Fluent Fiction - Portuguese 🇧🇷: Mateus and the Magic of a Silver-Blue Backpack
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.com/pb/episode/2026-01-04-08-38-20-pb

Story Transcript:

Pb: Mateus olhou pela janela do ônibus enquanto ele parava no ponto do bairro.
En: Mateus looked out the window of the bus as it stopped at the neighborhood stop.

Pb: Era um dia típico de verão em São Paulo.
En: It was a typical summer day in São Paulo.

Pb: O sol esquentava o asfalto e as pessoas caminhavam com pressa para aproveitar o dia.
En: The sun heated the asphalt, and people hurriedly walked to make the most of the day.

Pb: Mateus estava indo com Ana e Pedro à papelaria do bairro para comprar os materiais escolares.
En: Mateus was going with Ana and Pedro to the neighborhood stationery store to buy school supplies.

Pb: O novo ano escolar estava prestes a começar e, embora Mateus estivesse animado, também sentia aquele nervosismo por dentro.
En: The new school year was about to start, and although Mateus was excited, he also felt that nervousness inside.

Pb: Queria fazer novos amigos e causar uma boa impressão, mas também estava preocupado se encaixaria.
En: He wanted to make new friends and make a good impression, but he was also worried about fitting in.

Pb: Quando chegaram à papelaria, o ambiente estava cheio de famílias.
En: When they arrived at the stationery store, the place was full of families.

Pb: Crianças corriam de um lado para o outro, e o som das risadas enchiam o ar.
En: Children ran from one side to the other, and the sound of laughter filled the air.

Pb: Mateus, Ana e Pedro entraram na loja e logo foram recebidos por uma explosão de cores nas prateleiras.
En: Mateus, Ana, and Pedro entered the store and were immediately greeted by an explosion of colors on the shelves.

Pb: Cadernos de todas as cores, mochilas de diferentes estilos e lápis com personagens dos desenhos.
En: Notebooks of all colors, backpacks of different styles, and pencils featuring cartoon characters.

Pb: — Mateus, olha esse caderno com capa de super-heróis! — disse Pedro, apontando para uma prateleira.
En: — Mateus, look at this superhero-covered notebook! — said Pedro, pointing to a shelf.

Pb: — Acho que você deveria escolher algo mais discreto — sugeriu Ana, que sempre preferia a simplicidade.
En: — I think you should choose something more discreet — suggested Ana, who always preferred simplicity.

Pb: Mateus ficou entre as sugestões dos amigos, mas também pensou no que o faria feliz.
En: Mateus was torn between his friends' suggestions but also thought about what would make him happy.

Pb: Ele queria algo que destacasse, algo que fosse só dele.
En: He wanted something that stood out, something that was just his.

Pb: Enquanto caminhava pelos corredores, um brilho chamou sua atenção.
En: As he walked down the aisles, a shine caught his attention.

Pb: Era uma mochila, azul com detalhes em prata.
En: It was a backpack, blue with silver details.

Pb: — Essa mochila... é perfeita — pensou Mateus em voz alta.
En: — This backpack... it's perfect — Mateus thought out loud.

Pb: Ele olhou para o preço e seu coração afundou um pouco.
En: He looked at the price, and his heart sank a little.

Pb: Estava acima do que sua mãe havia lhe dado.
En: It was above what his mother had given him.

Pb: Mas a mochila parecia falar com ele, era como se dissesse: "Você pode ser você mesmo".
En: But the backpack seemed to speak to him, as if it were saying, "You can be yourself."

Pb: Ana e Pedro se aproximaram.
En: Ana and Pedro approached.

Pb: Pedro deu um tapinha nas costas de Mateus.
En: Pedro gave Mateus a pat on the back.

Pb: — Se você gosta tanto assim, vale o investimento.
En: — If you like it that much, it's worth the investment.

Pb: Você merece começar o ano em grande estilo.
En: You deserve to start the year in style.

Pb: — É... Talvez essa mochila faça você se sentir mais seguro — concordou Ana com um sorriso.
En: — Yeah... Maybe this backpack will make you feel more confident — agreed Ana with a smile.

Pb: Assim, Mateus respirou fundo e decidiu investir um pouco mais.
En: So, Mateus took a deep breath and decided to invest a little more.

Pb: Na saída da loja, ele tinha a mochila nas costas e se sentia o garoto mais confiante do bairro.
En: Leaving the store, he had the backpack on his back and felt like the most confident boy in the neighborhood.

Pb: Caminhando para casa, ele percebeu uma nova onda de esperança.
En: Walking home, he sensed a new wave of hope.

Pb: Não importava a opinião dos outros, ele confiava em suas escolhas e isso era suficiente.
En: It didn't matter what others thought; he trusted his choices, and that was enough.

Pb: Ana e Pedro, ao seu lado, estavam felizes por ele.
En: Ana and Pedro, by his side, were happy for him.

Pb: E Mateus, já vislumbrando o primeiro dia de aula, sabia que a nova mochila era apenas o começo de algo especial.
En: And Mateus, already envisioning the first day of school, knew that the new backpack was just the beginning of something special.

Pb: Esse ano, ele seria autêntico.
En: This year, he would be authentic.

Pb: Esse ano, ele seria Mateus.
En: This year, he would be Mateus.


Vocabulary Words:

• to fit in: encaixar-se
• the wave: a onda
• the backpack: a mochila
• the stationery store: a papelaria
• the laughter: as risadas
• the impression: a impressão
• discreet: discreto
• the investment: o investimento
• the character: o personagem
• the breath: a respiração
• confident: confiante
• the shine: o brilho
• to hurry: apressar-se
• the detail: o detalhe
• the hope: a esperança
• the nervousness: o nervosismo
• the aisle: o corredor
• to stand out: destacar-se
• to envision: vislumbrar
• the shelf: a prateleira
• the dream: o sonho
• the simplicity: a simplicidade
• authentic: autêntico
• special: especial
• to trust: confiar
• typical: típico
• to suggest: sugerir
• to greet: cumprimentar
• the choice: a escolha
• the process: o processo