31 Brazilian Expressions Explained

Portuguese idioms are the phrases you understand word by word but that make zero sense until someone from Brazil explains the context: "pagar o pato" (literally "to pay the duck"), "levar chá de cadeira" ("to take a chair tea") or "viajar na maionese" ("to travel in the mayonnaise") are perfect examples. So I asked the followers of my channel which expression was the hardest for them to learn, and here I break down the 31 they mentioned the most.

What makes these hard Portuguese phrases so tricky isn't the grammar or the pronunciation, it's the figurative meaning. That's simply how we talk in Brazil, and most of these Brazilian Portuguese idioms have no direct equivalent in English. For each one you get the video, the audio and an example sentence exactly the way we use it in everyday life here in Brazil.

If single words are what trip you up the most, check out my list of difficult words in Portuguese; and when you're ready to level up, take a look at these Brazilian Portuguese phrases only locals understand. For an even crazier challenge, try "Traumatizando gringos", the video series where one single word means three different things in the same sentence (yes, in Portuguese "cobra" has several meanings). By the end, you'll see that nothing is "muito difícil" (very difficult in Portuguese) once you get the context.

Video: Portuguese Idioms That Are Hard to Learn

In this video, several foreigners learning Portuguese share which expression was the hardest for them to understand. Notice that it's almost never "muito difícil" (very difficult) because of the word itself, but because of the context we use it in here in Brazil.

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The Expressions Explained

Here I explain, one by one, the meaning of each expression the channel's followers mentioned, with audio so you can practice the pronunciation and understand the context we Brazilians use it in.

Now you can watch the video explaining the Portuguese phrases the followers mentioned.

Video audio

Example Sentences with Each Expression

These are the 31 Portuguese idioms from the video, each with its meaning and a real example sentence. Read the whole sentence before translating it: that's how you'll get the figurative meaning each one has in Brazil.

Estar no brilho

"Estar no brilho" means being a little drunk, that moment when someone starts laughing at everything after a few drinks. In English you'd say someone is "tipsy" or "buzzed".

• Eu acho que Rubens já tá no brilho, tá começando a rir demais.

The stages of being drunk in Portuguese

Fazer questão

"Fazer questão" means to insist on something or to do it gladly because it matters to you. It's one of those hard Portuguese phrases because the literal translation ("to make question") makes no sense at all in English.

• Quando você chegar aqui na cidade eu vou fazer questão que você fique hospedado na minha casa.

À toa

"À toa" means in vain, for no reason or doing nothing. It's used both for a pointless effort and for someone with free time: "tô à toa hoje" means I have nothing to do today.

• Você tá estudando matemática à toa, a prova de amanhã é de psicologia.

Fazer uma vaquinha

"Fazer uma vaquinha" (literally "to make a little cow") means pooling money among several people to buy something or split a bill. In English it's like saying "let's all chip in" or "let's pitch in".

• O pessoal da empresa decidiu fazer uma vaquinha pra comprar um ar condicionado.

Fique à vontade

"Fique à vontade" means "make yourself at home" or "feel free". We say it all the time in Brazil when we welcome someone, and also to tell a person they can act with total freedom.

• Quando você chegar na reunião pode ficar à vontade porque todo mundo é muito simpático.

Chutar o pau da barraca

"Chutar o pau da barraca" means losing your patience and saying "to hell with it", literally "to kick the tent pole". It's used when someone gets fed up with a situation and decides to walk away from it, no matter the consequences.

• Eu já tô ficando cansado de tanta burocracia pra fazer isso, vou chutar o pau da barraca.

How to say DON'T BOTHER ME in Portuguese

Dormir no Ponto

"Dormir no ponto" means slipping up and missing an opportunity because you were distracted or took too long, pretty much like being "asleep at the wheel". It comes from the image of someone dozing off at the bus stop and missing the bus.

• O meu amigo perdeu uma oferta de trabalho porque dormiu no ponto pra enviar o currículo.

Ways to say I FELL ASLEEP in Portuguese

Dar seta

"Dar seta" means using your turn signal (your blinker) before turning. It isn't a figurative expression, but it confuses a lot of learners because "seta" usually means "arrow", and nothing about the phrase tells you it's about driving.

