Help Is On The Way

Como é que é ? How’s it going?

One big part of our daily routine is a several mile walk. We head out early and often go north from Santa Luzia, the village where we live, into the countryside. The roads are dirt, narrow and rutted. For long stretches they are barely wide enough to allow a single tractor to pass. Tall walls, which mark the edge of the farms, hem the roads in on either side. Walkers, like ourselves, squeeze close to a wall when a vehicle passes.

One morning, on our return trip, we heard a car behind us. Instinctively we moved toward the tall stone wall to our right. A beaten up, old blue car passed us but soon stopped just ahead. The driver was an older man direct from Portuguese central casting: flat-capped and sweater cladded. His female counterpart, who sat in the passenger seat, was kerchiefed and button-upped. I was in a t-shirt; the day was warm and brightly sunny.

A Ligação de Framboesa

The gent emerged from the car to greet us as we were passing. We exchanged “bom dia” and continued on our way only to be stopped as he called after us. His opening “gostaria” is all that has stuck with me.

Strange words filled space between us. No, I did not understand much of what he said. Then, with the motion of a master magician, he popped open the trunk to reveal plats of bright red, fresh raspberries. I understood instantly, not Portuguese, but that we would be buying more raspberries than two people could possibly eat. We would also be carrying them home for the two miles of dusty, rutted dirt roads ahead.

Our Raspberry Connection was early in our stay in Portugal. (It was no French Connection but the pun tickles me.) Then I knew very little Portuguese, “um bocadinho”, as the Portuguese say; that is, “a small mouthful”. I now know that his opening “gostaria” was tying us together as equal partners in our “ligação de framboesa”. He connected with us by speaking in a unique subset of Portuguese. He spoke the language of courtesy, or “a língua de cortesia”.

This is the Portuguese that is widely spoken among native speakers. This sub-language recognizes mutuality and interdependence and, while specifically transactional, it remains unhurried and gracious. To “get by” in Portugal, you just need “um bocadinho” of the language of courtesy.

Yes, Portuguese is difficult

I love languages, and I enjoy learning Portuguese. The expressiveness of its verb tenses and their moods is certainly part of its magnetism. A word, an idea, an action, etc. assume complex, new meanings as tenses shift between perfect and imperfect or the mood morphs from indicative to subjunctive. It can make English seem bland or flat.

This expressiveness, however, is nearly Sisyphean for me and most native English speakers. Portuguese has twenty plus tenses and moods, including two that are entirely unique to Portuguese. Each verb tense/mood also has its own set of distinct conjugations; a single verb can have more than fifty different forms!

Like chameleons, Portuguese tenses and verbs shape-shift constantly. There are lots of chameleons in Portuguese as well as real live ones in Portugal. So many within the language that in fact I sometimes feel the need for a break. I find myself screaming in my head, “I gotta get out of here!” The feeling always melts away in the warmth of the sun.

But still it can be daunting. I have been told that to be fluent in Portuguese you must master the subjunctive tenses. Did you need further deterrence (just joking!)? For two years I have played the lottery, betting on my choice between the present or the future subjunctive. I have almost always lost. During those same two years, I have often mused to myself why I would ever use the past imperfect subjunctive. Then I hear it sometimes spoken to me.

Portuguese is not much different than other Romance languages in these hurdles. And everyday conversational Portuguese is far simpler than its textbook sibling. Still, in comparison to English as well as to other Romance languages, even everyday Portuguese is difficult.

Yes, you can “get by” in Portuguese

Nonetheless, for several good reasons, you can relax and take a few linguistic risks on your visit to Portugal. First, the people are incredibly open and pleasant; you will want to engage with them. Second, you have the ultimate fail-safe because the Portuguese are consummate polyglots and English is widely spoken. More importantly, Portuguese has, as I mentioned above, its own sub-language built especially for visitors.

Go for it! You will not be disappointed by what awaits you.

In Portugal, you are a guest among people who are incredibly kind and welcoming. The Portuguese understand that they are communal beings. They realize that they cannot get by with bootstraps and personal pluck. They get by with the aid and assistance of family, neighbors and even strangers.

The Portuguese Make It Easy

Because of their innate generosity, the Portuguese do not expect visitors to speak their language. Nearly every Portuguese person that you will encounter will speak at least one other language in addition to Portuguese. Most Portuguese speak at least some English and a good number are fluent. Rest assured that your inability to speak Portuguese will never be catastrophic.

Taking the risk of speaking Portuguese is well worth it. If you attempt a few words expect a warm and grateful response. Get ready for profuse praise if you let a a sentence or two slip by your lips. Then you most certainly will hear how well you speak Portuguese despite the actual realities.

Furthermore, when visiting Portugal for a vacation or a holiday you can “get by” in Portuguese; it is simpler than you think. You will not need the twenty plus tenses and moods and the fifty different forms of every verb. You will need just two verbs conjugated into two tenses with just one conjugation in each. These constitute the minimum requirements of the language of courtesy. If you can master this “bocadinho” then you will be able to get by and make an indelible impression on your hosts. Then you can default to English and allow your hosts to be their naturally gracious selves.

Getting by with the “bocadinho”

For the remainder of this blog, which is getting too long, here is what we will do. We are going to review the two verbs and the two tenses with the one conjugation in each tense that I mentioned above. This is what you need in order to master the language of courtesy. We will also explore the meaning and importance of these verbs in these tenses and how they differ from English.

