Comments on: ToonDoo and Portuguese http://chengrob.com/blog/2008/05/toondoo-and-portuguese/ Formerly, My Stoned Thoughts Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:24:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: chengrob http://chengrob.com/blog/2008/05/toondoo-and-portuguese/#comment-1736 chengrob Mon, 26 May 2008 15:12:07 +0000 http://chengrob.com/blog/2008/05/25/toondoo-and-portuguese/#comment-1736 Ele é burro mesmo. When I tell the story, people think that I am making it up. He was so adamant when the girls said No the first time. The reality is that I had to ask several more times, and each time they said No. Of course, if he speaks so damn well, why doesn't he just say something himself? Here are some other gems. I remember getting into a protracted argument because a receptionist was filling out a form for me. And she asked my last name. I said (in portuguese), CHENG. And then this guy says No No. CHANG. We are with a lot of guys, and he will not relent. Every time I say, CHENG, he says No, and repeats CHANG. The reality is that he did not know how to say the difference between E and A. After I blew up at him in the taxi, I told the taxi driver to stop on the right side (lado direito), and unbelievable as it sounds. he corrects me again. No (lado direita). I asked the taxi driver who said it correct, and he confirmed me, but I still to this day think that he believes he was right. But it is all so strange. Speaking a foreign is humbling because you know you will never speak as well as a native speaker. Who cares whether you can speak better than some other American, when there is a whole country that can speak better than you. Ele é burro mesmo. When I tell the story, people think that I am making it up. He was so adamant when the girls said No the first time. The reality is that I had to ask several more times, and each time they said No. Of course, if he speaks so damn well, why doesn’t he just say something himself?

Here are some other gems.

I remember getting into a protracted argument because a receptionist was filling out a form for me. And she asked my last name. I said (in portuguese), CHENG. And then this guy says No No. CHANG. We are with a lot of guys, and he will not relent. Every time I say, CHENG, he says No, and repeats CHANG. The reality is that he did not know how to say the difference between E and A.

After I blew up at him in the taxi, I told the taxi driver to stop on the right side (lado direito), and unbelievable as it sounds. he corrects me again. No (lado direita). I asked the taxi driver who said it correct, and he confirmed me, but I still to this day think that he believes he was right.

But it is all so strange. Speaking a foreign is humbling because you know you will never speak as well as a native speaker. Who cares whether you can speak better than some other American, when there is a whole country that can speak better than you.

]]> By: Brian http://chengrob.com/blog/2008/05/toondoo-and-portuguese/#comment-1734 Brian Sun, 25 May 2008 16:03:42 +0000 http://chengrob.com/blog/2008/05/25/toondoo-and-portuguese/#comment-1734 Hey Rob, good one! But knowing the character involved in this story, I'd change your line in the third panel to "Vocês acham que ele é burro?" Sem dúvida! Hey Rob, good one! But knowing the character involved in this story, I’d change your line in the third panel to “Vocês acham que ele é burro?” Sem dúvida!

]]>