Pilcha, videogame e português!

Gaúcho is the term for someone born in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state in Brazil. I was born and raised there. I am a gaúcho!

That photo was taken during a September 7th school parade (Brazil’s Independence Day). I was part of the group representing gaúcho traditions, while right behind us were our classmates representing German colonization. A photo that perfectly captures the cultural mix of my childhood.

And what does this have to do with Teach Yourself Portuguese?

After all, I’m your Portuguese teacher... and I speak Portuguese like a gaúcho! I have a gaúcho accent, gaúcho vocabulary, a very unique cultural background, and I love video games.

Turns out there is! kkkkk

As you already know, I love video games and I love teaching. Recently, I found the perfect project that brings these two passions together: Gaucho and the Grassland, developed by Epopeia Games, an indie game studio from Porto Alegre.

I met the team from Epopeia in 2023 in São Paulo, right when they were preparing to release the game on PC. Now that the channel has grown and they are releasing a new mobile version set in the same universe, I reached back out. It’s that classic win-win partnership:

• I get authentic, high-quality material to create content and teach Portuguese in an engaging way;
  
  

• The Epopeia Games team gets to show their work to a very targeted audience: people from all over the world passionate about learning Portuguese;
  
  

• And you get even more authentic content that helps not just with the language, but also to discover Brazilian geography, regional culture, and local folklore!

Tomorrow we’ll follow our classic live format (split into three parts) and, in Part 3, we'll dive headfirst into the gaúcho universe:

🗣️ Part 1: Question of the Week #11 — Folklore & Legends 🐉

We’ll read through your answers on Discord about local legends from your home countries (inspired by Brazilian folklore, like the Cuca!). We'll use your submissions to practice descriptions and storytelling in easy, comprehensible Portuguese!

There’s still time to participate by clicking here.

🧠 Part 2: Termo Warm-up

Our quick round of the "Brazilian Wordle" to warm up our brains, get vocabulary flowing, and get everyone ready to participate in the chat.

🕹️ Part 3: Gameplay & Comprehensible Input — Gaucho and the Grassland 🐎

We’ll explore rural traditions, folklore creatures, and learn several "gauchismos" (regional slang) in a real gameplay context.

🎁 GIVEAWAY:

The developers at Epopeia Games sent me an official game key as a gift to give away in the chat!

How to enter: Just be present in the livestream tomorrow during Part 3. I will announce a secret keyword in the live chat, and we’ll run the giveaway live!

🔴 Livestream link:
⏰ When: Tomorrow at 1:00 PM EDT / 10:00 AM PDT / 19:00 CEST (14h Brasília Time)
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r63SgsjHGg
(make sure to turn on the notification bell so you don't miss it!)

And the timing for this live couldn't be better.

We’re in September, the month of the Festejos Farroupilhas, when the entire state of Rio Grande do Sul celebrates its traditions, history, and cultural identity. The peak happens on September 20th (a state holiday for Gaúcho Day), with campsites, barbecue, and chimarrão (if you want to see the history and official schedule, check out semanafarroupilha.com.br).

It’s literally the perfect week to spend a couple of hours playing a game about gaúchos with you guys!

And to celebrate this special week:
🎟️ Use the coupon code GAUCHO at checkout on the website.
It gives you 5% off any single class or lesson package booked during the month of September.

👉 Book lessons: https://www.teachyourselfportuguese.com/book