SPOILER ALERT! I don't mean these things are weird, OBVIOUSLY, they are just different ;) And a different way of life is why we move, right?! What had surprised you about life in Portugal??
If we go to your country, I'm sure we'll find loads of "weird" things. It's called cultural differences. I hate these videos when people move into a foreign country and all they do is complain about this and that. We have a saying: if you are not happy the house door is open...
In Portugal, saying that you are going out for a coffee has the meaning of going out to hang with your friends. You can drink whatever you feel like or nothing at all. The best times are usually when you "go out for a coffee" and you'll get back home at 4 in the morning and didn't have any coffee. 😁😉
Also a coffee is very cheap in Portugal so it is a way for people to meet up and not spend a lot of money (we don't like to exclude anyone from hanging out because of money).
It's like how the swedish say to go for a Fika. To go for a café in Portugal is basically like having a date with somebody else or just have some time on your own at a café or any other public place.
As a Portuguese, I do believe dubbing foreign movies is a crime against world culture. A TV channel (SIC) tried to dub some ER drama back in the late 1990s and there was a general outcry against it. Same kind if row as when they wanted us to adopt the Central European Time and get our children to school in the dead of night.
Agree 100%. I had no idea not dubbing had its origins in the dictatorship. I wonder why Dutch don’t dub as well or any small country. I simply thought it was a matter of economy. One translated must surely be cheaper than dozens of voice actors… and yes reading a book or watching a movie on its original version shows us so much more culture! Also makes Portuguese along with Dutch so much better at languages than the nationals of countries where they do dubb it. Worst dubbing I have experienced almost 30 years ago in Turkey and Poland where the original sound was low and they had one men doing voice over the whole movie! Unbearable!!! Not sure if that is still a thing but I witnessed it!!!
@@klimtkahlo my "educated" guess is also that not-dubbing has got nothing to do with PIDE or SNI - for, when you dub, you do change the words, what better way of concealing unwnted messages than by cutting off the original sound and implant sth else instead? As you say: in little countries it is common, because lettering is much cheaper than dubbing. But if there is a document of the dictatorial age where is is stated that films and TV programs have to remain in the original version so as to refrain the illiterate from getting access to entertainment, I will accept that argument.
@@pedrobaptista4019 Before 1974 there was also no need for dubbing. Few people understood english. Subtitles had to be approved by the censorship. And a film could be banned or shown with cuts.
Feels like the youtube algorithm only sends me to expat channels, which is still useful, but what I'd really like is to learn straight from Portuguese people. I don't plan to purposely live near or gather with Americans once I move... I won't shun them, I just rather become part of my new community & their culture.
If you had lived in Portugal before the "senhas" system (a long time ago...) I'm sure you'd have a different appreciation for it. In those foregone times queuing was a mix of art and martial arts. You'd need to: a) constantly keep an eye on everyone b) maintain a dialogue with the people around you - 'I arrived just after you, sir, you saw me arriving here, right?' - 'you're the person right after me, madam, aren't you?' c) create group alliances against anyone trying to elbow their way through the queue, or against anyone questioning your place in that queue - 'I arrived before you, it just happens I went to the bathroom and it took a while...' Also sometimes you'd need to keep this mix of diplomacy and war posture for HOURS - there was no internet, tax forms were delivered at "Finanças" in person, and there was usually a queue going round the block. Your generation has no idea how good you have it. When I was young...
You say that as it's firmly in the past but I had to do everything you just said last Summer to update my CC under covid bureaucracy hell (I missed the CTT delivery of the CC so I'm the stupid one but that's beside the point). That's just how it happened because the number of tickets (senhas) was extremely limited (less than 20) and we had to be there 2 hours before it opened to even have the chance to get a ticket. So everyone was keeping check of who was 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc and people backed each other out. Of course there will always be an asshole and an old lady that yells that the system is bullshit and she needs to be attended now (i really love those old ladies, the essence of Portugal).
I love you Portuguese people and love that we are all here policing the veracity of statements made by foreigners to our lovely Portugal and that spend our time giving them real insights! Agree with you 100% and great way of expressing yourself! Witty and intelligent! Thank you!
I lived in Lisbon and now I’m in Naples. A lot of similarities but a LOT is still sooo different for me (as a foreigner) 😂 Like, I miss my coffee, galão! Now, I can’t even THINK about ordering something with so much milk after breakfast 😂 Here, they probably would look at me like, “We don’t do that.” lol
I'm portuguese. Some years ago drove my car through some european country's. Not long after crossing the border from Austria to Italy I realise: "this is like Portugal but prettier. Same good things, same bad things" Love it!
both latin countries so its understandable to share similarities and besides for anyone that moves to that other country its always nice to "see a little bit of former home" in the new country
something I noticed is that the Portuguese people eat pastries for breakfast not muesli or fruit and yoghurt or eggs like we do in South Africa. Also they eat two main meals a day being lunch and dinner and what I think is great is that they take time out of their work day to enjoy lunch back home with their family or out at a local cafe with friends rather than staying in the office and eating a sandwich over their desk like us silly people!
Ahahahahaha as a Portuguese man I do have to agree. We are very stubborn when it comes to eating with our beloved ones. My father is always complaining "Come on! Sit on the table now! Wait, you can't right now? What do you mean by that!? Just come!"
In Brazil when I tell my friends how people in the US eat breakfast driving with a cup of Joe and all the rush and lunch , they laugh a lot . Yeah it is cultural But a stress free life is healthier
I'm Portuguese and I confirm I love my expresso after breakfast and lunch, but never after dinner. And "going out for a coffee" means getting out of the house and hang out with other people, not necessarily having a coffee.
Your Portuguese accent is perfect! Considering that it’s not an easy language to learn as it self, nailing the accent as well is the cherry on top. I don’t think I ever listened to a foreigner nailing it, specially the S, T sounds and of course the “ão” sounds. Cheers!
I was born in Portugal in 1952 spent my first 3 1/2 years there. American parents and I've lived in the United States cents but now I am thinking of returning going full circle, so I just wanted to thank you for your information. I'm going to try to learn Portuguese again it had been my first language but has long been lost
About the names: there is an extensive list of accepted names (I think more than 3.000 for each gender). The thing is, there are names more popular than others. Historically "Maria" is the most common; in 2016, for example, it was the name given to 5.640 girls in Portugal (for a total of 42.000 newborns). On that same year, there were 200 other names given to at least 10 children each, and about 1.400 names given to fewer than 10 children each (1.250 of which were given to only 1 newborn!). In short, I would say there is a huge list of authorized names and maybe there is little creativity when it comes to choosing one. As for the issue of pedestrian crossing: when a vehicle changes direction, if there are no traffic lights, road signs or any signs at all, the driver is obliged to allow pedestrians to cross the road. When there are traffic lights, and it is green for the driver and also green for the pedestrian, it means there is one more light, which is the flashing yellow traffic light with a pedestrian; this is to inform the driver that there may be pedestrians crossing the road because their light is green. In this situation the driver has to stop. About dubbing, your theory is correct. The main purpose was to protect Portuguese cinema and to prevent the spread of ideas contrary to the regime. And when the law banning dubbing was implemented in the 1940s, 50% of the population was illiterate, wich means at least half the population would not understand the movie at all.
The good thing about this as a foreigner is that there are fewer names to practise saying... I can only imagine that the list of less popular names might have a few tongue twisters included...
Fun fact. You can name a child "John" (English), or "José" (Portuguese). But you can not name a chilld "Jose" - because that sounds Spanish :P Here is the list: www.irn.mj.pt/sections/irn/a_registral/registos-centrais/docs-da-nacionalidade/vocabulos-admitidos-e/downloadFile/file/Lista_de_nomes_2017_11.pdf?nocache=1567857013.04
Great video!! :) I will just add a few things, as a Portuguese myself: - I am pretty sure cars here are NOT allowed to turn if there is a green light man for pedestrians, because usually that means that it's red light for cars. The only time pedestrians and cars are allowed to cross/turn at the same time - and yes, here pedestrians as well as cars need to be careful - is when the pedestrian light man is orange. Now, if there are cars turning when the green light man is on for pedestrians, that just means the car is not following road safety rules and of course that can happen, especially in busy cities like Lisbon or Porto. - Yes, we do have a list of names we are allowed to use and nowadays that list is waaaay more extensive than when I was younger. But I think the fact that you will meet a lot of people with the same name is because we are traditionalists and like to give the same family names to everyone. For example, in my family there are 3 Beatriz, 3 Teresa, 3 Pedro, 2 Isabel, 2 Francisca, 2 Tomás, 2 Luísa, 2 António......the list goes on xD (I am not even mentioning the dead relatives who also had those names). - Intermissions in films depend on the cinema company you are going to. UCI Cinemas have no intermissions. NOS Cinemas do. The exception is children films, they always have intermissions anywhere.
I know at least 1 place were when the cars light goes green, the pedestrian light also goes green. It's green for cars and pedestrian at the same time. Luckily it's just after a sharp turn to right for cars, so they never fast in that place. But it can get strange and scary passing there for the first time m
I will reply in english for others to read but you are wrong. In some intersections there is a yellow light to the right and in this situations it will be green to pedestrians. Sometimes in these situations there is a yellow blinking light with a pedestrian sign but the sign is for the drivers (as in warning that pedestrians DO have a green light). I think these are the situations she is refering and yes the pedestrians have priority and the cars MUST stop.
In Lisbon is very common to have streets where the pedestrian is green and also the car traffic lights is green (though usually turned to the cars is the yellow pedestrian light blinking. Fun story I once was almost killed by a lady and she shouted at me that the pedestrians did not have priority).
Intersections where there is green light for pedestrians and for at least one of the directions of traffic at the same time are extremely common, at least in the larger cities. There is however, as others pointed out, an additional intermittent yellow sign for the cars.
About the baby name list, is exists but is not very limiting😊 And when a child with foreign parent(s) name him/her a foreign name, that name becomes part of the list and is available for everyone. Also, a full portuguese couple CAN use names for their child that are not on the list, you just have to hand over some forms asking for permition and pay a fee. Almost everytime it is aproved😊
Sometimes you need to prove that name exists and was permitted before. And sometimes it involves a lot of effort... my sister was a nameless baby for almost 4 months
My parents wanted to name me Andrea, but they did not receive permission back in 1979. Back then they only allowed the Portuguese version of that name: Andreia. So they chose to name me Inês instead. I also remember a teacher I had in the 80's that wanted to name her baby girl Yara, but she ended up registering her officially with a strange name as Mariara or something like that (the only variation that the registry allowed) and within the family they used the knick name Yara. But I think that after the 90's the name list got alot bigger and they became a lot more flexible accepting the registration of names that were not tipically portuguese. So if you look at the older generations born prior to the 80's/90's there are more people named with traditional portuguese names. Than at the end of the 90's and the 00's there were a lot of children with more original names and names with outside influence (I remember Yara even became one of the common names for girls at a point in time 😜). But I think that portuguese parents started going back to more traditional names again in the last 15 years or so. And "older" names became very common again like Maria, Carlota, Constança, Madalena, Catarina, José Maria, Bernardo, João, André, Miguel, etc.
