A2 — Elementary·10 min read·Everyday Life·culture

A Música do Bairro

Ana descobre o fado ao ouvir música na rua em Alfama.

Theme verbouvir—to hear / to listen

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Story opening — Portuguese with English Translation

Ana mora em Alfama, o bairro mais antigo de Lisboa. Gosta muito de ouvir os sons da rua pela janela do seu quarto. De manhã, ouve os pássaros a cantar nas árvores do jardim. Ouve também o barulho dos autocarros e das pessoas que passam. Para Ana, estes sons são a música da cidade.

Ana lives in Alfama, the oldest neighbourhood in Lisbon. She loves to listen to the sounds of the street from her bedroom window. In the morning, she hears the birds singing in the garden trees. She also hears the noise of buses and people passing by. For Ana, these sounds are the music of the city.

Uma tarde, Ana ouve uma guitarra portuguesa a tocar na rua. O som é muito bonito e diferente. Ana nunca ouviu fado ao vivo antes. Ela abre a janela e ouve com atenção. Uma mulher canta com uma voz muito forte e triste. Ana fica parada a ouvir durante vários minutos.

One afternoon, Ana hears a Portuguese guitar playing in the street. The sound is very beautiful and different. Ana has never heard fado live before. She opens the window and listens carefully. A woman sings with a very powerful and sad voice. Ana stands still listening for several minutes.

