Bola in Portuguese: 14 Brazilian Expressions You'll Actually Hear

Ball in Portuguese is bola, and that's the word we use both in Brazil and in Portugal. But here in Brazil we don't save it just for soccer: we've built a whole bunch of everyday expressions around this little word to praise someone, call them out, flirt, or cheer a friend up.

In this lesson I'll walk you through 14 Portuguese expressions with bola, like show de bola (meaning something is awesome), baixar a bola (meaning to tone it down or take someone down a peg, also heard as abaixa a bola), bola pra frente (moving on after a setback) and pisar na bola, which is basically how we say "drop the ball" in Brazil. You'll also learn dar bola, which means paying attention to something or showing romantic interest in someone.

Every expression comes with an example sentence so you can practice in context. Read them out loud to work on your pronunciation and, if you'd rather hear how we actually say them in Brazil, start with the video.

Video: 14 Brazilian Expressions with BOLA

In the video I show you how we pronounce each of these 14 expressions with bola in Portuguese here in Brazil and when we use them. Watch it first, then go over the sentences below to lock in the meaning of each one.

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Phrases with BOLA in Portuguese to Practice

Here's each expression with bola in Portuguese, along with its meaning and an example sentence, just the way we'd say it in Brazil. Read them out loud and pay attention to the context, because the same word can be used to praise, scold, or cheer someone on.

Show de bola

Show de bola means something turned out excellent, amazing, top-notch. It's like saying "awesome" or "that was a home run" in English, and it comes from soccer, from those plays that bring the whole stadium to its feet. If you like praising people this way, my lesson on how to say good in Portuguese has more gems like massa, maneiro and arrasou.

• O trabalho que ele fez ficou show de bola.

Trocar as bolas

Trocar as bolas means mixing things up, getting confused, or mixing up facts, names, or dates. In Brazil we say it when someone is totally sure about something but is actually thinking of something else, like in the example about the actor in the movie.

• Você tem certeza que esse filme é com esse ator? Acho que você tá trocando as bolas.

Different ways to say CLUMSY in Portuguese.

Bola da vez

A bola da vez is the person, company, or trend that's in the spotlight right now, the flavor of the month. The expression comes from sinuca (pool), where the bola da vez is the next ball you have to sink, so it also works to say someone is "next in line" for something.

• Essa empresa já foi a bola da vez, eles resistiram às mudanças e pararam de inovar, depois de 2 anos faliram.

Dar bola

Dar bola means paying attention to something or showing romantic interest in someone. It's close to "giving someone the time of day" in English, and when it's about a crush, it's like saying someone is "into you". Heads up: não dar bola means ignoring something or someone completely.

• Será que ela tá dando bola pra mim? Você acha que eu deveria falar com ela? (showing romantic interest)
• Se você continuar dando bola pra essas coisas nunca terá paz, não esqueça que sempre existirão pessoas invejosas que vão te julgar. (paying attention)

Stages of a relationship in Brazil.

Different ways to say FLIRT in Portuguese.

Bonus: Falar pelas costas

This is a bonus expression that shows up in the example sentence: falar pelas costas works just like "talking behind someone's back" in English, criticizing someone when they're not around. I paired it with não tô nem aí, a very Brazilian way of saying "I couldn't care less".

• Na verdade eu não tô nem aí pra o que eles estão falando de mim pelas costas.

Different ways to say I DON'T CARE in Portuguese.

The 10 most common swear words in Brazil.

Pisar na bola

Pisar na bola literally means "stepping on the ball", and it's the Brazilian version of "dropping the ball": letting down someone who trusted you. Unlike dar uma bola fora, which is a one-off mistake or an awkward comment, pisar na bola carries that weight of disappointment, like when someone recommends you for a job and you make them look bad.

• Eu vou falar com meu chefe pra ver se ele pode te contratar, mas por favor não pise na bola, se isso acontecer não vai dar certo pra mim.

26 expressions to use at work.

Baixar a bola

Baixar a bola means taking someone down a peg, asking them to calm down or to get off their high horse. In Brazil you'll often hear the command baixa a bola (or abaixa a bola) when someone gets cocky or starts raising their voice too much in an argument, kind of like "tone it down" in English.

• Ele me falou pra baixar a bola, disse que eu tava querendo ser o foda nas reuniões, como se eu fosse o dono da verdade.

How to use FODA in Portuguese.

