25 Portuguese Expressions You Should Know

To understand some Portuguese expressions, you need a waist game (Jogo de cintura), but once you learn them, you will break the ice (quebrar o gelo) with any speaker of the Camões language. It will be a bit of a work nozzle (bico de obra), but you will see that there is much more to the Portuguese language than verb tenses or grammar. The Portuguese language is rich in expressions that, when you hear them for the first time, are funny. If you have not understood some parts of this text yet, read this article to start talking through the elbows (falar pelos cotovelos) and learn some of the Portuguese idiomatic expressions.

1.Waist Game (jogo de cintura) — When you hear this phrase in the middle of a sentence, it does not refer to a child's game, but to the ability to deal with a problem or a circumstance. According to Andreia Vale's book "Puxar a Brasa à Nossa Sardinha," this expression originated from pugilism, a sport that involves a lot of waist moves, i.e., reflexes to dodge the opponent's assaults.

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2.Break the ice (quebrar o gelo) - This is what we need when we find ourselves in tense or awkward moments of silence. Quebrar o gelo means nothing more than creating empathy with someone we have just met or breaking an awkward silence in the middle of a conversation. As for the expression itself, we believe it refers to the big boats that break the polar ice so that other vessels can pass.

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3.Talking through the Elbows (falar pelos cotovelos) - Anyone who speaks with their elbows is excellent at breaking the ice in any conversation. Talking through the elbows denotes excessive talking and exaggeration. This term is usually associated with those who gesticulate and speak excessively quickly. This Portuguese phrase is equivalent to the English expression "talk nineteen to the dozen."


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4.Leave it in a Bain Marie (deixar em banho Maria) - No, this is not Belmar's latest spa treatment, but an expression that does not use the literal sense of the word. Leave it in a Bain Marie is an expression used to indicate that something or a problem has been put on hold and will be solved only later. Setting anything aside until it is resolved can be traced back to the discovery of gradual heating with water instead of fire to alter the material. Maria, an alchemist, created this invention.

5.Live well and in a French way (viver à grande e à francesa) - To live lavishly, with refinement, and to display one's wealth. This Portuguese statement may have become popular after the first French invasion when General Junot landed in Lisbon and demanded millions of dollars for the city's defence. Following the Senate's approval of this demand, the general paraded around the streets in showy uniforms, visiting venues such as the São Carlos Theatre. This Portuguese phrase has a similar connotation to the expression "like a boss".


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6.Gold over blue (ouro sobre azul) - indicates a promising position, a favourable circumstance, or a good opportunity. Do you know how your mind wanders to what you would do if you won the lottery? In this situation, we might say that gold triumphs over blue. There are various hypotheses as to how this expression came to be. One of them alludes to the golden sculptures that were installed in churches with the traditional blue tiles of Portugal following King Manuel I's visit to Seville.

7.It is clean wheat, Amparo flour (trigo limpo, farinha amparo) - This expression originated from an advertising campaign for the flour specified, Amparo flour. When you hear this sentence, you know that something will proceed smoothly and promptly. Another phrase associated with this flour is: "You got your driver’s license in the Amparo flour" (Saiu-te a carta na farinha Amparo). In the past, there were several gifts in Amparo flour packages and this would be a provocation or a nicer way of saying that the other didn't know how to drive.

8.Work nozzle (bico de obra) - This term is used when a task has been or will be tough to complete. We'll give you an example of a phrase using this expression: "Finding a spot like the Belmar Spa & Beach Resort for our holiday was a working nozzle."

9.Too many vines, too few grapes (muita parra, pouca uva) - This Portuguese statement suggests that someone makes a lot of promises but then fails to follow through. In other words, a lot of talking and no action.


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10.Many years turning chickens (são muitos anos a virar frangos) - Possibly, this is one of the most widely used idiomatic expressions in Portugal, indicating that someone is skilled at a particular task. The person has learned everything about the process as a result of the task's routine. The expression refers to the worker who roasts chickens on the grill, the famous Piri Piri chicken. The repetition of this task leads to the person knowing how to perform it very well.

11.Trust the virgin and do not run away (Fia-te na Virgem e não corras) - This is a Portuguese proverb that encourages people to act. Because nothing happens by chance, and we cannot simply wait for something to happen without taking action. "Fia-te na Virgem e não corras" can also be used humorously when someone insists on doing something that would inevitably go wrong.


