O Vendedor de Histórias
No coração de Lisboa, o António vende histórias personalizadas a turistas perdidos e a quem procura um sentido, e usa a observação e a intuição para criar narrativas que mudam a vida das pessoas.
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Story opening — Portuguese with English Translation
No coração de Lisboa, existe um homem extraordinário que vende histórias para sobreviver. O seu nome é António, e durante quarenta anos, ele vende narrativas pessoais para turistas cansados, mochileiros perdidos, e residentes locais que querem escapar das suas rotinas mundanas.
In the heart of Lisbon, there exists an extraordinary man who sells stories to survive. His name is António, and for forty years, he sells personal narratives to tired tourists, lost backpackers, and local residents who want to escape their mundane routines.
António não vende livros ou revistas convencionais. Ele vende experiências imersivas, narrativas personalizadas que transforma cada cliente em protagonista da sua própria história épica. Senta-se num café obscuro perto da Praça do Comércio, com um caderno antigo e uma caneta desgastada, pronto para vender os seus contos à população urbana ávida de significado.
António does not sell conventional books or magazines. He sells immersive experiences, personalized narratives that transform each client into the protagonist of their own epic story. He sits in an obscure café near Praça do Comércio, with an old notebook and a worn pen, ready to sell his tales to an urban population hungry for meaning.
The remaining 5 paragraphs are in the reader, with audio for every sentence and tap-to-translate on every word.
Vocabulary Glossary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| vender | to sell; to offer something in exchange for money |
| vende | sells (3rd person singular present of vender) |
| vendeu | sold (preterite of vender) |
| vendia | used to sell (imperfect of vender) |
| venderá | will sell (future of vender) |
| vendedor | seller, vendor |
| coração | heart; centre, core |
| Lisboa | Lisbon; the capital city of Portugal |
| existe | exists, there is (present of existir) |
| extraordinário | extraordinary (masculine) |
| sobreviver | to survive; to earn enough to live |
| durante | during; for (a period of time) |
| quarenta | forty |
| narrativas | narratives, stories (plural) |
| narrativa | narrative; a story or account of events |
| pessoais | personal (plural) |
| turistas | tourists (plural) |
| turista | tourist |
| cansados | tired (masculine plural) |
| mochileiros | backpackers (plural) |
| mochileiro | backpacker; traveller carrying a backpack |
| perdidos | lost (masculine plural) |
| residentes | residents, local inhabitants (plural) |
| locais | local (plural adjective/noun) |
| escapar | to escape; to get away from |
| rotinas | routines (plural); habitual daily activities |
| mundanas | mundane (feminine plural); ordinary, dull |
| convencionais | conventional (plural); following accepted norms |
| livros | books (plural) |
| revistas | magazines, journals (plural) |
| imersivas | immersive (feminine plural); deeply engaging |
| experiências | experiences (plural) |
| personalizadas | personalized, customized (feminine plural) |
| transforma | transforms (3rd person singular present of transformar) |
| cliente | client, customer |
| clientes | clients, customers (plural) |
| protagonista | protagonist; the main character |
| épica | epic (feminine); grand, heroic |
| senta-se | sits (reflexive present of sentar) |
| café | café; a small restaurant serving drinks and light food |
| obscuro | obscure, dark, little-known (masculine) |
| Praça do Comércio | Praça do Comércio; a large square in central Lisbon |
| caderno | notebook; a book for writing |
| caneta | pen; a writing instrument |
| desgastada | worn out (feminine); deteriorated from use |
| pronto | ready; prepared |
| contos | tales, stories (plural) |
| população | population; the people of a place |
| urbana | urban (feminine); relating to a city |
| ávida | eager, avid (feminine); strongly desirous |
| significado | meaning, significance; the sense or purpose of something |
| preço | price; the cost of something |
| curtas | short (feminine plural) |
| custam | cost (3rd person plural present of custar) |
| euros | euros; the European currency |
| médias | medium (feminine plural); of middle size or length |
| sagas | sagas; long epic narratives (plural) |
| épicas | epic (feminine plural) |
| horas | hours (plural) |
| contar | to tell; to narrate a story |
| aproximadamente | approximately, roughly |
| customizada | customised; tailor-made (feminine) |
| individualmente | individually; for each person separately |
| individual | individual; single, for one person |
| regressam | return (3rd person plural present of regressar) |
| continuações | continuations; sequel parts of a story (plural) |