I know UK very well and I notice that: 1- the names are also very identical... a lot oof Jonh's, Mary's, Phill's..... 2- the problems of transit are also equal... 3- They drink beer as we drink water... 4- Coffe: curious! I learned in UK to have always avaiable coffee, in big kettles and pots, in the office, at any time, from 8am to 9pm... etc etc etc
Liz, you have a very, very good following that really supports your "talk the streets" premise. Your Portuguese followers help us all with even more in-depth understanding and cultural tips. This is a testament to you and your team about your inclusive following, kudos!
I had no idea other countries didn't have a "senhas" system. It's such an efficient way of dealing with queues (when everything is working properly, of course). Can't believe it's just a Portuguese thing.
The ticket system is far better than forcing people to queue for a long time, which can be especially hard on older people. With the tickets, you choose the service that you want, get your ticket and, especially if you see that you have many people ahead of you, you can decide to go and sit down, go outside, even go for a coffee, and come back later. It's never 100% accurate, but in many places the tickets show the estimated time to be served, as well as the time you got the ticket, so you can manage your time accordingly. Also, at the Loja do Cidadão, for example, you can (or could, at least - I haven't been to one in a while) send an sms to a number in order to be notified when there are only 3 people ahead of you, so you can star to make your way back. Re: cars being allowed to go when it's green for pedestrians if they are turning left or right, I always thought that was the case everywhere... I lived in London for years and never noticed that it didn't happen there. So, yes, if a car is coming from a street and turns left or right, the light will be green for the car and red for the pedestrians that want to cross that street, but not for the ones on the perpendicular streets. In that case, there will typically be a blinking yellow (amber) light with a pedestrian symbol, warning drivers that they are goingo to turn into a street where the light is green for the pedestrians, and so they must give way to them (it is always mandatory for a car turning right or left into a street to give way to pedestrians who are crossing it, regardless of zebra crossings, or any other considerations, except if the pedestrians do have a red light). So, in a nutshell, you have to be careful when crossing a street on a zebra crossing with a green light on a street corner if cars can turn into your street, although they are still required by law to give way to you. But, better safe than sorry.
I had the same thoughts about coffee! After some research I found out that because the coffee is so dark, it means the coffee beans are roasted a long time, and apparently the longer you roast the beans the less caffeine you get and more coffee flavour. So its mainly used to aid with digestion
"To aid with digestion"? People drink coffee as a stimulant, because of the caffeine. The more you roast the coffee, more toxic and bitter it becomes. It also depends on the quality of the coffee. If the coffee is harvested with a machine in gigantic plantations, a lot of agricultural poison, mixing mature beans with green ones as in Brazil or a quality coffee, only harvested by hand in highlands, as in Colombia. If you drink super strong coffee like the Italians and Turks and still add sugar, arrrg, then the quality of the coffee doesn't matter. And Italians only eat sweet pastries in the morning, arrg again.
Love your cultural videos, eye opening! Really appreciate your ability to pick something that is indeed unexpected by the outsiders yet is embedded into the daily life. Perfect format and wording. Looking forward to see this turn into a series or a playlist.
actually in the hours theme the 24 hour format is mainly in the written form. So if you're writing, yes we'll write 16h, but if you ask the time to anyone they will answer "4 da tarde" meaning 4 in the afternoon.
Coffee: If you ask for a coffee in Portugal you`re essentially asking for an expresso. Nevertheless when someone asks you "let`s go for a coffee" it doesn`t imply you`ll be going to a bar to drink coffee. The expression itself just means "let´s gather for drinks"
In Finland we have 1. (functioning) system of senhas everywhere, 2. 24-hour clock, 3. cars turning to the right at the same time as pedestrians passing 😆😆
The primary reason for the repetition of names in Portugal, is not de name book, but the fact that traditionally babys are named after someone in the family: father, grandfather, favorite uncle, etc.
About the coffee... many times when people say they are going out for a coffee (specially at night) it doesn't really mean they are going to get coffee but just that they're going out (possibly to a cafe or a bar)
I enjoyed this video and LOVE learning about cultural differences ❤️ it’s what makes us all so interesting! I’m looking forward to seeing how much of this I’ll notice in the Açores ☺️
Hello Liz firstly I’ve to say that love your British accent and your Portuguese accent is so impressive. Thank you so much for the tips I am planning to move Portugal 🇵🇹 not for the main cities, but rather to the countryside. I am strongly influenced by minimalism and the movement of tiny homes. Beijinhos. I’m continue watching your videos, the best channel with a realistic approach about living in Portugal and by the way, I learn a little more Portuguese.
The list of authorized names in Portugal has around 3000 entries. What happens is that there are "fads", each generation has their favorite names, then it passes and the names given to newborns change. You can almost guess the age of the person by the name - now there are few girls Sandra, Sónia or Carla, fifty years ago it was very common.
@Maria You mean around 6800. More than 3500 are girl names, around 100 dualgender names and ~3100 boy names. You'd be surprised by the amount of weird names there are. I know a few people by rather unique names, like Gravelina, Noémio, Aristides, Aureliano, Gualberta, Marciete, etc...
This seems to be a very interesting place, I hope I can visit sometime in the future. Seeing and sharing places like this is why I love traveling and make videos so much! And please keep up the great job! Subscribed!!
Actually when you talk about the habit of having coffee at night it isn't exactly how you explained it. Its a fact that a lot of Portuguese people are used to have a coffee (but its a smal one i guess you call it expresso) after the meals, including dinner. We do not go to sleep early ( for example before midnight is early foe us even for the most of us that start working at 09h (am and not 21h pm 😅) Being that said mostly younger people (not married with kids mostly) have the habit of going to the coffee, but that don't necessarily means you'll be having coffee! Weird?! I know i might be for you but stick with me then 😁 When we say "vamos ao café" it means go out a bit, its not about the brew itself. And yes we call coffee to a coffe shop, to a bar and to the most of the establishments where you go to hang with your people. So "ir ao café " its mostly a social thing and where most of the nights we really go all the way out until sunrise begins by...going to the coffe. Even when someone invites you to go "beber um café" it does not necessarily means to have a coffee. Its an invitation to hang with you (like a date or not ) And yes, those small coffee shops are everywhere... Nonetheless, we sure love our cafés! In the morning to wake up, mid morning, after lunch, mid day with a snack and for some people after dinner too... Most smokers, love to have a coffe before smoking, specially after a main meal
I live in a tiny rural village in southern alentejo the 'forgotten place'. Slowly I'm learning their kind of Portuguese. I'm the only 'English' in this place so lots of things are new to me. I'm happy here. Will go for a tour of the north sometime.
Great info-I’m thinking of moving to Portugal so this is invaluable.Nice sharing. Look forward to seeing your other videos.From piano player new friend in UK ❤️🎹
That list of "allowed" names actually has thousands of names, including names that are really not traditional at all, with alternative spellings (including double consonants and kyw which you won't see in traditional names), foreign sounding names... People just simply choose to name their kids the most typical ones a lot anyway xd
The same thing exists in many other European countries... if a parent is from abroad, for example, you are also free to choose a name that corresponds to their cultural background.
Great vid, as always. Welcome back Liz! I love the idea of the senhas. Means you can grab a ticket for the meat counter at the supermarket, then do the rest of your shopping while waiting to reach the front of the butcher queue. The subtitles thing is frustrating. It's really hard to find TV shows in Portuguese with PT subtitles. RTP have a few, but not many, and the subtitles are on Teletext so you have to know this in order to find them. And they rarely work on the RTP Play app, but they do work on the RTP website. English shows with PT subtitles are easy to find, for anyone that wants those. Many Portuguese people speak excellent English, and apparently they learn it by watching English shows that have had PT subtitles added. As an A2/B1 learner I guess that what I really need is Portuguese shows with English subtitles. But there simply aren't any. Maybe I need to be looking on the BBC and other English stations for these, rather than on Portuguese channels.
You can usually find different choices of subtitles in TV streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, etc. Some of them even support different audio streams, so for example my kids watch Disney's shows dubbed in portuguese, while we watch in the original language (usually English) with portuguese subtitles.
An actually accurate video about Portugal. How hard I actually looked for that. Obrigado! A couple of this worth adding: 1- portuguese are mad about football. Its out main sport. 2- between lunch and dinner, we also like to grab a snack if we can 3- not only do kids have a lot of contact with English from movies, series, music and videogames, we also learn English in school. Most start learning at the 5th grade. I had the chance to start at my 3rd grade. Older students also are give the chance to study one of the following languages: Franch, Spanish or, in some rare schools, Germain or Italian.
A parte do futebol! 😂😂👌 Eu vivo perto do Parque do Jamor, o que me leva a viver perto do estádio nacional. Deves imaginar o que foi ontem para a final da taça. Havia portistas a almoçar (com mesas) no nosso parque de estacionamento!
Great info Liz. We have experienced the evening coffees in our neighbourhood even being driven half an hour away to a river beach in summer after dinner at friends. Also Saturday afternoon to a neighbourhood shop/ cafe where they have local meat to buy in a freezer in the next room. We buy local honey and olive oil from another neighbour. Delicious. Simple country living is beautiful. Não senhas!
The ticket machine exists in some supermarkets in the USA. Also cars can turn in the USA when it is green for pedestrians, which I didn’t know was a thing in Portugal. I stand corrected. I was just delivered food by a girls names Yoarmy and speedy. Lady was the name of a lady at the supermarket. Twins at a friend’s school that was named usnavy and usarmy. I love the law that limits parents from naming their kids whatever they can think of. Believe me it is very necessary!!! Also intermission at the movies shows our social nature. I miss that so much, you get to talk to your friends, see other people you also know. So much fun! Also this is where you can get all your food without missing any of the movie! Love how you say: bacalhau even on Christmas Day. As a Portuguese abroad you go out of your way and pay a small fortune to buy bacalhau and make sure you have it at least on that very important holiday! Portuguese people that don’t like bacalhau will still have it for Christmas, it would probably be considered a heresy not to have it! Just to put things into perspective. 🙃
@@davidedbrooke9324 the law is to insure people don't give kids insane names. All regular names are allowed. If this was in the US, names like David, John, Steve, wtv would all be allowed. You just wouldn't be able to call your kid things like Batman Superman and the like. Which is honestly child abuse.
Just one thing about the road safety (is partely right): in some places when the green light goes on for pedestrians the cars can cross, this is true, however, drivers have the yellow light to be careful about pedestrians as they still have priority.
