = rice

Aspas = quotation marks

Avenida Atlântica = the heart of Copacabana, the most famous boulevard in all of Latin America, and arguably the most beautiful as well.

Bacalhau = cod

BdoB = Banco do Brasil see below.

Banda larga = wide band connection to the internet

Bairro = barrio, neighborhood, like barrio in Spanish

Banca = not a bank (that would be o banco), they are newsstands on steroids... all over the country, all over every city, selling magazines, candy, cigarettes, newspapers...

Banca = also a review board, committee for a defense of a thesis

Banco do Brasil = Bank of Brasil (veja bem... banco = bank; banca = newstand)

Bandalheira Folclórica Ouro-Pretana (Bafo): during carnaval we march with them... black shoes, pants tie, white shirt, roll of TP on yoru belt and of course your penico (see below) on your head.

Banheiro = restroom

Barata = cockroach

Barato = cheap

Batuque / batucada = drummers (literally hammering)

Barzinho = little bar, but more like a corner market (just not on the corner but in a former garage) that sells candy, soda, little things to munch on, has a couple of tables and the obligatory tv... it is really quite handy when I need a sorvette de milho verde (ice cream made with a corn mix that is my favorite, cookies with it are even better). One is hard pressed not to have their favorite one, kind of like a futebol team here...

Barracas = little shacks /stands that sell food, and often have music playing... often along parks and beaches.

Barriga = potbelly

Batido = kind of milkshake

Beco = alley

Beijão = the kiss on both cheeks one can give women... it is funny, as more often than not one passes around the class and greets the women, "oi tudo bom?" kiss, kiss... also acceptable between gay men.

Berlane = Bear law nee, our colleague from Brasilia who once studyed in New Zealand amongst the Hobbits she lives in Brasilia.

Bis o Biu = a rather rowdy little karaoke bar and restuarante in Ouro Preto

Bloco Titânic = about the second or third day in CEAD, M & I were sittign in the big work area, and it began to really rain, sudden water started coming in above the windows and showering the computers on the desk near the windows... so we moved them fast and called for help... after that we call CEAD 2.05 Bloco Titânic.

Blusdifrii = blusa de frio / sweater

Boas festas! = Happy Holidays!

Bofetada = the big slap, a nice little restaurant a block or two from the Beach in Ipanema . It is across from an emergency room entrance, so while you eat, you can watch the show... comings and goings... mostly heart problems as it is a cardio-vascular emergency hospital.

Boehmia = a mark of beer in Brasil, never offer this to Santa Sylvia, it gives her a headache.

Buraco Quente = a neighborhood in Ouro PReto, lit: Hot Hole... its a warmer little valley in OP

BH = Belo Horizonte… pronounced bay a gah

BH Shopping = The BH Shopping Mall in BH (Eu desto os shoppings!)

BOLEMA -The Boletim de Educação Matemática, not bulimia, which after all the food we eat in Brasil, doesn't sound all that bad...

Bom dia = Good morning... a greeting (in the morning of course!).

O Boticário = a chain of healthy body lotion, perfume stores

Bradesco = my bank

Brasileiro/a = Brazilian (with an s not a z)

Brega = tacky

Bruxa = witch

Bugigangas = junk, nick-nacks, cheap little worthless tourist things that seem universal where ever tourist flock, no matter where or what nationality.

Cabeça = head, dor de cabeça = head ache

Cabaleilreiro = barber

Cachaça = aka fire water, cane whiskey... the essential element in caipirinha - the national drink, and M's mother's delight... I have to say its pretty good stuff. Also called pinga or aguardente. Amparo is famous for the numerous distilleries, it seems there are springs of it here where it wells up out of the ground making everyone here very festive... if you ask me its the same thing they put in cars... whew!

Cada Domingo = every Sunday; as in cada domingo temos que visitar a sogra (every Sunday we have to visit my mother in law)

Café-da-manhã = breakfast

Café com leite = Coffee with milk... Café latte for you Starbucks folks

Cachoeira do Campo = a town about 20 kms away and a bout 5-10c warmer than Ouro Preto

Caiu a fisha = the coin dropped, from the days when you bought a little token to make phone calls, and when your time was up, the coin dropped and the line went dead...

Caipirinha = the Rough Guide describes it as "a drink made from cachaça and crushed citrus fruit such as lemon, orange or maracujá"...which no one here ever has heard of... the book neglects the amount of sugar that is used in the drink... staggering proportions is adequate for a good caipirinha.

Calabresa = no not a town in Southern California (maybe it is, can't remember), but a kind of sausage.

Califórnia = California, pronounced not unlike Swartzneggar does "cow lee for nee a" nossa!...ever so sexy this way...

Campo de futebol = Where the local teams go to play futebol, in Ouro Preto there is a nice track up there where many of us go to walk in the morning. It has a grand view of the city.

