Idiomatic Expressions in Portuguese

May 15, 2013

What’s up guys? How are you? Today we are going to study some idiomatic expressions in Portuguese. All languages have their own expressions and the Portuguese language is no different.

Let’s take a look here at some expressions used in the Portuguese language:

Idiomatic Expressions

Eu sempre dou uma mãozinha aos meus amigos quando eles precisam. (Ajudar alguém)
I always help my friends when they are in need. (Help someone)

Você está sempre com a cabeça nas nuvens, Maria. (Estar distraído)
You are always tripping out Maria. (Being distracted)

Ele bateu as botas, foi desta para uma melhor. (Morrer)
He kicked the bucket, he is in a better world now. (Dying)

Nós precisamos arregaçar as mangas para resolver isso. (Tomar uma iniciativa para trabalhar)
We must take action to resolve this problem. (Take an attitude to work)

Acho que vocês têm que abrir o jogo com eles. (Contar a verdade)
I think you must put everything on the table with them. (Tell the truth)

Eles compraram gato por lebre. (Ser enganado)
They bought a pig in a poke. (be cheated)

Ele bebeu muito e pagou mico na festa da empresa. (Passar vergonha)
He drank a lot and made a fool of himself at the company’s party. (Doing embarrassing things)

Comprei 2 produtos pelo preço de um, acertei dois coelhos com uma paulada só. (Tirar vantagem)
I got two products for the price of one. I killed two birds with one stone. (Taking advantage)

Pode tirar o cavalinho da chuva porque eu não vou fazer mais nada pra vocês. (Não conte com isso)
Don’t hold your breath because I am not doing anything else for you anymore. (Don’t count on that)

Todas essas melhorias são falsas! Isso tudo é pra inglês ver. (São coisas falsas)
These improvements are all fake. That’s all to deceive everybody. (Fake things)

Foram momentos complicados. Ele teve que engolir muitos sapos para estar lá. (Aceitar calado)
These were diffcult times. He had to accept everything and remain in silence. (Accept in silence)

Vocês moram muito longe daqui, onde judas perdeu as botas. (Morar muito longe)
You live so far from here, in the back of beyond. (Live far away)

Você só fala e não ajuda em nada. Vá pentear macacos! (Vá embora)
You just talk and don’t help in anything. Go fly a kite! (Get lost)

Ainda temos 20 minutos antes da aula, vamos ficar aqui matando tempo. (Passar o tempo)
We still have 20 minutes before the class, let’s stay here killing time. (To kill time)

Carla está me devendo 100 reais e pediu mais dinheiro, muito cara de pau! (Uma pessoa sem-vergonha)
Carla owes me 100 reais and wants to borrow more money, what a nerve! (A cheeky person)

Preciso sair mais cedo hoje, você pode quebrar um galho e fazer o relatório pra mim? (Ajudar)
I need to leave earlier today, can you help me out and do this report for me? (To help)

Não aguento mais, vou aparecer lá e vou chutar o pau da barraca. (Falar tudo o que precisa)
I can’t take it anymore, I will show up there and shit is gonna hit the fan. (Say everything to them)

Resposta certa! Você acertou na mosca. (Acertar o alvo)
Right answer. You hit the bull’s eye. (To hit the right target)

Essa situação não tem solução. Você está dando murro em ponta de faca. (Insistir em algo inútil)
This situation has no solution you. You are barking up the wrong tree. (Insist on something useless)

Depois que ganhou na loteria, eles só andam com o nariz empinado. (Ser esnobe)
After winning the lottery, they are stuck up all the time. (To be snobbish)

Well, we have had a brief lesson here of some of the many idiomatic expressions that we will study in the future.

Now it’s your turn!

And you? Do you know any of these idiomatic expressions in Portuguese?
Tell us about the ones you know you know… Let’s share them.

And we finish here one more Dica. If you have more doubts, send us a tweet to our Twitter account to have all of them answered.

See you guys!
Hugs from Rio de Janeiro!

Click in the links below to see more related Dicas
Chutar o balde in Portuguese
Portuguese word caralho
Falar pelos cotovelos in Portuguese
Portuguese informal phrases
Brazilian Portuguese interjections
Popular expressions in Portuguese

This post is also available in: English Português (Portuguese) Español (Spanish)

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