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12.Go bother Camões (vai chatear Camões) - Why should anyone irritate Camões now that he is no longer with us? That is the question. Camões, the renowned Portuguese poet, is the personification for this statement, which expresses when someone irritates us. So, we tell this person to annoy someone else, in this case, the poet Luís de Camões, who has infinite patience to listen to others.

13.I'm in the paint (estou-me nas tintas) - Use this sentence when you get a call from work while lying on a sun lounger in front of the pool at the Belmar Resort. Say something like, "I'm in the paint about work!" In other words, use it when you are unconcerned about anything. "I don't care" is a comparable statement in English.


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14.Having a lot of cans (ter muita lata) - This statement is simply an exclamation of admiration for another's bravery or audacity. It's what we say when someone dares to say or do something we wouldn't dare to do. It could be due to a tin or tinplate coating, which is a non-discolouring metal. As a result, this expression is used to describe somebody who has no shame on their face. "Having a lot of nerve" is a comparable English term.

15.Turn the vinyl around and play the same thing (vira o disco e toca o mesmo) - Is there someone in your circle of friends who repeats the same thing over and over? Do you listen to him repeating the same themes and phrases? This term applies to every single one of these people! Vinyl is the source of the expression. Remember when you switched from side A to side B to hear new songs, only to find that the music was the same as on the first side? That was disheartening, and the statement is still applicable today, but to individuals who always say the same thing.


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16.Whoever has a mouth goes to Rome (quem tem boca vai a Roma) - This reflects the Portuguese perspective in particular situations. The expression refers to the person who asks the right questions to achieve a goal or complete a task. They go further and faster by asking than those who are passive. Assume you're on holiday in Lagos and don't know how to go to the town's marina. You will get at your location faster if you ask for directions from the locals.

17.The memory of an elephant (memória de elefante) - Are you one of those folks who can't seem to forget anything that happened ten years ago? Then we can say you have the memory of an elephant! What is the origin of this expression? It comes from elephants, which have a remarkable ability to store knowledge. Elephants must go many kilometres to obtain water and remember the precise route they took.


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18.At night, cats have no defined colour (à noite todos os gatos são pardos) - Another Portuguese phrase referring to animals. This one is about cats, which all look the same at night and are impossible to differentiate from one another. The term advises prudence while dealing with people or situations. The English idiom "all cats are grey at night" is similar.

19.Bump your nose on the door (dar com o nariz na porta) - This will not happen at your resort because we are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This expression is used when you go to a shop, for example, and it is closed or about to close. We readily comprehend the meaning of this term when we visualise it.


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20.It's from here! (está daqui!) - This is a short phrase with a gesture. You should grip your earlobe while saying: "it's from here." When the food is divine, use and abuse this phrase. It is an expression and gesture that translates into a compliment and as thanks for the meal. We believe that in restaurants in Portugal you will have several opportunities to practise this expression and gesture.

21.Having more eyes than belly (Ter mais olhos que barriga) - This Portuguese adage refers to someone who buys a lot of chocolate bars but only eats one. In other words, someone who is greedy and wants a plate of food but does not have the stomach to eat it all.


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22.Swallow frogs (engolir sapos) - Let us just say that swallowing frogs is not something we do voluntarily. So, what does this strange expression mean? Swallow frogs means that we put up with situations we do not like or hear comments we disagree with, but still do not fight against them. A similar English expression is "eating crow".

23.Not even when the cow coughs (nem que a vaca tussa) - When we attribute human characteristics to animals, we know that it is a personification and that in reality this will never happen. The same is true of this expression, which means something that will never happen.


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24.A needle in a haystack (Uma agulha no palheiro) - A needle is a small object; a haystack is a large and very messy place. Now imagine you are looking for the needle in the haystack. We would say that it is something impossible. So, the expression means that something or someone is very difficult to find.

25.Watching ships pass by (Ficar a ver navios) - Remember in 2020 when you scheduled your vacation at the start of the year, and then the epidemic hit a few months later? Assume you were watching ships pass by and couldn't take your well-deserved holiday. So that's what this Portuguese phrase means. You wait a long time for something, and it does not work out in the end. Let us hope that you can spend your holiday on Porto Mós beach this year, as you had planned at the beginning of the year. This expression is comparable to the statement "be left holding the baby."


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Because Portuguese is one of the most frequently spoken languages in the world, it is historically and culturally rich. Learn some of the most common Portuguese phrases, from the oldest to the most recent, and strike up a vibrant conversation with the Portuguese. If whoever with a mouth goes to Rome, if you have any questions about any expression, please inquire at the Belmar reception.