Conversações diárias: qual é a sua especialização?

Seis estudantes de várias partes do mundo se reúnem. O que eles têm em comum? Todos são intercambistas estudando em uma universidade dos Estados Unidos por um semestre. Ao longo do semestre, eles aprendem mais inglês, sobre a cultura americana e se inteiram mais sobre suas áreas de estudo. Esta série Conversações Diárias* é sobre seis estudantes e suas experiências durante um semestre em uma universidade nos EUA. Estes diálogos são destinados a estudantes de inglês de nível intermediário ou avançado.

A série Conversações Diárias é uma ótima maneira de melhorar seu inglês. Os leitores de nível mais avançado podem aprender ainda mais rápido revendo este post original (hiperligação para a página deste artigo em inglês) na íntegra em inglês.

Ouça e leia o diálogo de seis alunos (Lucía, Peter, Ajay, Lee, Akinyi e Jana) conversando sobre os diferentes programas que estudarão na universidade.

Lucía: Thanks for meeting up today, guys. I’m happy that I’ve met so many other exchange students already. It’s a big relief.

Peter: Yeah, we’re all in the same boat, so let’s try to support one another throughout the semester.

Ajay: Are we taking any of the same classes?

Lee: I think we all have different majors, so we might not be in any of the same classes.

Akinyi: What’s your major, Lee?

Lee: My major is environmental science. How about you?

Akinyi: Mine is quite different. I’m majoring in business.

Ajay: And my major is journalism. How about you, Jana? What’s your major?

Jana: I’m studying engineering. I’m not exactly sure what type of engineering I’ll eventually major in. Maybe electrical or aeronautical engineering.

Lucía: And I’m an American studies major.

Peter: That’s interesting. What do you study?

Lucía: We study the novels, music, film, politics, economy and history of the United States. I’m excited to be in the U.S. this semester to study as much as I can about the culture. How about you, Peter? What’s your major?

Peter: I’m an education major. I’d like to teach young children. They’re full of energy and curiosity. I guess kind of like us.

Agora vamos rever o vocabulário.

To meet up [encontrar-se] means to meet a person or people in order to do something together.

The word guys [gente, pessoal, galera] is an informal way to refer to two or more people. Although the word “guy” means “man” [homem, rapaz], the informal guys can refer to men and/or women [o termo informal guys pode se referir a homens e/ou mulheres]. Some people in the U.S. use the term guys in this way. However, there are others who do not agree with this usage because “guy” means “man” and does not include “women” (or both man and woman) in its meaning.

To be in the same boat [estar no mesmo barco] means to be in the same situation as others [estar na mesma situação que outros].

In university and college, each student chooses a major [especialização ou área de estudo principal]. A major is a chosen field of study, the specialization of the student. “Major” can be used as a noun or a verb.

There are different ways to talk about one’s major. One of these ways is to say, “My major is ____.” For example: “My major is history.”

Another way is to use the word “major” as a verb. When using the word “major” as a verb, use the phrase major in. For example: “I’m majoring in ____.”

A student can also use “major” as a noun to refer to him- or herself. For example: “I’m an American studies major.”

One can also use the verb study to talk about one’s major. For example: “I’m studying biology” and “I study biology” both show the student’s major.

Not exactly sure [Não estar 100% seguro sobre algo]:  The person is not 100 percent certain about something.

Está preparado para aprender mais inglês? Nossos materiais* podem ajudar!