Birthday greetings and "feliz aniversário" to community members @Sarah Davie and @Pam Smith today - Tenham um excelente dia, ambos. While we're celebrating queens, let's circle back to Amália Rodrigues, who began our Portuguese A to Z cultural info' & comprehension posts. She's also in the Portugal A to Z of course. This week has a reading out loud and recording theme, so if you're hesitating to read out loud and even record yourself, maybe take this as a prompt to start (remember to hear yourself reading with as little judgment as possible). Read it, record it, play it back, and it might seep into your subconscious ... possibly. I'm no psychologist but I suspect reading and recording to yourself is more effective than doing nothing at all! Give it a go, let me know what you think, and maybe begin today by reading the Amália Rodrigues script 👇Just a few paragraphs to get you started, and a nice printable poster of the 'Queen of Fado'. Amália Rodrigues script 👇 - A-Z - Quiz - More Muito bom dia!

Vamos conversar... O que vai fazer este fim de semana? E que tipo de música gosta? O @Robert Mike-Mayer gosta de Dona Summer! Responda nos comentários 👇 #diga!

Então, eu treino todas as manhãs no ginásio/academia, mas estou nervoso sobre encontrar um ginásio em Portugal

At this morning's Monday briefing, we had some giggles talking about unsolicited advice/interventions from hairdressers and chemists 😂 I was once asked if I'd ever thought about having a hair transplant, for example, which surprised me! But it turns out to be cultural, maybe?! Anyway, it's a new week, so let's get out there this week and SPEAK PORTUGUESE, and hopefully find some more awkward moments! This morning with @Peter Haglund and @Brian Mathers we discussed how repeated radio and Spotify ads, especially that Portuguese Shopify advert (anyone else know it?), can be used as language-learning and comprehension material - we could even decipher it together 🤔 Tips were shared from fluent foreigners Chris and Natasha (see video 👇), including reading Correio da Manhã daily, watching Portuguese soap operas, avoiding too much time with expats 😂, and generally getting out and speaking. A Portuguese-dubbed Tom Sawyer is on TV, BTW. See also the latest set of practical “missions” and vocabulary modules (about 20) for real-life situations like the barber, café, dining out, DIY, doctor, and talking about pets, plus a swearing module available by DM - HERE And if you need inspiration, choose 1-5 of these conversational catalysts. The emphasis this week - going back to SWAT basics - is on “showing up,” speaking first, adapting mid-sentence, using phrases to ask people to slow down, and teaching someone else one thing, with plans for buddy groups including Portuguese volunteers. So let's go get awkward!!! And...IMPORTANT: Please share your commitment(s) for the week in the comments 👇, and make use of 'Wenger's Law of Intentionality' - if you set yoursef up, you'll probably make more progress than if you commit to nothing.