A Little Bit and Almost in Portuguese: How We Really Say It in Brazil

How do you say a little bit in Portuguese? The direct answer is um pouquinho: "a little" is "um pouco" and "a little bit" is "um pouquinho". But in everyday conversation, those of us from Brazil rarely stop there.

On the street you'll hear much more laid-back ways to say a little in Portuguese, like cadinho, tiquinho, de leve, suave, or even só o cheiro. Each one has its own context, and some of them, like "cadin", "tiquin" or "pôquin", only show up when we speak, never in formal writing.

The same goes for almost in Portuguese: the word is quase, but when something nearly happened we say por um triz, por um fio, por pouco or tirar um fino, our version of "by a hair" or "that was a close call".

Below you'll find my video and practice sentences for each expression, so you can sound more natural and skip the portunhol habits many learners pick up when talking with Brazilians.

Video: Ways to Say "A Little" and "Almost" in Portuguese

In this video I show you, with the pronunciation we use in Brazil, the most common ways to say a little and almost in Portuguese. If you've ever wondered how to say a little in Portuguese like a local, watch it first and then review each expression with the practice sentences below.

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A Little Bit in Portuguese - Practice Sentences

To say a little bit in Portuguese we have several options: um pouco and um pouquinho are the neutral ones, while cadinho, tiquinho, de leve and suave sound much more Brazilian in everyday conversation. These are the ones you'll hear the most when people talk about a little bit in Brazilian Portuguese.

DE LEVE

De leve means doing something in moderation, just a little and without overdoing it. In Brazil we use it a lot when talking about eating, drinking or going out, and also as a relaxed answer when someone invites you to something: "vou, mas de leve" (I'll go, but I'll take it easy).

• Hoje na festa vou beber de leve porque amanhã tenho que acordar logo cedo.

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CADINHO / CADIN

Cadinho means "a little bit" and comes from bocadinho (a small piece, like a little bite). It's very typical of Minas Gerais, where mineiros shorten it to cadin, but people understand it all over Brazil and it adds an affectionate touch to the sentence.

• Deixei um cadinho de strogonoff pra você na geladeira.
• Essa tua sobremesa tá com uma cara boa, deixa um cadin pra mim.

UM POUCO / POUQUINHO / PÔQUIN

Um pouco is "a little" and um pouquinho is the exact translation of "a little bit", thanks to the diminutive -inho that we use for everything in Brazil. So the um pouquinho meaning is simply "a little bit", and pouquinho in Portuguese is the go-to word for small amounts. Pôquin is how that same word comes out when we talk fast and among friends.

• Ele não tem nem um pouco de paciência.
• Se você tivesse um pouquinho mais de consideração não estaria reclamando.
• Já que você vai sair, compra manteiga porque só tem um pôquin e com certeza não vai dar pra fazer o almoço.

Keep in mind: "pôquin" is only used in speech.

UM TIQUINHO / TIQUIN

Tiquinho means a tiny amount, what in English you'd call "a smidge" or "a pinch". It's more emphatic than pouquinho: when I say "só um tiquinho", I mean almost nothing.

• Coloca café pra mim, mas só um tiquinho porque já tá quase na hora de eu dormir.
• Eu coloquei um tiquin de pimenta e ele disse que a comida tinha ficado muito picante.

Keep in mind: "tiquin" is only used in speech.

SUAVE

In this context, suave means calmly and in small amounts, without going overboard. Heads up: in Brazilian slang "suave" also means "chill, all good", so the context tells you whether you're talking about a little bit or saying everything is fine.

• Hoje vou comer suave, da última vez comi tanto que quase passei mal.

RASPINHA / RAPINHA

Raspinha is the little bit left at the bottom of the plate or pot, the part you can only get by scraping (it comes from "raspar", to scrape). When we say "ficou só a raspinha", we mean there's almost nothing left.

• Nossa, a galera gostou mesmo da comida, ficou só a raspinha no prato.

SÓ O CHEIRO

Só o cheiro (literally "just the smell") means there's so little of something left that there's practically nothing. It's a very Brazilian exaggeration, and you'll hear it a lot about gas, food or money at the end of the month.

• Melhor abastecer antes de pegar a estrada porque tá só o cheiro de gasolina.

You'll also hear it in phrases like "não vi nem o cheiro" (I didn't even catch a whiff of it), to talk about something you didn't get to see at all.

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It's funny because you can't actually see a "cheiro" (smell), but in Brazil everyone gets it anyway.

ALMOST in Portuguese - Practice Sentences

If you're wondering how to say almost in Portuguese, the word is quase, as in "quase caí" (I almost fell) or "já tá quase pronto" (it's almost ready). Quase in Portuguese works just like "almost" in English. But when something nearly happened and was avoided by a hair, those of us from Brazil prefer these expressions.

POR UM FIO

Por um fio literally means "by a thread": something almost happened and was avoided at the last second. We use it mostly in serious or risky situations, just like when you say in English that someone's life was "hanging by a thread".

• Ele não morreu no acidente por um fio.

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POR UM TRIZ

The por um triz meaning is very close to "by a hair" or "by a whisker": something came this close to happening. It's one of the most common ways to say almost in Brazil, both in conversation and in literature.

• Você não quebrou sua perna por um triz nesse acidente, tem que ficar ligado!

“Não gosto da vida em banho-maria, gosto de fogo, pimenta, alho, ervas, por um triz não sou uma bruxa.”
― Martha Medeiros

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POR POUCO

Por pouco means "nearly" or "just barely", but with one twist: in Portuguese it's usually followed by não. "Por pouco não perdi o ônibus" is what you'd say in English as "I almost missed the bus", with no negative at all.

• Por pouco não falei pra ele calar a boca.

TIRAR UM FINO

Tirar um fino means brushing past something or someone, almost touching it, especially while driving. It's very Brazilian slang for a near miss, when you almost had a crash.

• Fique mais atento dirigindo, você nem se deu conta mas ainda há pouco você tirou um fino no retrovisor de um carro.

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