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Great practice!
Hi, hopefully this isn’t violating some copyright . I have created Memrise flashcards for the words from this podcast. Still a work in progress as I go through the lessons.
http://www.memrise.com/course/454513/lingua-da-gente/
Super, thanks a million. I’ll post your memrise URL on our Brazilpod Facebook page too, so that others can get to it as well.
https://www.facebook.com/utbrazilpod
Hi Guys, love the podcast.
Could one say “Se fala que o céu lá é enorme, não é?” instead of “Dizem que o céu lá é enorme, não é?” ? Obrigado !
“se fala” vs. “dizem” Even in English, we hear phrases like, “one says,” “they say,” “you say”. All these have the same basic meaning, but there is a different sense of formality. It’s the same in Portuguese. “se diz” or “dizem” are just a matter of formality. “se diz” sounds more formal than “dizem”
However, there is a second issue here too. Dizer means to say or to tell, and Falar means to speak. In the sentence you asked about, I think that dizer sounds better than falar. So, I would say “se diz que o céu lá é enorme” or “dizem que o céu lá é enorme”, but I wouldn’t use the verb falar in this instance.
Hi, I am a beginner. May I ask a question? Why say “se diz” instead of just “diz”?
se diz – one says, diz – they say. That’s kind of all there is to it…
Obrigada! Endendi!
Hi, me again, great lesson. The question here got me thinking. ‘Falar’ and ‘dizer’ are not reflexive in themselves, but why people still use ‘se fala’ to indicate ‘you speak’ instead of just ‘fala’? I think it that way because falar can also be vt and vi, and in both cases they have the same meaning, so why does it have to use the vi form? And I don’t see the term ‘falar-se’ in my dictionary, although it can also be a vr. O.O
An example like: coisas que se falam quando as pessoas se encontram.
Are falar and encontrar both reflexive? Or just used the vr form which is more common?
I would say Portuguese is easy until you meet reflexive verbs.
Hi Amy, good observations. You know, sometimes I think we have done a disservice to language learners by using the phrase “reflexive verb.” I prefer the phrase “pronominal verb”, reflexive is only one of many, many meanings that “se” might have. My recommendation is to not equate “se” to reflexive, but instead be open to a wide range of usage and meaning.
Thanks Orlando! I understand now. Muito obrigada! 😀
And as far as my observation goes, se falar can mean the following:
1. Be spoken by
2. Speak(s) for oneself
3. Speak to each other
I’m not sure if my understanding is correct or not? And did I miss something? Many many thanks!
Hi Amy. So when a person says ‘se fala’ that could be rendered in English as “you say, one says, ya say, they say” etc. Alternatively it could carry a “passive voice” connotation, such as “it is said.” And, if you want to add the reflexive meaning, se falam could mean something like, “they speak to each other.” Here are a few examples.
Se diz que a comida lá é boa. – They say that the food there is good.
Eles se amam muito – They love each other a lot.
Não se pode dizer que ele é rico. – One cannot say that he is rich.
Now, there are other pronominal verbs in Portuguese that have “se” in their meaning, and are almost required. So, for example, “esquecer se” Ela se esqueceu de estudar – She forgot to study. In these cases, you just need to accept that some verbs are pronominal in Portuguese, even if it doesn’t 100% make sense to you. Over time you will learn which verbs are pronominal and which ones are not. Be advised, however, that even Brazilians tend to drop the “se” for many pronominal verbs!
Haha, wouldn’t it be a good thing? Thanks a lot Orlando, I think I get it! 😀
I LOVE your lessons!
I LOVE your lessons!
Oh I can’t express enough how much I love your lessons and how much I enjoy them! Muito odregada!
Obrigado você Arwa! É um prazer poder oferecer as lições para todos.
Obrigado! Eu estou aprendendo muito!
Hii i loved the program!! It’s really helping me to learn how to speak Portuguese. Great job!!!