Reagrding the traffic lights: I think you might be referring to when the pedestrian's sign is green, but the cars' sign is yellow... in those situations, the pedestrian hs priority, but if no one is crossing, then the cars are allowed to cross
Or maybe when the car is turning right and pedestrian sign is green. Even if there is no crosswalk and a car must stop to allow the pedestrian to cross the road. Either way, and according to the law, the pedestrians have priority. The problem is the drivers sometimes "forget it" and go like they have priority on their own.
All good to know. The traffic light one really caught me out but they also do that in the USA. Also worth noting is every city has a holiday for its Saint's Day. I'm heading to Lisbon in June for St. Anthony's feast day.
As a brazilian about to go to Portugal, I don't know why I was expecting a big shock, cause a lot of these are common here in Brazil also, but I've learned a couple of things so I really appreciated
Good video. Content is King as they say and this is a video of purely content; information communicated directly without getting sidetracked with lengthy personal superfluous, superficial info. May come and have a look at Portugal for various reasons. Video's like this actually help encourage that urge, with useful insights.
I'm friends with an older couple here in the States who drink coffee after meals, including later in the evening. I don't know where they picked that up. They're both from rural Florida, though they're also quite well traveled. Maybe they picked it up in Europe, as that seems to be more common there. I don't know, but it always weirds me out. I was really surprised by how much better I found the coffee scene in Portugal than in Italy. I always assumed Italy would be THE coffee place. But frankly, other than espresso (which I don't love), I found their coffee (in Florence, Rome & Venice), to be...not great. But in Lisbon, it was fantastic.
I had an Austrian friend from Vienna who had lived in Italy and it also expressed to me that he preferred Portuguese coffee and he was somewhat of a connoisseur. I assumed it was trying to stroke my ego. But now I believe him!
@@miguel151420 I definitely hope to visit again and get beyond Lisbon. My trip there (7 years ago) was my first real international trip (I don't count Canada, because I grew up just over the border in the US and it wasn't much different from where I lived). We spent 4 days in Lisbon and only left to visit some sites in Sintra. I'm sure, like any country, one large city isn't a great representation of the whole nation. That said, I absolutely LOVED my time there and I've wanted to return ever since. My wife and I & a family friend were going to try to visit the Porto area last September, but then covid surged back and we canceled our travel plans. Maybe next year...I hope.
It's always weird to listen to things that seem so normal to me being weird xD. I think you got a nice grasp of our culture :D, hope you keep enjoying your time here!
It's always fun stumbling on those weird things that as an outsider make no sense, but the people from the area don't have a second thought about it. Here in the states, the one I always think of is that in two states you can't actually fill up your own car at a gas station (it may have changed, but it was New Jersey and Oregon if I remember right). I lived in the Midwest my entire life, so visiting Portland, Oregon and stopping to fill up the car was a really confusing experience when there was no way for me to do it, I had to go inside and get the attendant to come out and do it for me.
I don't know if you noticed it yet, Liz, but we portuguese get very excited when English natives do manage to get their way around very difficult language.
Thx for sharing this! Encouraging words for me, a Cantonese Chinese American born who studied Spanish & French in school but was in Portugal challenged NOT to utter substitute words in Español… out of respect.
Being a portuguese, I never heard the explanation that dubbing movies was because of censorship, and actually that does not seem to make much sense. Yep, we had quite a share of censorship during the dictatorship, and even though there was a good number of illiterate people, most people were literate, specially when tv came by. To censor something, it would actually work better to dub the original audio rather than subtitle it and keeping the original which some people would still understand. I might be wrong, but I think the main reason for subtitles was actually because it was cheaper. Also, we always dubbed most of the cartoons, at least since the 70s. As most portuguese will probably tell you, we see dubbing movies as butchering the content. It may be out of habit also, but if you think of it, it does change the interpretations and "butchers" them in a way. But yes, it's probably the main reason most portuguese people, ages 50 or less at least, will have at least a basic understanding of the english language
Sometimes there's english expressions that subtitles cannot acuratly translate. But having both languages, and after learning what the expression means, we can spot the difference. Not if it's dubbed though.
Generally when cars can turn right on green man light there are also a yellow light blinking in the car side and on the walking person side telling both to be careful.
So interesting to learn about the language dubbing! Didn’t know that. And, the ticketing system is a great thing to remember - our favorite coffee shop installed the ticketing system while we were out of town so when I visited this morning I was very confused 😅
@@TalktheStreets I've heard when there is no ticketing and a random room of people waiting, you ask "Quem e o ultimo?" - who is last? - and then all you have to do is wait until that person has been served and you know it is you next. You are the new "last" until somebody else comes in after you ;-) My pronunciation used to be half decent but I don't think I ever got close enough to right on bacalhao to not make people smile :S Pedestrian crossing I found you have to stare down the driver and not hesitate or break stride on the approach to the crossing, to show you are serious. They probably won't stop still, but they will then at least swerve around you ;)
The ticketing is very useful in the supermarket you can check your number while continuing shopping just by checking the screens installed on the walls
Honeymoon Always - That language dubbing/subtitle explanation is absolutely wrong on this video! In fact it's not even logical! I wrote elsewhere on these comment section the real why's behind it. ;-)
driving on the 'other' side tip: use your kids games console to play a game that involves driving (many/most do). then simply drive around the game using only the 'other' side of the road that you are used to. it REALLY works as it gets your brain used to what to expect in terms of turning left and right especially. i did this just before going to Portugal for first time and it helped a LOT. cheers
Obridada Liz! The coffee thing is always really weird for me too. I don’t know how they can sleep. 🤔 Also dinner time is sooo late. If you come from Germany the 24 hour clock is common. Also the traffic light thing and public holidays in the week are common here. Bridge days rocks but you can also to be unlucky to have a public holiday on a Saturday or Sunday in one year. So funny to compare!
I dont know how can you drink watery coffee? Or a coffee bean hot wash? It aint tea! JUST messing with you... We do love our coffee like this. No sugar
Your approach and content is stellar that surpasses most others in explanation of life and culture. I'm looking forward to more and learning the language which is key to community acceptance. Very, very well done. Kudos! 😉
Well said! I am innumerate to begin with and the time thing is a nightmare for me. Add that Tres, 3 and 13.Treze sound almost alike and, arghh! The green walk sign works the same way in the US, it is ok to turn if you are clear for takeoff in a car. That being said, we have found Portuguese drivers to be much more considerate than those in the states. Viva Portugal!
Agreed, Portuguese drivers, Lisboa in particular were super observant, considerate and patient of pedestrians more so than in my home city of San Francisco. I wonder if there are stricter laws? Or just not in a hurry?
Talking about names, the most common Portuguese male names in Brazil are Joaquim and Manuel/Manoel. Portuguese immigration to Brazil was big in the 20th. century. Now is the other way around. My grandfather's name was Manuel, by the way (my grandmother, Elvira). People here used to make fun of his accent, but I loved it. Portuguese accent to me became synonym of a caring, loving person, I love to listen to Portuguese people speaking. People here in Brazil make fun of the Portuguese accent, as much as people in Portugal make fun of the Brazilian accent. That's just stupid.
Well i always prefer the accent of the country where the langauge come from english from england french from frane spanish or castillian from spain ad ofcourse the portuguese from portugal
I decided to go to a cinema in Coimbra by myself one time and was so surprised when the interval occurred. I didn’t mind watching the film alone but the interval made me feel a tad self conscious.
YUP! I don’t think Portuguese people go to the movies alone really! I went once in Vienna, Austria and was sure I was going to be the only weirdo but nope! Men and women were watching the movie alone as well! Never did it again! Not a fun experience.
The interval exists because it allows people to go to the toilet, have a cigarette or whatever without missing the film. It also allows for you to stretch your legs and just have a break. I'm portuguese living in London and I hate it that there is no interval bc I have to miss parts of the film if I want to go to the toilet and my legs always feel dead afterwards. Nobody judges you if u go to the cinema alone in Portugal btw, so keep enjoying it anyway you'd like ;)
I think that in the past, in Portugal, they used subtitles because it was cheaper way to translate a movie for the people. I don't think it had to do with censorship (it would be easier and more effective to censor through dubbing).
You are most likely right! It had nothing to do with censorship as dubbing would be far more effective! This notion appears to be somewhat pervasive mainly due to a "politically tainted" mentality ("censorship" still sems to exist today albeit in a more subtle way...:-)). The "real" motive was most probably cost-effectiveness, a very small market is not conducive to economies of scale... Smaller euro countries generally follow the same practice.
ua-cam.com/video/7RhlpSedcUM/v-deo.html this video explains why we don't really dub here in Portugal, and the role of the New State in it. I recommended it, it's really informative
Many of those 'weird' things apply to Poland and Italy (two countries I can comment about) so I think it's more about what is quite strange for people living in UK coming to live in the continental part of Europe. It was great to see that video and learn something new about different points of view👍😀
So curious to see other videos. I love to see how foreigners react to us and our country. You gotta go get more coffees with friends, because yeah, most of the time we dont have cofee at all. Have you ever tried carioca de limão? Great to have before a good night of sleep.
Isn’t it kind of common sense that if you’re celebrating a historical event that took place on a certain day the public holiday would be on that same day (e.g. every year 10th June) rather than moving it to a Monday or a Friday regardless of date? Like Christmas, for instance.
Just discovered this channel! I'm going to have to dig back through your archive. I hope to complete my move to Portugal by the end of June from The States and I CAN'T WAIT!!!!
As a Portuguese person I fully agree with everything you said haha I had no idea some of those things weren't normal everywhere haha this video was very interesting to watch! The only thing I have to say is about speaking in third person. That's more commonly done by older folks, even though there's always some youngsters who do it like that as well
Great video again. The weirdnesses that you had picked up on made me smile. Some of which I knew about, but not the others, until now. Always an education Liz. Thanks for another interesting video.
great video. just some stuff: 1) senhas are great. no confusion on order, just follow the numbers 2) 12-hour clock is used informally. it's common to say 'i'll meet you after work, at 6', usually meaning PM. 24-hour clock is used for formal stuff, to avoid confusion 3) yeah, people are terrible at following driving rules here. a lot of people die/are injured all the time. it's ridiculous 4) many languages have different 'you's. english did too, but they got rid of it. personally, i find it especially confusing when the person you are talking too is not close enough for a 2nd person, but you also feel that 3rd person is too far away xD 5) if one of the parents is foreign, they can still only give a name that would be legal in their own country. if that country has no rules, then it can be whatever. but if that country has rules, those have to be followed. but it is not that short of a list 6) subtitles are better, in every way. it's annoying when i want to watch cartoons in the cinema and there are only VP being shown 7) well, nothing to say here 8) we do a lot of coffee breaks because it's a quick drink to have during work hours, and a pause to chat is always nice 9) bacalhau is great. there are so many ways of making it 10) many holidays are defined as whatever the day was. like october 5 was when the republic was founded. so we celebrate it on that day. it sucks when it's on a weekend, though. ponte (bridge) is actually a corruption of the phrase 'tolerância de ponto', which means you don't have to show up to work. ponto refers to the relógio de ponto which was used to clock people's working hours, 'picar o ponto' is clocking in/out
It's the other way round: the Brits are weird :D many things listed here are same in other European countries. Moving PH to Monday? Why? If it's on 15th August, it's on 15th August. Not cool however if it's Sunday but in some countries you could take a day off for that on another day
You said that the Portuguese eat bacalhau at every traditional moment even Christmas. My understanding is that people who do not eat bacalhau at Christmas are hung on the line with the laundry.
