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06 Expressions with Verb “Quebrar” Posted by on Sep 19, 2013 in Video

Hello, there!

The verb quebrar, which means to break, has several and useful expressions in colloquial Portuguese. Let’s learn six of them!

Ok, vamos começar!

01. Quebrar a cabeça = to rack one’s brain(s)

Ele quebrou a cabeça tentando achar a solução do quebra-cabeça.
He racked his brains trying to figure out the solution to the puzzle.

Você vai ter que quebrar a cabeça para conseguir descobrir onde está o erro.
You’re going to have to rack your brains to figure out where the mistake is.

02. Quebrar o pau = to fight, to argue

Eles quebraram o pau ontem à noite depois que a Sara viu o David olhando para outra mulher.
They had a huge fight last night after Sara saw David looking at another woman.

Eles vão quebrar o pau quando descobrirem o que você fez.
They’re going to have an ugly argument with you when they find out what you’ve done.

03. Quebrar o gelo = to break the ice

Sei de umas técnicas legais para quebrar o gelo.
I know of some cool techniques to break the ice.

Perguntei como estava o tempo só para quebrar o gelo.
I asked about the weather just to break the ice.

04. Quebrar o galho = to make do, to improvise; to help someone out

Ainda não temos um notebook, então vamos quebrando o galho com este computador velho mesmo.
We still don’t have a laptop, so we make do with this old computer anyway.

O Jack sempre quebra meu galho quando eu preciso.
Jack always helps me out when I need.

05. Quebrar a cara = to be disappointed; to break someone’s face

Ele quebrou a cara quando chegou ao cinema e viu que a sessão já tinha começado.
He was disappointed when he got to the movies and saw that the session had already started.

Fica na sua ou eu quebro sua cara!
Back off or I’ll break your face!

06. Botar pra quebrar = to do something with great vigor, energy; to kick butt

Vamos botar pra quebrar no final do campeonato!
Let’s kick major butt at the end of the championship!

Eles botaram pra quebrar com a venda do seu novo livro.
They were a hit with the sales of their new book.

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About the Author: Adir

English / Spanish teacher and translator for over 20 years. I have been blogging since 2007 and I am also a professional singer in my spare time.


Comments:

  1. Martha Aandstad:

    Obrigada, very usefull! Eu quebro minha cabesa todos os dias para entender a palavra ”mesmo”, pode escrever uma post sobre isso também? Vai quebra meu galho.