Showing posts with label language. Show all posts
Showing posts with label language. Show all posts

20 August, 2012

Small Victories

August 20th marks one month in Brazil and two weeks of middle school under my belt.  This is, in actuality, an enormous victory...but that isn't what this post is about.  Huge victories don't just happen; they are composed of many smaller ones.  Let's celebrate...a little:
  • A seventh grader informed me that he told his grandmother that "my science teacher is punk."  (Why this conversation was going down with his old bitty and not some other relative was moot.)  That's all it takes these days: a wrist tattoo and an out of control faux-hawked do.   I'll take it.
  • I gave my sixth graders serrated knives on the their first lab activity.  Hashtag: callmecrazy Hashtag: raisingthebar Hashtag: everyoneleftwithtenfingers
  • The Korean kids at my school often speak to each other in their native tongue.  Which is why every time I hear them say "hello," I involuntarily laugh a little and half expect this guy (pictured) to show up. (If you have never seen "Arrested Development," never mind.  Also, go watch it.)  It seriously never gets old.
  • My sixth grade math-teaching colleague informed me that some of the boys were attempting to spike their hair in class, asking each other, "Do I look like Mr. Stetson?"  Also, thats what they call me.  (Between us, I need a haircut badly; its getting a little out of control up there.  Glad someone's impressed!)
  • On the Portuguese-language front, the proper nouns, prepositions, and pronunciations make me bang my head on the table but at least I'm killing the verb conjugations (present and past tenses)!
  • Bought wall paint for my apartment, joined a gym, and replaced my watch battery all without using any English!  Full disclosure: there was no Portuguese used either; thank you, español!
And this is why they're called "small victories."

16 August, 2012

Positive Thinking

Remember back when you were in elementary school and the one true thing you wanted to know more than anything after a teacher assigned any piece of work was...

Does this need to be in complete sentences?

The worst, right?  Welcome to Portuguese.

You can't answer my opening question with a simple "yes."  The verb must be involved in all cases affirmative.  Você se lembra? (Do you remember?) is then answered Sim, me lembro. (Yes, I remember.)

It's like every fourth grader's worst nightmare realized: you must answer in complete sentences FOREVER.

Except for the negative.  Then you can just say no.  
Você gosta?  
Não.