Canja = chicken soup

Capela = chapel, sanctuary, shrine... a little church

Capoeira = Lonely Planet Brazil says "a martial art dance performed to the rhythms of the berimbau; developed by the slaves of Bahia. It is practiced everywhere here, and there are clubs in Sacramento.

Cappuccino and pão de queijo = a cappuccino and cheese bread... to die for, and I have to have this every day.

Carioca - people who live in Rio de Janeiro (the Cidade Maravilhoso)

Castorzão = castor = beaver, o castorão = big beaver... he's an OSU grad, whos been in Brazil for over 35 years... I am "castorzinho" the little beaver.

Casa = house; casarões = literally big houses, mansions

Casa do Contos = literally the counting house, but was the original mint in Brasil, beginning in the mid 18th century...

Caixa de Fósforos = literally - matchbox, how we refer to our apaprtmetn here in Ouro Preto

CEAD = CEAD - Centro de Educação Aberta ea Distância Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto pronounced: "say awd dee" and where I be work'n at UFOP.

Centro = downtown

Centro de Convenções = Convention Center

Celeiro = barn, not a celery store

Ceroulas = long under wear

Cerveja = beer, what they consume in a cervejaria

Céu = heaven, sky

Chinelo = sandals, but these are great… “Tipo Ryder”, which in the states cost 30.00, here cost me R$18.00. The real is 2.90…you do the math.

Chácara = little farm or country house.

Charmosa = charming (or kinda fat)

Chato = boring, annoying "light weight" - a very disagreeable person...

Chaves = keys

Cheio de movimiento = full of movement, which means there is a lot of people and things going on.

Cheirona = cheiro = smell, cheirona is the name I gave to Milton's dad's car... it really stank in side after years of hauling recycling goods... it was a very old Fiat that he managed to stick together with a number of amazing and heroic acts of wire, tubes and glue...

Chester = a very large chicken, almost the size of a peru

Chimarrão = (pronounced "she ma ra oh") a tea drunk by gauchos in Southern Brasil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina. Best shared with friends... good stuff. It is a manly drink - the gauchos (cowboys) here drink a lot of it.

Choperia = a place that serves chopp (pron: show pee), beer. The beer in Brasil is excellent... why they don't market it is beyond me...

Chopp = what you drink in a choperia.

Churrasco = kind of like barbeque, only they roast the whole, if not a major part of the cow. Brasil not being a country of excess in a any way (ha!), we would never have churrasco for a measly steak, hamburger and hot dog as in os states, no!. This needs to be an all day affair, preferably in a friend's chácara and you must have a lot of annoying children (so I can practice saying " ai bonitinha" 1000 times) and very loud music... but its great fun! I think you can rent annoying children here for very little... every party has them... they must be cheap. I know now why people pinch children's cheeks... it give the impression that you love them. Children here are to be heard and seen... even Spencer noticed that when he was 9, "Dad, they really like kids here, don't they?"

Cidade Maravilhoso = where cariocas live (the marvelous city)

Ciúmes = jealosy

Claro! = clearly; of course it is! (depending on its use can also mean "of course it is you idiot!" Which is probably what they mean when the say it to me... )

Clube = club, as in a group of like minded souls, clubes de futebol are very common here.

CNPq = Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa, the good people who are funding my work in Brasil until I can get a permanent job as a waiter on the beach at Copacabana.

Côco = coconut

Coelho = rabbit, also the last name of our dear anjo in São Paulo, Sonja (Miss Bunny).

Coitado = poor guy!

Com licença senhor/a = excuse me sir/miss

Começar - to begin I get this one messed up with empezar in Spanish for the same... grrrrrrrrr!

Como esta indo o empacotamento? = How is the packing coming along?

Comprar flores = to buy flowers

Concurso = job interview - ours at UFOP was 3 parts points for the CV, points for a grueling written exam, and points for the demonstration lesson... rigorous, and interesting. it was the toughest professional experience of my life.

Confins = the airport north of BH

Confraternização = to fraternization ???... hehehe , a social get together

Congonhas = the airport inside the city of São Paulo... quite a thrill to land there with skyscrapers on either side of the runway... it adds a certain sound garden aspect to the over all city of São Paulo... jets and helicopters compete wit the ground transportation for who can be noisier...

Congresso Nacional = National Congress Building in Brasilia, one of the finest and most stirring buildings in the world.

Compromisso = commitment

Copa Mundial = World Cup - Futebol

Corretor de imóveis = realtor

Correios = post office

Convênio = agreement

Convidado = invited. as invited to take part in a conference

CPF = Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas - not unlike the SSN in the USA... tenho um!

Credo! = Who would believe such a thing!, much more efficient in Portuguese, I must say...

Cruzeiro do Sul = the southern cross, the most amazing of all constellations to my mind... its on the flag, its a futebol team...

