Freedom or Loneliness?
Today’s quote is widely attributed to Charles Bukowski. He was a poet, novelist, and short story writer. Bukowski started his writing career late, publishing his first novel, ‘Post Office,’ at the age of 50, which details the struggle of working for the U.S. Postal Service.
… And when nobody wakes you up in the morning, and when nobody waits for you at night, and when you can do whatever you want. O que é que lhe chamamos, liberdade ou solidão?What do you call it, freedom or loneliness?
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The Plus version of this story
... E quando ninguém nos acorda de manhã, e quando ninguém espera por nós à noite, e quando podemos fazer o que quisermos. O que é que lhe chamamos, liberdade ou solidão?… And when nobody wakes you up in the morning, and when nobody waits for you at night, and when you can do whatever you want. What do you call it, freedom or loneliness?
Note: In English, ‘you’ is often a generic pronoun, to address or refer to people in general. In contrast, the Portuguese translation uses ‘nós’ (we), to emphasise a shared reflection rather than an individual one.
✨ Today's vocabulary
🚫 Ninguém: No one, nobody⏰ Acordar: To wake up🌅 Manhã [femin. noun]: Morning⏳ Esperar: To wait🌃 Noite: Night🔋 Poder: Can 💖 Querer: To want🕊️ Liberdade [femin. noun]: Freedom👤 Solidão [femin. noun]: Loneliness
There is a Plus version of this story
The same story, taken further, for DailyNata Plus members. This one works on situational portuguese.
- The whole story in Portuguese, and its English
- The words in it, explained, with examples
- One more recording
- 2 interactive exercises
Written for level A1–A2. Every story has its own, anywhere from A1 to B2.