Tá Falado https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/ Tá Falado is a podcast of Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation and grammar for speakers of Spanish: 24 pronunciation lessons, 2 supplementary lessons and 20 grammar lessons, each with a cultural conversation, recorded in 2006–2007 by a team at the University of Texas at Austin and published by COERLL under CC BY 3.0. This is an independent, unofficial archive of the original podcast. It isn't affiliated with or endorsed by the University of Texas at Austin or COERLL. en © 2025, University of Texas at Austin. Licensed CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). serial COERLL, University of Texas at Austin false cc-by-3.0 Pronunciation 1 · /i/, Getting the Check at a Restaurant https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/01 tafalado-pronunciation-01 Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT There’s only one Lesson #1. We’ll never have a first again. Today we introduce listeners to the team: Orlando, Valdo, Michelle, and José Luis. Pronunciation wise, we’ll look at when Brazilians say words with the sound /i/. Culturally, Michelle and Valdo talk about what it was like to get the bill in restaurants in the United States.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 632 1 full false Pronunciation 2 · /u/, Slamming the Car Door https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/02 tafalado-pronunciation-02 Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT The good news about Lesson #2 is that we’re back. It must be that Lesson #1 gave us hope to move on. In this lesson, we listen for the sound /u/ in Portuguese. The tricky thing is that many times it is spelled with an “o.” Culturally, Valdo and Michelle talk to us about not slamming car doors. It’s really true, Brazilians are amazed at how hard Americans slam car doors!

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 567 2 full false Pronunciation 3 · /é/ and /ê/, Public Health and Health Insurance https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/03 tafalado-pronunciation-03 Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT Welcome to one of the great challenges of Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation. Sometimes “e” sounds similar to the English sound in words like “get, met, set.” Other times, Brazilian “e” sounds like the Spanish “e” in words like “bebe, vive, lleve.” Valdo and Michelle help us out. Culturally, they also help us understand how different it is for Brazilians to have to worry about personal health insurance.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 525 3 full false Pronunciation 4 · Open /ó/ and Closed /ô/, Getting on a City Bus https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/04 tafalado-pronunciation-04 Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT Spanish speakers learn to sing “a, e, i, o, u, el burro sabe más que tú”; it’s a way to show that there are only 5 vowel sounds in Spanish. Portuguese, however, complicates things with what are called “open” and “closed” vowel sounds. In this lesson, we learn about open /ó/ and closed /ô/. Culturally, Michelle and Valdo talk about how different it is to ride a bus in the United States. All we can say is that at least they don’t have to cram as tightly into limited space and then wonder the whole time how they are going to get off the bus!

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 621 4 full false Pronunciation 5 · Stressed and Unstressed /a/, Self-Checkout at the Supermarket https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/05 tafalado-pronunciation-05 Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT There is a tendency for almost every vowel in unstressed syllables in English to turn into what is called a “schwa.” It is the sound like “uh”. Listen, for example the “e” in “delivery.” When learning Spanish, one of the great challenges is to stop saying “uh.” It’s nada not naduh! However, in Portuguese, Brazilians also pronounce unstressed /a/ as a schwa. You see, all this time you thought you had bad Spanish and you really just have good Portuguese. As to the cultural situation in this lesson, both Michelle and Valdo had to get used to the self-checkout lines at the supermarket.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 571 5 full false Supplementary 1 · English, Spanish, and Portuguese Vowel Sounds https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/supplementary/01 tafalado-supplementary-01 Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT Unlike the regular podcast lessons, we’ve included some other supplementary lessons. Think of these as a sort of Appendix to the regular lessons. In this first supplementary lesson, we provide an audio sample of all of the vowel sounds in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. We’re sure it will help listeners get a feel for each of the sounds.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 565 6 full false Pronunciation 6 · Oral Diphthongs, Going to the Pharmacy https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/06 tafalado-pronunciation-06 Mon, 27 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT In this lesson Valdo and Michelle can’t figure out why it is so difficult to get medicine from a pharmacy in the United States. This whole idea of going to a doctor first to get a prescription seems to complicate things a lot. It took them a while to get used to it, but it doesn’t mean that they have to like it. As to pronunciation, today we look at diphthongs. It’s a fancy word, to be sure, but it basically means that we are talking about Portuguese vowel sounds that come one right after another.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 742 7 full false Pronunciation 7 · Nasal Vowels, Invitations to Parties https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/07 tafalado-pronunciation-07 Mon, 18 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT Often people hear, “I think Portuguese sounds a lot like French and Spanish combined.” Maybe those that say this are hearing the nasalized vowels in Portuguese, and there are a lot of them. Either way, this lesson introduces the nasalized vowels. As to the cultural element, Michelle and Valdo talk about how surprised they were to see that sometimes invitations to parties in the United States not only tell you when the party starts, but also when the party ends. How bizarre is that?

