15 Portuguese expressions that Brazilians could adopt for yesterday

Even though Brazil and Portugal speak the same language, several aspects of culture differentiate the two countries. Therefore, it is not surprising that some Portuguese expressions leave Brazilians very confused. Have you ever heard one person say to another “go wash the dog”? What if we say that the expression has the same meaning as “go see if I’m on the corner”? It got easier, didn’t it?

O awesome.club is here to uncomplicate and unravel the meaning of 15 Portuguese expressions so fun that Brazilians could adopt for yesterday. Check out!

The phrase “staying in cod waters” is a way of saying that something stalled, “it didn’t go ahead”. For example, a person says he is going to make a proposal to buy an apartment. But he ends up not doing it… that is, the business “was in a mess”.

Doesn’t it seem that some truths only come to light when there is a disagreement between close people? Because that is exactly what the Portuguese expression “the godmothers get angry, the truths are discovered” means.

We believe that the image can better illustrate this Portuguese expression. “You cannot have the sun on the threshing floor and rain on the nabal” is the same as saying “you cannot want the sun to be in the place where cereals dry and rain on the plantation”. In other words, “you can’t have everything”.

The expression “like a donkey looking at a palace” is usually used for a person who has been stupefied by admiring something, not knowing what it really is. Something like not knowing what to do or how to react.

When Brazilians find a situation very funny, they usually say that their stomach hurt from laughing so much. The Portuguese have a great expression for this: “break the coconut”. For example, “yesterday we saw a comedy movie that makes you laugh and break your head”.

In Portugal, a product that is nothing more than misleading advertising is “snake lard”. The expression is used for useless goods, which are sold as miraculous and powerful. And this is why “seller of snake oil” refers to a charlatan or a liar.

The Portuguese expression “it takes many years to become chickens” is used for people who have a lot of experience in an area or are “experts” in a certain subject. That is, it would mean something like “many years of experience”.

When a Portuguese person says he is “made with beef” it means he is in trouble, facing a complicated situation. It would be the same as saying “I’m in trouble”.

The phrase “Go give the dog a bath” is said when one person wants the other to stop bothering them and get out of the way. It’s almost a “go see if I’m on the corner”, said here by Brazilians.

This expression is perfect for those who don’t like to debate certain topics. You know when you’re in the middle of an argument where neither person wants to give up their arguments and you feel it’s not worth insisting on the subject anymore? In Portugal, all you have to do is say “take the bike there” and the warm conversation ends very quickly.

Sometimes tiredness is so great that it seems impossible to get up, isn’t it? In Portugal, the expression “hold on to the pens” refers to people who are so tired or sick that they have difficulty standing up. For example: “By the end of the marathon, he couldn’t hold on to the pens anymore”.

You know how Brazilians say “you give a hand and they want an arm”? This expression is spoken in the same way in Portugal, but the Portuguese also like to describe “loose” people with the expression “à at ease, but not à vontadinha”.

While the first sentence refers to a person who takes advantage of someone who helped him, the second sentence is more for a person who has no manners.

If you hear the phrase “this girl has a can” in Portugal and you don’t understand anything, relax. Let us translate it for you into Brazilian Portuguese: “this girl has a hard face…”

That is, the expression “having a can” refers to someone daring, who has no shame and always carries a hint of cynicism.

Do you know when a person arrives quietly, with a very soft, super affectionate voice and you feel that he wants something? That is, the sly talk has some purpose behind it. In these cases, the Portuguese usually say that the person has “soft talk”.

This expression is also used in some places in Brazil, but we believe it is so wonderful that it could be used more here!

When you have a problem, but you can’t solve it or you’re a little lost, the Portuguese use the expression “walking the spiders”. Like, for example, “I walked to the spiders to solve the puzzle”. Go… it’s fun!

Did you remember any other Portuguese expression that was left out of our list? tell the awesome.club in the comments and tell us which expression you would use in your everyday life.