One of the great differences between Spanish and Portuguese is seen in how Brazilians pronounce words that are spelled with 'ti,' which sounds more like 'chee' and how words spelled with 'di' sound more like 'jee.' The fancy word for this is palatalization. But look out, not all Brazilian dialects do it. So, in this lesson we listen to Valdo and Michelle, who both do it. In the next lesson we'll repeat the same dialog to hear what these words sound like without palatalization. As to the culture part of this lesson, Valdo and Michelle talk about the use of cellular phones while driving.

Dialog

Portuguese
Valdo: Um dia desses minha tia, que já é de idade, veio me visitar aqui em Austin.
Michelle: Ela conversou contigo sobre a cidade? O que ela disse?
Valdo: Ela gostou, mas desde que chegou decidiu falar mal de quem usa celular no trânsito.
Michelle: Não acredito. Por que?
Valdo: É que ela perdeu os dentes num típico acidente de carro em que o motorista estava usando o celular enquanto dirigia.
Michelle: Que coisa triste! Eh, diante disso é até bom que no Brasil a gente seja proibido de usar o celular no volante. Você pode receber aquela multa!

Spanish
Valdo: Un día de estos mi tía, que ya es de edad, vino a visitarme aquí en Austin.
Michelle: ¿Ella conversó contigo sobre la ciudad? ¿Qué dijo ella?
Valdo: A ella le gustó, pero desde que llegó decidió hablar mal de los que usan el celular en el tráfico.
Michelle: No lo creo. ¿Por qué?
Valdo: Es que ella perdió los dientes en un típico accidente de carro en que el conductor estaba usando el celular mientras conducía.
Michelle: Qué cosa triste! A causa de esto, es bueno que en Brasil nosotros seamos prohibidos usar el celular en el volante. Usted puede recibir una multa!

English
Valdo: A few days ago my aunt, who is getting older, came to visit me here in Austin.
Michelle: Did she talk to you about the city? What did she say?
Valdo: She liked it, but ever since she arrived she has decided to talk bad about those who use their cell phone while driving.
Michelle: I can't believe that. Why?
Valdo: She lost her teeth in a typical car accident where the driver was using a cell phone while driving.
Michelle: How sad! Given that it's a good thing that in Brazil it's against the law to use a cell phone while driving. You could get a ticket!