• Pra evitar acidentes você tem que dar seta antes de entrar na rua.

Traffic vocabulary in Portuguese

Pagar o pato

"Pagar o pato" (literally "to pay the duck") means taking the fall, suffering the consequences of something someone else did. It's one of the most used Portuguese idioms in Brazil, especially when we talk about politics or work.

• As pessoas estavam reclamando porque o governo cometeu erros e agora a população que tem que pagar o pato. (pagar as consequências)

Falar pelos cotovelos

"Falar pelos cotovelos" (literally "to talk through your elbows") means talking way too much, nonstop, or as you'd say in English, talking someone's ear off. It's also used for a person who can't keep a secret.

• Não conte o que aconteceu pra essa menina porque ela fala pelos cotovelos.

Uma pessoa folgada

A "folgada" person is someone who takes advantage of others and takes liberties they have no right to, kind of like a "freeloader" or someone who's way too comfortable. Careful: for clothes, "folgada" means loose or baggy, but applied to a person it has a really negative meaning.

• Você viu o que o menino acabou de fazer? Passou na frente de todo mundo na fila e pagou a conta, que cara folgado.

Article in Portuguese: Como lidar com amigos folgados

Mais em conta

"Mais em conta" means cheaper or more affordable. Instead of saying "mais barato", in Brazil we often prefer this expression when comparing prices of tickets, products or services.

• Você acha que é mais em conta comprar uma passagem de avião de ida e volta ou só de ida?

How to use MAS and MAIS in Portuguese

Novo em folha

"Novo em folha" means brand new, something completely new and never used. It applies to objects, cars or clothes, and also figuratively when someone feels like a new person after resting.

• Eu comprei um sofá novo em folha pra colocar na sala.

Manda brasa

"Mandar brasa" means going all in, throwing yourself into something with lots of energy. We also use "manda brasa!" to encourage someone to start or keep going, just like "go for it!" in English.

• Agora que já terminei tudo da universidade vou mandar brasa no projeto que tenho da empresa.

Dar o gás

"Dar o gás" means giving it your all or picking up the pace to finish something on time, a lot like "step on the gas". It's very common at work and in school, when a deadline is coming up and you have to put all your energy into it.

• Você tem que dar o gás essa semana no trabalho porque a gente viaja em 5 dias.

26 Portuguese expressions to use at work

Quebrar o galho

"Quebrar o galho" (literally "to break the branch") has two meanings: doing someone a favor or solving something temporarily with whatever you have at hand. It's like saying "help someone out" or "make do", depending on the context.

• Hoje vou ficar em casa cuidando da minha sobrinha porque minha irmã pediu que eu quebrasse esse galho pra ela. (fazer um favor)
• Você almoçou? - Não, comi um sanduíche com presunto e mussarela mas deu pra quebrar o galho. (solução temporária)

Tá ligado

"Tá ligado" is very Brazilian slang that means "you know?", "get it?" or being aware of something. As you can see in the examples, its meaning changes depending on the sentence, which is why it's one of the trickiest Portuguese idioms.

• Você tá ligado como organizar gráficos no Excel? (sabe fazer?)
• Uma menina ligou pra mim dizendo que me conhecia mas eu não tô ligado quem é. (não lembro)
• Eu conheci um cara que é muito ligado nos negócios. (atento)
• Entendeu o que eu falei? - Tô ligado. (entendi) informal

5 ways to use LIGAR in Portuguese

Levar chá de cadeira

"Levar um chá de cadeira" means waiting a long time for someone who's running late or who stood you up. Literally it's "to take a chair tea", because you're left sitting there waiting and nobody shows up.

• Meu amigo marcou um encontro com uma menina e ela se atrasou 50 minutos pra chegar, ele falou que foi o chá de cadeira mais longo da vida dele.

De jeito nenhum

"De jeito nenhum" means "no way" or "not a chance". It's the most emphatic way to say no in Portuguese, and we use it to make it clear something is not going to happen.

• Ela me pediu pra participar em uma fraude na empresa e eu falei: "DE JEITO NENHUM".

Different ways to use JEITO in Portuguese

Ir embora

"Ir embora" means to leave or to go away from a place. It's confusing because "embora" on its own means "although", but together with the verb "ir" it's the most natural way to say "I'm leaving" in Brazil: "tô indo embora".

