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Tag Archives: idiomatic expression

The verb ‘passar’ in Portuguese – Part II Posted by on Jul 13, 2017

Olá a todos! Hey, everybody! Como vocês têm passado? How have you been? Last week we saw that passar in Portuguese can have multiple definitions. Now how about we take a look at some collocations and expressions with the verb to learn even more? Come on, vai passar rapidinho! (We’ll get through it very quickly!)…

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Translating Idiomatic Expressions: Part III Posted by on Jun 11, 2008

We’re going to continue our discussion of idiomatic expressions, using this humor site as a source. The idea is to show the dangers of translating word for word instead of understanding the actual meaning behind the expressions. 1. Ela é cheia de nove horas. She’s full of nine o’clock. This expression means a person is…

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Translating Idiomatic Expressions: Part II Posted by on Jun 3, 2008

This series on idiomatic expressions is taken from this Brazilian humor site, so the translations are not mine. Plus, the idea of translating them word for word is to show how idiomatic expressions are only understandable in context, and can be very funny if translated literally. We have to understand the meaning behind the expression…

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Translating Idiomatic Expressions: Part I Posted by on May 28, 2008

Conquering idiomatic expressions is an important hurdle when learning a language. That’s because these expressions do not literally translate and you have to understand what they actually mean. There are dozens in Portuguese, and when translated directly to English they sound very silly, so let’s take a look at the real meanings. 1. Chá comigo…

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