Different regions have different traditional Christmas meals, with bacalhau being one of the most common, but definitely not the rule. Case in point: my wife's family is all about bacalhau for Christmas while my own parents usually served stuffed turkey.
For me a strange one is in the North, where I am from, if someone enters a restaurant the people sitting at the tables tend to look at you. Not just restaurants, in most of the cases there is a lot of eye contact, which I used to find normal when I lived there, but living in London for over 10 years now, where I could walk naked in the street and no one would bat an eye, I feel it strange when I go back.
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This is mostly due to the fact that we have smaller cities, and restaurants are usually frequented by locals. So when they look at you when you enter, it's mostly them trying to figure out if they know you, so they can invite you or just say hello. This is something that has been changing a lot in the latest years, I feel like this happen way less frequently than before.
Love the channel. Another note about public holidays is that if they fall on a weekend then there's no compensation for that in terms of a day in lieu, like there is in the UK. There is no 'Boxing Day' in Portugal, the 26th December is a normal working day and 1st January EVERYTHING closes. It's not the shopping spree and sales so beloved of the UK.
The names: that's not the reason. Some names are trend and others aren't. In the 80' parents would call their offsprings Vanessa, Bárbara, Nicole, Brigite...In the 90' the trend changed, so diferet names on the go: Manuel, João, António, Maria, Rita... If you could see the list of the allowed names you would be surprised, its a never ending one. For the sake of Portugueses language, some names are banned. But if parents were born in another country or if they have a second citizenship/nationality then they can name their children whatever names they want (we respect their culture)
Thanks for correcting me aboutK, Y and W Hugo. And I have heard the same view, from Portuguese friends, about why shops are given English names in Portugal. It makes me feel a little sad that Portuguese shop names aren't considered prestigious enough.
So interesting, I have seen the senha system used in Brazil and thank goodness as it would be carnage without it😁 Only been once just before covid but will definitely go back. As a fluent Brazilian Portuguese speaker I was fine for the most part but some accents were quite challenging. Your videos are helping a lot and really enjoyable to watch.
Hi Liz. Such a great and useful video. If you don’t mind, can I please ask a bit more Ona few of the points in your video? 1) with the green man, and cars being allowed to turn; is that reserved solely for right turns (like in some places within N. America)? 2) would VO films still be subtitled? 3) Bacahalau; is it always salted and dried? How difficult / easy is it to get fresh cod (at shops/ fishmongers/ in restaurants)? Thank you again for a fun, and informative video.
1) Pedestrians on a green man always have the right of passage (though some drivers might see otherwise), and it's usually on a right turn (I don't remember ever seeing it on a left turn, though it may exist) 2) Afaik all streaming services allow subtitles to be turned off 3) Bacalhau is either dried and salted, or frozen, it is never fresh because it is fished in the North Atlantic, mostly by Norwegian fishermen, so it would probably spoil by the time it got here...
Regarding Bacalhau. I'm Portuguese, living in Norway and inclusive happen to participate once on the "cod fish championship" on Lofoten, northern Norway. For background Portuguese have been fishing bacalhau, for more than 500 years! Yes, that's more than half a millennium! As the tradition goes. Before Columbus reach "America". So yes that's quite long time. By tradition on the North Atlantic. Either on the European side (Norway) or on the Canadian side. No wonder Canada, Labrador, Terra Nova (NewFoundland), etc. are absolutely Portuguese names and words! And there's a ton of canada's in Portugal! BTW "Canada" means passage or path. Because that's precisely what Canada was a passage/path to bacalhau. In Norway that influence can be seen by old DNA traced back to Portuguese in some tiny villages further north. Even in Bergen (second largest city) Or more commonly in everyday words like triste (sad), Sol (Sun) and so many others. The choice of these two words is neither a coincidence or an accident... It's precisely what derived from being so far North! ;-) With this said fishing so far North meant months away from home. And also months that the fish would have to hold until sold/consumed. So fresh was neither an option or a possibility in an age prior to refrigerators! So dried/salted it was. And it's still part of that tradition. Fresh bacalhau. Yes, of course it exist (nowadays). But it's neither a commercial success or fond on Portuguese hearts! ;-) Fun fact: The last bacalhau sail boats were in operation until early 70's! Here's an 1967 excellent documentary: ua-cam.com/video/4XRAUZYyKws/v-deo.html
I am Japanese and many times people keep staring at me even I see them doing it especially with my Portuguese husband. This remains me when I lived in the states, many Chinese or non Japanese people did for recognise someone they know. Unfortunately i don't know anyone here in Portugal LOL
The dangers to pedestrians extends to the sidewalks! In Porto anyway, many garages are on the "minus" floors with a vary steep ramp up that terminates at the sidewalk so they continue to zoom ACROSS THE SIDEWALK and on to the street. What's also weird about almost being struck in the crosswalk, is that IF they realize they almost killed you they give you an "oops my bad" kind of wave. Aw... they didn't mean to break my legs!
All these point are so true!!! I just got back again from Portugal and miss it already. One thing that you pointed out about the little green man at the crosswalk seems strange to me too. This last time in Lisbon, I also noticed that cars would still proceed even if pedestrians had the right of way. Honestly, you do have to be alert. I saw a car almost run over three people crossing the street. Very scary! Once you are aware of these different "weird" facts, you'll be definitely equiped to accept them and then really love the culture. I always feel well recieved and am treat so cordially in Portugal. Its so funny that they will call be " o Senhor John!"
But I have found that there is also an assumption that if you approach a zebra crossing you are going to use it, and have right of way. (Maybe that's only in the provinces!) But in England it's a negotiation; you step gingerly on to the crossing and hope the traffic will stop for you. I found in Portugal there was a slight frustration on the part of drivers who had to stop because you had waited to do that negotiation which they didn't expect. You should already be getting to the other side!
The traffic light thing is usually when the car is going to turn. For instance, you haver a red light in front of you so you stop your car. The pedestrians crossing in front of you have a green light, so they can safely cross. But sometimes, when the green light goes on for the car, you may want to turn to the right, and there is an orange sign warning there may be pedestrians crossing. That right side you are turning, has a green light for pedestrians too, because they had a red light when you also where waiting for your turn. It usually happens on intesection roads. Not when you are going straight. I don't know if it was clear, but I don't know how to put it in better words ahah
Also for the green man crossing - even if there is a red light for the cars and a green light for you to cross: Make sure that you still double check that no car will come speeding down with full intention of running the red light (and running you down!). So many near heart attacks from cars just trying to squeeze through before you get a change to cross in the road, even if you're already halfway crossing. Insane XD
I would also like to point out we also use the "4 da tarde" instead of 16h, is very common when people are speaking with one another, but the schedules on places will be on the 24h format :) so if someone is not used to the 24h format, dont worry :) manhã=morning, tarde=evening, noite=night and madrugada=dawn (for example we say duas da madrugada, (2am), but for example dez da noite(10pm))
Liz, I was born in Portugal and lived 50 years in Canada and return last year to Portugal. the dubbing of films was not cause Salazar did not want it. it was technological issues and support for local film production . people like to blame Salazar for everything wrong without knowing the real history of it. thanks
SPOILER ALERT! I don't mean these things are weird, OBVIOUSLY, they are just different ;) And a different way of life is why we move, right?! What had surprised you about life in Portugal??
If we go to your country, I'm sure we'll find loads of "weird" things. It's called cultural differences.
I hate these videos when people move into a foreign country and all they do is complain about this and that. We have a saying: if you are not happy the house door is open...
@@MariaDiazskn No need for that either... weird and different are in the same meaning just with a different reaction 😅
@@MariaDiazskn If you watch the first 20 seconds of the video, Maria, this is exactly what I say.
Are you sure you're not Portuguese too ? Your accent is spot on !! Coffee after a meal is supposed to help in the digestion :) .
@@paulanborges5063 she is
In Portugal, saying that you are going out for a coffee has the meaning of going out to hang with your friends. You can drink whatever you feel like or nothing at all. The best times are usually when you "go out for a coffee" and you'll get back home at 4 in the morning and didn't have any coffee. 😁😉
Also a coffee is very cheap in Portugal so it is a way for people to meet up and not spend a lot of money (we don't like to exclude anyone from hanging out because of money).
It's like how the swedish say to go for a Fika. To go for a café in Portugal is basically like having a date with somebody else or just have some time on your own at a café or any other public place.
How can we get to Portugal
@@babucarrjallow2982 car, train, ship, airplane... we are on planet earth.
This is wonderful. Thank you
As a Portuguese, I do believe dubbing foreign movies is a crime against world culture. A TV channel (SIC) tried to dub some ER drama back in the late 1990s and there was a general outcry against it. Same kind if row as when they wanted us to adopt the Central European Time and get our children to school in the dead of night.
Dawsons creek que dava na TVI no início dos anos 2000 e foi um dos raros programas que davam dobrado ,foi uma desgraça
That's why only kid's shows and movies are dubbed now.
Agree 100%. I had no idea not dubbing had its origins in the dictatorship. I wonder why Dutch don’t dub as well or any small country. I simply thought it was a matter of economy. One translated must surely be cheaper than dozens of voice actors… and yes reading a book or watching a movie on its original version shows us so much more culture! Also makes Portuguese along with Dutch so much better at languages than the nationals of countries where they do dubb it. Worst dubbing I have experienced almost 30 years ago in Turkey and Poland where the original sound was low and they had one men doing voice over the whole movie! Unbearable!!! Not sure if that is still a thing but I witnessed it!!!
@@klimtkahlo my "educated" guess is also that not-dubbing has got nothing to do with PIDE or SNI - for, when you dub, you do change the words, what better way of concealing unwnted messages than by cutting off the original sound and implant sth else instead? As you say: in little countries it is common, because lettering is much cheaper than dubbing. But if there is a document of the dictatorial age where is is stated that films and TV programs have to remain in the original version so as to refrain the illiterate from getting access to entertainment, I will accept that argument.
@@pedrobaptista4019 Before 1974 there was also no need for dubbing. Few people understood english. Subtitles had to be approved by the censorship. And a film could be banned or shown with cuts.
As a Portuguese I love watching these videos and seeing what foreigners think about our culture. We learn a lot about ourselves :)
I learn a lot abut them.
Feels like the youtube algorithm only sends me to expat channels, which is still useful, but what I'd really like is to learn straight from Portuguese people. I don't plan to purposely live near or gather with Americans once I move... I won't shun them, I just rather become part of my new community & their culture.
