Department of Education

Elementary Conversation
Gestures
Activity 1

a) Answer the questions. Then ask your partner.

You Your partner

Which of these can you

“say” without words?

 I’m happy
 I’m angry
 I’m tired
 I’m hungry
 I’m thirsty
 I’m sorry
 I don’t know
 I don’t care

Can your partner

understand your body
language?

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 Department of Education
Elementary Conversation
Gestures

b) What ideas do these pictures represent?

c) What other gestures can you think of? Represent them and say
what they mean.

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 Department of Education
Elementary Conversation
Gestures
Activity 2

1. Gestures are one kind of _________

a. body language b. joke c. secret message

2. In Asia, a smile sometimes means you are__________

a. hungry b. thirsty c. embarrassed

3. In most countries, moving your head up and down means “yes” but
In Bulgaria it means…

a. “no” b. “I love you” c. “hi”

4. At plays, lectures and concerts in Europe, some people _______

when they don’t like something.

a. cough b. whistle c. laugh

5. Business people in the United States shake hands ________ and

look you in the eye.

a. gently b. firmly c. carefully

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 Department of Education
Elementary Conversation
Gestures
Activity 3

Match the pictures with the phrases in the box

1 2 3

4 6
5

a. Fingers crossed b. Thumbs down c. I’m running out of

time
d. Stop e. Thumbs up f. Okay

Source: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hand-gestures-in-different-cultures.html

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 Department of Education
Elementary Conversation
Gestures

Activity 4

Reading
1. Prediction - Put a check next to the statements you consider may
be right.

 Eye contact is really important in Brazil.

 People avoid body contact and don’t show affection easily.
 It is common to stand close together when conversing or in a line.
 The thumbs up gesture could be a very obscene gesture in Brazil.
 People only shake hands when arriving.
 The O.K. symbol is considered very rude in Brazil.

2. Checking predictions: read the article to check your guesses.

The meaning of gestures: body language in Brazil

Adapted from: (HISPANIC CULTURE, LATIN AMERICA) http://hispanic-marketing.com/bl/hispanic-
marketing/latin-america-hispanic-marketing/the-meaning-of-gestures-body-language-in-brazil/

 When conversing, good eye contact is important; not doing

so is considered impolite.
 A good, warm handshake is the traditional greeting in
Brazil. However, Brazilians show affection easily.
 People in Brazil will also shake hands when arriving and
departing. There may also be a touching of the forearm or
elbow, and often a pat on the back.
 If you are conducting business, be certain to bring a
plentiful supply of business cards because these are always
exchanged. Also, during business meetings expect to be served
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Elementary Conversation
Gestures
(often) small cups of very strong coffee.
 Since this is more of a touching society, people stand close
together when conversing or when standing in lines.
 There are many common friendly gestures in Brazil. One is
the thumbs up gesture, which is also popular in America. In
Brazil it means “good” or “positive.”
 When two people are close to each other, they will show
it by rubbing two index fingers together.
 Sometimes nonverbal communication can be very different
than what is expected in other countries. One example is the
“O.K.” symbol which in Brazil is seen as a very obscene gesture.
It is equivalent to giving the middle finger in America. This is
seen as one of the rudest gestures you can make in Brazil and
should always be avoided.
 Another obscene hand gesture is called the “corna” which
historically means “your wife is cheating on you.” It is popular in
Brazil and is often used when disagreeing with a football
referee.

3. What gestures are similar in Argentina? Add some more gestures

people usually do in your own country or city.
Activity 5

Listening 2
I. Answer these questions
1. When do you shake hands?
2. Is your handshake strong?
3. When do you touch a person’s arm or back?
4. When is it ok to interrupt a person’s conversation?
II. Listen to a talk about customs in Brazil. Then write T (true) or F (false)
for each statement.
1. People never shake hands when they meet. ___ (F)
2. Handshakes last a long time. ___ (T)
3. It’s not important to shake everyone’s hand in a room. ___ (F)
4. It is rude to interrupt someone’s conversation in Brazil. ___ (F)
5. Touching other people’s arms, elbows and backs is normal in Brazil.
___ (T)
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 Department of Education
Elementary Conversation
Gestures
Activity 6

Speaking
I. Look at the pictures below and answer the questions:
1. What attitudes are the gestures in the picture showing?
2. What feelings are they expressing? Match the options below with
their corresponding picture.

1 2 3

a. Open body b. Defensive c. Closed body

and open standing and closed
attitude position attitude

II. Role-play - Imagine a short exchange between the people in

the pictures. What are they saying?
Useful Language:
You look… (great/ worried/ sad)
How are things going?
That sounds…
Where/ When/ How did you/he/she…?
How often do you…?
Let’s