What’s the weather like? showed the more basic answers and vocabulary.
In this lesson, you’ll learn useful weather expressions and improve your vocabulary with new words, phrases, and common patterns you can use to describe different kinds of weather.
Check the lesson to make notes and to take a quiz.
At each change of the season, people notice that, feel and talk even more about the weather. They commonly ask about it by saying:
We usually use IT IS when we talk about the weather. We use:
It is + adjective or It is + verb-ing
For example:
What is the difference?
It is + adjective = A description of the weather
It is + verb-ing = This type of weather is happening now.
Let’s look at more examples of these.
It is + adjective = A description of the weather
Notice how a lot of weather adjectives end in Y: sunny, cloudy, windy, foggy.
But adjectives to describe temperature don’t normally end in Y:
Now let’s look at this again… It is hot.
We can give a little more information by using:
It is + a + adjective + day
Or instead of the word day, you can specify the part of the day like morning, afternoon, night, etc.
Another example:
Now let’s look at using the verb-ing to describe the weather.
Remember, this describes the type of weather happening now.
These three actions are happening now.
You can also use it is in different tenses.
For example the past tense, perfect tense, present tense, future tense, etc.
What is the weather like where you are right now?
Carnival in Brazil is part of Brazilian culture and starts on the Friday before Ash Wednesday and ends on Ash Wednesday at noon.
It’s a big celebration of the food and pleasures one has to give up during Lent.
Because the celebrations happen during Brazil’s summer, the ambiance is perfect for massive parties. There is even a common saying in Brazil that “the year starts only after Carnival,” referring to the number of people that take their holidays between New Year’s and Carnival, a national holiday.
How about learning the main words about carnival in English? Listen to pronunciation and note the words, not on the lists below.
| English | Português |
| Street Carnival | Carnaval de rua |
| Samba schools parade | Desfile das escolas de samba |
| Costumes | Fantasias |
| Reveler | Folião |
| Carnival blocks | Blocos de Carnaval |
| Carnival warm-up | Esquenta de Carnaval |
| Costume | Fantasia |
| Sequin | Lantejoula |
| Feathers | Penas |
| English | Português |
| Choreography | Coreografia |
| Sambadrome | Sambódromo |
| Flag bearer | Porta-bandeira |
| Drum section | Ala da bateria |
| Drum section queen | Rainha da bateria |
| Floats | Carros alegóricos |
| Revelers / Paraders | Participantes ou público dos desfiles |
| Wing / Section | Ala |
| Suites | Camarotes |
| Rehearsals | Ensaios |
| Access group | Grupo de acesso |
| Special group | Grupo especial |
| Parade of champions | Desfile das campeãs |
| English | Português |
| Holiday | Feriado |
| Mardi Gras / Fat Tuesday | Terça-feira de Carnaval |
| Ash Wednesday | Quarta-feira de Cinzas |
| Lent | Quaresma |
| English | Português |
| (To) celebrate Carnival | Pular Carnaval |
| (To) dress up as | Vestir-se de |
| (To) parade | Desfilar |
| (To) samba | Sambar |
Have fun!
The world’s biggest carnival celebrations happen in Brazil. In Rio and São Paulo, the samba schools (escolas de samba) offer the famous parades (desfiles) in the Sambódromo, with thousands of members and spectacularly decorated floats (carros alegóricos) demonstrating specific themes.
During carnival, groups of dancers and street bands called blocks (blocos) parade the streets with many of the revelers (foliões) wearing costumes (fantasias).
Another popular feature of carnival, especially in Salvador, is the trio elétrico – band on a float, a huge truck, adapted with giant speakers and a stage on top, where musicians and singers perform to the delight of thousands of fans who follow the truck as it goes slowly through the streets.
Throughout the country, many clubs also arrange carnival balls (bailes).
The state of Pernambuco is famous for its carnival celebrations and the styles of music and dancing (Frevo and Maracatu). According to The Guinness Book of Records, Recife hosts the largest carnival parade in the world, known as the Galo da Madrugada – Lit. the cock or rooster (US) at daybreak, which takes place in the center of Recife on the Saturday of carnival.
Okay, so whether you celebrate carnival (pular o carnaval) by partying noisily or relaxing quietly at home, do what makes you happy!
Source: Break the Branch? Quebrar o Galho – Common, Everyday Words and Phrases in Brazilian Portuguese, de Jack Scholes, Disal Editora, 2008. http://www.teclasap.com.br/como-se-fala-pular-carnaval-em-ingles/
In this lesson, you are going to learn some adjectives that describe you moods (emotional states), that is, you will learn to express how you are feeling: sad, angry, anxious, and much more.
Imagine the following situation: you met a friend you haven’t seen in a while and, when you say hello (“Hey, how are you?”), He replies (check here for answers): “Oh, I’m OK, but I’m feeling a little bit cranky ”. What do you imagine he means? Is he bored? Tired out? No, no, cranky means “grumpy”. Do you know when you don’t sleep well and wake up angry? So that’s it!
Now, let’s see some more mood adjectives:
Angry (nervoso, bravo)
I’m angry because the bus is late.
Anxious (ansioso, com o coração apertado)
She’s feeling anxious due to the presentation.
Ashamed (envergonhado)
That woman just fell on the street. I bet she is feeling ashamed right now.
Bored (entediado)
Rainy Sundays get me so bored.
Calm (calmo)
They fought yesterday but they seem to be calm now.
Confident (confiante)
My brother studied so hard for the test. He’s confident he will pass.
Confused (confuso)
I’m feeling a little bit confused.
Depressed (deprimido)
After seeing that movie we all got a little depressed.
Disappointed (decepcionado)
His boss was disappointed with his project.
Embarrassed (envergonhado)
Stop it! I get so embarrassed when you do this.
Excited (entusiasmado)
Wow! The new X-Men movie is out. I’m so excited!
Exhausted (exausto)
After hours on the bus, I’m exhausted.
Frustrated (frustrado)
Her sister got so frustrated when she heard about that rumour.
Happy, cheerful (feliz)
She’s feeling more cheerful today. I got a promotion at work! I’m so happy right now!
Impatient (impaciente)
Wow, that man must be really impatient, he is pushing everyone around.
Jealous (ciumento)
Every time he checks her facebook page, he gets jealous.
Lazy (preguiçoso)
I feel so lazy right now. I think I’ll order a pizza.
Lonely (solitário)
There’s no one at home and she’s feeling lonely.
Moody (mal-humorado)
My father woke up so moody today. I bet he had a nightmare.
Nervous (nervoso, ansioso)
He gets nervous before tests.
Relaxed (tranquilo)
When you start doing yoga, you get more relaxed each day.
Relieved (aliviado)
She felt relieved when she saw the test had been cancelled.
Sad (triste)
He told me he was sad because his dog passed away.
Scared (assustado)
The little boy got scared when he saw the lion at the zoo.
Shocked (chocado)
My uncle told me he was shocked after the robbery.
Shy (tímido,envergonhado, reservado) He was a quiet, shy man.
Tense (tenso)
When I left home, my wife was feeling so tense. She has a job interview today.
Tired (cansado)
After a long day of work, I get so tired.
Touched, moved (emocionado)
He was touched by the music. I got touched reading that book you lent me.
Uncomfortable (desconfortável, sem graça, sem jeito)
I got uncomfortable when they started fighting in front of me.
Weird (estranho)
I don’t know, I’m feeling weird.
So now you know how to express what you feel in English in a more diverse way. Remember to use the verb to be to speak how you are. You can also choose to use the verb to feel, which means “sentir(-se)” and to get with the sense of “tornar(-se)”, “alterar o estado”.