If you had lived in Portugal before the "senhas" system (a long time ago...) I'm sure you'd have a different appreciation for it. In those foregone times queuing was a mix of art and martial arts. You'd need to:
a) constantly keep an eye on everyone
b) maintain a dialogue with the people around you - 'I arrived just after you, sir, you saw me arriving here, right?' - 'you're the person right after me, madam, aren't you?'
c) create group alliances against anyone trying to elbow their way through the queue, or against anyone questioning your place in that queue - 'I arrived before you, it just happens I went to the bathroom and it took a while...'
Also sometimes you'd need to keep this mix of diplomacy and war posture for HOURS - there was no internet, tax forms were delivered at "Finanças" in person, and there was usually a queue going round the block.
Your generation has no idea how good you have it. When I was young...
Hahhaa this is an amazing insight thank you!!!
😂 In Italy was just the same!
You say that as it's firmly in the past but I had to do everything you just said last Summer to update my CC under covid bureaucracy hell (I missed the CTT delivery of the CC so I'm the stupid one but that's beside the point).
That's just how it happened because the number of tickets (senhas) was extremely limited (less than 20) and we had to be there 2 hours before it opened to even have the chance to get a ticket. So everyone was keeping check of who was 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc and people backed each other out. Of course there will always be an asshole and an old lady that yells that the system is bullshit and she needs to be attended now (i really love those old ladies, the essence of Portugal).
@@Domanating I had forgotten there are some (rare) situations when one needs to queue to get a "senha", a deliciously Kafkaesque paradox.
I love you Portuguese people and love that we are all here policing the veracity of statements made by foreigners to our lovely Portugal and that spend our time giving them real insights! Agree with you 100% and great way of expressing yourself! Witty and intelligent! Thank you!
I love these videos about “weird” Portuguese culture because 90% of the time it feels like you are talking about my country, Italy haha
Yes, we sure have our own thing here on the south of Europe! Cheers
I lived in Lisbon and now I’m in Naples. A lot of similarities but a LOT is still sooo different for me (as a foreigner) 😂 Like, I miss my coffee, galão! Now, I can’t even THINK about ordering something with so much milk after breakfast 😂 Here, they probably would look at me like, “We don’t do that.” lol
Or mein Greece ☺
I'm portuguese. Some years ago drove my car through some european country's. Not long after crossing the border from Austria to Italy I realise: "this is like Portugal but prettier. Same good things, same bad things"
Love it!
both latin countries so its understandable to share similarities and besides for anyone that moves to that other country its always nice to "see a little bit of former home" in the new country
something I noticed is that the Portuguese people eat pastries for breakfast not muesli or fruit and yoghurt or eggs like we do in South Africa. Also they eat two main meals a day being lunch and dinner and what I think is great is that they take time out of their work day to enjoy lunch back home with their family or out at a local cafe with friends rather than staying in the office and eating a sandwich over their desk like us silly people!
I agree!!!!
Most of portugues people eat in the morning, bread, coffe and milk, and also muesli.that's the true.
Ahahahahaha as a Portuguese man I do have to agree. We are very stubborn when it comes to eating with our beloved ones. My father is always complaining "Come on! Sit on the table now! Wait, you can't right now? What do you mean by that!? Just come!"
Eggs for breakfast, no thanks! 😆😂
In Brazil when I tell my friends how people in the US eat breakfast driving with a cup of Joe and all the rush and lunch , they laugh a lot .
Yeah it is cultural
But a stress free life is healthier
I'm Portuguese and I confirm I love my expresso after breakfast and lunch, but never after dinner. And "going out for a coffee" means getting out of the house and hang out with other people, not necessarily having a coffee.
Your Portuguese accent is perfect! Considering that it’s not an easy language to learn as it self, nailing the accent as well is the cherry on top. I don’t think I ever listened to a foreigner nailing it, specially the S, T sounds and of course the “ão” sounds. Cheers!
I was born in Portugal in 1952 spent my first 3 1/2 years there. American parents and I've lived in the United States cents but now I am thinking of returning going full circle, so I just wanted to thank you for your information. I'm going to try to learn Portuguese again it had been my first language but has long been lost
Not only you look portuguese, the way you pronounce portuguese words is spot on!
Obrigada! Significa muito!
About the names: there is an extensive list of accepted names (I think more than 3.000 for each gender). The thing is, there are names more popular than others. Historically "Maria" is the most common; in 2016, for example, it was the name given to 5.640 girls in Portugal (for a total of 42.000 newborns). On that same year, there were 200 other names given to at least 10 children each, and about 1.400 names given to fewer than 10 children each (1.250 of which were given to only 1 newborn!). In short, I would say there is a huge list of authorized names and maybe there is little creativity when it comes to choosing one.
As for the issue of pedestrian crossing: when a vehicle changes direction, if there are no traffic lights, road signs or any signs at all, the driver is obliged to allow pedestrians to cross the road. When there are traffic lights, and it is green for the driver and also green for the pedestrian, it means there is one more light, which is the flashing yellow traffic light with a pedestrian; this is to inform the driver that there may be pedestrians crossing the road because their light is green. In this situation the driver has to stop.
About dubbing, your theory is correct. The main purpose was to protect Portuguese cinema and to prevent the spread of ideas contrary to the regime. And when the law banning dubbing was implemented in the 1940s, 50% of the population was illiterate, wich means at least half the population would not understand the movie at all.
The good thing about this as a foreigner is that there are fewer names to practise saying... I can only imagine that the list of less popular names might have a few tongue twisters included...
exactly
Fun fact. You can name a child "John" (English), or "José" (Portuguese). But you can not name a chilld "Jose" - because that sounds Spanish :P Here is the list: www.irn.mj.pt/sections/irn/a_registral/registos-centrais/docs-da-nacionalidade/vocabulos-admitidos-e/downloadFile/file/Lista_de_nomes_2017_11.pdf?nocache=1567857013.04
Great video!! :) I will just add a few things, as a Portuguese myself:
- I am pretty sure cars here are NOT allowed to turn if there is a green light man for pedestrians, because usually that means that it's red light for cars. The only time pedestrians and cars are allowed to cross/turn at the same time - and yes, here pedestrians as well as cars need to be careful - is when the pedestrian light man is orange. Now, if there are cars turning when the green light man is on for pedestrians, that just means the car is not following road safety rules and of course that can happen, especially in busy cities like Lisbon or Porto.
- Yes, we do have a list of names we are allowed to use and nowadays that list is waaaay more extensive than when I was younger. But I think the fact that you will meet a lot of people with the same name is because we are traditionalists and like to give the same family names to everyone. For example, in my family there are 3 Beatriz, 3 Teresa, 3 Pedro, 2 Isabel, 2 Francisca, 2 Tomás, 2 Luísa, 2 António......the list goes on xD (I am not even mentioning the dead relatives who also had those names).
- Intermissions in films depend on the cinema company you are going to. UCI Cinemas have no intermissions. NOS Cinemas do. The exception is children films, they always have intermissions anywhere.
I know at least 1 place were when the cars light goes green, the pedestrian light also goes green. It's green for cars and pedestrian at the same time. Luckily it's just after a sharp turn to right for cars, so they never fast in that place. But it can get strange and scary passing there for the first time m
I will reply in english for others to read but you are wrong. In some intersections there is a yellow light to the right and in this situations it will be green to pedestrians. Sometimes in these situations there is a yellow blinking light with a pedestrian sign but the sign is for the drivers (as in warning that pedestrians DO have a green light). I think these are the situations she is refering and yes the pedestrians have priority and the cars MUST stop.
In Lisbon is very common to have streets where the pedestrian is green and also the car traffic lights is green (though usually turned to the cars is the yellow pedestrian light blinking. Fun story I once was almost killed by a lady and she shouted at me that the pedestrians did not have priority).
I think she is referring to when the pedestrian's sign is green, but the cars' sign is yellow
Intersections where there is green light for pedestrians and for at least one of the directions of traffic at the same time are extremely common, at least in the larger cities. There is however, as others pointed out, an additional intermittent yellow sign for the cars.
About the baby name list, is exists but is not very limiting😊 And when a child with foreign parent(s) name him/her a foreign name, that name becomes part of the list and is available for everyone. Also, a full portuguese couple CAN use names for their child that are not on the list, you just have to hand over some forms asking for permition and pay a fee. Almost everytime it is aproved😊
Sometimes you need to prove that name exists and was permitted before. And sometimes it involves a lot of effort... my sister was a nameless baby for almost 4 months
@@danielaalberto7984 Isto vai parecer meio estranho mas fiquei curioso. Se não te importares de responder, qual é o nome da tua irmã?
My parents wanted to name me Andrea, but they did not receive permission back in 1979. Back then they only allowed the Portuguese version of that name: Andreia. So they chose to name me Inês instead. I also remember a teacher I had in the 80's that wanted to name her baby girl Yara, but she ended up registering her officially with a strange name as Mariara or something like that (the only variation that the registry allowed) and within the family they used the knick name Yara. But I think that after the 90's the name list got alot bigger and they became a lot more flexible accepting the registration of names that were not tipically portuguese.
So if you look at the older generations born prior to the 80's/90's there are more people named with traditional portuguese names. Than at the end of the 90's and the 00's there were a lot of children with more original names and names with outside influence (I remember Yara even became one of the common names for girls at a point in time 😜). But I think that portuguese parents started going back to more traditional names again in the last 15 years or so. And "older" names became very common again like Maria, Carlota, Constança, Madalena, Catarina, José Maria, Bernardo, João, André, Miguel, etc.
I know UK very well and I notice that:
1- the names are also very identical... a lot oof Jonh's, Mary's, Phill's.....
2- the problems of transit are also equal...
3- They drink beer as we drink water...
4- Coffe: curious! I learned in UK to have always avaiable coffee, in big kettles and pots, in the office, at any time, from 8am to 9pm...
etc etc etc
I've just stumbled into this video and it made me smile. It's so nice to see my country through other people's eyes (in a good way) 😁
Liz, you have a very, very good following that really supports your "talk the streets" premise. Your Portuguese followers help us all with even more in-depth understanding and cultural tips. This is a testament to you and your team about your inclusive following, kudos!
Thank you so much, that makes me so happy! 😊
I had no idea other countries didn't have a "senhas" system. It's such an efficient way of dealing with queues (when everything is working properly, of course). Can't believe it's just a Portuguese thing.
It exists in other countries, but it’s much more common here compared the US for example. I really like the system now that I’m used to it!
It exists in other countries, but it’s much more common here compared the US for example. I really like the system now that I’m used to it!
It isn't.
I'm surprised we haven't updated to phone apps. That way we wouldn't need to stay in the room and look at the screen.
