Rookie young pup here looking for some advice on brazilian women

[V_Man]

There's one thing I can assure you we all agree on: Spanish is much more difficult to learn for a native English Speaker, in comparsion to how difficult English is to learn for a native Spanish Speaker.

I have Colombian amigas that are fluent in English and they say the same thing. Once they become fluent in English and then try to help someone like me learn Spanish they realise it is easier for them to learn English than for a native English speaker to learn Spanish.
However I think that learning to SPEAK English is not easy. How many times have your novias told you that they don't understand how a word can be spelt one way but is pronounced two different ways - sometimes with two different meanings?

I would never say latinos are "lazy" about learning English. I just don't think it is right to sit here in my big air-conditioned house infront of my high end PC with my capaccino and say latinos are too lazy to learn something. That particular word makes me uncomfortable when I know how long most of them work to make ends meet. That said, who can argue with Benjio's point? There certainly is a big contrast compared to Asians and Europeans. I know many SA countries like Chile are trying to change this attitude to English so it is gradually changing.

Many of my middle class Colombian friends said that they had English classes for years at school. They said that they learnt nothing. One guy said after 5 years of English classes in Colombia he came to Australia. When he got off the plane and stood at immigration he could say about 6 words. I didn't believe him but I got the same story over and over. One girl said the only thing she learnt in English class at school was the verb "TO BE". She said class after class after class was just on TO BE in English. Within a year in Australia they were having a flowing converstaion with me in English.

[V_Man]

Andre, please don't take this the wrong way.
You probably already realise this but I'll mention it anyway.
When you go to Brazil and you speak and write in English, you need to use perfect text book English. You need to always use correct grammar, spell correctly, don't use abbreviations or slang. Even expressions and well known colloquialisms are very confusing for a non fluent speaker. Use punctuation.
As you learn Portuguese it will be obvious to you why you need to use text book English with a non-fluent English speaker.
Also the better your English is, the easier you will find it to advance in a latin language.

If you would like to use some slang then make sure you explain the meaning of the slang word. People like to learn slang so usually they will enjoy a slang word. Just always assume that you will need to teach someone the slang word first. Then only use a couple of them.

You are from the USA so your normal speech is probably good. However make sure that you do talk clearly and a little slower than normal until you are certain the other person can follow your normal speech.

I realise you are being much more relaxed on this board than you would be with a non-native English speaker but I thought I'd mention this to you anyway. Lots of other people read these things without posting themselves.

[fathertime]

 
 
This is why I'd call any native Spanish Speaker that uses the excuse that English is too difficult "PURELY LAZY!" It's not the level of difficulty that's preventing them from learning. It's the lack of motivation so common amongst Latin Americans.

I do agree, and if the man the lady is dating/married to is not able to motivate the lady to learn English than it is highly likely that the man has a fatal deficiency on some level.   I recognize that in some situations, it is not important to either spouse if the wife learns English.  That is different.   

 
You also completely misrepresented something I wrote when you quoted me, by leaving out the fact that I referenced accents, and used the word "grasp" instead of "learn." I am learning Portuguese; but working in different places around Brazil makes it difficult to "grasp" how to pronounce words correctly because dialects here differ greatly from region to region. Nice try as usual though.
 

yeah I did intentionally twist your words there a bit, because it was easy to do and it did seem that using the term 'pure laziness' was a description I thought was overthetop. 

I do agree with you about how cute Colombianas are when they are frustrated and stomping their feet. That also drives me crazy!...in a good way. 

In the times i've witnessed this action, it is the highlight of my day! 


Fathertime! 

[andre1986]

V-MAN, im sitting here laughing at myself because you are absolutely right. Do not mind my typing/writing. In person im about as proper as ever. I know you mean well. im not the one to get butt hurt over things that easily. i always accept healthy criticm. I have alot to learn. yes i use alot of slang. Its a habit that i have to break. But i would never use it when speaking with people from another country. Thats plain common sense

[Woody]

V-MAN, im sitting here laughing at myself because you are absolutely right. Do not mind my typing/writing. In person im about as proper as ever. I know you mean well. im not the one to get butt hurt over things that easily. i always accept healthy criticm. I have alot to learn. yes i use alot of slang. Its a habit that i have to break. But i would never use it when speaking with people from another country. Thats plain common sense

I know what you mean. I have a tendency to radically alter my speech depending on the intended audience of non-native English speakers. I try to eliminate the use of idioms and cultural references completely Although, I do slip up from time to time. (There was one, right there!)