| anteriores | previous (plural); from before |
| método | method; a systematic way of doing something |
| peculiar | peculiar; strange, unusual |
| eficaz | effective; producing the desired result |
| observa | observes (3rd person singular present of observar) |
| observar | to observe, to watch carefully |
| cuidadosamente | carefully, attentively |
| potencial | potential (adjective/noun); possible, with ability |
| analisa | analyses (3rd person singular present of analisar) |
| linguagem | language; a system of communication |
| corporal | bodily; relating to the body |
| linguagem corporal | body language; non-verbal communication through gestures and posture |
| ouve | listens to (3rd person singular present of ouvir) |
| sotaque | accent; the way someone speaks that reveals their origin |
| examina | examines (3rd person singular present of examinar) |
| roupa | clothing, clothes |
| acessórios | accessories (plural); items worn with clothing |
| aparenta | appears, seems (3rd person singular present of aparentar) |
| geralmente | generally, usually |
| acreditam | believe (3rd person plural present of acreditar) |
| ler mentes | to read minds; to know what someone is thinking |
| correspondem | correspond (3rd person plural present of corresponder) |
| desejos | desires, wishes (plural) |
| inconscientes | unconscious (plural); below conscious awareness |
| realidade | reality; what actually exists |
| ilusão | illusion; a false perception or belief |
| meticulosamente | meticulously; with great attention to detail |
| construída | constructed, built (feminine past participle) |
| através de | through, by means of |
| observação | observation; careful watching and noticing |
| perspicaz | perceptive, insightful; having sharp understanding |
| intuição | intuition; immediate understanding without reasoning |
| psicológica | psychological (feminine) |
| aguçada | sharpened, keen (feminine); intensified |
| sonhos | dreams (plural; sleep or aspirations) |
| imaginar | to imagine; to form a mental image |
| sintam | feel (present subjunctive of sentir) |
| carecem | lack (3rd person plural present of carecer) |
| propósito | purpose; a reason for doing something |
| identidade | identity; who a person is |
| alternativa | alternative (feminine); a different option |
| indivíduos | individuals; single persons (plural) |
| presos | trapped, stuck (masculine plural) |
| papéis | roles; parts played in society (plural) |
| restrictivos | restrictive (masculine plural); limiting freedom |
| jornalista | journalist; a person who writes for newspapers or media |
| chegou | arrived (preterite of chegar) |
| pediu | asked, requested (preterite of pedir) |
| escutá-la | to listen to her (infinitive + pronoun) |
| escutando | listening (gerund of escutar) |
| poderosa | powerful (feminine) |
| chorou | cried (preterite of chorar) |
| abertamente | openly; without hiding feelings |
| permissão | permission; authorisation to do something |
| publicar | to publish; to make available to the public |
| jornal | newspaper; a publication with news |
| citando | citing, crediting (gerund of citar) |
| autor | author; the creator of a written work |
| recusou | refused (preterite of recusar) |
| inicialmente | initially, at first |
| eventualmente | eventually; in the end |
| concordou | agreed (preterite of concordar) |
| condição | condition; a requirement before agreeing |
| repetiria | would repeat (conditional of repetir) |
| publicação | publication; the act of publishing, or what is published |
| repórteres | reporters (plural) |
| internacionais | international (plural) |
| especificamente | specifically; for a particular purpose |
| academia | academia; the world of university scholars |
| discutia | was debating (imperfect of discutir) |
| filósofo | philosopher; a person who studies fundamental questions |
| psicólogo | psychologist; an expert in human behaviour |
| velhaco | rogue, trickster; a clever and cunning person |
| criativo | creative (masculine) |
| aumentaram | increased (preterite, 3rd plural of aumentar) |
| exponencialmente | exponentially; at a dramatically increasing rate |
| recusava | refused, used to refuse (imperfect of recusar) |
| ricos | wealthy, rich (masculine plural) |
| preferindo | preferring (gerund of preferir) |
| comuns | ordinary, common (plural) |
| genuinamente | genuinely; in a sincere way |
| necessitavam | needed (imperfect, 3rd plural of necessitar) |
| narrativa transformadora | transformative narrative; a story that changes the listener |
| já | already; now |
| ainda | still, yet |
| também | also, too |
| sempre | always |
| nunca | never |
| apenas | only, just |
| simplesmente | simply; plainly |
| então | then; so; at that point |
| depois | after; afterwards; then |
| sobretudo | above all; especially |
| por isso | therefore; for that reason |
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