The ticket system is far better than forcing people to queue for a long time, which can be especially hard on older people. With the tickets, you choose the service that you want, get your ticket and, especially if you see that you have many people ahead of you, you can decide to go and sit down, go outside, even go for a coffee, and come back later. It's never 100% accurate, but in many places the tickets show the estimated time to be served, as well as the time you got the ticket, so you can manage your time accordingly. Also, at the Loja do Cidadão, for example, you can (or could, at least - I haven't been to one in a while) send an sms to a number in order to be notified when there are only 3 people ahead of you, so you can star to make your way back.
Re: cars being allowed to go when it's green for pedestrians if they are turning left or right, I always thought that was the case everywhere... I lived in London for years and never noticed that it didn't happen there. So, yes, if a car is coming from a street and turns left or right, the light will be green for the car and red for the pedestrians that want to cross that street, but not for the ones on the perpendicular streets. In that case, there will typically be a blinking yellow (amber) light with a pedestrian symbol, warning drivers that they are goingo to turn into a street where the light is green for the pedestrians, and so they must give way to them (it is always mandatory for a car turning right or left into a street to give way to pedestrians who are crossing it, regardless of zebra crossings, or any other considerations, except if the pedestrians do have a red light). So, in a nutshell, you have to be careful when crossing a street on a zebra crossing with a green light on a street corner if cars can turn into your street, although they are still required by law to give way to you. But, better safe than sorry.
I had the same thoughts about coffee! After some research I found out that because the coffee is so dark, it means the coffee beans are roasted a long time, and apparently the longer you roast the beans the less caffeine you get and more coffee flavour. So its mainly used to aid with digestion
"To aid with digestion"? People drink coffee as a stimulant, because of the caffeine. The more you roast the coffee, more toxic and bitter it becomes. It also depends on the quality of the coffee. If the coffee is harvested with a machine in gigantic plantations, a lot of agricultural poison, mixing mature beans with green ones as in Brazil or a quality coffee, only harvested by hand in highlands, as in Colombia. If you drink super strong coffee like the Italians and Turks and still add sugar, arrrg, then the quality of the coffee doesn't matter. And Italians only eat sweet pastries in the morning, arrg again.
Love your cultural videos, eye opening! Really appreciate your ability to pick something that is indeed unexpected by the outsiders yet is embedded into the daily life. Perfect format and wording. Looking forward to see this turn into a series or a playlist.
actually in the hours theme the 24 hour format is mainly in the written form. So if you're writing, yes we'll write 16h, but if you ask the time to anyone they will answer "4 da tarde" meaning 4 in the afternoon.
Coffee: If you ask for a coffee in Portugal you`re essentially asking for an expresso. Nevertheless when someone asks you "let`s go for a coffee" it doesn`t imply you`ll be going to a bar to drink coffee. The expression itself just means "let´s gather for drinks"
In Finland we have 1. (functioning) system of senhas everywhere, 2. 24-hour clock, 3. cars turning to the right at the same time as pedestrians passing 😆😆
Your Portuguese is amazing! Congrats. O seu Português é fantástico!
The primary reason for the repetition of names in Portugal, is not de name book, but the fact that traditionally babys are named after someone in the family: father, grandfather, favorite uncle, etc.
About the coffee... many times when people say they are going out for a coffee (specially at night) it doesn't really mean they are going to get coffee but just that they're going out (possibly to a cafe or a bar)
I enjoyed this video and LOVE learning about cultural differences ❤️ it’s what makes us all so interesting! I’m looking forward to seeing how much of this I’ll notice in the Açores ☺️
Hello Liz firstly I’ve to say that love your British accent and your Portuguese accent is so impressive. Thank you so much for the tips I am planning to move Portugal 🇵🇹 not for the main cities, but rather to the countryside. I am strongly influenced by minimalism and the movement of tiny homes. Beijinhos. I’m continue watching your videos, the best channel with a realistic approach about living in Portugal and by the way, I learn a little more Portuguese.
The list of authorized names in Portugal has around 3000 entries. What happens is that there are "fads", each generation has their favorite names, then it passes and the names given to newborns change. You can almost guess the age of the person by the name - now there are few girls Sandra, Sónia or Carla, fifty years ago it was very common.
Yes that's the same everywhere.. Like in the UK as well
And your name is, well, the biggest in Portugal. *Maria.*
@@GumSkyloard Most people have Maria in their name. It doesn't mean we don't have a second or a first.
@Maria You mean around 6800. More than 3500 are girl names, around 100 dualgender names and ~3100 boy names.
You'd be surprised by the amount of weird names there are. I know a few people by rather unique names, like Gravelina, Noémio, Aristides, Aureliano, Gualberta, Marciete, etc...
This seems to be a very interesting place, I hope I can visit sometime in the future. Seeing and sharing places like this is why I love traveling and make videos so much! And please keep up the great job! Subscribed!!
Actually when you talk about the habit of having coffee at night it isn't exactly how you explained it.
Its a fact that a lot of Portuguese people are used to have a coffee (but its a smal one i guess you call it expresso) after the meals, including dinner.
We do not go to sleep early ( for example before midnight is early foe us even for the most of us that start working at 09h (am and not 21h pm 😅)
Being that said mostly younger people (not married with kids mostly) have the habit of going to the coffee, but that don't necessarily means you'll be having coffee!
Weird?! I know i might be for you but stick with me then 😁
When we say "vamos ao café" it means go out a bit, its not about the brew itself.
And yes we call coffee to a coffe shop, to a bar and to the most of the establishments where you go to hang with your people.
So "ir ao café " its mostly a social thing and where most of the nights we really go all the way out until sunrise begins by...going to the coffe.
Even when someone invites you to go "beber um café" it does not necessarily means to have a coffee.
Its an invitation to hang with you (like a date or not )
And yes, those small coffee shops are everywhere...
Nonetheless, we sure love our cafés!
In the morning to wake up, mid morning, after lunch, mid day with a snack and for some people after dinner too...
Most smokers, love to have a coffe before smoking, specially after a main meal
Falaste tudo Nuno ❤️
I live in a tiny rural village in southern alentejo the 'forgotten place'. Slowly I'm learning their kind of Portuguese. I'm the only 'English' in this place so lots of things are new to me. I'm happy here. Will go for a tour of the north sometime.
Obrigada Liz! Yes please to a video or two about the whole process of driving and getting one's licence in Portugal!
Great info-I’m thinking of moving to Portugal so this is invaluable.Nice sharing. Look forward to seeing your other videos.From piano player new friend in UK ❤️🎹
Someone from the UK who doesn't understand queues or a 24 hour clock should stay home. I lasted 2 minutes zzzzzzz
COFEE: the digestion of a good warm meal, sometimes including wine, makes you want to sleep. To avoid that we drink an “expresso”. Make sense right!
That list of "allowed" names actually has thousands of names, including names that are really not traditional at all, with alternative spellings (including double consonants and kyw which you won't see in traditional names), foreign sounding names...
People just simply choose to name their kids the most typical ones a lot anyway xd
and if the name you choose its not in the list, you just add it there in the civil services.
Ah yes - I know two brothers called 'Mar' e 'Sol'. Unusual but permitted.
The same thing exists in many other European countries... if a parent is from abroad, for example, you are also free to choose a name that corresponds to their cultural background.
@@Duck-wc9de that depends. people can reject the name you want to put to your child. my mom already rejected loads of names.
I had no idea the name list still existed! Bizarre!
Great vid, as always. Welcome back Liz! I love the idea of the senhas. Means you can grab a ticket for the meat counter at the supermarket, then do the rest of your shopping while waiting to reach the front of the butcher queue.
The subtitles thing is frustrating. It's really hard to find TV shows in Portuguese with PT subtitles. RTP have a few, but not many, and the subtitles are on Teletext so you have to know this in order to find them. And they rarely work on the RTP Play app, but they do work on the RTP website. English shows with PT subtitles are easy to find, for anyone that wants those.
Many Portuguese people speak excellent English, and apparently they learn it by watching English shows that have had PT subtitles added. As an A2/B1 learner I guess that what I really need is Portuguese shows with English subtitles. But there simply aren't any. Maybe I need to be looking on the BBC and other English stations for these, rather than on Portuguese channels.
You can usually find different choices of subtitles in TV streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, etc.
Some of them even support different audio streams, so for example my kids watch Disney's shows dubbed in portuguese, while we watch in the original language (usually English) with portuguese subtitles.
I love how some of these weird facts apply to life in Sweden too :)
An actually accurate video about Portugal. How hard I actually looked for that. Obrigado!
A couple of this worth adding:
1- portuguese are mad about football. Its out main sport.
2- between lunch and dinner, we also like to grab a snack if we can
3- not only do kids have a lot of contact with English from movies, series, music and videogames, we also learn English in school. Most start learning at the 5th grade. I had the chance to start at my 3rd grade. Older students also are give the chance to study one of the following languages: Franch, Spanish or, in some rare schools, Germain or Italian.
A parte do futebol! 😂😂👌 Eu vivo perto do Parque do Jamor, o que me leva a viver perto do estádio nacional. Deves imaginar o que foi ontem para a final da taça. Havia portistas a almoçar (com mesas) no nosso parque de estacionamento!
Great info Liz. We have experienced the evening coffees in our neighbourhood even being driven half an hour away to a river beach in summer after dinner at friends.
Also Saturday afternoon to a neighbourhood shop/ cafe where they have local meat to buy in a freezer in the next room. We buy local honey and olive oil from another neighbour. Delicious. Simple country living is beautiful. Não senhas!
Oh God, I love all of this, which is why I am moving to Portugal. Very cute segment, thank you for sharing it.
The ticket machine exists in some supermarkets in the USA. Also cars can turn in the USA when it is green for pedestrians, which I didn’t know was a thing in Portugal. I stand corrected.
I was just delivered food by a girls names Yoarmy and speedy. Lady was the name of a lady at the supermarket. Twins at a friend’s school that was named usnavy and usarmy. I love the law that limits parents from naming their kids whatever they can think of. Believe me it is very necessary!!!
Also intermission at the movies shows our social nature. I miss that so much, you get to talk to your friends, see other people you also know. So much fun! Also this is where you can get all your food without missing any of the movie!
Love how you say: bacalhau even on Christmas Day. As a Portuguese abroad you go out of your way and pay a small fortune to buy bacalhau and make sure you have it at least on that very important holiday! Portuguese people that don’t like bacalhau will still have it for Christmas, it would probably be considered a heresy not to have it! Just to put things into perspective. 🙃
Laws restrict freedoms are never good laws.
@@davidedbrooke9324 you have Brazil for the opposite, it ain't good either
@@vertigoz Don’t they have laws ?
@@davidedbrooke9324 they can call it whatever they like, if they want to name coca cola to their son they can
@@davidedbrooke9324 the law is to insure people don't give kids insane names. All regular names are allowed.
If this was in the US, names like David, John, Steve, wtv would all be allowed.
You just wouldn't be able to call your kid things like Batman Superman and the like. Which is honestly child abuse.
Awesome sharing ! I experienced a lot of that myself. I wish I found your video before.
