Two very handy verbs to learn in Portuguese are abafar and desabafar. Not only do they sound satisfying when spoken, but they are also useful in several contexts.
abafar = smother / repress, keep a secret / muffle / cover to retain heat
Examples:
A imprensa abafou o caso do politíco corrupto. The press stifled the story about the corrupt politician.
Abafamos a panela para manter a sopa quente. We covered the pot to keep the soup warm.
A menina abafou o som do rádio. The girl muffled the sound of the radio.
abafado = stuffy / muffled
Durante o verão, o quarto pequeno sempre fica quente e abafado. During the summer, the small room always gets hot and stuffy.
Fora da boate, o som da música parecia abafado. Outside of the club, the music sounded muffled.
desabafar = to relieve / divulge / to get something off your chest / catharsis
Depois de ficar calada por muito tempo, desabafei. After keeping quiet for a long time, I finally confessed.
Antes de pedir ajuda, ele explicou que precisava desabafar. Before asking for help, he explained he needed to get something off his chest.
desabafo = a relief / the act of getting something off your chest
Foi um desabafo admitir que ele queria embora. It was a relief to admit he wanted to leave.
Ela chorou muito durante o desabafo, mas ficou aliviada em se expressar. She cried a lot during the confession, but she felt relieved to express what she felt.