Cultura e Tecnologia = culture and technology

cupim = termites

Curso = class, course

"Daniel está fazendo sanduiche de abacate!" = Daniel is making a avocado sandwich!

Declaração = declaration... a letter declaring that... what ever occurred when, where, how...

Departamento de Matemática = Mathematics Department, see DMAT below.

Departamento de Relações Externas = Department of International and Foreign Affairs, PUCC, as are many universities in Latin America are interested bringing professors to come teach and do research, for students to engage in exchanges, etc. That way people of many nations will be able to have affairs with foreigners.

Depois = after; depois do almoço na sexta-feira = after lunch on Friday; depois da quinta... = after Thursday and most importantly = depois de carnaval....

Desligar = disconnect, desligado = someone who is a little spaced out, not paying attention, doido

DMAT = pronounced "dee mat". and is the Departamento de Matemática at UFOP. It is where I worked from 2005-2006 thanks (obrigado a CNPq!), and where the Projeto Matemática can be found. DMAT it is housed in ICEB, which is in UFOP, which is in MG which is in BR which is in SA.

Desfile = parade, it has a special feeling and energy all its own in regards to carnival

Dia = day

Dia de Finados = All Souls Day, Day of the Dead in México, lit: Family Relations Day... but in Brasil it is always family relations day...so this is dead family relations day.

Dia de Independência = Independence Day

Doce de leite = a sweet, caramelized milk, that is spread on bread or in my case, eaten with a spoon right out the container... to die for.

Doido = bobo, really dumb... looney, daft, cuckoo, nuts. loco...doido (see disligado above)

Embaixador = ambassador

Encaminhando = literally walking, but in the case of my money is walking towards my bank account... thus the delay, if you have ever tried to walk in Brasilia, it is the least walkable city in Brasil... broad avenues and huge distances... no wonder my check is late... it all makes perfect sense!

E muito bom aqui = its really great here! I can't tell how true that is...

Enorme = big, enormous... I love the way the Cariocas pronounce this word... very breathy. Everything here is big... São Paulo is the 3rd or 4th largest metro area in the world with 28+ people... Rio has about 20 million in the metro area (Grande Rio). But it also describes people's love and souls and hearts are far bigger than the night sky...

Enxada = hoe

Espaço = a space, Espaço do music = a place to perform music

Especialização = specialization

Esplanada dos Ministérios = Ministerial Esplanade... one of the striking sights of the government center in Brasília is the matching government buildings that line the center of the city from the Congresso. also referred to as the Eixo Monumental.

Estadunidense = estado = state; unido = united; so this means "unitedstatesan", or gringo... or the operative word at the end of estadunidense is dense, as in folks from the Estados Unidos don't know or care much about the world.

Estacionamento = parking, most often found in a shopping

Estação ferroviária = train station

Esterco = manure, excrement(o)

Estrangeiros = foreigners, and comes from the same root as the word “stranger”.

Eta TREM BAO SO! = its all going to work out! (I think...)

FAOP = - Fundação de Arte de Ouro Preto

Fabuloso/a = fabuloso means fabulous, in the case of our dear Berlane it ends with the very femine and sexy "a".

Farmácia = pharmacy, drug store

Farofa = you sprinkle this stuff on everything you eat here... click the link and let Maria tell you about it.

Fazenda = ranch, farm, many former coffee plantations, complete with former slave quarters exist all over this region of Brazil

Fazendeiro = farmer

Fazer xixi = take a leak, to pee. See: YouTube - Propaganda Faça Xixi no Banho

Feijoada = the Brazilian national dish, made up of black beans sausage, and all kids of meat. Tasty!

Feio= ugly

Feira de antiguidades = antiques and crafts fairs in many major cities in Brasil. My favorites are those in Rio (Copacabana), Sampa and Campinas, they are places to buy gifts have a beer, and walk around and talk to people.

Feirinha = street market, often selling fruit and vegetables

Festa = party, festival... any reason, and we will give a festa... one thing that makes the Brazilians amazing people... one doesn't need mark one's agenda one month ahead either.

Festa de Toalhas = Festival of the Towels, there may be one here, there is always a festa for some reason, but I don't think that is what we were celebrating...

Festival de Inverno = Winter Festival... it averages about 75-80F (21-26c) here in Amparo, people have set up numerous baracas and sell food and crafts and things, there are concerts and open air films where we can stand around in sweaters, drink beer, and tell each other how cold it is, and how good it is to see each other. Its great fun!ras = lit: figures, or real characters, as in funny interesting people

Fio = wire

Flomon = the name of my Apart Hotel

Folha = Folha means pages or leaves, but refers here to the Folha de São Paulo one of nations largest newspapers, and a major publisher as well.

Formatura = graduation

Fórum = a official place here people go to get documents stamped and other mysterious legal things occur...