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 767 8 full false Pronunciation 8 · Nasal Diphthongs, Buying Fruits and Vegetables https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/08 tafalado-pronunciation-08 Mon, 18 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT Somehow it always seems more difficult to buy food in other countries. We just get used to how everything is done in our home country: park in front of the supermarket, grab the cart, choose your fruits and vegetables, get your packaged meat, find a loaf of bread, pick up a carton of milk. Easy, right? Wrong. Little nuances in how shopping is different can make things more difficult. These shopping challenges are even greater than learning the pronunciation of nasal diphthongs, which is the language topic of this lesson. We’re sure that Valdo and Michelle with help us with both.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 788 9 full false Pronunciation 9 · Vowel Raising, Parking Meters https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/09 tafalado-pronunciation-09 Mon, 18 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT This lesson takes on some pretty advanced stuff. We’re going to talk about “vowel raising.” No, it really doesn’t have anything to do with the Future Farmers of America or with the building of a barn. But, do come on out for some good old Texas … that is Brazilian “vowel raisin’.” And don’t worry about where to park your pick-up because Valdo and Michelle will also talk to you about parking cars in the U.S. and Brazil. I know, a corny intro, but we just couldn’t resist!

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 659 10 full false Pronunciation 10 · Palatalization, Cell Phones and Driving https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/10 tafalado-pronunciation-10 Thu, 04 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT One of the great differences between Spanish and Portuguese is seen in how Brazilians pronounce words that are spelled with “ti,” which sounds more like “chee” and how words spelled with “di” sound more like “jee.” The fancy word for this is palatalization. But look out, not all Brazilian dialects do it. So, in this lesson we listen to Valdo and Michelle, who both do it. In the next lesson we’ll repeat the same dialog to hear what these words sound like without palatalization. As to the culture part of this lesson, Valdo and Michelle talk about the use of cellular phones while driving.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 827 11 full false Pronunciation 11 · Palatalization (alt), Cell Phones and Driving https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/11 tafalado-pronunciation-11 Thu, 04 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT In the previous lesson we learned all about palatalization, when words spelled with “ti” sound like “chee” and words with “di” sound like “jee.” This is pretty much true for people in live in the central regions of Brazil. However, in the far north and in the far south of Brazil, it is much less common. Today we introduce everyone to Alfredo Barros who is from Teresinha, Pernambuco. We’ll all get a chance to hear his dialect, from a region where people don’t have as much palatalization. It makes for a great comparison with the way that Valdo and Michelle talk.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 496 12 full false Pronunciation 12 · 's' and 'z' Sounds, Eating at Movie Theaters https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/12 tafalado-pronunciation-12 Thu, 04 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT Our podcast comes to you from Austin, Texas. Valdo and Michelle have noticed that here in Austin there are movie theaters that serve full meals, just like in regular restaurants. What a great idea, and that is our cultural observation for this lesson. As to the sounds of Portuguese and Spanish, we take on a big one today. Valdo and Michelle help us to understand when Portuguese words that are written with an “s” sound like an “s” and when they sound like a “z.” Get ready for their five rules! Spanish speaking listeners, get ready to say more “z” sounds.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 909 13 full false Pronunciation 13 · 's' and 'z' Sounds (alt), Eating At Movie Theaters https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/13 tafalado-pronunciation-13 Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT This podcast lesson is a repeat of Lesson #12 on the sounds of “s” and “z.” However, in this lesson we have a special guest. Vivian Flanzer is from Rio de Janeiro. And not just Rio, from Copacabana! In this lesson we get to compare Vivian’s pronunciation to that of Valdo and Michelle. Get ready for some wild sounds for “s” and “z.”

