Brazilians
Portuguese for the perplexed
What foreigners hear: Yes
What Brazilians mean: Anything from yes through perhaps to no
What foreigners hear: Perhaps
What Brazilians mean: No
What foreigners hear (on the very rare occasion a Brazilian says it): No
What Brazilians mean: Absolutely never, not in a million years, this is the craziest thing I've ever been asked
What foreigners hear: He's nearly here
What Brazilians mean: I've set out
What foreigners hear: He'll be here soon
What Brazilians mean: Some time in the next half-hour I'll get up off the sofa and start looking for my car keys
What foreigners hear: He'll be here later
What Brazilians mean: I won't be coming
What foreigners hear: He'd like to stay in touch (though, puzzlingly, we don't seem to have swapped contact details)
What Brazilians mean: No more than a Briton means by: "Nice weather, isn't it?"
What foreigners hear (especially after many repetitions): He thinks I'm totally inattentive or perhaps mentally deficient
What Brazilians mean: Ahem (it's just a verbal throat-clear)
What foreigners hear: I've clearly made quite an impression—we've just met but he/she really likes me!
Waht Brazilians mean: Take care, cheers, bye
What foreigners hear: How great! My grammar and accent must be coming on a lot better than I thought
What Brazilians mean: How great! A foreigner is trying to learn Portuguese! Admittedly, the grammar and accent are so awful I can barely understand a word... but anyway! A foreigner is trying to learn Portuguese!
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