Fotos = photos, Portuguese in all its organized simplicity has managed centuries ago to rid itself of the annoying ph in photo and spell it correctly

Formatura = graduation

Força aérea brasileira = Brazilian Air Force, but in this reference it was a swarm of mosquitoes

Formigas = ants

Frango = chicken

Freud explica tudo = Freud explains everything...

Fugir = escape, run away, break free, to get out

Funcionários = workers

Furacão = hurricane

FURB = pronounced "fur bee" pronounced just like that annoying little robotic toy everyone just had to have for Christmas a few years ago.- is the University of Blumenau (Funadação Universidade de Blumenau) and is a nice place in a very nice city in a very very nice state in a very very very nice country... ok you get the picture...

Futebol = soccer.

Fusca = Volkswagen bug / fusca amarelo, carro azul / Two blue doors, and a blue fusca

Gambiarra = the Brazilian way of improvising, ii is the informal deviation of technical knowledge. It is a widespread cultural practice consisting of all kinds of improvised solutions for everyday problems, with any available material. Synonyms: jerry-rig, quick fix, do a MacGyver

Gavião-Real = Harpy Eagle (águila harpia)

Gente boa! = good people!

Guaraná = um ha, guaraná! a soft drink that well puts the B in Brasil... it is as linked to Brazilian identity as Coca Cola is to the United States.

Guarda-chuva - umbrella

Grátis= free

Greve = strike; em greve = on strike; "Estamos em greve?" = Are we on strike?

Haja fôlego = Take a big breath, get energy - Portanto, aja Fôlego para acompanhar essa cidade (You´ll need lots of energy to keep up with this city)

Happy Hour = Happy Hour

Heliporto = heliport

Hobbits = my reference to Nova Zelândia

Honra = honor

Horta = vegetable garden

HQ = headquarters, home

ICEB = pronounced "ee seb ee" is the Instituto de Ciências Exatas... this is where DMAT is. The Instituto de Ciências Exatas is devoted to the science of exactness... especially mathematics. In South America, they devote whole colleges to being exact, this is no less important here at UFOP. ICEB is a very exciting place, there are lots of rooms with computers and others where things that bubble and smell funny are located. There are people there with white lab coats and a lot of students who are very, very intelligent. All of which is devoted to being exact, teaching people to be exact, except if it about being in relation to time, which we are not bothered with being exact about, that is just plane silly. I love it, now if they could just get the computer in Sala 19 to connect to internet...

Igreja = church

Imagem dos Povos = Imagery of the the People - the 1st Ouro Preto International Audiovisual Seminar 27 de outubro a 2 de novembro de 2005.

Inconfidência Mineira = the movement begun in Ouro Preto in 1789, that eventually led to independence of Brasil from Portugal in 1822.

Indígenas = Native Brazilians, Indians

Ilha de Santa Catarina = Santa Catarina Island, much of which is an ecological reserve, and a whale sanctuary stretches form the south of the island for a 100 km or so. Its quite large maybe the size

Inseticida = insecticide

Intercâmbios = interchanges

Inverno = Winter

Ipê amarelo = the national tree, characterized by brillant yellow flowers... it dots the whole country at this time of year (spring), also in other colors

Itacolomy = a large phalic rock on the mountain of the same name about Ouro Preto... see Freud explica tudo above.

Je = short for Jefferson, this particular Je is the young "capitalist" next door to my sogra.

Jogar a precaução ao vento = throw caution to the wind

= over there

Ladeira = false cognitive, seems like it should be ladder, but it means slope, ascent, upward slope, acclivity... not uncommon to see a car try to go up a street here, to only back down and go around some other way.

Lançada = launched

Lanchonetes = little corner places that serve coffee, snacks, beer and sandwiches...

Land of the Hobbits = see Nova Zelândia below

Largo do Rosário = A praça in front of the Igreja do Rosário, which is the church that we live behind. Its a lovely place, which hosts a nice conjunto of houses.

Lei de Murphy = Murphy's Law

Lingüiça = sausage

Livraria = bookstore

Lixo = I pronounced "lee show" - garbage, trash...of which, unfortunately Brasil excels in

Loja = store

Lotação = taxi, that fills up and goes until it fills again... like a mini bus... but a small fiat or VW Gol

Macaco = monkey, but in this case a tire/car jack

Macaronada italiana = pasta

Maconha = marijuana

Magnífico reitor = the formal title of the reitor, or university president.

Malas = bags, suitcases

Mandioca = to die for, yucca, cut fried like french fries... I have to be careful or I'll turn into a blimp eating this stuff, you can't eat just one...

Mata = forest

Metrô = the subway / underground in São Paulo

Mierda = shit

Meu deus do céu! = oh my gawd in heaven!