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 671 14 full false Pronunciation 14 · 'r' sounds, Good Tippers https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/14 tafalado-pronunciation-14 Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT North Americans don’t always have the greatest image abroad. However, at least we are known as good tippers. Michelle and Valdo tell about how they have to leave more tips than they do in Brazil, and it has been a tough transition. As to pronunciation, Valdo controlled himself to not call Michelle a “caipira” (hillbilly), but her “r” sounds are truly fantastic.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 787 15 full false Pronunciation 15 · 'r' sounds (alt), Good Tippers https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/15 tafalado-pronunciation-15 Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT Our carioca is back! Once again, Vivian Flanzer joins Michelle and Valdo to help us compare how people from Rio de Janeiro pronounce words the “r” sounds. So now we can compare Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. This lesson repeats the dialog from Lesson #14, but is sure doesn’t sound the same when Vivian is talking.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 612 16 full false Pronunciation 16 · 'b', 'd', and 'g', Adding Tax to Purchased Items https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/16 tafalado-pronunciation-16 Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT For once, a lesson that is easy for native speakers of English, but tough for the native speakers of Spanish. We’re talking about how to pronounce words with “b”, “d”, and “g.” Just wait to hear Jose Luis say the word “abogado”! As to the cultural topic, Valdo and Michelle are trying to get used to adding tax to the price of the items that they buy.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 628 17 full false Pronunciation 17 · 'j', 'ge', and 'gi', Wearing That Tiny Bikini https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/17 tafalado-pronunciation-17 Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT From a North American perspective, the Brazilians have very skimpy swimming suits. However, from Valdo and Michelle’s perspective, North American swimsuits are “gigantes”, “enormes.” In the end, as Michelle explains, “não importo, vou continuar com o meu biquini do Brasil” (I don’t care, I’m going to keep on using my Brazilian bikini). As to pronunciation, did Orlando really say that he wanted to name his daughter “Janela” (window)? Good thing he didn’t!

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 902 18 full false Pronunciation 18 · 'ch', You Call That a Steak House? https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/18 tafalado-pronunciation-18 Mon, 26 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT For the meat lovers of the world, we present the Brazilian-style “churrascarias” and the “rodízio” buffets. Get ready for over 30 different cuts of meat that will come by your table, and that doesn’t include the salad bar either! Michelle is partial to “coração de galinha” (chicken hearts). Valdo can’t wait for the “costelinha de carneiro” (rack of lamb). Orlando loves the popular “picanha,” which he can’t even say in English, but he knows it is his favorite. No wonder Valdo and Michelle think of American steak restaurants as snacks. Pronunciation is easy: “ch” in Portuguese always sounds like “sh.”

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 762 19 full false Pronunciation 19 · 'nh', Laundromats, Really? https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/19 tafalado-pronunciation-19 Fri, 02 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT Valdo and Michelle still can’t get used to the idea of taking their clothes to a Laundromat and using the coin-operated machines. Sure enough, in Brazil you either wash clothes at home or pay someone else to do the laundry. As they talk of Laundromats, we’ll hear the pronunciation of many words that are spelled with “nh,” similar to the Spanish “ñ.”

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 685 20 full false Pronunciation 20 · 'lh', Automatic Sprinklers https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/20 tafalado-pronunciation-20 Wed, 07 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT The “mulher molhada trabalhava” is rendered in Spanish as “mujer mojada tabajaba.” That’s our basic rule: words spelled with “j” in Spanish are often spelled with “lh” in Portuguese. However, you’ve got to hear the podcast to find out how they are pronounced. Culturally Valdo and Michelle admire the number of automatic sprinklers that are found in residential areas in the United States.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 758 21 full false Pronunciation 21 · Syllable-final 'l', Making Prints of Digital Photos https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/21 tafalado-pronunciation-21 Tue, 13 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT If you would like to say the name of their country correctly, Michelle and Valdo are here to show us how to say “Brasil,” which really comes out more like “Braziw.” That is the trick in lesson 21. They also share their experience at self-service digital photo machines.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 800 22 full false Pronunciation 22 · Epenthetic Vowels (wow, fancy word!), Fast Food https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/22 tafalado-pronunciation-22 Sun, 18 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT Epenthe … what? Epenthetic vowels. We know, it sounds like a tropical disease, but it’s really the linguistic feature that produces such great Brazilian words as “piquenique” for picnic. Valdo isn’t sure he can bring himself to say “hoti doggie” for “hot dog,” but he has no problem with “fasti foodi.”