My tendency is to slow my speech and put extra emphasis on enunciation. I will also simplify my vocabulary and try to keep my verb usage for past and present to things that can be expressed with "to be."  (was running versus ran, when possible). In addition, I eliminate most of my accent. Fortunately for me, I have very little in the way of an accent to begin with. That is, unless I get excited or am screwing with people. Then I will really lay on the southern drawl. I didn't even realize how my accent changed with excitement until I started recording snowboarding sessions.

The easiest way to think about it is having a conversation with a four year old, as far as comprehension of vocabulary and syntax goes.

Why do I do this? Because I know damn well how hard it is to understand a foreign tongue, especially when the other person speaking puts no consideration into how quick or slurry their speech is.

[InnocentVixen]

I didn't even realize how my accent changed with excitement until I started recording snowboarding sessions.

It happens to everyone, when I get excited and speaking spanish I start talking really fast and the tone of my voice changes a little, I heard myself once on a video and didn't recognize my own voice, I thought it was a cousin of mine! in english I noticed I get stuck with words more often, almost like a little stutter and sound a bit like an airhead because my brain is trying to catch up with all I want to say so fast haha

The easiest way to think about it is having a conversation with a four year old, as far as comprehension of vocabulary and syntax goes.

This is very true, you might feel uncomfortable at first feeling like you are offending them by speaking this way but depending on the level of english the person has, they could already have their hands full with such simple speech, it is always nice to be thoughtful, if their english skill is higher then don't simplify too much, a slip here and there is fine, it will actually help them learn the use of it and next time you do it they will know what it means.


That last comment reminded me so much of my japanese teacher though, we were so proud of ourselves for having learned basic sentences and how to read/write hiragana and katakana and the teacher said with the sweetest smile "now you might be able to communicate with kindergarten children in Japan!" that sure kept our feet on the ground!

[Jeff S]

It's OK IV - Japanese men love it when women talk to them in baby talk!

[Carson007]

@benjio

You are absolutely right bro ! You just gave some sound advice and knowledge. While i strongly agree that there are many many great colombianas out there, i just dont know if i can deal with all the headaches and baggage that comes with them. Yes there are bad women in every country and i truly get that, but homie i swear you arent thee only guy on this board whos had mishaps here and there with these girls. Benjio please correct me, but somethin must be true about these girls if most gringos on PL is reporting the same identical problems right bro? I think you and FT is right about PATIENCE ! As men we almost have to have it when in a relationship with a latina. I have alot of it and i try to let god go to work for me in that aspect. But bro, what makes me really really confused about colombianas is the constant lying from them that i keep seein in trip reports on this board. Folks say on here thats its just their culture. Ummm..... NEGATIVE!!! Im sorry, not buyin that. I cannot be with and refuse to be with a woman who was brought up and raised to lie like its no big deal. That just aint right bro. When i heard that its just apart of their culture, i damnear fell outta my chair.

LMFAO!!!  you remind me of my boy here in Dallas before he got a girlfriend hahaha
Say man...we might have to link up to roll out to one of these latin countries in numbers lol

[andre1986]

Yo Car !!!! Nice to meet you my man. The set date for my brazil trip is september 2nd to september 9th. Grab a tourist visa at one of the consulates in your city and lets get south. Ive been learning portuguese little by little, but my lady friend has a ton of references (gorgeous honest girlfriends) that speaks flawless english just like her to introduce me to. Dude, i need wingmen lol. Benjio, you and me tearing up brazil to find an honest girl, aka "the wifey type"

[benjio]

Yo Car !!!! Nice to meet you my man. The set date for my brazil trip is september 2nd to september 9th. Grab a tourist visa at one of the consulates in your city and lets get south. Ive been learning portuguese little by little, but my lady friend has a ton of references (gorgeous honest girlfriends) that speaks flawless english just like her to introduce me to. Dude, i need wingmen lol. Benjio, you and me tearing up brazil to find an honest girl, aka "the wifey type"

September 2nd? Definitely sounds doable. I've been going threw withdrawal ever since I left Minas Gerais!!! Let me know once you have everything etched in stone (visa, tickets, hotel room, etc.).