Milagre = miracle

Minicurso = minicourse, longer than a speech, shorter than a class, the students receive a certificate, and generally pay just a little more for it, for professional development credit.

Mineiros = people from the state of Minas Gerais (General Mines), Uai!

Mirador = overlook, viewpoint

Moça = teenage girl; young lady (like the Spanish word hermosa – lovely)

Mofo = mold, mustiness - a signature smell of living in the centro histórico de Ouro Preto

Moleque = kid

Molhado = wet, damp

Monitores = monitors, in Recife (ENEM 2004) they were a great bunch of college kids who assisted with helping us get around the conference

Monografia = monograph, a thesis that the students work on to pass the univeristy, specialization and licenciatura.

Morro do Cristo = the hill in Amparo with a giant concrete Christ like in Rio

Morungaba = small town on way from Sampa, between Itiatiba and Amparo.

Movimento = movement, refers to what's happening, action - live, excitement, something going on.

MPB = Musica Popular Brasiliero.... good stuff.

Mudanças = (pronounced moo dance as) changes

Mulheres Apaixonadas = enthusiastic women, the telenovelas on Globo that has everyone apaixionado, it has about 51% of the population watching it. I haven't spent much time at it like I did last year's O Clone, the clone. Actually the quality is higher than American or Mexican versions, and often is used to get people thinking about social issues. Brasil overthrew the military dictatorship thru telenovelas, which were used to get mothers into the streets and beating pots and pans... it worked, as the democracy immerging here has 90% of the population voting all on computer terminals. American, specially Californians who have managed to waste another 35 million dollars during a economic and budget crisis on a recall of a governor that if they waited until March could have done the same, should be ashamed... but alas our media would never think of sharing such a success story, that would call in to question journalism and capitalism and democracy if it really exists at all..

Museu de Ciência e Técnica, Escola de Minas, Praça Tiradentes = Museum of Science nad Technology, School of Mines, Plaza Tiradentes... a grand buidlign on one end of the plaza in Ouro Preto.

Museu Aberto - Cidade Viva = Literally, Open Museum - City Alive. A walking tour of the city where buildings have plaques that tell about the history, its wildly popular and very fun to find. The house next door was built, weirdly enough by a guy named Sacramento about 150 yrs ago.

A must = a must do

Não adianta dar murro em ponta de faca = I think this means... don't try and bend the end of a knife with your fist, very sensible advice if you ask me. This was used in context of "wait, be patient, don't bang you head against the wall" sort of context.

Não estou gorda, estou charmosa! = I am not fat, I am charming

Nada ainda = nothing yet

Navegantes = the scrappy little airport for Blumenau on the Santa Catarina coast near Camboriú.

Nossa Senhora! = Our Lady, a cry like "oh my gosh"... its about the most important word to use here... very handy it covers a host of sins and exclamations.

Nova Zelândia = New Zealand, Land of the Hobbits.. Middle Earth... you know, where they filmed the movie... Bilbo, Berlane, Bill Barton... Frodo Lives!

Novo Código Civil = The New Civil Code, a new set of Bill of Rights that came into effect recently, remember Brazil has emerged form 50 years of Military Dictatorship and is building a new democracy here. There are rather interesting things in it like voting, Equal Rights for Women and Domestic Partnerships... what little I have read has led me to ask "why can't we do this?"

Obrigado(a) = thank you

Obrigatorio = a must, legal obligation, mandatory, voting here is mandatory , no vote, no social services, passports, healthcare etc.

Obras de artes = works of art

O Centro = os centros da cidade (city centers) here are lively, fun, and safe places, the suburbs are where the problems mainly lie... minus a bank hyst or two, it is always a fun place

O Passo = lit: the step, a pizza and bar in Ouro Preto

Oi! = Hi!

Ônibus = bus / the bus to Amparo is Fênix it used to be the Rápido Serrano...

Ontem = yesterday

O professor, como vai? = Oh professor, how are you?

OP = my own shortcut for Ouro Preto, no one uses it just me... but hey, this is my dictionary, Webster!

Orátorio = oratory

Orquestra Experimental de Ouro Preto = the amazingly great little symphony orchestra here in Ouro Preto, not sure why they are experimental, they seem pretty good!

Orquidário = a nice little park, science center and ecology place just a few blocks past the cemetery in Amparo. The city earns a lot of money by the orchids that they study and raise there.

Os santos = the saints

A seleção americana está PAIA! = The USA soccer team is the worst ever!

Os States = the States, as in United of.

O Toffolo = a very old bar and restaurant and hotelon the Rua São José in Ouro Preto, in front of which 3000 glbt folks stand and party during carnival.

Padaria = bakery, pastryshop

Padroeira dos professores estrangeiros, e a amiga dos gays = Santa Silvia, patron saint of visiting professors and gay men

Pagamento = paycheck

Paia = crap, a joke, no good

Pancada = rain showers, usually very heavy, and quite exciting... buckets of rain...