• Já tá ficando tarde, tenho que ir embora porque amanhã trabalho logo cedo, 6 da manhã.

How to use Porém, Embora and Ir Embora

Chutar o balde

"Chutar o balde" means blowing up, losing your patience and dropping everything at once. Watch out: it looks like "kick the bucket", but it has nothing to do with dying. It's similar to "chutar o pau da barraca": the person gets fed up with a situation and reacts without thinking about the consequences.

• Ela já pediu pro namorado dela parar de fazer isso muitas vezes, acho que agora ela vai perder a paciência e chutar o balde.

Pois não

"Pois não" means "yes, of course" or "how can I help you?", even though it contains the word "não" (no). It's one of the hard Portuguese phrases that fools learners the most, and you'll hear it a lot in stores and restaurants.

• Posso te pedir um favor? - Pois não. (sim)

The 30 most common expressions in Brazil

Eu gosto de você

"Eu gosto de você" means "I like you" in the sense of "I'm fond of you", not necessarily in a romantic way. In Brazil we say it to friends and family, so the context tells you whether there's something more.

• Eu gosto muito de você, a gente deveria sair mais frequentemente.

To make it clear that you have romantic feelings for the person, you'd say "Eu gosto muito de você pra ser mais que minha amiga".

The stages of a relationship in Brazil

Eu hein

"Eu hein" is an interjection that shows surprise, suspicion or disapproval of something weird, like "how strange!" or "what's up with him?". It almost always comes at the end of the sentence.

• O que tá acontecendo com você que desde ontem que tá sendo grosseiro comigo? Eu hein.

Interjections in Portuguese: the sounds we make in Brazil

Pera aí

"Pera aí" is the informal version of "espera aí", meaning "hang on" or "wait a second". In spoken Portuguese we shorten words a lot, and this is one of the contractions you'll hear the most in Brazil.

• Pera aí que eu falo contigo, agora eu tô entrando numa reunião. (espera aí)

Devagar se vai longe

"Devagar se vai longe" is a saying that means patience and consistency take you far, just like "slow and steady wins the race" in English. It's one of the few expressions on this list with an almost literal translation.

• Trabalhando pouco a pouco com consistência você vai conseguir chegar muito longe.

How to use Longo/Longe and Se/Sim

14 ways to say fast in Portuguese

Viajar na maionese

"Viajar na maionese" means saying or imagining things that make no sense, rambling or exaggerating way too much; literally it's "to travel in the mayonnaise". If you like this kind of humor, check out these funny Brazilian phrases.

• Ele viajou na maionese dizendo que tinha conseguido perder 10 kg em 2 dias. (algo sem sentido)

Batendo papo

"Bater papo" means having a relaxed conversation, chatting with friends, or "shooting the breeze" as you'd say in English. In Brazil we say it all the time, especially at the bar.

• Vou chegar um pouco mais tarde hoje porque a gente tá batendo papo aqui no bar.

27 expressions with BATER in Portuguese

Que saudade

"Saudade" is that feeling of missing someone, a place or a moment, mixed with affection and nostalgia. "Que saudade" means "I miss it so much!" and it's one of the hardest ideas to translate from Portuguese.

• Que saudade da minha infância quando eu brincava na rua correndo com os meus amigos.

Água que passarinho não bebe

"Água que passarinho não bebe" is a fun way to say cachaça, Brazil's sugarcane liquor. Literally it's "water that little birds don't drink", because it looks like water, but no bird would ever drink it.

• Será que esse bar vende água que passarinho não bebe? (cachaça)

"Cachaça": vocabulary and expressions

Cair do cavalo

"Cair do cavalo" (literally "to fall off the horse") means getting a nasty surprise or a letdown, especially when someone was way too confident. The person thought everything would go well and ends up losing.

• Se você continuar se comportando de forma agressiva você vai cair do cavalo. (perder)

22 expressions with the verb CAIR in Portuguese

There you go, I hope you understood all these Portuguese phrases and their meanings. Did you like the post? Want to help me out? Share my videos with your friends who want to learn Portuguese in a fun way; even if they're already taking a Portuguese course, I still recommend the videos so they can make faster progress.

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