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 710 23 full false Pronunciation 23 · Cool Little Words, Nicknames https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/23 tafalado-pronunciation-23 Fri, 23 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT Let’s see if we have this right? Michelle’s family gave her the nickname “witch” because of how moody she became when under stress at school, right? Wow, that’s a mean nickname, at least from a North American point of view. This lesson is a bit different in that we don’t look at pronunciation directly, but we do look at the little extra words that people add to their speech, like, you know, umm, well, like, whatever, you know?

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 551 24 full false Pronunciation 24 · Intonation https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/pronunciation/24 tafalado-pronunciation-24 Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT Today’s lesson is totally different. Instead of listening to a dialog and comparing the sounds to Spanish, our team discusses a number of audio clips that illustrate Brazilian Portuguese intonation patterns. Do not worry about understanding what they clips are saying. The objective of today’s lesson is to listen to the music, rhythm, and pitch of Brazilian Portuguese. And yes, Brazilians do think of Halls Mentho-Lyptus as candy!

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 905 25 full false Supplementary 2 · Portuguese Consonant Sounds https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/supplementary/02 tafalado-supplementary-02 Thu, 05 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT Unlike the regular podcast lessons, we’ve included some other supplementary lessons. Think of these as a sort of Appendix to the regular lessons. In this second supplementary lesson, we provide an audio sample of all of major consonant sounds for Brazilian Portuguese. This should give you a sense of each of the sounds.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 333 26 full false Grammar 1 · Gostar vs. Gustar, Sitting on the Grass https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/01 tafalado-grammar-01 Tue, 08 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT We’ve made a switch. Welcome back to all who have previously listened to Tá Falado. Up to this point, we’ve always done pronunciation lessons. Today we introduce something new, our first grammar lesson! From here on out we’ll look at some of those items that make Spanish speakers shake their heads and say, ‘I thought Portuguese and Spanish were more similar than this.’ In lesson one, Orlando, Valdo, Michelle, and José Luís talk us through the verb ‘to like.’ We, in fact, hope that you like the lesson too. Culturally, Valdo and Michelle confess that they have never understood why North Americans like to sit on the grass.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 649 27 full false Grammar 2 · Contractions, Getting Change From A Machine https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/02 tafalado-grammar-02 Sat, 12 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT Can you believe how many contractions Portuguese has? : nesse, num, do, naquele, aos, pelo, etc. The list goes on and on. When speakers of Spanish catch on to these contractions, sentences become instantly easier to understand. And that, of course, is what Orlando, Michelle, Valdo, and José Luís hope to do with today’s lesson on contractions. At the same time, culturally, Valdo and Michelle found it hard to find their change that automatically fell out of a machine at the supermarket. Sure enough, that would be a new experience for visitors from Brazil.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 740 28 full false Grammar 3 · Plurals with 'l', Gas Stations https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/03 tafalado-grammar-03 Mon, 21 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT The plural of Brazil, if there were two of them, would be Brasis. Now that would be a strange word! Spanish speakers aren’t sure how to make those words that end in ‘l’ plural. Orlando, Valdo, Michelle, and José Luís try to tell us that it is as easy as ‘drop the l and add is,’ but we’re sure there is more to it than that. While they are talking about plurals, Valdo and Michelle also tell us about their experience in getting used to self serve gas stations in the U.S. too!

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 795 29 full false Grammar 4 · Future Subjunctive, Soda Refills at Restaurants https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/04 tafalado-grammar-04 Fri, 25 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT When you go, you will buy a soda. If you buy a soda, you will get refills. As soon as you get refills, you will sit down with friends to talk. Those who sit and talk with friends, will have a great time. Yes, all of those sentences require the ‘future subjunctive’ in Portuguese. So, if you listen to Orlando, Valdo, Michelle, and José Luís, you will also learn how to use the future subjunctive. Don’t be intimidated, Spanish speaking friends, it’s easier than you think!