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Vocabulary Glossary

WordMeaning
ouvirto hear / to listen
músicamusic / song
bairroneighbourhood
moralives (3rd person singular present of morar)
morarto live (reside)
AlfamaAlfama (historic neighbourhood in Lisbon)
maismore / most
antigoold / ancient
LisboaLisbon
gostalikes (3rd person singular present of gostar)
gostarto like
muitovery / a lot
sonssounds (plural of som)
somsound
ruastreet
janelawindow
seuher / his / your (possessive)
quartoroom / bedroom
de manhãin the morning
manhãmorning
ouvehears / listens (3rd person singular present of ouvir)
pássarosbirds (plural of pássaro)
pássarobird
cantarto sing
árvorestrees (plural of árvore)
árvoretree
jardimgarden
tambémalso / too
barulhonoise
autocarrosbuses (plural of autocarro)
pessoaspeople (plural of pessoa)
passampass (3rd person plural present of passar)
passarto pass / to go by
estesthese (masculine plural)
cidadecity
tardeafternoon
guitarra portuguesaPortuguese guitar
tocarto play (an instrument) / to touch
bonitobeautiful / pretty
diferentedifferent
nuncanever
ouviuheard (3rd person singular preterite of ouvir)
fadofado (Portuguese music genre)
ao vivolive (performance)
antesbefore
abreopens (3rd person singular present of abrir)
abrirto open
com atençãocarefully / attentively
mulherwoman
cantasings (3rd person singular present of cantar)
vozvoice
fortestrong / powerful
tristesad
ficastays / remains (3rd person singular present of ficar)
ficarto stay / to remain / to become
paradastill / standing still (feminine)
duranteduring / for (a period of time)
váriosseveral / various
minutosminutes (plural of minuto)
descegoes down (3rd person singular present of descer)
descerto go down / to descend
escadasstairs / steps
vaigoes (3rd person singular present of ir)
irto go
melhorbetter / best
háthere is / there are
pequenosmall / little
grupogroup
fadistafado singer
cantorasinger (female)
fechacloses (3rd person singular present of fechar)
fecharto close
olhoseyes (plural of olho)
toda a genteeveryone / everybody
em silêncioin silence
bonitabeautiful / pretty (feminine)
ouviheard (1st person singular preterite of ouvir)
nadanothing
assimlike this / like that / so
dizsays (3rd person singular present of dizer)
dizerto say / to tell
baixinhoquietly / softly
senhoralady / madam
ao ladonext to / beside
queridadear (feminine)
aquihere
ouvimoswe hear / we listen (1st person plural present of ouvir)
todos os diasevery day
respondereplies / answers (3rd person singular present of responder)
responderto reply / to answer
sorrisosmile
possocan / am able to (1st person singular present of poder)
poderto be able to / can
perguntaasks (3rd person singular present of perguntar) / question
perguntarto ask
casa de fadofado venue / fado house
alithere / over there
rua de baixostreet below / lower street
hojetoday
à noiteat night / tonight
noitenight / evening
podesyou can (2nd person singular present of poder)
melhoresbest (plural of melhor)
fadistasfado singers (plural of fadista)
voltareturns (3rd person singular present of voltar)
voltarto return / to go back
casahouse / home
telefonaphones / calls (3rd person singular present of telefonar)
telefonarto phone / to call
amigafriend (female)
ouvistedid you hear (2nd person singular preterite of ouvir)
alguma vezever / sometime
estouI am (1st person singular present of estar)
estarto be (temporary state / location)
incrívelincredible / amazing
jáalready / yet
algumassome (feminine plural)
vezestimes (plural of vez)
rádioradio
entãothen / so
vemcome (2nd person singular imperative / 3rd person singular present of vir)
virto come
comigowith me
estathis (feminine)
vamoslet's / we go (1st person plural present of ir)
chegamarrive (3rd person plural present of chegar)
chegarto arrive
entramenter (3rd person plural present of entrar)
entrarto enter / to go in
ouvemhear / listen (3rd person plural present of ouvir)
logoimmediately / right away / soon
afinarto tune (an instrument)
lugarplace
acolhedorwelcoming / cosy
mesastables (plural of mesa)
cobertascovered (feminine plural past participle of cobrir)
toalhastablecloths / cloths (plural of toalha)
toalhatablecloth / cloth
vermelhasred (feminine plural of vermelho)
duastwo (feminine)
amigasfriends (feminine plural of amiga)
sentam-sesit down (3rd person plural present reflexive of sentar-se)
sentar-seto sit down
pertonear / close
palcostage
bemwell
homemman
serveserves (3rd person singular present of servir)
servirto serve
vinhowine
petiscossnacks / bar food (pt-PT)
começabegins / starts (3rd person singular present of começar)
começarto begin / to start
palavraswords (plural of palavra)
tentatries (3rd person singular present of tentar)
tentarto try
perceberto understand / to grasp
significadomeaning
falaspeaks / talks (3rd person singular present of falar)
falarto speak / to talk
saudadelonging / nostalgia (untranslatable Portuguese word)
marsea
amorlove
conseguescan you / are you able to (2nd person singular present of conseguir)
conseguirto manage / to be able to
sussurrawhispers (3rd person singular present of sussurrar)
sussurrarto whisper
ouçoI hear / I listen (1st person singular present of ouvir)
ficamstay / become (3rd person plural present of ficar)
emocionadasmoved / emotional (feminine plural)
emocionado/amoved / emotional
depoisafter / afterwards
espectáculoshow / performance
guitarristaguitarist
vossayour (2nd person plural possessive)
pela primeira vezfor the first time
obrigadothank you (said by a male)
almasoul
PortugalPortugal
quemwho / whoever
veztime / occasion
querwants (3rd person singular present of querer)
quererto want
semprealways
músicomusician
orgulhopride
caminhoway / path
sairto leave / to come out
tascatavern / small traditional restaurant
jovensyoung people / youths
popularpopular / folk
portuguesaPortuguese (feminine adjective)
paramstop (3rd person plural present of parar)
pararto stop
momentomoment
tantaso much (feminine)
issothat
adoroI love / I adore (1st person singular present of adorar)
adorarto love / to adore
conseguemanages / can (3rd person singular present of conseguir)
dormirto sleep
aindastill / yet
na cabeçain one's head
cabeçahead
pegapicks up / grabs (3rd person singular present of pegar)
pegarto pick up / to grab
telemóvelmobile phone
procurasearches / looks for (3rd person singular present of procurar)
procurarto search / to look for
encontrafinds (3rd person singular present of encontrar)
encontrarto find
lista de músicasplaylist
horahour
Amália RodriguesAmália Rodrigues (famous Portuguese fado singer)
enchefills (3rd person singular present of encher)
encherto fill
coraçãoheart
manhã seguintenext morning
seguintefollowing / next
despertadoralarm clock
seteseven
horashours / o'clock
levanta-segets up (3rd person singular present reflexive of levantar-se)
levantar-seto get up
vozesvoices (plural of voz)
agoranow
tudoeverything
maneiraway / manner
como se fosseas if it were
soousounded (3rd person singular preterite of soar)
soarto sound
tãoso / such
descrevedescribes (3rd person singular present of descrever)
descreverto describe
explicaexplains (3rd person singular present of explicar)
explicarto explain
sobreabout
segundoaccording to
fazdoes / makes (3rd person singular present of fazer)
fazerto do / to make
famosafamous (feminine)
qualwhich / what
lhesto them (indirect object pronoun)
minhamy (feminine possessive)
professorteacher (male)
dissesaid (3rd person singular preterite of dizer)
ontemyesterday
ouviramheard (3rd person plural preterite of ouvir)
ouvesyou hear (2nd person singular present of ouvir)
daquifrom here
sóonly / just
quewhat / how (exclamatory)

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