(written on the flight to Mexico City from São Paulo)
I am reminded as the flight attendant attempts to offer me a choice of scrambled eggs or omelettes (huevos revueltos o omelette) that I will soon have to retrain my brain to speak Spanish as opposed to Portuguese. It took about 4 attempts for me to piece together that it was scrambled eggs she was talking about, and that I preferred the omelette. I had just become accustomed to ovos as opposed to huevos…
But there are some particular words and expressions that I will miss from Brazilian Portuguese. Those that seem to encapsulate an idea in a few letters. My top 4:
Acho que… some cross between I believe and I think without being as forceful as the former or as possibly unsure as the latter.
Ficar…one of those words that is so multi-purpose. It translates as become, stay, remain, be and other untranslated-able senses.
A gente… such beautiful ease- it makes you able to live life only knowing at most 2 verb conjugations! It means the people and is used as ‘we’.
Tá… also beautiful ease- my response to just about everything. It’s the short form of está- to be/it is, and was my agreement/I understand/OK word of choice.
retraining…………………………..