Learn some common Portuguese idioms
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Intro |
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| Michael: What are some common Portuguese idioms? |
| Ana Clara: And how are they used? |
| Michael: At PortuguesePod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Karen Lee hears an idiom she is unfamiliar with. She asks her neighbor, Andreia Araujo, |
| "What does "elbow pain" mean?" |
| Karen Lee: O que significa "dor de cotovelo"? |
| Dialogue |
| Karen Lee: O que significa "dor de cotovelo"? |
| Andreia Araújo: Significa "inveja." |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Karen Lee: O que significa "dor de cotovelo"? |
| Michael: "What does 'elbow pain' mean?" |
| Andreia Araújo: Significa "inveja." |
| Michael: "It means 'jealousy.'" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: Idioms, or |
| Ana Clara: expressões idiomáticas, |
| Michael: are set phrases or expressions that have a particular meaning due to their particular combination of words. If the words of an idiom were to be individually translated, the set meaning of the idiom would not be apparent. For example, consider the sentence |
| Ana Clara: Nossa, ele leva ao pé da letra tudo o que a gente fala! |
| Michael: "Oh, my, he takes everything we say to the letter!" |
| Here we have the Portuguese idiom |
| Ana Clara: ao pé da letra |
| Michael: which means "literally" or "to the letter." However, if we were to translate the idiom word by word, we'd have "at the foot of the letter," which wouldn't convey the appropriate meaning. Therefore, the idiom must always be used as the set phrase or expression that it is, so that it can be properly understood. |
| Michael: Furthermore, since idioms have their roots in culture, they are specific to each group or region, so exact translations are often not possible. Luckily, however, there are occasionally equivalent idioms which can be found in other languages. For instance, the Portuguese idiom |
| Ana Clara: levantar com o pé esquerdo |
| Michael: has an equivalent meaning to "get up on the wrong side of the bed" in English. It means "to be in a bad mood" or "to be having a bad day." |
| If it were literally translated, however, we'd have "to wake up with the left foot." |
| Michael: Let's now have a closer look at the idiom used in the dialogue. To say "What does 'elbow pain' mean?" Karen Lee said, |
| Ana Clara: O que significa "dor de cotovelo"? |
| Michael: The Portuguese idiom seen here, |
| Ana Clara: (ter) dor de cotovelo, |
| Michael: literally means "(to have) elbow pain," however, as we've heard, in reality, "it means 'jealousy,'" |
| Ana Clara as Andreia Araujo: Significa "inveja." |
| Michael: It may be interesting to note the word choice here. The word used for "jealousy," |
| Ana: inveja, |
| Michael: is used when someone is jealous because someone else has some "thing," not some "one," that the person wants or desires. If a person is jealous of some "one," in the romantic sense, the more appropriate Portuguese word for "jealousy" would be |
| Ana: ciúme. |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In this lesson, we've learned that idioms are set phrases or expressions in a language that can only be understood as they are, without modification. Moreover, while they can't be literally translated to another language, we can sometimes find an equivalent idiom in the other language. |
| Let's now look at a few more common Portuguese idioms: |
| Ana Clara: Ai, terminamos a tarefa aos trancos e barrancos! |
| Michael: "Oh, we finished the task under great difficulty!" |
| The idiom used here is |
| Ana Clara: aos trancos e barrancos. |
| Michael: This conveys the idea of achieving something "awkwardly," "unskillfully," or "under great difficulty." If we were to translate it directly, however, we'd have "by bumps and precipices." |
| Michael: Another common idiom in Portuguese is |
| Ana Clara: acertar na mosca, |
| Michael: meaning "to guess or do something right on the first try." If it were translated directly, we'd have "to hit on the fly," which wouldn't make much sense. |
| Fortunately, in this case, there are a few equivalent idioms found in English, such as "to hit the nail on the head" or "to hit the bull's-eye." |
| Expansion/Contrast |
| Michael: Some idioms can be used in a disparaging or pejorative way, so it's important to be careful. As an example, take the sentence |
| Ana Clara: O Carlos é um amigo da onça! |
| Michael: "Carlos is a fake friend!" |
| In this case, the idiom |
| Ana Clara: amigo da onça, |
| Michael: which literally means "jaguar's friend," actually means "someone who can't be trusted" or "fake friend." Negative meanings like this may not always be obvious, so it's important to be acquainted with the most common idioms to avoid any misunderstandings. |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review the sample conversation: Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud, and then listen carefully as Ana Clara models the correct answer. Repeat after her, with the focus on your pronunciation. Are you ready? |
| How do you say, "What does 'elbow pain' mean?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Ana Clara: O que significa "dor de cotovelo"? |
| Michael: Did you get it right? Listen again and repeat. Remember to focus on your pronunciation. |
| Ana Clara: O que significa "dor de cotovelo"? |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Ana Clara: O que significa "dor de cotovelo"? |
| Michael: Let's move on to the second sentence. How do you say, "It means 'jealousy.'" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Ana Clara: Significa "inveja." |
| Michael: Did you get it right this time? Listen again and repeat. |
| Ana Clara: Significa "inveja." |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Ana Clara: Significa "inveja." |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion |
| Michael: Idioms often have a rich cultural history and are sometimes centuries old. One example from Portuguese is |
| Ana Clara: ficar a ver navios, |
| Michael: meaning "to be disappointed or frustrated because something that was expected didn't happen." As we've learned, the literal translation of an idiom doesn't convey its true meaning, and this is indeed the case here as the literal translation would be "to stay watching ships." |
| One of the possible origins of this idiom is in Portugal, back in the late 1600s, but it is still used today, even in Brazil. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Ana Clara: Até a próxima! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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