O tema esta semana é Televisão - The theme this week is television.
Televisão is an easy word for English speakers to understand as the English word is almost the same. This is because they both come from the same Latin root. We call words like this cognates, and as a language learner (and teacher) we are often looking out for them, as they are imensely helpful to the adult language learner. We can greatly reduce our memory load by tapping into the cognates :) And as over 30% of the root words in English come from Latin, we can very often find a word in English, change it slightly, pronounce it correctly (never in the same way…) and bingo!
So, there are a whole lot of words ending in -sion that we can change to -são at the end. Words like - decisão, confusão, explosão, divisão, conclusão… (they are all feminine too! - and almost the same in French usually too)
Here are some words for this week - idiomatic expressions this week! They are great for learning – everybody finds them interesting, and we often remember them for that reason. I usually don’t recommend using them unless you have heard them used a lot and are super clear on the context they are used in.
BUT they are fantastic vehicles for learning some new words – this week words l ike patrão (boss), moinho (mill), vizinho (neighbour).
a galinha da minha vizinha é sempre melhor que a minha - the grass is always greener on the other side (lit. the chicken of my neighbour is always better than mine)
patrão fora, dia santo na loja - when the cat's away the mice will play (lit. boss out, saints day in the shop)
Roma e Pavia não se fizeram num dia - Rome was not built in a day (lit. Rome and Pavia one didn't make in a day)
homem prevenido, vale por dois - forewarned is forearmed (lit. man prewarned, is worth (for) two)
águas passadas não movem moinhos - that's water under the bridge (lit. waters gone don't move mills)
filho de peixe sabe nadar - like father like son / a chip off the old block (lit. son of fish knows (how to) swim)
Here´s a link to a quizlet set with the words for you to play about with.
If you would like to join the weekly chat group (chatting about this theme) - - Thurs 13h-13h45 - all details are in the sign up form here Your first chat is free :)
AND because we learn really well from stories and seeing examples of correct language, every week I put together 3 stories or dialogues on the week’s theme with examples of the week’s words and phrases in a useful context. I strongly believe that we can learn a lot from reading, these mini-texts with translations are just the right length for you to digest easily. (look at the translations first if that helps!)
Stories:
A0 / A1
Gosto de ver televisão todos os dias. Vejo as notícias de manhã e séries à noite. A minha família também gosta de televisão. Vemos filmes juntos no fim de semana. Tenho um canal favorito de desporto. O meu irmão mais novo vê desenhos animados. Às vezes, vejo programas de culinária para aprender novas receitas. Uso o telemóvel para escolher o que ver. A televisão é divertida e ajuda-me a relaxar depois do trabalho. Falo sobre os programas com os meus amigos. Ver televisão é uma atividade importante na minha vida.
A2
A minha rotina de televisão muda todos os dias. Durante a semana, vejo principalmente notícias e programas educativos. Às quartas-feiras, gosto de ver concursos e séries de comédia. No fim de semana, a minha família vê filmes de aventura e documentários sobre animais. Prefiro canais com filmes estrangeiros porque gosto de aprender novas palavras em inglês. Às vezes, também vejo programas de música para conhecer novos cantores. Converso com os meus colegas sobre os programas que vemos. A televisão ajuda-me a descansar e a aprender coisas novas. Uso o horário de televisão para planear o meu dia e não perder os meus programas favoritos.
B1+
Nos últimos anos, os meus hábitos de televisão mudaram bastante. Antes, via apenas séries de comédia, mas agora prefiro documentários, notícias e filmes históricos. Gosto de ver programas sobre ciência e tecnologia, porque me ajudam a compreender melhor o mundo. Além disso, a televisão é uma forma de relaxar depois de um dia de trabalho. Costumo falar sobre programas interessantes com os meus amigos ou colegas de trabalho. Nos fins de semana, a minha família e eu vemos filmes juntos, e cada um escolhe um filme diferente. Também gosto de ver programas estrangeiros com legendas, porque isso melhora o meu inglês. Apesar de passar algum tempo na televisão, tento equilibrar com outras atividades, como ler livros ou praticar desporto. A televisão continua a ser uma parte importante da minha rotina diária.
Translations of the stories:A0/ A1I like to watch television every day. I watch news programs in the morning and series at night. My family also likes television. We watch movies together at the weekend. I have a favorite sports channel. My younger brother watches cartoons. Sometimes, I watch cooking programs to learn new recipes. I use my mobile phone to choose what to watch. Television is fun and helps me relax after work. I talk about the programs with my friends. Watching television is an important activity in my life.A2My television routine changes every day. During the week, I mainly watch news and educational programs. On Wednesdays, I like to watch game shows and comedy series. At the weekend, my family watches adventure movies and documentaries about animals. I prefer channels with foreign films because I like to learn new words in English. Sometimes, I also watch music programs to discover new singers. I talk with my classmates about the programs we watch. Television helps me rest and learn new things. I use the TV schedule to plan my day and not miss my favorite programs.B1+In recent years, my television habits have changed a lot. Before, I only watched comedy series, but now I prefer documentaries, news, and historical films. I like watching programs about science and technology because they help me understand the world better. Also, television is a way to relax after a day of work. I usually discuss interesting programs with my friends or colleagues. At the weekend, my family and I watch movies together, and everyone chooses a different film. I also like to watch foreign programs with subtitles because it improves my English. Although I spend some time watching television, I try to balance it with other activities, like reading books or doing sports. Television is still an important part of my daily routine.