Chantal Moclair: 'Ano Novo Sem Vozinha' Glossary
| Portuguese word |
Pronunciation |
English translation/meaning |
| Ainda não |
Ay-een-da Now (with nasal inflection) |
Not yet. |
| Ano Novo sem Vozinha |
Ah-noo, no-vo, say (with nasal inflection) Voz-een-ya |
New Year without granny. |
| Bubbaloo |
Bubba-loo |
Brand of bubblegum. |
| Cheirosa |
Shih- (as in shin) roz-a |
Smelling good. |
| Como sempre |
Co-mo sem-prey |
Like always. |
| Como agua viva |
Co-mo ah-gwa vee-va |
Like Jellyfish. |
| Copacabana |
Co-pa-ka-ba-na |
Beach in Rio de Janeiro. |
| E que ela mesma nao sofreu |
Eh Key el-ah miz-ma now sof-reyu |
And that she herself didn’t suffer. |
| Feliz ano novo |
Fell-ease ah-no no-vo |
Happy New Year. |
| Iemanjá |
Yem-ahn-jah |
Goddess of the sea in Candomble religion. |
| João Pessoa. |
Jo-ow (nasal inflection) Pess-o-ah |
City in Northeastern Brazil. |
| Leite Ninho |
Lay-tee Nee-nyo |
Brand of powdered milk. |
| Nao digo nada. |
Now (nasal inflection) Dee-goo Nah-dah |
I say nothing. |
| O que voce não deveria fazer |
Oo keh vo-seh now (nasal inflection) dev-air-ee-ah fah-zair |
What you shouldn’t have done. |
| O que acontece frenquentemente |
Oo keh ak-on-tess-ee fren-qwen-ta-men-tee |
Which happens often. |
| Que luzes? |
Keh loo-zees |
What Lights? |
| Rio |
Ree-yo |
Short for Rio de Janeiro. |
| Tapioca |
Tah-pee-ock-a |
Pancakes made with manioc flour. |
| Vozinha |
Voz-een-ya |
Northeastern Brazilian term of endearment – small granny. Used very affectionately. |