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 835 30 full false Grammar 5 · Disappearing Reflexive Verbs, Use of Coupons https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/05 tafalado-grammar-05 Thu, 31 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT Here’s a trick question for Spanish speakers: Would it be better in Portuguese to say the equivalent of Siéntate or Siéntese? Answer: Don’t worry about the reflexive pronouns. Chances are that Brazilians won’t use them either. In this lesson Valdo and Michelle help the rest of us to get a sense of the disappearing reflexive pronouns in Portuguese. Michelle also adds how cool she thinks the use of coupons is here in Texas as well.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 579 31 full false Grammar 6 · The Verb 'Ficar', Studying in Cafés https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/06 tafalado-grammar-06 Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT In this lesson Orlando dreams about being able to use the verb ficar when he is talking in Spanish. Ah, if they just had that verb in Spanish, it would make things a lot easier. Of course, for you Spanish speakers, you now have a chance to add ficar to your Portuguese. Whether it means to become, to be, to stay, to remain, to keep on, or any of the other meanings, you are sure to love this fantastic verb. And whoever said that verbs weren’t fun? One caution, however, don’t study your verbs in a café, at least not in Brazil. Michelle and Valdo have a hard time getting used to the idea of studying in a café.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 671 32 full false Grammar 7 · Para with Indirect Pronouns, Ice Water at Restaurants https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/07 tafalado-grammar-07 Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT For all of you who learned how to speak Spanish, we all relive the nightmare experience of learning direct and indirect object pronouns. Lo is direct, le is indirect. When you use both, put the indirect first; but you can’t say le lo, so change le to se and then say se lo, as in se lo di ‘I gave it to him’ … Bad memories for sure, but the good news is that none of that happens in Portuguese. In fact, Brazilians hardly ever use indirect objects. Instead they just say para ele ‘to him’, para ela ‘to her’, para eles ‘to them’. That’s what Orlando, Valdo, Michelle, and Jose Luís talk about in this lesson, which is just para vocês!

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 743 33 full false Grammar 8 · Plural of Words That End in 'ão', Car Insurance https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/08 tafalado-grammar-08 Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT So why is the plural of alemão alemães, but he plural of nação is nações? And why would the plural of mão be mãos? You know what, Valdo and Michelle have some hints to clear it all up. What’s amazing is that they can talk about that and still have time to talk about car insurance in Brazil.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 802 34 full false Grammar 9 · Possessive Pronouns, How to Dress Like an American https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/09 tafalado-grammar-09 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT Who would have ever guessed that Valdo and Michelle think that jeans and flip flops make a strange combination? Looks like we’ve just seen one more thing that makes Americans stand out. Note that this picture has got three Brazilians trying to dress like North Americans! Oh yes, and grammar-wise, we’re talking about possessive pronouns. You might say, OUR comments to YOUR lesson.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 749 35 full false Grammar 10 · Word Order of Negative Phrases, Who Pays for Parties https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/10 tafalado-grammar-10 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT ‘Não, não sei não.’ This is the pattern for Brazilians, to say ‘no’ three times in the sentence. It’s not that Valdo and Michelle are negative people, but they sure get their point across. And speaking of their point of view, if YOU invite them to a party, YOU should really pay the tab!

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 685 36 full false Grammar 11 · Topic-Comment Patterns, Special Needs Privileges https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/11 tafalado-grammar-11 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT Just look at that barriga! Clearly the polite thing to do, at least in Brazil, would be to have a special line at banks, post offices, and supermarkets for those that have ‘special’ needs. However, the other day, in this condition, with that barriga, Michelle had to wait in line at the U.S. post office just like one of the ‘regular’ people. Grammatically, Orlando seems to love topic-comment patterns almost too much. Is it possible that grammar is really that interesting?

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 721 37 full false Grammar 12 · Personalized Infinitive, Paying for Your Education https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/12 tafalado-grammar-12 Mon, 23 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT Not only are Brazilians thought of as being very friendly, now they even want to personalize their infinitive verbs! Valdo and Michelle lead the way in showing us how to do the same. Culturally, we talk about the price of education in the United States. And take a peek at this picture! Orlando’s really into the Texas Pride. Hook ’em Horns!

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 787 38 full false Grammar 13 · Gender in Portuguese and Spanish, Buying Alcohol https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/13 tafalado-grammar-13 Thu, 02 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT To be clear, we are referring to gender agreement. Get ready: although gender is 95% the same between Spanish and Portuguese, there are a few words that change. Is it o leite or a leite? O sal or a sal? O origem or a origem? Valdo and Michelle clarify things for us. Culturally, at what age can you buy alcohol in Brazil?

