MP3 Audio (Lesson) | MP3 Audio (Dialog)
For some people singing in public is not a big deal, but for others it is really tough. And for those of you who think it is easy, have a little compassion on the rest of us, OK? And even if your singing is less than professional, after this lesson you will at least be able to talk about it in Portuguese.
Hi Orlando,
Another very informative lesson Sir !
How would you translate and interpret “eu não consigo cantar” and “eu não possa cantar”.
Thanks
Hi H.O., You know, I was thinking of similar things this very weekend. In English we sometimes say “able to” and other times we say “can” and although there may be a technical difference, in general day to day speech they are basically the same. In the case of “conseguir” (to achieve, to obtain) and “poder” (to be able to, can) the meaning is basically the same. The technical difference would be that “conseguir” carries this connotation of attempting while “poder” carries a connotation of ability. So, “eu não consigo cantar” implies that a person has been trying, but in the end wasn’t able to do it.
Oi Orlando! Shouldn’t it be ‘profissionalmente’, in the last line? Obrigada! Great lesson. <3
Sure, you could say “profissionalmente” but its quite OK to simply say with the “profissional.” The line between adjective vs adverb is a bit fuzzy at time, and not really all that important (think “tudo bom?” or “tudo bem?” where either are fine too).