Class #3 Juliet with Alexia - July 7, 2026
note: this is a recording of your private coaching session with Alexia. No one will see it except you, Alexia, and Foster 🙏
Video
Audio
Session summary
We covered a lot of ground today, Juliet! We talked about your sewing projects — patterns, fabric shopping, and the work of putting together a croqui — plus family stories about your grandparents and the challenge of learning to ride a motorcycle on your own. We also got into cultural differences in communication between Brazil and Europe, and wrapped up talking about your upcoming trip to the south of France.
🧵 Costura e moda
peça — piece (peça de roupa = piece of clothing; peça de teatro = a play; also used for machine/jewelry parts)
cortar — to cut
montar as páginas de papel — to assemble the paper pattern pages
montar o croqui — to put together the fashion sketch
os padrões — the patterns
fazer o download — to download ("Eu fiz um download na semana passada")
atrapalhar — to get in the way / become an issue
🧶 Tecidos
tecido — fabric
algodão — cotton
quinhentos tipos de tecidos — five hundred types of fabric (note: quinhentos, not "quinhetos" — watch that spelling)
🏷️ Liquidação
liquidação — sale
igreja — church (came up in the context of the sale you went to)
👵 Família — avô e avó
avó — grandma
avô — grandpa
Your teacher's father was raised only by women after his own grandfather (avô) died when he was very young — he grew up with his mãe, tia, e avó.
🏍️ Aprender a andar de moto
naquela época — back then (pronunciation practice: época)
eu falei pra mim mesma — I said to myself
a coisa mais difícil que já aprendi — the hardest thing I've ever learned
A great story about learning to ride a motorcycle solo — falling constantly, sitting on the ground crying, and still being proud of it. This gave us a chance to fix the reflexive verb orgulhar-se (to be proud of oneself):
Orgulhamo-nos disso. / Eu me orgulho do que eu conquistei até hoje.
estranho — pronunciation practice
👋 Despedidas
Nos vemos na próxima aula. — See you next class.
🏍️ Mais sobre as motos
verde claro — light green
azul bebê — baby blue
uma moto mais clássica — a more classic motorcycle
tem muito trânsito — there's a lot of traffic
melhor — better (pronunciation practice)
🇧🇷🇵🇹 Português do Brasil x Europeu
menor — smaller (Brazilian Portuguese)
mais pequeno — smaller (European Portuguese)
🗣️ Comunicação e cultura
fazer mímica — to use mime/gestures (teachers avoiding translation)
tocar — to touch
as pesquisas mostram que... — the research shows that... (grammar note: mostram, not "mostrar" — verb agrees with pesquisas, plural)
We also touched on how it's possible Brazil wasn't included in some of the studies being discussed.
☀️ Viagem à França
Eu vou para a França essa semana. — I'm going to France this week.
quente — hot (pronunciation practice — and TR sounds in general, since these keep coming up)
Vai dar para entrar no mar? — Will I be able to get in the sea?
não precisa ser — it doesn't have to be
👪 Sobrenomes e apelidos
apelido — nickname
sobrenome — last name
devolver — to return (something)
Your teacher shared a personal story about having two marriages, both to German husbands, being divorced, and having three daughters plus a son — all with international names. One daughter, originally "Sofia," goes by "Lilly" now. This led into a conversation about how surname practices differ in Germany vs. Brazil, and the decision she'll need to make about her own surname if she remarries.
📚 Homework
1. Practice your TR sounds
TR came up all class — worth isolating and drilling this week. Words that gave you trouble:
três — the "tr" blend distribuídas — same blend, plus the stress pattern época — the open "é" estranho — "tr" again, plus the nasal "ão" at the end quente — "qu" + the nasal "e" melhor — the "lh" sound
Say each one slowly five times, then at normal speed. Recording yourself and comparing to Alexia's pronunciation in the class recording will help.
Want more homework or have any questions? Message us on WhatsApp anytime.