In next week’s blog we will add a handful of other verbs plus some nouns, a few prepositions and half dozen or so important phrases. We will use these to create sentences for the various settings in which you might find yourself as a visitor. I will also share a few tips, that is “dicas” in Portuguese. These “dicas” will expand your Portuguese vocabulary and improve your pronunciation. Taken together you will have a bit more than “o bocadinho”.

The two tenses that you need are the conditional and the past imperfect indicative; that is, “o condicional” and “o pretérito imperfeito do indicativo”, respectively, in Portuguese. The two verbs that will require conjugation are “gostar” and “poder”. Just one conjugation in each tense is required. This one conjugation allows you to express yourself (first person) and to speak for or about another (third person).

Liking

“Gostar” means “to like”; it is almost always followed by the preposition “de”. This preposition connects the action of “liking” to the “something” that is liked, whether verb or noun. In the Portuguese language of courtesy “gostar” is typically conjugated into the conditional tense. In the conditional it takes the form “gostaria” in both the first and third persons. It translates into English as “I/He/She/You would like”.

The Portuguese “gostaria” carries far more oomph than the English “I would like”. The Portuguese conditional tense, while used transactionally, is explicitly communitarian. It states clearly that each party in the transaction has equal dignity and equal value. Neither has nor can take the upper hand over the other; the conditional tense does not allow it.

Archaic English carried the same weight of mutual respect and of leveling the transactional playing field. In by-gone days the English equivalent to “gostaria” was more akin to “if it pleases you, then I would like”. The sentiment is that both parties have mutual and equivalent responsibilities in and benefits from the transaction.

An example might be helpful. “Gostaria de uma garrafa de vinho branco”; literally, “I would like a bottle of white wine”. There is, however, a truer translation into English. “If you would bring a bottle of white wine then I would like a bottle of white wine”. There is parity and mutually, that is, give-and-take. The reciprocity is unspoken because Portuguese has specific tenses that carry the weight of this mutuality, of the courtesy. In Portuguese, mutual interdependence is both presumed as well as required.

Being Able

Let’s jump to “poder” and the past imperfect. There are times when you are already within a transactional relationship, for instance when you are staying in hotel. This is where you might need “poder” in the past imperfect tense. It is conjugated as “podia” in both the first and third persons. It literally translates to English as “I/He/She/You could”.

Again English does not carry the full expressiveness and significance of the Portuguese. The actual translation of the intent of “podia” into English is akin to “I hope that you might do me the favor to”. The suggestion is offered that someone might help thereby giving them the opportunity to assist, which they obviously will.

Again an example might be helpful. You might say to a hotel clerk, “podia enviar estes postais”; literally, “you could mail these postcards”; but actually, “I hope that you could kindly mail these postcards”. When you use the Portuguese past imperfect in a transactional situation you level the playing field. As with the conditional, you respect the mutual interdependence of the parties involved.

Yes, in English, saying “I would like” is nicer than saying “I want”; and, asking “could you” is politer than stating “you will”. They do not carry, however, the emphatic mutuality inherent in Portuguese. Contemporary English has been simplified and streamlined through the course of industrialization, then commercialism on into modern consumerism. It has shed, except for a few archaic vestiges, its courtesy. Nowadays, English almost entirely forsakes the recognition that we are essentially, if not exclusively, communal beings; that we necessarily, to quote Blanche DuBois, “rely on the kindness of strangers”.

Simple Is Not Always Good

An English speaker must go out of her way to convey the mutual respect that Portuguese concisely accomplishes. We can accomplish the same with “please”, “would you mind terribly”, “if you would be so kind”, and so forth. English, however, does not require these hoops to be jumped. Portuguese — both the language and the people — are very different. They continue to hold the values of courtesy and mutual interdependence as self-evident and important. The language requires its speakers to recognize these.

This obviously complicates the Portuguese language, making it tricky and tough, but it remains truer to realty: we need each other. I have read articles in the Portuguese press that call for simplifying the language; that is, doing away with all the “unnecessary” courtesy. Often the reason given is to modernize Portuguese for business transactions, that is, to make it more like English. The logic goes: if Portuguese is simpler, then the Portuguese will be more adept at business.

In my opinion, this would be a great impoverishment of Portuguese. Currently, the language forces you to think of yourself as part of a community where everyone thrives together. Cleaved from its language of courtesy, as has happened with English, we flail alone. We must grab the upper hand in order to survive. People and cultures create their languages but a language also forms and informs its speakers and their culture.

I do not mean to imply that English speakers are discourteous. I do think English speakers perhaps have it harder. It is maybe more difficult to sustain civility as well as strong sense of the commons if it is not reinforced constantly. This reinforcement is in front of Portuguese speakers at every moment, both with familiars and strangers. I am not sure, let me know what you think about all of this!

Next Week

Okay, hopefully I have explained well enough the role of the conditional and past imperfect tenses in the language of courtesy. Next week we will focus on the nuts-and-bolts; that is, how to use this language of courtesy so you can “get by” when you visit. I am excited to share the little bit that I have learned as well as some of dicas I have stumbled across.

Até à próxima! See you soon!