[andre1986]

Yes sir !!!!!!!!  I hate that its only for 7 punk little days, but its all good. I will be back in brazil around december. I want to stay for 3 months. Are you back in houston G? My layover is there

[Carson007]

Yo Car !!!! Nice to meet you my man. The set date for my brazil trip is september 2nd to september 9th. Grab a tourist visa at one of the consulates in your city and lets get south. Ive been learning portuguese little by little, but my lady friend has a ton of references (gorgeous honest girlfriends) that speaks flawless english just like her to introduce me to. Dude, i need wingmen lol. Benjio, you and me tearing up brazil to find an honest girl, aka "the wifey type"

Likewise Andre2000..er I mean 1986 lol.   Say man, how much did you book your airfare for?  Hotel?  What city you flying out of?
 
I'm in the DFW area.  September sounds enticing...If I don't end up going to Baranquilla, Colombia, or another country like Peru ... I will consider that!

[crossfitcrna]

Andre what up my man, September for brazil would be sick!
Im actually finishing my travel job assignment august 18th and might be down in peru or ecuador that time. Hoping over to brazil would be ideal! I got another buddy who speaks good spanish as well (portuguese i know in brazil) but he wants to go down to south america too.

[Woody]

Andre what up my man, September for brazil would be sick!
Im actually finishing my travel job assignment august 18th and might be down in peru or ecuador that time. Hoping over to brazil would be ideal! I got another buddy who speaks good spanish as well (portuguese i know in brazil) but he wants to go down to south america too.

Hah, it looks like Brazil is going to be popular here this fall. I'll probably be there as well during that timeframe (Three weeks in August/September, dates still not set), but I am planning on being a bit mobile. My set in stone things are a trip to Rio (Cristo Redentor) and a trip to Iguazu Falls. I'll definitely be going for an Amazon voyage as well(Need to get my Yellow Fever vaccine). That leaves about two weeks or so for cultural exploration. I am certainly not making any promises as far as meetups go, it has never been my style to seek out westerners when I am visiting other countries. Although, I will probably end up paying BG a visit, if only to say "Hi" while I am in her backyard. It would be impolite not to.


Well, BG, looks like you are getting your wish and Brazil may be getting flooded with gringos soon. Hope that doesn't backfire on you.

[braziliangirl]

Hah, it looks like Brazil is going to be popular here this fall.

And guess what? I'm planning my vacations to September. So if is there any of you guys around here by that time, I could meet you in Rio, for example, and will be free tour you here in the Amazon.

Cross and Carson, I'm looking for travel companions to Peru, so we could talk about that too.

[thekfc]

Hopefully me & the wife will be in Brazil in summer of 2014 for the World Cup - courtesy of our CEO.


Now sure what 3 cities but we will be in whatever cities Holland (My choice to win it all if they qualify  ) or the Asian representatives (rooting for The Samurai Blues & The Red Devils). 


We may also be in either Rio (Estadio do Maracana) or Brazilia (Estadio National) - for the 3rd place game or finals.

[benjio]

My advice to anyone planning travel to a major city in Brazil is have LOTS of money. For some reason Gringos usually assume that visiting countries in South America will always be cheaper than any other vacation destination in the world. Brazil will rid you of that misconception faster than you can pull your bank card out of your wallet.
 
Get ready to spend $100 USD a night, MINIMUM, if you take a girl out on a date in Rio or Sao Paulo. I've ran up bar tabs of $150 USD drinking BY MYSELF in a secure, gringo friendly place in Recife. $150 worth of booze at the classiest lounges and restaurants in Houston would probably kill me. Unlike Colombia, locally made arts and crafts can be ridiculously expensive, even from a street vendor. Taxis are cheaper than they are in New York City but still, by far the most expensive I've ever taken in Latin America. Expect to spend Steak House prices at average restaurants. The price of going to see a movie in the theatre made me turn around and go back home.
 
