6 Brazilian Habits That Surprise Foreigners

Listen for personal experiences, not cultural rules

Bruno and Sabrina talk about routines they have encountered and compare what feels familiar or unusual. Brazil is a large, diverse country, and daily habits differ by household, region, schedule, and personal preference. The useful question is not “Do all Brazilians do this?” but “What does this person mean, and how can I talk about my own routine?”

For a first listen, follow the topic changes without pausing. On a second listen, choose one chapter and write down a word you recognize. The chapter links above let you return directly to each section.

1. Taking more than one shower a day

The conversation opens its habit list with shower routines. The key everyday expression is tomar banho (“to take a shower” or “to bathe”). It is built with tomar, not a word-for-word translation of “take a shower.”

Try these original practice examples:

• Vou tomar banho antes do jantar. — I’m going to take a shower before dinner.
• Você costuma tomar banho de manhã? — Do you usually shower in the morning?

Costuma asks what someone usually does. It is a useful way to ask about a routine without assuming that everyone follows the same one.

2. Beans with meals

Beans are part of the meal comparison in the video. To talk about food in context, learn arroz e feijão (rice and beans) as a familiar combination, while remembering that meals vary. You can ask about a person’s preference instead of making a generalization:

• Você come feijão no almoço? — Do you eat beans at lunch?
• Hoje tem arroz e feijão. — There’s rice and beans today.

Notice no almoço: the preposition em contracts with o to make no. Keep the whole phrase together as a useful chunk.

3. Where toilet paper goes

The hosts compare bathroom customs, including disposing of toilet paper. Plumbing and local instructions can differ, so follow the sign or ask your host rather than assuming one practice applies everywhere. This is also a practical travel situation where a simple question is more useful than guessing.

• Onde devo colocar o papel? — Where should I put the paper?
• Tem alguma instrução? — Is there an instruction?

4. Eating pizza with a knife and fork

Pizza etiquette becomes a comparison point in the conversation. People may eat the same food differently depending on their preference, the setting, and what is available. Treat it as a friendly topic to ask about, not a test of whether someone is eating correctly.

• Você prefere comer pizza com a mão ou com garfo e faca? — Do you prefer to eat pizza with your hands or with a fork and knife?
• Eu uso garfo e faca. — I use a fork and knife.

Garfo means fork, and faca means knife. The question is an original practice example, not a line from the episode.

5. Brushing your teeth and carrying a dental kit

This chapter turns an everyday routine into practical vocabulary. Escovar os dentes means “to brush your teeth.” A small routine kit can be described as kit de higiene bucal; the items include a escova de dentes (toothbrush), pasta de dente (toothpaste), and fio dental (dental floss).

• Vou levar minha escova de dentes. — I’m going to bring my toothbrush.
• Onde posso escovar os dentes? — Where can I brush my teeth?

6. Sweet avocado—and more food comparisons

The final food topic is sweet avocado. That may be unexpected if you usually eat avocado in savory dishes. The conversation also compares avocado and pineapple. Recipes and preferences vary, so the best way to learn is to ask what someone puts in a dish or drink.

Useful questions include Você gosta de abacate doce? (“Do you like sweet avocado?”) and O que você coloca na vitamina? (“What do you put in the smoothie?”). For a closer look at coffee, vitamina, and sweet avocado, continue to our earlier guide to Brazilian food and coffee habits.

A short listening-and-speaking exercise

1. Listen once without trying to translate every sentence. Name the topic of each chapter in your own language.
2. Replay one chapter and write down three words you recognize. Use the chapter links to make this manageable.
3. Choose one routine and describe your own version in Portuguese: Eu costumo… (“I usually…”).
4. Ask a follow-up question with E você? (“And you?”) or Como é na sua casa? (“What is it like at your home?”).

The goal is to understand a real conversation and respond with something of your own. Explore more Brazilian Portuguese listening and phrase practice, or continue the conversation with other learners.