Poelzl V. Culture Shock! Portugal: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette
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CultureShock! Portugal
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n
as in English, e.g. nata (‘cream’) is
pronounced ‘NAH-ta’. N is silent when
part of a nasal diphthong. See above.
nh
a nasal sound pronounced as the
n in onion, e.g. ninho (‘nest) is
pronounced ‘NEEN-yo’.
qu
pronounced as k when followed by e or
i, e.g. questão (‘question’) is pronounced
‘kes-TOW’ and quilômetro (‘kilometre’) is
‘kee-LOH-me-tro’. When followed by a or
o, it is pronounced as the qu in question,
e.g. quando (when) is pronounced
‘KWAHN-do’.
r
in northern Portugal, r is rolled the
way it is in Spanish while in the Lisbon
area, it is pronounced as a guttural
sound like in French, e.g. rato (‘mouse’)
is pronounced ‘RAH-to’. The same
pronunciation applies to rr, e.g. carro
(‘car’) is pronounced ‘KAR-ro’.
s
as in ‘sit’ at the beginning of a word,
e.g. sapo (‘frog’) is pronounced ‘SAH-po’.
In the middle of a word, s is pronounced
as the sh in shy when followed by a
consonant, e.g. destruir (‘to destroy’)
is pronounced ‘desh-troo-EER’. At the
end of a word, s is mostly pronounced
as the sh in shoe, e.g. barcos (‘boats’)
is pronounced ‘BAR-cosh’. Ss is
pronounced as the s in sit, e.g. nosso
(‘our’) is pronounced ‘NOS-so’.
t
as in English, e.g. tia (‘aunt’) is
pronounced ‘TEE-a’.
w
does not exist in the P
ortuguese
language, although it occasionally
appears in foreign words. It is
pronounced like the English w, e.g.
Walter is pronounced ‘WAL-ter.
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213
x
pronounced in several different ways.
At the beginning of a word, x is always
pronounced as the sh in ‘shoe’, e.g. xale
(‘shawl’) is pronounced ‘SHAH-le’. In the
middle of a word, x is also pronounced
as the sh in ‘shoe’, e.g. explorar (‘to
explore’) is pronounced ‘esh-ploh-RAR’,
except in the combination ex before
a vowel, when it is pronounced as the
z in maze, e.g. exemplo (‘example’) is
pronounced ‘e-ZEM-plo’. In foreign
adopted words, x is pronounced as in
English, e.g. fax is pronounced ‘FAHX’
and táxi is ‘TAK-see’.
y
does not exist in the Portuguese
language, but it occasionally appears in
adapted foreign names. It is pronounced
as the y in Judy.
z
pronounced as the z in maze when it
appears at the beginning and in the
middle of a word, e.g. zero (‘zero’)
is pronounced ‘ZEH-ro’ and prazer
(‘pleasure’) is ‘pra-ZER’. At the end of
a word, z becomes a melodious sh
as in pleasure, e.g. feliz (‘happy’) is
pronounced ‘feh-LEEZH’.
STRESS
As a general rule, stress falls on the next-to-last syllable, when
a word ends in the vowels a, e, or o, and the consonants
m and s:
alegre (‘joyful’) ‘a-LEH-gre’
perto (‘close’) ‘PER-to’
homem (‘man’) ‘OH-may’
serviços (‘services’) ‘ser-VEE-sosh’
All other words have the stress on the last syllable:
comer (‘eat’) ‘ko-MER’
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quintal (‘backyard’) ‘kin-TAL’
capaz (‘capable’) ‘ca-PAZH’
Exceptions:
A syllable with an accent or a tilde always takes the stress:
alfândega (‘custom house’) ‘al-FAN-de-gah’
pérola (‘pearl’) ‘PER-o-la’
responsável (‘responsible’) ‘res-pon-SAH-vel’
polícia (‘ police’) ‘po-LEE-se-a’
irmão (‘brother’) ‘eer-MAO’
alemães (‘Germans’) ‘a-le-MAH-esh’
sermões (‘sermons’) ‘ser-MOH-esh’
There are several other exceptions that follow special rules.
