Class #4 with Alexia, July, 8, 2026

note: this is a private record of your coaching session with Alexia. No one will see it except you, Alexia, and Foster 🙏

Session summary

This one was a full conversation workout, Briana. We started from your compliment on Alexia's hair, which opened up a whole vocabulary for describing hair (Alexia told the story of arriving in Portugal with very long hair and finding her cabeleireiro here). From there we moved into the heart of the class: a café roleplay built around your work behind the counter, from milk options and sweeteners to syrups, seasonal flavors, and where the beans are roasted. We also worked through your story of meeting Julio, a Brazilian customer, a friend's upcoming trip to the Açores, and how you found your way into café work. Your Portuguese keeps getting more natural in real, unscripted situations, which is exactly where it counts.

💇 Describing your hair

ondulado — wavy (eu tenho cabelo ondulado)

encaracolado — curly (also: tenho caracóis no cabelo, I have curls)

liso — straight

cheio — full, thick (parece cheio mas não é, it looks thick but it isn't)

fino — fine, thin (cabelo liso e muito fino)

misto — mixed (misto de ondulado e encaracolado)

coque — bun (fazer um coque bem em cima da cabeça, ou bem pra trás)

rabo de cavalo — ponytail (vou fazer um rabo no cabelo)

trança — braid

☕ Behind the counter: milk and sweeteners

Como posso te ajudar? — How can I help you?

Do que você gosta de tomar normalmente? — What do you usually like to drink?

sem lactose — lactose-free

leite desnatado — skim, nonfat milk (in Portugal you'll also hear leite magro)

nata — cream, the fat in milk

leite de aveia — oat milk

leite de macadâmia — macadamia milk

leite de amêndoa — almond milk (amêndoa, almond; noz, nut)

Para você eu recomendo um latte com leite normal, o que você acha? — For you I'd recommend a latte with regular milk, what do you think?

adoçante — sweetener (açúcar, sugar; doce, sweet)

açúcar mascavo — brown sugar

melaço — molasses

In the US, brown sugar is usually refined sugar with molasses added back in, while Brazilian açúcar mascavo tends to be more raw and less refined. Same idea, different product.

🍯 Syrups, flavors, and seasonal specials

xarope — syrup (also calda, or melado for something more molasses-like)

xarope caseiro — homemade syrup (caseiro, homemade, as in comida caseira)

sabor — taste, flavor

especial da época — seasonal special

época — season, in the sense of time of year

temporada — season, but only for TV and streaming (a nova temporada na Netflix)

estações do ano — the seasons of the year

sabor de cereal crocante de canela — cinnamon crunch cereal flavor (canela, cinnamon; crocante, crunchy)

café cortado (café pingado) — half espresso, half milk (pingado is the common Brazilian term)

🌱 Coffee beans and roasting

grãos de café — coffee beans (qual variedade de grãos vocês têm?)

produtor local — local producer

torrefação local — local roaster, local roasting

torrar — to roast (torrar na hora, roasted fresh; note: to grind is moer)

vitrine — display case, shop window

louça — crockery, dishware

🇧🇷 Meeting someone new

conhecer — to meet someone for the first time (conheci um brasileiro no café)

casamento — wedding, marriage

consciência — awareness (reading whether someone wants to keep chatting or not)

Se eu vou viajar para o Brasil — whether I'm going to travel to Brazil

Your Julio story was a great example of this: you met him, picked up his name, and kept the conversation going. The next step is having a few go-to topics ready so you can steer, not just react.

🏝️ The Açores

Açores — the Azores

ilhas — islands

militar — military (o irmão dele é militar e viveu lá)

aproveitar — to make the most of something, to enjoy it fully

🧭 How you got here

faculdade — college, university

comunicação — communication (o que você estudou)

veterinária — veterinarian

biologia — biology

psicóloga — psychologist

cabeleireira — hairdresser

situações reais — real situations

estruturado — structured

You traced a nice arc here: wanting to be a vet as a kid, studying communication, and landing in café work because it lets you talk to people all day in a place that feels safe and healthy. That instinct for real conversation is the same one that makes these classes work.

🗒️ A few more words that came up

oftalmologista — ophthalmologist

hospital pediátrico — children's hospital

cirurgia — surgery

plantio de corais — coral planting

acabada — ruined (a minha vida acabou, my life is over, said dramatically)

📚 Homework

1. Run the café roleplay both ways. Play the barista and the customer. Offer milk options, one seasonal flavor, and a sweetener, and practice steering with Para você eu recomendo...

2. Build a 60-second self-introduction. Where you're from, what you do, and one thing you like. Next time you meet someone like Julio, you'll be able to keep it going instead of just answering.

3. Describe three people's hair out loud. Yours, a friend's, a family member's, using ondulado, encaracolado, liso, cheio, and fino.

Want more homework or have any questions? Message us on WhatsApp anytime.