Pão = bread

Pão de Açúcar = The Sugar Loaf, a somewhat phallic rock (395m / 1295 ft) reached by a cable car tram... one of the symbols of Brasil and Rio.

Pão de queijo = one of Brasil's great discoveries, cheese bread... it is to die for

Palácio do Itamaraty = the Foreign Ministry Building in Brasilia... the capital of Brasil is Brasilia, not Buenos Aires.

Paralelepípedos = paving stones... say that word 20 times very fast... paralelepípedos, paralelepípedos, paralelepípedos, paralelepípedos...

Palavreado ruim = bad words

Palco = stage, parade stand

Patrimônio Mundial = World Heritage Site

Pássaro Verde = "The Green Bird" - the bus from Belo Horizonte to Ouro Preto

Pasto ou campina = pasture

Pecados = sins... As in “Não existe pecado do lado debaixo do equador” (there are no sins below the equator... we will let your Freudian sentiments explain this)

Pedra sabão = soap stone, a big item here in Ouro Preto, the y make bowls and pots to cook with, a mean pizza pan, and a lot of art and sculpture...

Penico = chamber-pot (see: Bandalheira Folclórica Ouro-Pretana)

Pentacampeão = fifth championship - World Cup Soccer Brazil is the only country in the world to do this.

Peru = not only a country, but the word for turkey

Peso = weight

Pesquisa = research

Pesquisador Visitante pelo CNPq = this former visiting Researcher with help from CNPq

Peso = weight

Pico do Jaragua = a rather large and imposing mountain near Sampa that is covered with antennas and things... below which is the Indigenous community that Sonia took me to visit.When you spot this out the window of the airplane, buckle up... you are landing.

Pinchazo = grafitti, how on earth is it that this stuff is on every building, bridge and park bench everywhere on the planet?

Pipas = kites

Pólos = poles, sites where our courses are sent long distance

Polícia Federal = immigration offices, keep in good graces with these folks and they will let you stay longer...

Jeito mineiro para dizer "ponto de ônibus" - Amigo, aqui é pondiôns?

Ponte JK = JK Bridge, JK refers to President Kubitshek who was responsible for organizing folks to build Brasilia, the capital of Brasil.

Portas de antipânico = anti panic doors...nossa!

Pousada = small cheaper hotels, often alot more interesting than hotels.

Posso pegar uma carona? = Can I catch a ride?

Povão = the people... ahh the people.. they are what makes this country so amazing

Pradaria = pasture

Praça = plaza, central square, Praça dos Três Poderes = Plaza of Three Powers (Congress, President and Judicial buildings)

Praça Tiradentes = the main Praça here in Ouro Preto, where Tiradentes was martyred for independence

Praticamente = practically

Presépio = crèche, a manger scene

Prédio amarelo = yellow building

Preguiça / Preguiçoso = lazy/laziness

Prefeitura = city hall / city government; prefeito/a = mayor

Presta atenção = pay attention!

Previsão = forecast... as in the weather...

PROCON = the consumer rights people in Brasil.

Professores estrangeiros = though it looks like strange professors, and in my case it may be partially

Profesora de português = Portuguese teacher

Pro-reitor = pro-rector; reitor = president of the university

PROBASE = Programa de Apoio à Educação Básica

Projetor = projector

PROEX = sounds like a type of condom, but it is actually the "pro-rectoria de extensâo" = university extension services.

PUCC = Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas (now you know why we call it PUCC – pronounced poo key). PUC-SP = São Paulo (poo key sow pow low).

Purina = a store that sells dog food and insectictide in Ouro Preto

Quarta-feira = Wednesday

Quase = (qua zi) almost, about, some

Que coisa boa! = what a wonderful thing!

Que bom = how nice, great!

Que feo! = how ugly!

Que vergonha! = what shame!

Que xique! = How (she -kay) que!

Quente = hot

Quinta = short for quinta-feira (Thursday)

Quilombos = during slavery, many Africans escaped and formed communities in the mountains and jungles of Brasil, some of these settlement still exist, and are very remote. Berlane, did her masters research in a quilombo looking at the mathematics in their context.

Reais = "hey ice" plural for the Real the money unit in Brazil

Reclamando = reclarmar is to grumble, grouch, nag, complain, almost bitchy, with more emphasis on the complain and less on the nag aspect. Brazilians do this in such a wonderful "don't mess with me" way, its a national sport, or trait, and one I wish we could adopt, as it is not nasty and mean, but very honest, and forthright, but with a touch of kindness and joy; reclamações = a list of them... wooo!

Referendo = referendum, voting is Obrigatorio

Reitoria = where the reitor hangs out... the reitor is the university president, so these places have a tendency to be important and serve good coffee.