Just one thing about the road safety (is partely right): in some places when the green light goes on for pedestrians the cars can cross, this is true, however, drivers have the yellow light to be careful about pedestrians as they still have priority.
Same in Poland
considering Portugal as a retirement place when I'm older, thank you for this info!
Amazing portuguese accent liz!
👍
🇵🇹
Reagrding the traffic lights: I think you might be referring to when the pedestrian's sign is green, but the cars' sign is yellow... in those situations, the pedestrian hs priority, but if no one is crossing, then the cars are allowed to cross
Or maybe when the car is turning right and pedestrian sign is green. Even if there is no crosswalk and a car must stop to allow the pedestrian to cross the road.
Either way, and according to the law, the pedestrians have priority. The problem is the drivers sometimes "forget it" and go like they have priority on their own.
Please do the video on driving vocabulary!
Ok I will!! Probably going to start learning in the late summer!
As portuguese, I can say that your portuguese is very good! very good tips too! cheers
All good to know. The traffic light one really caught me out but they also do that in the USA. Also worth noting is every city has a holiday for its Saint's Day. I'm heading to Lisbon in June for St. Anthony's feast day.
As a brazilian about to go to Portugal, I don't know why I was expecting a big shock, cause a lot of these are common here in Brazil also, but I've learned a couple of things so I really appreciated
Restriction in naming is very common all across Europe, not just Portugal.
Yea right, I don’t see much creativity in names of my (UK) colleagues either 😅. I work with like 5 Joannas or Jo-Annas.
Good video. Content is King as they say and this is a video of purely content; information communicated directly without getting sidetracked with lengthy personal superfluous, superficial info. May come and have a look at Portugal for various reasons. Video's like this actually help encourage that urge, with useful insights.
So glad it was helpful!
I'm friends with an older couple here in the States who drink coffee after meals, including later in the evening. I don't know where they picked that up. They're both from rural Florida, though they're also quite well traveled. Maybe they picked it up in Europe, as that seems to be more common there. I don't know, but it always weirds me out.
I was really surprised by how much better I found the coffee scene in Portugal than in Italy. I always assumed Italy would be THE coffee place. But frankly, other than espresso (which I don't love), I found their coffee (in Florence, Rome & Venice), to be...not great. But in Lisbon, it was fantastic.
I had an Austrian friend from Vienna who had lived in Italy and it also expressed to me that he preferred Portuguese coffee and he was somewhat of a connoisseur. I assumed it was trying to stroke my ego. But now I believe him!
Our coffee is def One of the best if not the best in the world. I'd also recommend coffee outside of Lisbon hehe
@@miguel151420 I definitely hope to visit again and get beyond Lisbon. My trip there (7 years ago) was my first real international trip (I don't count Canada, because I grew up just over the border in the US and it wasn't much different from where I lived). We spent 4 days in Lisbon and only left to visit some sites in Sintra. I'm sure, like any country, one large city isn't a great representation of the whole nation. That said, I absolutely LOVED my time there and I've wanted to return ever since.
My wife and I & a family friend were going to try to visit the Porto area last September, but then covid surged back and we canceled our travel plans. Maybe next year...I hope.
It's always weird to listen to things that seem so normal to me being weird xD. I think you got a nice grasp of our culture :D, hope you keep enjoying your time here!
It's always fun stumbling on those weird things that as an outsider make no sense, but the people from the area don't have a second thought about it.
Here in the states, the one I always think of is that in two states you can't actually fill up your own car at a gas station (it may have changed, but it was New Jersey and Oregon if I remember right).
I lived in the Midwest my entire life, so visiting Portland, Oregon and stopping to fill up the car was a really confusing experience when there was no way for me to do it, I had to go inside and get the attendant to come out and do it for me.
I don't know if you noticed it yet, Liz, but we portuguese get very excited when English natives do manage to get their way around very difficult language.
Thx for sharing this! Encouraging words for me, a Cantonese Chinese American born who studied Spanish & French in school but was in Portugal challenged NOT to utter substitute words in Español… out of respect.
Kids content on tv in the 70ies and 80ies, when I was young(er) was not dubbed - that’s why we elder also speak English
Being a portuguese, I never heard the explanation that dubbing movies was because of censorship, and actually that does not seem to make much sense.
Yep, we had quite a share of censorship during the dictatorship, and even though there was a good number of illiterate people, most people were literate, specially when tv came by. To censor something, it would actually work better to dub the original audio rather than subtitle it and keeping the original which some people would still understand.
I might be wrong, but I think the main reason for subtitles was actually because it was cheaper. Also, we always dubbed most of the cartoons, at least since the 70s.
As most portuguese will probably tell you, we see dubbing movies as butchering the content. It may be out of habit also, but if you think of it, it does change the interpretations and "butchers" them in a way.
But yes, it's probably the main reason most portuguese people, ages 50 or less at least, will have at least a basic understanding of the english language
Sometimes there's english expressions that subtitles cannot acuratly translate. But having both languages, and after learning what the expression means, we can spot the difference. Not if it's dubbed though.
Generally when cars can turn right on green man light there are also a yellow light blinking in the car side and on the walking person side telling both to be careful.
So interesting to learn about the language dubbing! Didn’t know that. And, the ticketing system is a great thing to remember - our favorite coffee shop installed the ticketing system while we were out of town so when I visited this morning I was very confused 😅
Hahaha yes I walked into a pharmacy yesterday and it was a good couple of minutes before I circled back to the front and found the senha machine!
@@TalktheStreets I've heard when there is no ticketing and a random room of people waiting, you ask "Quem e o ultimo?" - who is last? - and then all you have to do is wait until that person has been served and you know it is you next. You are the new "last" until somebody else comes in after you ;-)
My pronunciation used to be half decent but I don't think I ever got close enough to right on bacalhao to not make people smile :S
Pedestrian crossing I found you have to stare down the driver and not hesitate or break stride on the approach to the crossing, to show you are serious. They probably won't stop still, but they will then at least swerve around you ;)
Only Animation movies are in Portuguese , all the rest has subtitles on them in Portuguese.
The ticketing is very useful in the supermarket you can check your number while continuing shopping just by checking the screens installed on the walls
Honeymoon Always - That language dubbing/subtitle explanation is absolutely wrong on this video! In fact it's not even logical!
I wrote elsewhere on these comment section the real why's behind it. ;-)
driving on the 'other' side tip:
use your kids games console to play a game that involves driving (many/most do). then simply drive around the game using only the 'other' side of the road that you are used to.
it REALLY works as it gets your brain used to what to expect in terms of turning left and right especially. i did this just before going to Portugal for first time and it helped a LOT.
cheers
Obridada Liz! The coffee thing is always really weird for me too. I don’t know how they can sleep. 🤔 Also dinner time is sooo late.
If you come from Germany the 24 hour clock is common. Also the traffic light thing and public holidays in the week are common here. Bridge days rocks but you can also to be unlucky to have a public holiday on a Saturday or Sunday in one year. So funny to compare!
I dont know how can you drink watery coffee? Or a coffee bean hot wash? It aint tea!
JUST messing with you... We do love our coffee like this. No sugar
Your approach and content is stellar that surpasses most others in explanation of life and culture. I'm looking forward to more and learning the language which is key to community acceptance. Very, very well done. Kudos! 😉
Well said! I am innumerate to begin with and the time thing is a nightmare for me. Add that Tres, 3 and 13.Treze sound almost alike and, arghh!
The green walk sign works the same way in the US, it is ok to turn if you are clear for takeoff in a car. That being said, we have found Portuguese drivers to be much more considerate than those in the states. Viva Portugal!
Agreed, Portuguese drivers, Lisboa in particular were super observant, considerate and patient of pedestrians more so than in my home city of San Francisco. I wonder if there are stricter laws? Or just not in a hurry?
Talking about names, the most common Portuguese male names in Brazil are Joaquim and Manuel/Manoel. Portuguese immigration to Brazil was big in the 20th. century. Now is the other way around. My grandfather's name was Manuel, by the way (my grandmother, Elvira). People here used to make fun of his accent, but I loved it. Portuguese accent to me became synonym of a caring, loving person, I love to listen to Portuguese people speaking. People here in Brazil make fun of the Portuguese accent, as much as people in Portugal make fun of the Brazilian accent. That's just stupid.
Well i always prefer the accent of the country where the langauge come from english from england french from frane spanish or castillian from spain ad ofcourse the portuguese from portugal
I like the content of your video.. interesting. Thanks for sharing
I decided to go to a cinema in Coimbra by myself one time and was so surprised when the interval occurred. I didn’t mind watching the film alone but the interval made me feel a tad self conscious.
YUP! I don’t think Portuguese people go to the movies alone really! I went once in Vienna, Austria and was sure I was going to be the only weirdo but nope! Men and women were watching the movie alone as well! Never did it again! Not a fun experience.
I do it all the time here in Budapest
Now i am sad it’s weird in portugal
What happens during the interval?
The interval exists because it allows people to go to the toilet, have a cigarette or whatever without missing the film. It also allows for you to stretch your legs and just have a break. I'm portuguese living in London and I hate it that there is no interval bc I have to miss parts of the film if I want to go to the toilet and my legs always feel dead afterwards. Nobody judges you if u go to the cinema alone in Portugal btw, so keep enjoying it anyway you'd like ;)
@@cobracommander8133
W y think??
Yes please, a lesson on roads, directions, etc, thank you so much! If you have actually done one already id love to be updated
I think that in the past, in Portugal, they used subtitles because it was cheaper way to translate a movie for the people. I don't think it had to do with censorship (it would be easier and more effective to censor through dubbing).
You are most likely right! It had nothing to do with censorship as dubbing would be far more effective! This notion appears to be somewhat pervasive mainly due to a "politically tainted" mentality ("censorship" still sems to exist today albeit in a more subtle way...:-)). The "real" motive was most probably cost-effectiveness, a very small market is not conducive to economies of scale... Smaller euro countries generally follow the same practice.
ua-cam.com/video/7RhlpSedcUM/v-deo.html this video explains why we don't really dub here in Portugal, and the role of the New State in it. I recommended it, it's really informative
The thing is, most people couldnt read at the time...
Yeah, this makes more sense. It was cheaper to subtitle everything that wasn't made for children, and it just.. stuck.
!
É maravilhoso ter liberdade de se poder dizer o que se pensa... mesmo que seja uma 'bojarda'!
Many of those 'weird' things apply to Poland and Italy (two countries I can comment about) so I think it's more about what is quite strange for people living in UK coming to live in the continental part of Europe. It was great to see that video and learn something new about different points of view👍😀
So curious to see other videos. I love to see how foreigners react to us and our country. You gotta go get more coffees with friends, because yeah, most of the time we dont have cofee at all. Have you ever tried carioca de limão? Great to have before a good night of sleep.
Isn’t it kind of common sense that if you’re celebrating a historical event that took place on a certain day the public holiday would be on that same day (e.g. every year 10th June) rather than moving it to a Monday or a Friday regardless of date? Like Christmas, for instance.
