I love October. Octubre. Outubro. You know that first day of the year when you can see your but not have to shiver to stay warm? A day like today here in New England. Pumpkin spice in my coffee as I wait for the Great Pumpkin. La Calabaza Grande. A Grande Abóbora.
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is my favourite Peanuts show. I figured I’d be able to find a video clip in Portuguese so I could practice my listening skills.
You see, many Brazilians have complemented me on my Portuguese vocabulary and pronunciation. After 18 or 19 months of learning it—from meditation, Language Salad, a great teacher and other means—I still have trouble understanding conversations between two or more native speakers. To continue improving, to get off this plateau I’ve been on, I must put in the practice time—more than once a week—and listen to conversations I enjoy.
Linus and Sally in the pumpkin patch. Charlie Brown at the Halloween party. Charlie Brown and Linus, their elbows resting on top of the brick wall, discussing another All Hallows’ Eve come and gone.
I forget exactly what I Googled to find the Great Pumpkin in Portuguese but was thrilled to listen to the A Grande Abóbora’s catchy song, “Oi, Tudo Bem?”
Charlie Brown and company would have to wait as I searched for the band’s website or Wikipedia page. What part of Brazil are they from? What are their names? Which band member is most like Snoopy?
Nothing. It’s like A Grande Abóbora had vanished into thin air. Or they never existed, perhaps like the Great Pumpkin?
In the meantime, and back to the business of practicing Portuguese, I did find a summary of my favourite Peanuts show on a YouTube channel called Curiosidades Sobre Snoopy. The narrator speaks wicked fast Portuguese. Thank goodness for subtitles. And it’s only five and a half minutes long, so it’s not a big commitment. I can enjoy it and feel good about myself as I improve my listening comprehension.
If you’re a Peanuts aficionado/a and want to improve your Spanish, why not check out Marco Antonio Aravena’s two-minute clip of Linus Van Pelt y La Gran Calabaza. It has subtitles, too.
Hey, how’s it going with listening, speaking, reading and writing Spanish or Portuguese? Tudo bem? Ever thought about trans-creating content, such as lyrics?
Need motivation, accountability? Need a plan, resources? Not sure where to start or don’t know exactly what you want?
I’ll listen, unlike the Great Pumpkin.
Let’s get started, Charlie Brown.