Practice your Portuguese by listening to and translating songs from Portuguese to your native language. This song is called “Toda a Gente“, by Da Weasel.
I’ve translated the song into English after the lyrics below. (the music video is not mine nor was it produced by me).
If you’re here from the 30-Day Free Portuguese Challenge for your daily goal, the task for today is to listen to the song a few times and try to follow along with the lyrics in Portuguese. At the end of the task, try to rate yourself and include the date. This is so you can later come back to this exercise and see how you have improved over time. Let’s jump in. (You don’t need to be a part of the challenge to do these suggested exercises 😉 )
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Tasks for the 30-Day Portuguese Challenge
- Beginners: Really actively listen to how the words are being pronounced. Before looking at the translation, underline the words you know and circle the ones you don’t. Write the words you don’t know into a list on your paper and save them for later. The main goal is to listen to the sounds of the language and be introduced to new vocabulary. If you’d like to take a step further, now look up words in the online dictionary and make notes if they are used in other contexts.
- Intermediates: After listening and looking at the lyrics – BUT NOT the translation yet – analyse the words more closely. Write down a summary of what you think the song is about. Then compare that to the translation. Then separate the words into different categories such as which ones are verbs (actions), which ones are nouns (names of things and people or animals) and which ones are adjectives (descriptions). You can go a step further and indicate what tense the verbs are in. The main goal is to see how your comprehension is progressing and what you need to work more on.
- Advanced: After listening and looking at the Portuguese lyrics, your task is to translate the lyrics without any help. If you come across a word you’ve never seen, try an educated guess before looking it up in the dictionary. It doesn’t always have to make perfect sense. As I’m sure you know, sometimes artists will use a word or pronounce it in an uncommon way so it fits with the rhyme. Then compare it to the translation and see how you did. If you have the opportunity to go a little further, write a composition stating your opinion on the song. And that can be anything you like: the lyrics, the melody, the voice, the feelings, how you would change it if you didn’t like it, you name it. Try to include compound tenses and the subjunctive mood in your composition.
Toda a Gente (Everybody) – Da Weasel
Toda a gente critica o telemóvel do vizinho
Mas no fundo toda a gente queria ter um igualzinho
Toda a gente grita: todos diferentes todos iguais!
Mas se calhar há uns quantos bacanos a mais
Toda a gente quer ser solidária
Mas na hora da verdade toda a gente desaparece da área
Toda a gente quer ser muito moderna
Mas a tacanhez essa há-de ser eterna
Toda a gente quer fazer algo de original
Acabando por copiar aquilo que acham original
Toda a gente repara que acabo duas frases da mesma maneira
(Se for esse o caso toda a gente caiu na ratoeira)
Apenas quero confirmar se estou a receber a devida atenção
Da parte de toda a gente que ouve essa canção
Toda a gente precisa de parar e relaxar um bocado
E eu, como toda a gente, já ‘tou stressado
Pego no microfone e faço disso o meu talento
Por fora, por dentro, mostrando o meu rebento
Superficial, composto, direto e indireto
Tá-se cool e tá-se bem
Entrega-te ao meu som é agora o que convém
Toda a gente critica
Toda a gente tem muita pica,
Mas é na mesa do café que toda a ação fica,
Não há dinheiro que pague este sozinho
Manda mas é vir mais um cafezinho
Toda a gente critica
Toda a gente tem muita pica,
Mas é na mesa do café que toda a ação fica,
Não há dinheiro que pague este sozinho
Manda mas é vir mais um cafezinho
Toda a gente até compra camisa
Mas dessa treta ao fim ao cabo já ninguém precisa
Toda a gente fala da situação em Timor
Muitos para ganharem algo, e muito poucos por amor
Há quem costume falar de revolução
Mas a revolução não vai ser transmitida na televisão
Ela tem que acontecer dentro de cada um
Caso contrário nunca chegaremos a lugar algum
Há quem queira resolver os problemas do mundo inteiro
De uma só vez, confiante, tal e qual um bom escuteiro
Mas enquanto se perseguem tão nobres ideais
Esquecemo-nos de limpar os nossos quintais
Tentamos combater todos os males da terra
Quando afinal é na nossa casa que começa a guerra
Toda a gente devia parar de falar olhar para dentro e agir
Virgul dá-lhe a seguir
Pego no microfone e faço disso o meu talento
Por fora, por dentro, mostrando o meu rebento
Superficial, composto, direto e indireto
Tá-se cool e tá-se bem
Entrega-te ao meu som é agora o que convém
Toda a gente critica
Toda a gente tem muita pica,
Mas é na mesa do café que toda a ação fica,
Não há dinheiro que pague este sozinho
Manda mas é vir mais um cafezinho
Toda a gente critica
Toda a gente tem muita pica,
Mas é na mesa do café que toda a ação fica,
Não há dinheiro que pague este sozinho
Manda mas é vir mais um cafezinho
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Everyone criticises their neighbour’s mobile phone
But deep down everyone wishes they had one just like it
Everyone shouts all different all equal!
But maybe there are a few too many dudes
Everyone wants to be sympathetic
But at the moment of truth, everyone disappears from the area
Everyone wants to be modern
But this narrow-mindedness will last forever
Everyone wants to do something original
And end up copying what they think is original
Everyone notices that I end two sentences in the same way
(If that’s the case everybody’s caught in the trap)
I just want to make sure I’m getting the attention I deserve
From everyone listening to that song
Everybody needs to stop and relax a little bit
And I, like everybody else, am stressed out
I pick up the microphone and I make it my talent
On the outside, on the inside, showing off my bud
Superficial, composed, direct and indirect
It’s cool and it’s good
Give in to my sound is now the thing to do
Everyone criticizes
Everyone’s got a lot of mojo
But it’s on the coffee table where all the action is
No money can pay for this one alone
Just order another cup of coffee
Everyone criticizes
Everyone’s got a lot of drive,
But the coffee table’s where all the action is,
There’s no money can pay for this one alone
Just order another cup of coffee
Everyone even buys a shirt
But in the end nobody needs that crap anymore
Everyone talks about the situation in Timor
Many to earn something, and very few for love
There are those who talk of revolution
But the revolution won’t be broadcast on television
It has to happen inside each one
Otherwise we’ll never get anywhere
There are those who want to solve the world’s problems
All at once, confident, like a good scout
But while pursuing such noble ideals
We forget to clean up our own backyards
We try to fight all the evils of the earth
When in the end it’s at home that the war begins
Everybody should stop talking, look inside and act
Virgul is next
I take the microphone and make it my talent
On the outside, on the inside, showing off my bud
Superficial, compound, direct and indirect
It’s cool and it’s good
Give in to my sound is now the thing
Everyone criticizes
Everyone’s got a lot of mojo
But it’s on the coffee table where all the action is
No money can pay for this one alone
Just order another cup of coffee
Everybody criticizes
Everybody’s got a lot of mojo,
But the coffee table’s where all the action is,
There’s no money can pay for this one alone
Just order another cup of coffee
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For more songs in Portuguese click here.