Republicas = in Ouro Preto, where the students live - cross between a frat, dorm and a coop... many make up the carnival groups.

Rosa dos Ventos = Wind Rose, now closed

Roda da Samba = a small club where samba music is played and you dance until they close the place... which I am proud to say we did.

Rodoviária = bus depot

Ropa = clothes

Rosal = rose bush... my secret name for the family and home here.. shh!

Rua Alemanha = German Street, where we live in Amparo.

Rua Alvarenga = my street in Ouro Preto

Rua Direita = Right or Straight Street... yes their is a Rua Esquerda (it also goes down the hill). I think because it goes directly down the hill... it is our main drag, main street here in Ouro Preto... you have to be there when it rains... the builds all have canales that shoot the water out into the middle of the street, and since it is paved with paralelepípedos, the sound of the water cascading down the street is magical.

Rua São Jose = the main drag in Ouro Preto, off the Rua Direita

Sábado = Saturday

Sacco cheio = literally "full bag" but it means "I've had enough"... the bag of course has some linguistic connections to a certain part of the male anatomy.

Saia = dress, skirt... best if as tight as possible, even better if your friend meets you at the airport looking fabulous in one...Brazilian women are the mot sensual women on the planet, they are not uptight or confused about their sexuality as say their feminist cousins to the north are... here women can be feminist and sexy... though I wonder why they insist on wearing platform heels to walk around Ouro Preto... looking good necessitates a bit of danger I guess...

Saideira = the last bottle, kind of a "one for the road"... often they can extend to 4 or 5...

Saguão = entry hall of main buildings, where stairs and guards and elevators all meet

Sala de jantar = dining room

Salgadinhos = fat salty stuff, chips etc...

Sambódromo = sambdrome... a place where carnival is celebrated, can be an elaborate stadium as in many cities, or in the case of Amparo, a section of the city that is covered over and used for the parade.

Sampa = São Paulo; as the Big Apple is New York, Sampa is São Paulo. Its a crazy, maddening, fabulous place that I have grown to love, and dream about living in someday.

Santa Sylvia = padroeira (patron saint) of visiting professors and gays, the wife of João Luis o magnífico reitor do UFOP.

São Sebastião = St. Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes, warriors and gay men everywhere...

Saudades = it is a longing like missing your friends, family, the food, the noise, music, Brazilian coffee, the world’s most beautiful language, cachaça, driving the mighty Fiat, the 5 TV’s, chopp, “os normais”, friends, Milton’s annoying nephews, his Mother’s worrying about food all the time, and the way UOL disconnects every 5 minutes, coconut ice cream, pancadas de chuva na Rua Direita, the buses, bugigangas, the beaches, the daily walks, the way women talk, the way women walk, paralelepípedos, avocado sandwiches and the look on people’s faces when I make them, the gym, Brasília, Blumenau, Rio, Barra Mansa, Ouro Preto, SAMPA!, the metrô, Rápido Serrano, Dona Ziláh, fofocando com Tata, Chimarrão, PUCC, FURB, USP… Ruy (and his angels), Vera, Roseli, Ana Cristina, Tata, Aresteu, my students, in other words it is akin to a deep homesickness... and it is a hurt that cannot be described in English.

Secretária Municipal de Educação = Municipal School District Offices;

Secretário de Educação = Superintendent of Schools

Self-service = restaurants that are akin to a buffet or chuckwagon in the the states, except you pay by the kilo... the best place to go, as there is always

Senado federal = senate

Sertão = Brazil's arid desert region here not far from the wet humid coast... with centuries of poverty and history...

Shopping = Brazilians use this word as a noun for shopping center, I think its weird... Shopping Dom Pedro I ( a big place in Campinas = The Dom Pedro I Shopping Center is named after the first emperor of Brazil, as is the freeway that it graces.

Sim, como não = sure, why not

Sinistro =sinister

Sitio = a small farm

Skol = a beer, favored by Santa Sylvia, never give her Boehmia, it gives her a headache, uma padroeira com dor de cabeça... its not a pretty sight...

Só isso para hoje! = just this today

Sobrinhos = nephews, to be a sobrinho in Amparo must be like heaven... you have no responsibilities, your grandparents spoil you silly - making you so fat and very annoying brats - and when your Uncles come from California you get to do cool things, your parents can have sex at home as the sobrinhos live with the grandparents... its all very efficient and great... no wonder Brazilians love their parents, they don't need to see them for extended periods of time, and the grandparents take care of them... hmmm... maybe I should have mailed my son to Oregon years ago...

Sogra = mother in law, mine is particularly sweet and charming, and insists that I eat. She runs on caipirnhas.

Soneca = short nap

Sotake = pronounced: "so ta kay", means accent, "of vich have I" in the world's most beautiful language

Sovaco de Cristo = a part of the Hamitã neighborhood of Rio literally under the arm of the giant Cristo Redentor on the Corcovado (750m / 2460 ft).

