A Vida É Bela

Giveaway

After nearly two years in Brazil, I still have problems pronouncing the number 3.  It’s basically the same as in Spanish, três, and it’s the t-r that trips me up.  In English, hard consonants followed by r are aspirated (there’s a little puff of air in between) but in Spanish/Portuguese the r is flipped.  If I’m speaking quickly, I tend to aspirate; if I concentrate, the t and flipped r come out with a gap in between, which still sounds a little off.

I anticipate an upcoming t-r with dread.  Unfortunately in the case of the number três there’s no way to swap in a synonym, as I’d often do with Spanish words containing rolled r’s (my other pronunciation nemesis).  Every time I buy something, I have to tell the cashier my CPF number (the Brazilian equivalent of a social security number, except it’s required for everyday financial transactions), which as luck would have it, contains three 3′s. Every time, I take a deep breath first, bracing for the inevitable “you’re not from here..” glance from the cashier. Granted my accent is obvious even from the minimal “bom dia..débito..obrigada,” but something about constantly struggling with such a basic word is a reminder that life here will never be completely natural.

I do try to maintain perspective.  Brazilians conversely have trouble with t-h, and I felt somewhat vindicated when I overheard my boss, who lived in the US for several years, saying “tr-ee.”  What matters is being understood.