All About POAPorto Alegre

Portuguese, gaúcho culture, and how people actually speak

You need Portuguese to handle daily life in Porto Alegre. You also need the local accent and chimarrão.

Unlike more touristy, more international Brazilian cities, it is nearly impossible to get by in Porto Alegre without speaking Portuguese. Learn it. There is no other way.

What you will hear

Porto Alegre Portuguese is southern Brazilian Portuguese. You will hear:

  • tu instead of você, with conjugations the textbooks skipped
  • tché as punctuation
  • German and Italian surnames on every doorbell

People often seem reserved with strangers. Give it time. Conversation grows with repeated contact. Gaúchos have a reputation for being more “closed.”

Where to learn

  • Language schools in Moinhos / Centro / Bom Fim
  • Extra courses at UFRGS and PUCRS
  • Private teachers on iTalki and in the city (in person still wins for tu)
  • Language-exchange nights. They exist. They are unstable. Keep going.

Read local papers such as Zero Hora and Correio do Povo for the local register. Soap operas will teach you a different kind of Brazilian Portuguese.

Chimarrão

When someone offers you chimarrão, drink the whole cuia before you hand it back. Do not stir the erva-mate with the bomba, and do not comment on the quality. The drink shows up at gatherings, in parks, and during family conversations.

Forms

Forms use official language and Brazilian abbreviations. Use the glossary when you need to tell CPF, RG and CRNM apart.