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Frases de exemplo
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dar o braço a torcer
to admit defeat, to yield
📌 Nota gramatical
A very common expression meaning to stop being stubborn and accept you were wrong.
Exemplo
chover a cântaros
to rain cats and dogs, to rain heavily
📌 Nota gramatical
Used to describe torrential rain. Note the use of 'estar a + infinitive' for the progressive.
Exemplo
tirar do sério
to drive someone crazy, to get on someone's nerves
📌 Nota gramatical
Takes a direct object pronoun indicating the person who is losing their patience.
Exemplo
perder a cabeça
to lose one's temper, to lose control
📌 Nota gramatical
Reflexive construction in meaning, used with possessive pronouns matching the subject.
Exemplo
dar em doido
to drive someone mad, to go crazy
📌 Nota gramatical
Can be used reflexively or with an indirect object to describe extreme frustration.
Exemplo
custar os olhos da cara
to cost an arm and a leg, to cost a fortune
📌 Nota gramatical
Literally means to cost the eyes of one's face.
Exemplo
ficar com a pulga atrás da orelha
to have a suspicion, to smell a rat
📌 Nota gramatical
Used when something seems too good to be true and arouses doubt.
Exemplo
meter a pata na poça
to put one's foot in it, to make a blunder
📌 Nota gramatical
Synonymous with making an embarrassing social mistake.
Exemplo
ser um bicho de sete cabeças
to be rocket science, to be extremely complicated
📌 Nota gramatical
Usually used in negative constructions to say something is actually quite simple.
Exemplo
passar a ferro
to iron clothes
📌 Nota gramatical
Standard European Portuguese expression for ironing.
Exemplo
dar de caras com
to run into someone unexpectedly, to bump into
📌 Nota gramatical
Followed by the preposition 'com' when mentioning the person or thing encountered.
Exemplo
ter a faca e o queijo na mão
to hold all the cards, to be in full control of a situation
📌 Nota gramatical
Literally means to have the knife and the cheese in one's hand.
Exemplo
falar pelos cotovelos
to talk the hind leg off a donkey, to talk incessantly
📌 Nota gramatical
Used to describe someone who is exceptionally talkative.
Exemplo
apanhar o bonde
to miss the point (Note: PT-PT uses 'apanhar o comboio' or similar context, but standard idiom is 'apanhar o comboio em marcha' or 'perder o comboio')
📌 Nota gramatical
In Portugal, 'perder o comboio' is the standard equivalent of missing an opportunity.
Exemplo
estar com a corda ao pescoço
to have one's back to the wall, to be in a tight spot financially or under pressure
📌 Nota gramatical
Describes severe financial or deadline pressure.
Exemplo
deitar foguetes
to count one's chickens before they hatch
📌 Nota gramatical
Usually used in the negative to advise against celebrating prematurely.
Exemplo
ficar em águas de bacalhau
to come to nothing, to peter out
📌 Nota gramatical
Uniquely Portuguese idiom for plans or discussions that fizzle out without a result.
Exemplo
virar a página
to turn over a new leaf, to move on
📌 Nota gramatical
Used when putting a bad experience behind you.
Exemplo
ser unha com carne
to be thick as thieves, to be inseparable
📌 Nota gramatical
Describes a very close friendship or alliance.
Exemplo
meter a colher
to meddle, to poke one's nose into
📌 Nota gramatical
Frequently used in negative sentences about unwanted interference.
Exemplo
ter mãozinha
to have a helping hand, or to be lenient
📌 Nota gramatical
Often used with 'ter' and a diminutive to request or hope for indulgence.
Exemplo
dar o fora
to beat it, to clear off (PT-PT: 'dar de Vila-di-Diabo' or 'andar daqui para fora', but 'mandar dar o fora' is understood; let's use 'pôr-se a andar')
📌 Nota gramatical
Reflexive verb phrase 'pôr-se a andar' is common in European Portuguese for leaving quickly.
Exemplo
empanzinado
stuffed (after eating too much)
📌 Nota gramatical
A colloquial adjective derived from the verb 'empanzinar'.
Exemplo
ser cartas usadas
to be water under the bridge, to be a closed chapter
📌 Nota gramatical
Refers to a situation or argument that is no longer relevant.
Exemplo
esconder a cabeça na areia
to bury one's head in the sand
📌 Nota gramatical
Used to criticize someone who refuses to face an obvious reality.
Exemplo
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