Life in Portugal

Michael: So Ana, you're from Portugal. Can you tell me a little bit about your country?

Ana: Yes, sure. Portugal is a really small country actually. It's right by Spain in Europe and we have really nice weather there. It's really sunny most of the year and really hot in summer. It can get really cold and really rainy in winter. But yeah, overall, it's a really nice country to live in.

Michael: And I've heard you have nice beaches in Portugal.

Ana: Yes, we do. I used to go to the beach everyday with my family in summer. It was really great. But the beaches can get really crowded. Lots of people, so you might want to be a bit careful when you choose where to go.

Michael: All right, I see. And where do you live in Portugal?

Ana: I live in a small village actually. You probably don't know it. It's called Palmela. But it's south of Lisbon and it's by the coast, so it's really nice. We get a nice view of the mountains and of the rivers. So I really enjoy living there. It's really quite. Not a lot of people. A lot of wine farms actually and really nice food. You should come and visit sometime.

Michael: I like wine. And so you have good wine in Portugal. What sort of food do you eat in Portugal?

Ana: Let's see. We get a lot of fish because we're by the sea. And so codfish is a traditional and sardines and mackerels.

Michael: Oh, I like sardines.

Ana: Yeah. It's really good. And we also have really good desserts. So for example, coffee cake, yogurt cake. We've got pastel de nata which is kind of an egg tart thing. So I really recommend you try that with our coffee when you go there.

Michael: All right. And you speak Portuguese as your first language.

Ana: Yes, I do. I speak Portuguese. It's not the same as Brazilian Portuguese but it's really close and we can understand each other. So that's really great.

Michael: All right. And can you understand Spanish as well?

Ana: Yeah. I can understand a little bit of Spanish but there are some differences between Portuguese and Spanish.

Michael: How do you say hello in Portuguese?

Ana: Oh, you can say, "Ola."

Michael: Ola.

Ana: Yeah, it's fun. You should learn some Portuguese.

Michael: Oh, I'd love to.