Just discovered this channel! I'm going to have to dig back through your archive. I hope to complete my move to Portugal by the end of June from The States and I CAN'T WAIT!!!!
Hell yeaaaaah!!
As a Portuguese person I fully agree with everything you said haha
I had no idea some of those things weren't normal everywhere haha this video was very interesting to watch!
The only thing I have to say is about speaking in third person. That's more commonly done by older folks, even though there's always some youngsters who do it like that as well
Great video again. The weirdnesses that you had picked up on made me smile. Some of which I knew about, but not the others, until now. Always an education Liz. Thanks for another interesting video.
Some facts are actually not very accurate but that's ok, as a foreigner you did a great video :)
great video. just some stuff:
1) senhas are great. no confusion on order, just follow the numbers
2) 12-hour clock is used informally. it's common to say 'i'll meet you after work, at 6', usually meaning PM. 24-hour clock is used for formal stuff, to avoid confusion
3) yeah, people are terrible at following driving rules here. a lot of people die/are injured all the time. it's ridiculous
4) many languages have different 'you's. english did too, but they got rid of it. personally, i find it especially confusing when the person you are talking too is not close enough for a 2nd person, but you also feel that 3rd person is too far away xD
5) if one of the parents is foreign, they can still only give a name that would be legal in their own country. if that country has no rules, then it can be whatever. but if that country has rules, those have to be followed. but it is not that short of a list
6) subtitles are better, in every way. it's annoying when i want to watch cartoons in the cinema and there are only VP being shown
7) well, nothing to say here
8) we do a lot of coffee breaks because it's a quick drink to have during work hours, and a pause to chat is always nice
9) bacalhau is great. there are so many ways of making it
10) many holidays are defined as whatever the day was. like october 5 was when the republic was founded. so we celebrate it on that day. it sucks when it's on a weekend, though. ponte (bridge) is actually a corruption of the phrase 'tolerância de ponto', which means you don't have to show up to work. ponto refers to the relógio de ponto which was used to clock people's working hours, 'picar o ponto' is clocking in/out
Thoroughly enjoyed your comment and your English eloquence! Portuguese people are truly awesome! ❤️
Bom trabalho Liz, well done 👍😉.
It's the other way round: the Brits are weird :D many things listed here are same in other European countries. Moving PH to Monday? Why? If it's on 15th August, it's on 15th August. Not cool however if it's Sunday but in some countries you could take a day off for that on another day
Love watching your Videos, thanks for sharing your experience in Portugal 🇵🇹
You said that the Portuguese eat bacalhau at every traditional moment even Christmas. My understanding is that people who do not eat bacalhau at Christmas are hung on the line with the laundry.
Different regions have different traditional Christmas meals, with bacalhau being one of the most common, but definitely not the rule.
Case in point: my wife's family is all about bacalhau for Christmas while my own parents usually served stuffed turkey.
For me a strange one is in the North, where I am from, if someone enters a restaurant the people sitting at the tables tend to look at you. Not just restaurants, in most of the cases there is a lot of eye contact, which I used to find normal when I lived there, but living in London for over 10 years now, where I could walk naked in the street and no one would bat an eye, I feel it strange when I go back.
This is mostly due to the fact that we have smaller cities, and restaurants are usually frequented by locals. So when they look at you when you enter, it's mostly them trying to figure out if they know you, so they can invite you or just say hello. This is something that has been changing a lot in the latest years, I feel like this happen way less frequently than before.
Estou prestes a mudar-me para Portugal a sair de Moçambique e acho que vou gostar deste video xD
Se quiser opinião sobre Portugal pergunte à um português. A visão dos estrangeiros sobre Portugal é deturpada e confusa.
@@cristinaflores2411 e bastante errada
Love the channel. Another note about public holidays is that if they fall on a weekend then there's no compensation for that in terms of a day in lieu, like there is in the UK. There is no 'Boxing Day' in Portugal, the 26th December is a normal working day and 1st January EVERYTHING closes. It's not the shopping spree and sales so beloved of the UK.
The names: that's not the reason. Some names are trend and others aren't. In the 80' parents would call their offsprings Vanessa, Bárbara, Nicole, Brigite...In the 90' the trend changed, so diferet names on the go: Manuel, João, António, Maria, Rita... If you could see the list of the allowed names you would be surprised, its a never ending one. For the sake of Portugueses language, some names are banned. But if parents were born in another country or if they have a second citizenship/nationality then they can name their children whatever names they want (we respect their culture)
You won't found senhas outside the large cities. Here in Central Portugal, only 1 shop I know uses them, but nobody bothers with them.
Fewer people I guess!
Thanks for correcting me aboutK, Y and W Hugo.
And I have heard the same view, from Portuguese friends, about why shops are given English names in Portugal. It makes me feel a little sad that Portuguese shop names aren't considered prestigious enough.
I couldn't help but widen my eyes.. most of these things are done in Sweden and as far as I know.. in holland where I live right now.
So interesting, I have seen the senha system used in Brazil and thank goodness as it would be carnage without it😁 Only been once just before covid but will definitely go back. As a fluent Brazilian Portuguese speaker I was fine for the most part but some accents were quite challenging. Your videos are helping a lot and really enjoyable to watch.
Não querido os ingleses eles aprendem português de Portugal não do brasil obrigado
@@luisagabriela1365, I'm British and I learned Brazilian Portuguese because it's easier to understand. Thanks.
@@tool7empest353 o q entendes como português do Brasil?
@@tool7empest353 qual é a diferença entre o português do Brasil para o português de Portugal????
@@tool7empest353 então não aprendes-te português então nem sabes responder?????
Hi Liz. Such a great and useful video.
If you don’t mind, can I please ask a bit more Ona few of the points in your video?
1) with the green man, and cars being allowed to turn; is that reserved solely for right turns (like in some places within N. America)?
2) would VO films still be subtitled?
3) Bacahalau; is it always salted and dried? How difficult / easy is it to get fresh cod (at shops/ fishmongers/ in restaurants)?
Thank you again for a fun, and informative video.
1) Pedestrians on a green man always have the right of passage (though some drivers might see otherwise), and it's usually on a right turn (I don't remember ever seeing it on a left turn, though it may exist)
2) Afaik all streaming services allow subtitles to be turned off
3) Bacalhau is either dried and salted, or frozen, it is never fresh because it is fished in the North Atlantic, mostly by Norwegian fishermen, so it would probably spoil by the time it got here...
Regarding Bacalhau. I'm Portuguese, living in Norway and inclusive happen to participate once on the "cod fish championship" on Lofoten, northern Norway.
For background Portuguese have been fishing bacalhau, for more than 500 years! Yes, that's more than half a millennium! As the tradition goes. Before Columbus reach "America". So yes that's quite long time.
By tradition on the North Atlantic. Either on the European side (Norway) or on the Canadian side. No wonder Canada, Labrador, Terra Nova (NewFoundland), etc. are absolutely Portuguese names and words! And there's a ton of canada's in Portugal! BTW "Canada" means passage or path. Because that's precisely what Canada was a passage/path to bacalhau.
In Norway that influence can be seen by old DNA traced back to Portuguese in some tiny villages further north. Even in Bergen (second largest city) Or more commonly in everyday words like triste (sad), Sol (Sun) and so many others. The choice of these two words is neither a coincidence or an accident... It's precisely what derived from being so far North! ;-)
With this said fishing so far North meant months away from home. And also months that the fish would have to hold until sold/consumed. So fresh was neither an option or a possibility in an age prior to refrigerators! So dried/salted it was. And it's still part of that tradition. Fresh bacalhau. Yes, of course it exist (nowadays). But it's neither a commercial success or fond on Portuguese hearts! ;-)
Fun fact: The last bacalhau sail boats were in operation until early 70's!
Here's an 1967 excellent documentary: ua-cam.com/video/4XRAUZYyKws/v-deo.html
I am Japanese and many times people keep staring at me even I see them doing it especially with my Portuguese husband. This remains me when I lived in the states, many Chinese or non Japanese people did for recognise someone they know. Unfortunately i don't know anyone here in Portugal LOL
Great video! Thank you for sharing!
The dangers to pedestrians extends to the sidewalks! In Porto anyway, many garages are on the "minus" floors with a vary steep ramp up that terminates at the sidewalk so they continue to zoom ACROSS THE SIDEWALK and on to the street.
What's also weird about almost being struck in the crosswalk, is that IF they realize they almost killed you they give you an "oops my bad" kind of wave. Aw... they didn't mean to break my legs!
So amusing, me, a Portuguese living abroad hearing a someone from another country living in Portugal talking about my home country
All these point are so true!!! I just got back again from Portugal and miss it already. One thing that you pointed out about the little green man at the crosswalk seems strange to me too. This last time in Lisbon, I also noticed that cars would still proceed even if pedestrians had the right of way. Honestly, you do have to be alert. I saw a car almost run over three people crossing the street. Very scary! Once you are aware of these different "weird" facts, you'll be definitely equiped to accept them and then really love the culture. I always feel well recieved and am treat so cordially in Portugal. Its so funny that they will call be " o Senhor John!"
I love that senhor John!
But I have found that there is also an assumption that if you approach a zebra crossing you are going to use it, and have right of way. (Maybe that's only in the provinces!) But in England it's a negotiation; you step gingerly on to the crossing and hope the traffic will stop for you. I found in Portugal there was a slight frustration on the part of drivers who had to stop because you had waited to do that negotiation which they didn't expect. You should already be getting to the other side!
The traffic light thing is usually when the car is going to turn. For instance, you haver a red light in front of you so you stop your car. The pedestrians crossing in front of you have a green light, so they can safely cross. But sometimes, when the green light goes on for the car, you may want to turn to the right, and there is an orange sign warning there may be pedestrians crossing. That right side you are turning, has a green light for pedestrians too, because they had a red light when you also where waiting for your turn. It usually happens on intesection roads. Not when you are going straight. I don't know if it was clear, but I don't know how to put it in better words ahah
Also for the green man crossing - even if there is a red light for the cars and a green light for you to cross: Make sure that you still double check that no car will come speeding down with full intention of running the red light (and running you down!). So many near heart attacks from cars just trying to squeeze through before you get a change to cross in the road, even if you're already halfway crossing. Insane XD
I would also like to point out we also use the "4 da tarde" instead of 16h, is very common when people are speaking with one another, but the schedules on places will be on the 24h format :) so if someone is not used to the 24h format, dont worry :) manhã=morning, tarde=evening, noite=night and madrugada=dawn (for example we say duas da madrugada, (2am), but for example dez da noite(10pm))
Liz, I was born in Portugal and lived 50 years in Canada and return last year to Portugal. the dubbing of films was not cause Salazar did not want it. it was technological issues and support for local film production . people like to blame Salazar for everything wrong without knowing the real history of it. thanks