Bolar algo

Bolar algo means coming up with, planning, or cooking up something, like a surprise, a plan, or a strategy. Here bola works as a verb: in Brazil we say bolar um plano, bolar uma festa, or bolar uma ideia whenever you need to put your thinking cap on.

• E aí, vocês vão bolar algo pro aniversário dele na próxima semana?

Different ways to say "let's set something up" in Portuguese.

Bonus: Sair dessa

Another bonus expression from the example sentence: sair dessa means getting out of a sketchy or risky situation, like a bad deal. And papo furado is pure baloney, an empty promise nobody should fall for.

• Ele me contou sobre esse investimento suspeito e na mesma hora falei pra ele sair dessa, com certeza é papo furado.

How to use PAPO in Portuguese.

Bola pra frente

Bola pra frente means moving on, turning the page after a mistake, a loss, or bad news. It comes from soccer: after conceding a goal, the team kicks off again from the center and keeps playing. It's one of the phrases we use the most in Brazil to keep our chins up.

• Ele recebeu a notícia que foi reprovado na universidade e tava pra baixo, depois a gente tava conversando e ele falou "bola pra frente", disse que vai estudar mais no próximo ano.

How to react to good and bad news in Portuguese.

Com a bola toda

Being com a bola toda means being at your best, on a roll, with everything going your way. We say it when someone is doing really well at work, in business, or in life, almost always with a hint of admiration (or a little friendly envy).

• Nossa, tô vendo que seu negócio tá dando certo né, você tá com a bola toda.

Difference between TUDO and TODO

Bola murcha

A bola murcha is someone with no energy, no drive, and no initiative, who does everything halfway. The image is a deflated ball that won't bounce, so in Brazil we also use it to talk about someone who's down in the dumps or something that's a total dud.

• Como é que você contratou esse bola murcha pra trabalhar aqui? Tenho certeza que você vai se arrepender, já posso até ver o prejuízo.

How to say DON'T BOTHER ME in Portuguese.

Bola fora

Dar uma bola fora means making a mistake or saying something out of line at the worst possible moment, a public gaffe. Think of it as putting your foot in your mouth. It's what happens when the ball goes out of bounds: everybody sees it, which is why it's usually used for awkward comments or clumsy decisions.

• O prefeito deu uma bola fora na hora do discurso e a mídia não perdoou, a notícia virou manchete de jornal.

Different ways to use VIRAR.

Bola de neve

Bola de neve works just like "snowball" in English: a problem that starts small and keeps growing until it gets out of control. In Brazil we use it a lot with lies, debts, and problems that pile up, usually with the verb virar: vai virar uma bola de neve.

• Se você não falar a verdade vai ter que mentir outra vez pra cobrir a primeira mentira, no final das contas vai virar uma bola de neve e isso vai dar errado.

Bom de bola

Being bom de bola means being really good at soccer, having real skills with the ball. The example also has pelada, the casual pickup game between friends; and if you play badly, get ready, because people will call you a perna de pau, the Brazilian way of saying you've got two left feet.

• A gente vai jogar uma pelada esse fim de semana, você tem algum amigo bom de bola? se tiver pode convidar.

How to use the future subjunctive in Portuguese.

Soccer vocabulary in Portuguese.

Não tenho bola de cristal

Saying não tenho bola de cristal is making it clear you can't predict the future, just like "I don't have a crystal ball" in English. We use it in Brazil when someone asks us for impossible guarantees and there's no choice but to take the risk.

• - E como você sabe se não vai acontecer um acidente?
  - Como eu não tenho bola de cristal vou ter que correr o risco.

Different ways to say DIE in Portuguese.

Bola de sabão

Bola de sabão is a soap bubble, that classic kids' game of blowing bubbles. In Brazil you'll also hear bolha de sabão, which is even more common, but in everyday conversation both are perfectly understood.

• Quando ela era criança adorava brincar de fazer bola de sabão.

Quotes and Sayings with BOLA in Portuguese

These quotes and sayings with bola in Portuguese show how the expressions also pop up in famous lines and reflections. Pay attention to não dar a menor bola, which means not paying the slightest attention to something, a stronger version of dar bola.

“A mentira é como uma bola de neve. Quanto mais a gente prossegue com ela, maior fica.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

“A felicidade está conosco o tempo todo: nós é que muitas vezes não damos a menor bola pra ela...”
― Augusto Branco

On KDFrases you'll find more quotes with BOLA.