EVERYDAY PORTUGUESE
Dialects, Slang and Colloquial Expressions
Amusing Expressions
Portuguese is also rich in colloquial expressions, some of which
are very metaphorical and amusing:
Falar pelos cotovelos
It literally means ‘to talk by the elbows,’ and is used to describe
someone who talks a lot.
Ficar tudo em águas de bacalhau
This is one of the most typical Portuguese expressions. It
literally means ‘it all stays in codfi sh water,’ that is, it all ends
up in nothing or results in nothing.
Meter a viola no saco
It literally means ‘to put the viola in the bag’, and refers to the
act of keeping quiet about something.
Pescadinha de rabo na boca
It literally means ‘a hake with the tail in its mouth,’ as a
metaphor for a vicious cycle or paradoxical situation.
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215
Portugal has a number of dialects that characterise the
various regions. There is, for example, a noticeable difference
in pronunciation between someone from Trás-os-Montes
and the Alentejo region.
There are also various forms of slang, known as calão, that
are used by different social circles or professions. University
students have their own calão, and so do fi shermen and
farmers. Here are just a few terms that are popular with
young people and college students:
giro great, fabulous
fi xe great, cool,
à maneira great, cool
gajo guy, fellow
Exclamations and Curses
Portuguese very rarely curse, and proper language and
behaviour are very important in public. The list below
is less intended as a working vocabulary than to clarify
the meaning of a few of the most common curse words
and interjections.
credo! expression of disbelief
meu Deus! oh my God!
se Deus quiser! God willing!
pá! widely used exclamation of surprise,
disbelief, or encouragement
ai! ui! expression of pain or surprise
fogo! expression of enthusiasm,
appreciation, and surprise
Força! exclamation of encouragement
caramba! darn!
PROVERBIAL WISDOM
Portuguese proverbs are an important form of cultural expression,
especially those proverbs that are uniquely Portuguese and do
not have the same version in another language. These proverbs
refl ect Portugal’s unique cultural context and contain interesting
references to daily life or traditional activities.
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Azeitona e a fortuna, às vezes muita e às
vezes nenhuma
It literally means ‘olive oil and good fortune, at times
a lot and at times none at all’. This is a very poignant
comparison of good luck with the olive harvest: it is
unpredictable, some years the harvest can be rich, in other
years very poor.
Para quem é bacalhau, basta
It literally means ‘it is good enough for a codfi sh’. Cod was
considered the low-quality food of the poor for a long time
and its former reputation lives on in proverbs. This proverb
refers to someone who is simple and not very distinguished,
just like codfi sh, and who is not very demanding and easily
satisfi ed with something of low quality.
Falar aos peixes
It literally means ‘to speak to the fi sh’. This proverb suggests
that someone is talking to deaf ears. It refers to a miracle
known as the ‘sermon to the fi sh’ affected by Saint Anthony
of Pádua, a Portuguese-born saint. In this legend, the saint
told an inattentive crowd in Italy’s Rimini that even fi sh were
better listeners. He then walked down to the river and when
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217
he began to preach, all the fi sh lifted their heads out of the
water to listen to Saint Anthony’s sermon.
GESTURES AND SIGNS
The Portuguese are formal and somewhat restrained in
public and do not gesticulate or use much body language in
conversation. They also rarely use offensive gestures, for the
same reason that they do not curse in public: good manners
are an important indicator of status. But gestures are still
sometimes used to emphasise what is being said or to attract
someone’s attention. A more lively body language is used in
informal social settings and in the presence of friends and
family. This is when people frequently touch each other on
the arm or shoulder during a conversation. Below I have
listed several common gestures. As you become more familiar
with the culture and meet more people, you will doubtlessly
discover several more.
Attracting Attention
To get someone’s attention, the Portuguese raise their arm,
palm facing forward, and make a waving motion by wagging
their fi ngers up and down.
