Tag Archives: expression
Está servido? Posted by Rachel on Feb 9, 2011
Eating with friends and family is an important part of Brazilian culture, so it’s important to learn phrases and expressions that deal with meals. Está servido is a useful phrase to know for eating with others, and it can be a little confusing if you hear it for the first time. Literally, this expression means…
Arrasar Posted by Rachel on Jan 18, 2011
Last week, we took a look at the adjective arrasado. This week, we’re going to look at the verb arrasar, which has a few similar negative meanings, and a few very different positive connotations. 1. Destroy, devastate (literally or emotionally) As chuvas arrasaram a Região Serrana do Rio. The rains devastated Rio’s mountain region. A…
Podcast: Different meanings of the word “trabalho” Posted by André on Aug 24, 2010
Download it: https://blogs.transparent.com/portuguese/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2010/08/trabalho.mp3 Hello, you’re listening to the Transparent Language Portuguese Blog Podcast. My name is André Barbosa and in this episode I’ll talk about different meanings of the word “trabalho”. “Trabalho” literally means work. The professional, productive and/or creative activity. Now let’s see how some words can modify the meaning of “trabalho”. The first…
Pronto, falei Posted by Rachel on Feb 5, 2010
Today we’re going to learn a useful little phrase that’s very slangy and will help you sound more like a native. Pronto falei literally means there, I said it, as a follow up to some sort of controversial comment. Let’s look at how it’s used in conversation: Ele ficou muito gordo. Pronto, falei. He got…
Já já Posted by Rachel on Jan 13, 2010
In keeping up with our New Year review of some basic phrases, I’d like to reiterate a nice little expression: já já. Já means already or soon. When you use it twice, it emphasizes the speed of the action your referring to. It is mostly used as a spoken term. Examples: Estou chegando já já…
Using “ao” Posted by Rachel on Dec 24, 2009
Today, we’re going to examine how to use “ao” as a preposition. Here, it is used as “upon” or “when.” Ao descobrir o rato no quarto, ela deu um grito. When she discovered the mouse in her room, she screamed. Ao encontrar o garoto perdido, ficamos aliviados. Upon finding the lost boy, we felt relieved…