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 693 39 full false Grammar 14 · Absence of Direct Object Pronouns, Mobile Homes https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/14 tafalado-grammar-14 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT OK, so you are driving down the freeway and you see a semi going 70 mph and there is a mobile home being pulled along. Well, yes, I do see why that would seem rather shocking to a Brazilian. Thanks go to Valdo and Michelle for making that observation. Grammar-wise, we are also going to talk about dropping direct object pronouns. Better to drop pronouns than mobile homes from semis!

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 624 40 full false Grammar 15 · False Cognates, Driver's License https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/15 tafalado-grammar-15 Tue, 18 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT No kidding, Orlando was in Mexico City one time and saw a man in Chapultepec Park who was selling helados esquisitos. Why would anyone want to buy ‘weird’ ice cream? Turns out, in Spanish esquisito means exquisite, and Mexicans actually like to have their helado esquisito! It’s a positive thing. In Portuguese, esquisito means strange or weird. OK, that’s what we mean by false cognates. Although many words between Spanish and Portuguese are similar, there are others that trick you because the meaning isn’t what you expect.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 650 41 full false Grammar 16 · Placement of Indirect Pronouns, Greeting Friends https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/16 tafalado-grammar-16 Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT In this lesson, Michelle claims that most people give women one kiss on the cheek when greeting and when saying goodbye. Valdo thinks that it is more common to give two kisses, one on each cheek. And there are even places where a third kiss is given. How difficult can it get? As to grammar, years ago Orlando was once caught saying, in Spanish, María quiere me ayudar. To his surprise he found out that Spanish speakers are not supposed to put the indirect pronoun ‘me’ between the verbs. So, for you who are learning Portuguese, you get to learn the opposite: in Portuguese the pronoun goes between the auxiliary and main verb. There is no problem in saying, Maria quer me ajudar.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 753 42 full false Grammar 17 · Também x Também não, Online Activities https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/17 tafalado-grammar-17 Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT Spanish speakers who are used to saying tampoco will now have to learn how to say também não in Portuguese. It just sounds cute somehow. Culturally, Michelle and Valdo talk about all the things that are offered online in the United States, much more than in Brazil. In this lesson we also mention the sensitive subject of toll roads in Austin, Texas. We are still getting used to the idea, so forgive us if we’re a little touchy about it. It may be common in other places, but we still don’t like it, even if you can make payments online!

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 584 43 full false Grammar 18 · Word Order, Buses and Services https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/18 tafalado-grammar-18 Mon, 26 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT So how weird would it be to be a Brazilian in the United States and see for the first time a bicycle attached to the front of a city bus? Sure enough, that would never happen on a bus in Brazil. These are the kinds of observations that North Americans would never make because, well, we think it’s normal. It’s all a matter of perspective. This lesson talks about those kind of cultural differences, and we do so while going over a lesson about word order. (We know the title doesn’t sound all that exciting, but it really is an interesting grammar topic – if you are into language learning.)

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 656 44 full false Grammar 19 · Present Perfect, Naming People https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/19 tafalado-grammar-19 Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT One of life’s great mysteries is if a Brazilian marries someone from Venezuela, how do you figure out what their official name will be? We ought to be politicians because we spend the whole lesson talking about last names, middle names, and given names, but we never actually answer the question! In this lesson Michelle talks about what it has been like to explain her daughter’s full name. Americans get a little confused. As to the grammar, we discuss the difference between phrases like ‘have you been eating lately’ and ‘have you ever eaten before.’

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 969 45 full false Grammar 20 · This Just Isn't Spanish, Adapting to Handicapped https://tafalado.lorenzo.soy/grammar/20 tafalado-grammar-20 Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT Oh man, where did this word come from? After a whole series of lessons in pronunciation and grammar … and now we learn a whole bunch of words where Spanish and Portuguese are totally different. If Tá Falado is supposed to show learners the similarities between these two languages, well, this lesson just won’t do that. Today Michelle and Valdo give as words like embora, ainda, rapaz, jeito, cedo, and tomara. It is true that Spanish and Portuguese are similar in many ways. However, today we look at the words that are not similar at all.

Lesson page, with the transcript

Original lesson by the Tá Falado team at the University of Texas at Austin, published by COERLL. © 2025, University of Texas at Austin, licensed CC BY 3.0. Re-hosted unchanged by an independent, unofficial archive.

]]> 663 46 full false