Sopa = soup, just not chicken...

Sorvete = ice cream, the best in the world… sold by the kilo... there will be more about this in a later entry. It is important.

Subir a rampa = Literally "to walk up the ramp", there are numerous ramps in Oscar Niemeyer’s buildings in Brasil and elsewhere, the most important being that of the Palácio do Planalto (the president’s administrative headquarters).

Sunga = swim suit... skimpy, think speedo... scary when they are worn by gringos...

Supermercado = supermarket

Tacos = little wooden tiles, that are slippery when you walk on them with wet feet to answer the phone while taking a shower... you do not eat them, go figure.

Também não = "likewise, no"

Tapete = rug, carpet

Tapioca com queijo e côco e com guaraná diet = a wonderful treat, not unlike a tortilla, but with tapioca flour and melted cheese and coconut, the guaraná diet is the national soft drink…frankly, this was to die for.

Tchau = pronounced chow from Italian ciao! - goodbye.

Telenovela = soap opera, but much much better here... of great national importance.

Televisão desligada = a disconnected or turned off television

Terapeutas de Alegria = Happiness Therapists, the clowns!

Terra de Nunca = lit. "never-land" what many of us affectionately call Ouro Preto.

Tietê = arguably one of the best rodoviárias in the world... bigger than most airports, hundreds of busses coming a going, a couple of nice restaurants, shops, and a metrô connection to the rest of the city.

Tios = aunts and uncles; tio = uncle; tia = aunt; tios = both

Toda da certo = lit. everything will be OK, but I think really means in Minas "good luck, because there is no way that it will happen in any way that you can possibly imagine"

Tomar um suco = have/take some juice

Tomar café = to have coffee

Trabalhadores = worker, laborers

Traficante = trafficker, dealer (see Je, above)

Trem = thing "Eta trem bão sô! = Everything is going to be alright

Três menos vinte = 20 to 3 o'clock, 2:40 pm

Trios Elétricos = huge, I mean really huge trucks with even bigger and louder sound systems used for intimate events such as carnival and large building demolition. We witnessed no less than 20 of these things in the Gay and Lesbian Freedom Parade in Sampa. The sound is fantastic, despite its loudness ( loud enough to make the sidewalk walk as it were, a small seismic event, at the very least, a wonder windows weren’t shattered, but I am sure the government makes sure the window glass is tempered to exactness with trio elétricos in mind) its clarity amazes me.

Troca = exchange, or change, also used change in the sense of coins and money.

Tudo da certo! = every is fine!

Tudo Kilo = a all you can eat place in town and on the UFOP campus... you pay by the kilo

Tutu Mineiro = who knows what it is in this stuff, but is great... farofa, scrambled eggs, a little bacon... tasty!

Turma = group

TV Cultura = the really great public television network here... with the possible excedptionthat its commercials are from groups like the WWF, the Green Party, O Boticário and a whole bunch of funny little local adds...

Uai! = Uai e uai uai!

UFPE = Federal University of Pernambuco in Recife

Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto = "OOO FO Pee" the Federal University of Ouro Preto, I love it here... so much so that I left a job in California to move here!

UNICAMP = The State University of Campinas, next to PUCC (Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas) where I was a Fulbright Fellow in ethnomathematics and mathematics education in the Instituto de Ciências Exatas, in 1998.

Uma garrafa de aqua sem gás = a bottled water with out the gas...

USP = pronounced "oos pee", is the Universidade de São Paulo, I seem to end up there a number of times every year. As Mario do Carmo is a professor and the coordinator of the ethnomath research group there. USP is Brazil's best University, and every bit as good as UC Berkeley, Harvard or Stanford in my mind.

USAan = see Estadoudinense above. We don't have a good name for our selves in the USA. Unitedstatesan? USAan? I just tell folks I am from California... its easier and much more honest, as in N. & S. America, we are all Americans...

Vaga = opening. vacancy

Veado = deer, pejorative for gay... kind of like "fag" or "sissy", only us veadinhos can use this with you non-veados risking a bofetada...

Veja bem = pay attention!

Vestibular = A big test here that allows you to get into college, and in case you didn’t know the state and federal universities are free… that is if you can get in. So the test is a biggy… lets just say it makes the SAT and the GRE look like a quiz.

Visitas = visits

Visto = visa

Viúva = widow

Você = "vo say" you,

Você decide = pronounced: "vo say dee cee day" and means... you can decide

Vôlei = volley ball

"Vou tomar um banho" = I am going to take a shower

Xique no úrtimo = caipira for "very, very chic"

Zangado = grumpy, angry


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The Alternative Portuguese Dictionary - WARNING sites contains some adult content - be advised - but enjoy!

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Copyright 2011 by Daniel C. Orey

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