I'm not poor by any means but Brazil would have never seen my face had I not initially gone on the company's tab.

[Carson007]

And guess what? I'm planning my vacations to September. So if is there any of you guys around here by that time, I could meet you in Rio, for example, and will be free tour you here in the Amazon.

Cross and Carson, I'm looking for travel companions to Peru, so we could talk about that too.

BrazilianGirl,  now you're making me reconsider my options.  At first, I was just going to travel to Baranquilla and test my options through Jamie's agency...but if you are going to Peru, that sounds like a viable option.  I met a great girl there before.  Not sure how I would do it again without the help of an agency's introductions.  What are your purposes?  Just travel and leisure?
 

[Carson007]

My advice to anyone planning travel to a major city in Brazil is have LOTS of money. For some reason Gringos usually assume that visiting countries in South America will always be cheaper than any other vacation destination in the world. Brazil will rid you of that misconception faster than you can pull your bank card out of your wallet.
 
Get ready to spend $100 USD a night, MINIMUM, if you take a girl out on a date in Rio or Sao Paulo. I've ran up bar tabs of $150 USD drinking BY MYSELF in a secure, gringo friendly place in Recife. $150 worth of booze at the classiest lounges and restaurants in Houston would probably kill me. Unlike Colombia, locally made arts and crafts can be ridiculously expensive, even from a street vendor. Taxis are cheaper than they are in New York City but still, by far the most expensive I've ever taken in Latin America. Expect to spend Steak House prices at average restaurants. The price of going to see a movie in the theatre made me turn around and go back home.
 
I'm not poor by any means but Brazil would have never seen my face had I not initially gone on the company's tab.

dannng...why is the cost of living there so high?  Is everyone there upper middle class or wealthy?  How do the poor people live?    BG didn't make it out to be so bad..or maybe it's just certain cities.  If I was to go, it wouldn't be to entertain myself...  My first priority would be to meet as many marriage minded women in a condensed amount of time as possible.  Then again we might all have different objectives.   I know exactly what I'm looking for and I won't divert off course.

[braziliangirl]

BrazilianGirl,  now you're making me reconsider my options.  At first, I was just going to travel to Baranquilla and test my options through Jamie's agency...but if you are going to Peru, that sounds like a viable option.  I met a great girl there before.  Not sure how I would do it again without the help of an agency's introductions.  What are your purposes?  Just travel and leisure?

I've been using this forum for so long that I'm convinced that I should find myself a Latin wife too.    I'm joking, of course. Just travel and leisure. I want to visit every country in South America. Well, maybe not the Guyanas and Suriname... The Uyuni Salar-Titicaca Lake-Machu Picchu tour is on my bucket list, but my usual travel companions are not that adventurous.
Brazil is so big too! There's so much for me to see aroun here too. The Northeast and all the beaches, for example.

[braziliangirl]

My advice to anyone planning travel to a major city in Brazil is have LOTS of money. For some reason Gringos usually assume that visiting countries in South America will always be cheaper than any other vacation destination in the world. Brazil will rid you of that misconception faster than you can pull your bank card out of your wallet.
 
Get ready to spend $100 USD a night, MINIMUM, if you take a girl out on a date in Rio or Sao Paulo. I've ran up bar tabs of $150 USD drinking BY MYSELF in a secure, gringo friendly place in Recife. $150 worth of booze at the classiest lounges and restaurants in Houston would probably kill me. Unlike Colombia, locally made arts and crafts can be ridiculously expensive, even from a street vendor. Taxis are cheaper than they are in New York City but still, by far the most expensive I've ever taken in Latin America. Expect to spend Steak House prices at average restaurants. The price of going to see a movie in the theatre made me turn around and go back home.
 
I'm not poor by any means but Brazil would have never seen my face had I not initially gone on the company's tab.

dannng...why is the cost of living there so high?  Is everyone there upper middle class or wealthy?  How do the poor people live?    BG didn't make it out to be so bad..or maybe it's just certain cities.  If I was to go, it wouldn't be to entertain myself...  My first priority would be to meet as many marriage minded women in a condensed amount of time as possible.  Then again we might all have different objectives.   I know exactly what I'm looking for and I won't divert off course.

