O Dossier Secreto
Uma jornalista investiga licenças de construção suspeitas e descobre uma empresa fantasma ligada a um vereador da câmara.
investigar—to investigateRead this in the PortuStories app
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Story opening — Portuguese with English Translation
Rita Tavares é jornalista de investigação no Público há oito anos. Não é uma pessoa que larga um fio quando o encontra. Em março, recebe uma denúncia anónima por correio electrónico: um vereador da câmara municipal de uma cidade do litoral terá aprovado licenças de construção irregulares em terrenos protegidos. O denunciante inclui três números de processo.
Rita Tavares has been an investigative journalist at Público for eight years. She is not someone who drops a thread when she finds one. In March, she receives an anonymous tip by e-mail: a city councillor is said to have approved irregular construction permits on protected land. The informant includes three process numbers.
Rita começa pelos registos públicos. Os três processos existem. As licenças foram aprovadas num prazo invulgarmente curto — menos de quinze dias para obras que normalmente demoram meses a ser aprovadas. Rita investiga os proprietários dos terrenos. Encontra uma empresa de nome "Terras do Sol, Lda." com sede num apartamento em Lisboa. Os sócios são dois nomes que não conhece.
Rita starts with the public records. The three processes exist. The permits were approved in an unusually short period — less than fifteen days for works that normally take months to be approved. Rita investigates the owners of the land. She finds a company called "Terras do Sol, Lda." with its registered office in a Lisbon apartment. The partners are two names she does not recognise.
The remaining 4 paragraphs are in the reader, with audio for every sentence and tap-to-translate on every word.
Vocabulary Glossary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| dossier | dossier, file |
| secreto | secret |
| jornalista | journalist |
| investigação | investigation |
| investigar | to investigate |
| há | ago; there is/are (time expression) |
| oito | eight |
| anos | years |
| não | not; no |
| é | is (3rd person singular of ser) |
| pessoa | person |
| larga | drops, lets go (3rd person singular of largar) |
| largar | to drop, to let go of |
| fio | thread, lead |
| encontra | finds (3rd person singular of encontrar) |
| encontrar | to find |
| março | March |
| recebe | receives (3rd person singular of receber) |
| receber | to receive |
| denúncia anónima | anonymous tip-off |
| correio electrónico | |
| vereador | city councillor |
| câmara municipal | city council, town hall |
| cidade | city |
| litoral | coast, coastline |
| terá aprovado | is said to have approved (future perfect of aprovar, expressing conjecture) |
| aprovar | to approve |
| licença de construção | building permit |
| licenças | permits, licences |
| irregulares | irregular, unlawful |
| terreno protegido | protected land |
| terrenos | lands, plots of land |
| protegidos | protected (masculine plural) |
| denunciante | informant, whistleblower |
| inclui | includes (3rd person singular of incluir) |
| incluir | to include |
| três | three |
| números | numbers |
| processo | process, case file |
| começa | starts (3rd person singular of começar) |
| começar | to start, to begin |
| registos públicos | public records |
| registos | records, registers |
| públicos | public (masculine plural) |
| processos | processes, case files |
| existem | exist (3rd person plural of existir) |
| existir | to exist |
| foram aprovadas | were approved (passive, feminine plural) |
| prazo | deadline, period, timeframe |
| invulgarmente | unusually |
| curto | short (in duration or length) |
| menos | less, fewer |
| quinze | fifteen |
| dias | days |
| obras | construction works |
| normalmente | normally, usually |
| demoram | take (time) (3rd person plural of demorar) |
| demorar | to take (time), to delay |
| meses | months |
| ser aprovadas | to be approved |
| investiga | investigates (3rd person singular of investigar) |
| proprietários | owners |
| empresa fantasma | shell company |
| empresa | company |
| nome | name |
| sede | registered office, headquarters |
| apartamento | apartment, flat |
| sócios | partners, associates |
| dois | two |
| nomes | names |
| conhece | knows, recognises (3rd person singular of conhecer) |
| conhecer | to know, to be acquainted with |
| telefona | phones, calls (3rd person singular of telefonar) |
| telefonar | to phone, to call |
| ouvir | to hear, to listen to |
| antes de | before |
| publicar | to publish |
| nega | denies (3rd person singular of negar) |
| negar | to deny |
| tudo | everything, all |
| pede | asks for, requests (3rd person singular of pedir) |
| pedir | to ask for, to request |
| mais | more |
| tempo | time |
| responder | to answer, to respond |
| dá | gives (3rd person singular of dar) |
| dar | to give |
| quarenta e oito | forty-eight |
| horas | hours |
| responde | answers (3rd person singular of responder) |
| quinta-feira | Thursday |
| seguinte | following, next |
| artigo | article |
| ocupa | occupies, takes up (3rd person singular of ocupar) |
| ocupar | to occupy, to take up |
| primeira página | front page |
| sexta-feira | Friday |
| manhã | morning |
| apresenta | presents, submits (3rd person singular of apresentar) |
| apresentar | to present, to submit |
| demissão | resignation |
| cadeia de propriedade | ownership chain |
| redação | newsroom |
| intermediário | intermediary |
| quanto | how much |
| tem | has (3rd person singular of ter) |
| ter | to have |
| publicação | publication |
| qual | what, which |
| segredo | secret |
| jornalismo | journalism |
| jornalismo de investigação | investigative journalism |
| segundo | according to |
| investigas | you investigate (2nd person singular present of investigar) |
| investigamos | we investigate (1st person plural present of investigar) |
| investigam | they investigate (3rd person plural present of investigar) |
| investiguei | I investigated (1st person singular preterite of investigar) |
| investigaste | you investigated (2nd person singular preterite of investigar) |
| investigou | investigated (3rd person singular preterite of investigar) |
| investigámos | we investigated (1st person plural preterite of investigar) |
| investigaram | they investigated (3rd person plural preterite of investigar) |
| investigarei | I will investigate (1st person singular future of investigar) |
| investigarás | you will investigate (2nd person singular future of investigar) |
| investigará | will investigate (3rd person singular future of investigar) |
| investigaremos | we will investigate (1st person plural future of investigar) |
| investigarão | they will investigate (3rd person plural future of investigar) |
| investigando | investigating (gerund of investigar) |
| investigado | investigated (past participle of investigar) |
| construção | construction |
| aprovado | approved (past participle of aprovar) |
| aprovadas | approved (feminine plural past participle) |
| correio | mail, post |
| anónima | anonymous (feminine) |
| câmara | council, chamber |
| municipal | municipal, of the city/town |
| página | page |
| primeira | first (feminine) |
| sua | his/her (possessive) |
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