I used to be a lurker, now i'm a poster!

[Cyros]

I used to be a poster but now I’m a tapestry.

[Not_From_Here]

@sandra_nz

Welcome! How are you enjoying learning English? Is it difficult?

I’m loving learning english! I started a little bit late,when i was 20 (i’m 25),and it’s very difficult, specially the pronunciation.There are a lot of sounds that are not used in portuguese, and it’s really hard to get used to them.Every time that i speak with someone in english i end up spiting on them!My biggest enemy it’s the Voiced dental fricative http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiced_dental_fricative

[Not_From_Here]

@Illuminatiprimus

Sure, you were lurking, but my inverse tachyon pulse detected you despite your lurking device. Anyway, good to see you here

(And we’ll be merciless in pointing out any spelling, punctuation or grammar mistakes you make despite English not being your native language, we’re just a bit pedantic like that.)

Hi Illuminatiprimus!
I hope you have a lot of patience, because there are going to be thousands of mistake to point!

[Chefguy]

@Not_From_Here

Hi Illuminatiprimus!
I hope you have a lot of patience, because there are going to be thousands of mistake to point!

Probably not as many as when I was learning Portuguese. My teachers were Brazilian and I ended up in Lisboa, where I could hardly understand what they were saying.

[Not_From_Here]

@Hal_Briston

Hopefully the translation page I found is somewhat accurate:

Fazer não ter medo de as lulas.

Now then, if you’d kindly step over this way…yes, right over the big “X” over there…thank you. Ok then, your initiation will begin…shortly.

Hi Hal!
I’m waiting here on the big X, but i must admit that i’m a little bit scared.Why there is a goat staring at me?

[Khadaji]

Hello Not From Here! Be welcome. Enjoy your stay.

[FairyChatMom]

@Not_From_Here

I’m loving learning english! I started a little bit late,when i was 20 (i’m 25),and it’s very difficult, specially the pronunciation.

But even *children *can pronounce English!!!

Sorry, but I can’t resist any opportunity to be obnoxious! My family has Polish roots, but when my parents tried to teach me the language, I had a terrible time mastering sounds that aren’t native to English. In fact, I never mastered them - I just gave up.

[Not_From_Here]

@Chefguy

Probably not as many as when I was learning Portuguese. My teachers were Brazilian and I ended up in Lisboa, where I could hardly understand what they were saying.

Brazilian portuguese is very different from the one that they speak in Portugal.Even brazilians that travel to Portugal have a hard time understanding what they are saying.
I think it’s really cool that you studied portuguese.Do you still speak portuguese?Why did you decided to learn?

[Not_From_Here]

Hi Khadaji! Thank you!

[Illuminatiprimus]

@Not_From_Here

Hi Illuminatiprimus!
I hope you have a lot of patience, because there are going to be thousands of mistake to point!

I’m sure no more than when I try and communicate in my hilarious Swedish

[Not_From_Here]

@FairyChatMom

But even *children *can pronounce English!!!

Sorry, but I can’t resist any opportunity to be obnoxious! My family has Polish roots, but when my parents tried to teach me the language, I had a terrible time mastering sounds that aren’t native to English. In fact, I never mastered them - I just gave up.

I believe that learning english is a lot easier than learning polish.English is everywhere.Even my parents can speak a little

[Chefguy]

@Not_From_Here

Brazilian portuguese is very different from the one that they speak in Portugal.Even brazilians that travel to Portugal have a hard time understanding what they are saying.
I think it’s really cool that you studied portuguese.Do you still speak portuguese?Why did you decided to learn?

I worked for the US Department of State and was posted to the embassy in Lisbon. So they put me through six months of intensive language training prior to going. Unfortunately, the only class starting at that time was Brazilian, not continental. I was shocked when my Portuguese maintenance chief started talking to me and I could only catch about every third word. And I did pretty well in school, too!

[Sunspace]

@Illuminatiprimus

I’m sure no more than when I try and communicate in my hilarious Swedish

That’s not as funny as my Very Bad Restaurant French…

[Sunspace]

@Chefguy

Unfortunately, the only class starting at that time was Brazilian, not continental. I was shocked when my Portuguese maintenance chief started talking to me and I could only catch about every third word. And I did pretty well in school, too!

So are Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese farther apart than Canadian English and English English?

[Sunspace]

@Not_From_Here

I live in São Paulo, a huge city in the southeast of Brazil.And about that beatiful brazilian woman, well, all brazilian woman are like that!This is why i would never move to any other country!

Come to think of it, the woman in my art class was from São Paulo. But I don’t suppose you know her. Wikipedia tells me that the São Paulo metropolitan area has over 19 million people. That’s more than half the population of Canada!

And hey! São Paulo is twinned with Toronto, my city!

@Not_From_Here

Hi Hal!
I’m waiting here on the big X, but i must admit that i’m a little bit scared.Why there is a goat staring at me?

Oh, they always do that. Don’t worry about it. They’re as scared as you are.

[Ruby]

But the squid…he’s not afraid of anything…

Welcome aboard

[Chefguy]

@Sunspace

So are Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese farther apart than Canadian English and English English?

All I can tell you is that the accents are very different and even the way many words are pronounced is different. For instance, in my post above, I said “bom dia”, which means ‘good morning’ or ‘good day’. In Rio, it would be pronounced (approximately) bone gee-ah. In Lisbon it would be pronounced bone dee-ah. In fact, any word starting with a “D” is pronounced like it starts with a “J”. But it goes farther than that. The Portuguese tend to speak inside their mouths, for lack of a better term. Brazilians are very effusive.

[TriPolar]

@Chefguy

All I can tell you is that the accents are very different and even the way many words are pronounced is different. For instance, in my post above, I said “bom dia”, which means ‘good morning’ or ‘good day’. In Rio, it would be pronounced (approximately) bone gee-ah. In Lisbon it would be pronounced bone dee-ah. In fact, any word starting with a “D” is pronounced like it starts with a “J”. But it goes farther than that. The Portuguese tend to speak inside their mouths, for lack of a better term. Brazilians are very effusive.

A friend of mine who lives in Brazil was born and raised in the US and went there to live at the age of 21. The accents vary so much throughout Brazil that after a few years no one doubted that she was a native Portuguese speaker, only that she must come from somewhere else in Brazil because of her accent. My experience with Portuguese speakers indicates the the varying accents are no barrier to communication. As for myself, while I can read Portuguese a little, I only know one phrase, “Não falo Português”, but I’m told my pronunciation is dead on.

[TriPolar]

@Not_From_Here

Hi Tripolar!
I’m from Sao Paulo and i still live here.

Welcome aboard! I know several people who speak Portuguese. Some are friends, others business colleagues. Where I live here in Rhode Island, and nearby in Massachusetts there are many people from Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, and the Azores, so Portuguese is almost a second language around here. I only speak English, but I talk that really good :dubious:

[Chefguy]

@TriPolar

A friend of mine who lives in Brazil was born and raised in the US and went there to live at the age of 21. The accents vary so much throughout Brazil that after a few years no one doubted that she was a native Portuguese speaker, only that she must come from somewhere else in Brazil because of her accent. My experience with Portuguese speakers indicates the the varying accents are no barrier to communication. As for myself, while I can read Portuguese a little, I only know one phrase, “Não falo Português”, but I’m told my pronunciation is dead on.

They all seem to understand each other, but as a non-native speaker, it was very difficult for me. After we had been there for a few months, a new American employee showed up with his Brazilian partner, who I had no problem understanding.