Hey Benjio! Come on! Don't scare the guys away!
 
Carson, Benjio likes to live the high life and hangs out with the riches. Even in Rio there are options for all kinds of wallets. I travelled there on a bidged before and had lots of fun! Of course It's not as cheap as Colombia or even Argentina, but it's not as expensive as NYC or most places in California. I guarantee you can take a girl on a date and expense less than US$100. Even in São Paulo. Not just because it is not as expensive as in the US, but also because girls here don't expect to be taken to very fancy places.
 
One tip is to go to cities a little out of the gringo beaten track (mainly Rio-São Paulo and Florianopolis), and go to places like Belém, Manaus or Fortaleza. Besides being cheaper, those cities also have more traditional/marriage minded girls.

[benjio]

dannng...why is the cost of living there so high?  Is everyone there upper middle class or wealthy?  How do the poor people live?    BG didn't make it out to be so bad..or maybe it's just certain cities.  If I was to go, it wouldn't be to entertain myself...  My first priority would be to meet as many marriage minded women in a condensed amount of time as possible.  Then again we might all have different objectives.   I know exactly what I'm looking for and I won't divert off course.

 
Hey Benjio! Come on! Don't scare the guys away!
 
Carson, Benjio likes to live the high life and hangs out with the riches. Even in Rio there are options for all kinds of wallets. I travelled there on a bidged before and had lots of fun! Of course It's not as cheap as Colombia or even Argentina, but it's not as expensive as NYC or most places in California. I guarantee you can take a girl on a date and expense less than US$100. Even in São Paulo. Not just because it is not as expensive as in the US, but also because girls here don't expect to be taken to very fancy places.
 
One tip is to go to cities a little out of the gringo beaten track (mainly Rio-São Paulo and Florianopolis), and go to places like Belém, Manaus or Fortaleza. Besides being cheaper, those cities also have more traditional/marriage minded girls.

LOL!! C'mon BG, you know Spettus is worth every penny!! Mmmmmmmm...lobster tails!!! 

[Jeff S]

Well yeah - go out to a nice place in West LA or New York and you can drop $200 per per person easily too. I can drop $500 in some local sushi bars - conversely I know places to get a good sushi dinner for $20 also. It's all in knowing where. The operative word in Benjio's post was "gringo friendly." The working class locals don't hang out in "gringo friendly" clubs. I've been to bars in Houston where $150 would kill you and others that would barely give you a buzz. Hang out in the touristy parts of Cabo or Cancun and see how fast your bar tab runs up too.

[braziliangirl]

LOL!! C'mon BG, you know Spettus is worth every penny!! Mmmmmmmm...lobster tails!!! 

And we also had that talk about how you are not expected to take a Brazilian girl to a place like that on a date! (It's OK to take as friends, though! )

[Brazilophile]

dannng...why is the cost of living there so high?  Is everyone there upper middle class or wealthy?  How do the poor people live?    BG didn't make it out to be so bad..or maybe it's just certain cities. 

 BG is right.  The cost of living in Sao Paulo and Rio is VERY high.  It is more reasonable in other cities.  But I think there is another reason for the high prices Benjio describes: the attitude of business owners and managers.  In the US and Europe, managers respond to higher demand by trying to increase output before raising prices.  Higher output with the same machines lowers the total average cost because the fixed costs are being spread over a larger number of units produced.  At the same prices, profits rise due to the lower cost. Brazilian managers respond to higher demand by raising prices before trying to increase output.
 
 So when Americans and Europeans flooded Brazil from 2000 - 2007, their demand made prices rise a bit.  The increase in domestic demand from 2006 through today has made prices rise more.  The demand increase fueled by the World Cup and the Olympics will cause prices to rise even more if output doesn't increase to meet demand.  Then Brazil will face its usual problem; inflation.  This inflation is mostly brought about by short-sighted managers who want to see higher profits immediately.  If the attitude was to increase production, then unemployment would be lower and long run profits would be higher and more stable.