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Sound Like a Native Speaker: 07 Brazilian Portuguese Idioms Posted by on Mar 31, 2014 in Vocabulary

 

Salve! Tudo bem?

Oh you gotta love idioms! They make language much more interesting and fun and it is a great way to sound more like a native speaker.

So I decided to share seven awesome idioms in Brazilian Portuguese for you guys today. Estão prontos? Vamos lá!

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01. A vaca foi pro brejo = things went south, everything went wrong

Tentamos com todas as nossas forças salvar o projeto, mas a vaca foi pro brejo.
We tried, with all our might, to save the project, but things went south.

02. Cair do cavalo = to fail trying to do something, to fall flat on your face

Ele chegou lá achando que ela estava em casa, mas caiu do cavalo. Ela tinha saído.
He arrived there thinking she was at home, but he fell flat on his face. She had stepped out.

03. Ficar com um pé atrás = to be suspicious of something, to be careful

A gente tem sempre que ficar com um pé atrás antes de fazer negócios com alguém.
We always have to be careful before doing business with someone.

04. Dar murro em ponta de faca = to insist in vain

Esperar que ele chegue no horário é dar murro em ponta de faca. Ele chega sempre atrasado.
Expecting him to come on time is to insist in vain. He’s always late.

05. Dar uma de joão-sem-braço = to play dumb

Ele deu uma de joão-sem-braço e fingiu que não sabia o que estava acontecendo.
He played dumb and pretended he didn’t know what was happening.

06. Escreveu, não leu, o pau comeu. = If you misbehave, you’ll suffer the consequences

Na minha casa era assim: “Escreveu, não leu, o pau comeu.”
At my house it was like this: If you misbehave, you’ll suffer the consequences.

07. Uma mão na roda = a big help, (something) very convenient

Nossa, meu bairro é uma mão na roda. Tem tudo o que você precisa, bem pertinho.
Man, my neighborhood is very convenient. You’ve got everything you need, real close.

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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. Jonathan:

    Amei Adir, obrigado. Por favor, faça mais!!