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Portuguese · A1 · 12 episodes

The Gringo on the Rooftop

A Berlin producer lands in São Paulo with textbook Portuguese. The quebrada teaches him the rest.

Start: Cadê o motorista?

The story's lead

Lukas Becker, 27, a Berlin sound producer, comes to São Paulo to film a documentary about poetry nights and baile funk, learning Portuguese on the street.

Who it's for

For foreigners who want real Brazilian Portuguese: the slang, the family, the food and the vibe of the quebrada.

By the end of the season, you can

  • Introduce yourself and your work
  • Take the bus and rent a room
  • Use slang without losing respect
  • Ask questions and interview someone
  • Tell what you lived, in the past

Who's in it

  • Dona Silvianeighbour, market vendor, teacher without a diploma
  • AmaraAngolan student, his guide
  • Caíqueteaches him slang
  • Nandapoet at the sarau
Your pace in the episodes

The episodes

  1. 1Cadê o motorista?Lukas lands in Guarulhos to shoot a documentary. His textbook Portuguese doesn't help much.
  2. 2A feira da Dona SilviaIn Jardim Aurora, Lukas meets Dona Silvia at her fruit stall. Numbers, prices and a nickname he didn't ask for.
  3. 3Churrasco na lajeSunday barbecue on Dona Silvia's rooftop. Lukas meets the whole family and learns that "fica à vontade" is meant seriously.
  4. 4O sarauFriday poetry night at the Jardim Aurora school. Lukas has to introduce himself on the mic, in Portuguese, to a hundred people.
  5. 5O busãoLukas tries to take the bus alone from Diadema to downtown: stops, lines, "get off here!".
  6. 6O quartoLukas leaves the hotel and rents a room in a house in Jardim Aurora: rooms, price and the landlady's rules.
  7. 7Mano, firmeza?Caíque teaches Lukas the slang of the quebrada: mano, suave, firmeza, da hora. And when NOT to use it.
  8. 8A primeira entrevistaLukas records the documentary's first interview, with a poet from the sarau. Question words: who, where, when, why.
  9. 9Chuva em São PauloA late-afternoon storm. The street floods, no bus comes, and Lukas learns what "o tempo fechou" means.
  10. 10No posto de saúdeLukas eats something dodgy and gets sick. His first visit to the public health clinic, explaining his symptoms.
  11. 11A feijoadaFeijoada Saturday. Dona Silvia teaches the recipe and Lukas follows kitchen orders: wash, cut, stir, taste.
  12. 12A pré-estreiaSeason finale: Lukas screens the documentary's first trailer on the rooftop. He tells what he lived, in the past, and the quebrada responds.