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You might be a little prejudice. Que tenha um bom dia!

Just a tad. :^)

Ta bom.

Your reply lends me to believe that you must be hanging out in the northern part of Brazil.

That expression is universal in Brazil. Have you been to Brazil?

Just a quick pass through Rio. I have Brazilian clients, a couple of friends (long time neighbors) and have had Brazilian employees. You pick up some of the normal conversational lingo over time. I have a travel agency, as well, so you can imagine we get alot of information from the travel bureaus. They are in English, naturally, but the destinations and local attractions have the native language. I've picked up little bits of different languages over the years, but far from fluent in any of them.

I'm nowhere near fluent in Portugues but I can understan most conversations and can make myself understood well enough to deal with government beauracrats, shop, dine and travel unimpeded. When we go there we usually stay for several months so my language skills get better each time. At home we speak about 50/50 Portuguese and English except when my American family are around. Then we speak only English. My sweetheart has learned more English than I have Portuguese, but she's been here much longer than I've spent in Brazil.

I have a second home in Bahia, which is a state in the Northeast region. We have family all over Brazil and we get lots of invitations to visit different places. I spent a month in Rio de Janeiro state (mostly in the city of Rio) five years ago. That's when I began to learn Portuguese. The Cariocas (people from Rio) have an entirely different accent from the Nordestinos. There are a few region specific phrases but the vocabulary is mostly universal. Brazilian Portuguese is as different from European Portuguese as American English is from what you hear in the UK.

BTW, I'm hoping to make a boat trip into the Amazon next year.

and can make myself understood well enough to deal with

usually stay for several months so my language skills

except when my American family are around. Then we speak

but she's been here much longer than I've spent in

have family all over Brazil and we get lots of

state (mostly in the city of Rio) five years ago. That's

entirely different accent from the Nordestinos. There are

Brazilian Portuguese is as different from European Portuguese

Don't forget to take a swim. Next year is feed a Piranha year.