Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
 Really great! But not the best... January 22, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Really handy! It's unbelievable the amount of rare phrases that are in this book that you can't find anywhere else (example: Pull my finger= Pushe meu dedo). It covers a wide variety of topics like food and sex and parties. However, I found that the pronunciations guide kinda sucks. I'm not sure if I learned a different accent of Brazilian Portuguese (my teacher is from Brasilia), but the phonetic pronunciations they include were way off (for example, they never mention the fact that 'te' as in 'arte' is pronounced like 'chee' as in 'cheese'). Also, the organization of the book could have been a lot better. It took me HOURS to find a basic phrase (I'm hungry) because it was not put in a section with food or anything food/restaurant related. But for the reasonable price and convenient size, it's definitely worth having.
 Very helpful May 24, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I picked up Conversational Brazilian Portuguese: Learn to Speak and Understand Portuguese with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur), in audio and learned a lot. It helps to have some spanish lessons when you were young. This book was a nice addition to my base, and it came in handy more than a few times once I was in Brazil.
Extremely Helpful August 21, 2006
I just returned from a trip to Brazil, and though I know some Spanish, I had no previous exposure to Portuguese. This phrasebook proved invaluable in helping me bridge the gap, and contributed to me having an even better time, and blending in better with the locals.
Passable March 13, 2006
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Beware of serious pronunciation errors in this book. Although it was overall pretty useful, there were some glaring errors in areas where there likely shouldn't have been. Case in point, the phonetic pronunciation for tchau (goodbye) in the book is spelled out as "tee-show." At least in Bahia, it was pronounced by the locals just like the Italian "ciao." The word "vinte" (twenty) is spelled out "veeng-te" in the book, while again everyone we encountered in Bahia pronounced it "veen-chay." I don't know if these are regional differences in Brazilian Portuguese, but if so, they need to at least be addressed in the book. Take care when using the phrasebook to listen to the local speakers as well.
Best Brazilian Portuguese phrase book I've found! March 2, 2006
2 out of 12 found this review helpful
I'm just a lonely writer wanna-be in the heart of the middle of nowhere, so what do I choose to write -- a period piece of Brazil. I can't even begin to praise this book enough. Not only do I get phrases and words, but there are all sorts of little historical and cultural details.
I will probably never travel to Brazil, but this little book is allowing my imagination to have a trip!
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