"Diga!" - it's what a Portuguese person says when they pick up the phone or when a shopkeeper turns to you. Literally "speak!" So please, speak... This thread is where you introduce yourself. Not in English - in Portuguese. Don't know where to start? Use the pitch builder: https://swatportuguese.com/prazer-pitch Pop in your name, age, where you live and a few things about yourself, and it'll build you a bilingual elevator pitch you can actually say out loud. (Takes about a minute) Then do three things: 1. Post it here - Portuguese first, English underneath if you like. 2. Say it out loud - to your phone, to the mirror, to the dog. Reading it isn't the same as saying it. (Bonus points: record it and post the audio. Terrifying, effective.) 3. Say it to an actual Portuguese person this week - a neighbour, a café, the person at the till. That's the real assignment. And read a few others before you go. Comment on someone else's in Portuguese, even if it's just "Muito prazer!" or "Bem-vindo!" - that's a real exchange, and it counts. (Nobody's marking this. Wrong Portuguese posted beats perfect Portuguese kept to yourself, every single time.) NB SWAT = Show up. Wing it. Adapt. Talk. Vamos lá — diga! 👇

I've had an "epiphany" of sorts, today. Some of the best Brits I've known, had enough (said "CHEGA" to themselves), wanted to slow down a bit, then moved to Portugal and other places. Also on the other hand, some of the best Portuguese I've known, had enough (also said "CHEGA" to themselves), wanted to slow down a bit, or at least merely endure hardship for just a little bit longer under slightly better structural numbers in circulation, then moved to Britain (despite its "glass ceilings" and "more rigid class tiered society"), and other places. I'm wondering... where does that leave us? Nil balance? Accounts well settled? 🤔 (and yes, I have learned... I am "transactional" as hell now, more than I ever was, call it survival) Hmmm... 🤔 Hmmmm... 🫪