I'm still learning Portuguese. I'd like to think I have come a long way, but I know there is still a long road ahead.
For the most part, I have no problem understanding people, and I can communicate effectively, even if it means talking around what I want to say at times. Every now and then, though, I just make blatant mistakes. So I thought I might share some of the funnier errors to lighten up your day.
Here are the two words you need to know for this one: ESPERTO = clever or smart. ESPETO = skewer or spit (like for a BBQ or shish kabobs).
I learned the word for skewer first. And what is a skewer? It's a sharp pointy thing. So when I heard someone describing a clever person, I thought I had heard the word for skewer, and equated it to the English word sharp. A skewer is sharp. So maybe a person can be sharp too. Neat.
Fast forward a week or two, as I brag about how SKEWER my dogs are. After a bit of confusion and a good long laugh, I finally understood that they were two completely different words.
Guess that wasn't too ESPERTO of me, now was it?
As silly as I felt, I do feel the need to recount my father-in-law's epic language slip when he was first learning Portuguese here in Brazil. (Sorry Dad, but it's a great story!)
Key words: CENOURA = carrot. SENHORA = lady. The only difference is the nh in senhora makes a 'nnyyyaaa' sound, rather than a simple n.
Suffice it to say, the guy at the produce market gave him a strange look and pointed him down a sketchy road when he went looking to buy a senhora.
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