Hand Brush
Hold your hands in front of your body, the palms facing you.
With one hand brush over the outside of the other hand,
then repeat this gesture with the other hand. This means
that you couldn’t care less or that something doesn’t bother
or interest you.
The Obscene O
Known in North America as the ok sign, this gesture of
the index fi nger and thumb forming an ‘o’ is an insult
in Portugal.
Thumbs Up
This gesture signifi es that something is going well or is okay
or fi ne. One hand forms a fi st and the thumb is pointed
straight up. It resembles the American ‘thumbs up’ gesture,
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but is executed with only one hand. Do not use the American
‘okay’ sign instead, which is an insult.
Expensive
When people express that something is expensive, they
hold out their hand, and rub the straight index and middle
fi ngers against the thumb several times, as though they are
handling money.
Pinching An Earlobe
When people talk about a delicious meal or food item, they
pinch an earlobe with their thumb and index fi nger.
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‘Se queres ter boa fama, não te tome o sol na cama.’
(If you want to achieve fame,
don’t let the sun surprise you in bed.)
—Portuguese proverb
WORK AND BUSINESS
CHAPTER 9
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WORKING IN PORTUGAL
Legal Requirements and Considerations
EU citizens can work in Portugal without a work permit or
visa, but they still need to legalise their status by getting a
tax number, registering with social security and signing a
work contract. Until recently, it was quite easy for citizens
of countries outside the EU to come to Portugal as a tourist,
fi nd a job and get a work authorisation locally. This is no
longer the case, since Portugal has recently begun to close
its doors to immigrants as part of a process to establish a
common EU immigration policy. It is also no longer possible
for illegal immigrants to legalise or change their immigration
status while in Portugal, and anybody without legal status in
Portugal is now obliged to leave.
The new law also provides for
high fi nes for companies that
hire illegal immigrants.
Portuguese consulates provide
information about jobs and
employment opportunities for
those who do not already have a
job offer or signed contract. The
immigrant quota is established
every year by the government in accordance with the
labour unions, trade organisations and the needs of the
labour market.
Foreign citizens from outside the
EU can apply for an
autorização
de permanência
(temporary
residency visa) at a Portuguese
consulate, provided they have
a work offer or a signed work
contract, have not committed
any serious crimes and have not
been previously deported.
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221
FINDING WORK
Portugal has one of the lowest salary levels in Europe, which
is why few Western Europeans seek employment in Portugal.
Most foreigners working in Portugal are immigrants from
Brazil or from poor African or Eastern European countries,
and the large majority of them work in the service sector and
in construction. Most of the citizens of developed countries
who work in Portugal are either employed by embassies and
multinational corporations in highly qualifi ed professions,
or they own businesses. International students who spend
a semester or a year at a Portuguese university often seek
part- time employment at bars or other odd jobs, but the pay
is very low. Students and other young foreigners often fi nd
work at bars and restaurants in Lisbon’s Bairro Alto, or on
the Algarve coast, where knowledge of Portuguese is not a
primary requirement.
Teaching English
If you have qualifi cations to teach English and are able to work
legally, contact language schools and ask around. Check the local
páginas amarelas
(
Yellow Pages
) under
escolas
(schools). You can
also check the employment section of newspaper classifi eds for
aulas de Inglês
(English classes) or
ensino
(instruction).
In addition to bars and restaurants, there is also a
considerable informal employment market in the service
industry and construction trade, mostly in low-paying
positions. But the tough new immigration laws make
it more diffi cult for foreigners without work permits to
fi nd employment. Keep in mind that informal work also
poses several risks. For one thing, there is no record of
your employment, and if you don’t get paid, you can’t do
anything about it. Secondly, you are not covered in case
of a work-related accident, and do not make contributions
for unemployment coverage or health care. In case of an
informal work situation, it may be a good idea to request
payment daily to make sure you are compensated for your
work. Also, if you are from a country outside the EU, you
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