Posts tagged w/ surprise

Showing Surprise: Part II

Posted by admin
Mar
28
2008

To finish the week, we’ll look at three more expressions used to show surprise in Portuguese.

1. Puxa / puxa vida! (poo-shah / poo-shah vee-dah): Jeez! Man! Gosh!

This expression is meant to show surprise, indignation, or frustration.

Examples:

Puxa! Esta cidade é bem cara. Man! This city is expensive.

Puxa vida! Você esqueceu de novo? Jeez! You forgot again?

2. Caraca! (kah-rah-kah): Gee whiz! Wow! Gosh!

This expression is also used to show surprise, indignation, or shock. When used for true surprise by Cariocas, the “r” sound comes out sounding like a Spanish rolled “r.”

Examples:

Caraca! A vista da bahia é incrivel! Gosh! The view of the bay is amazing!

Caraca! A agua está fria! Wow! The water is cold!

3. Ai meu Deus do céu! (i me-oo day-oos doo say-oo): Oh my god!

The literal translation of this expression is “Oh my god in heaven.” It’s used to show surprise or shock.

Examples:

Mãe, eu perdi todo o meu dinheiro. Mom, I lost all my money.
Ai meu Deus do céu! Oh my god!

O fogo destriui a casa toda. The fire destroyed the entire house.
Ai meu Deus do céu! Oh my dear god!

 
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Showing Surprise

Posted by admin
Mar
24
2008

There are a rich array of ways to display surprise in Brazilian Portuguese. Let’s look at some of them.

1. Nossa Senhora or Nossa!  [Noh-sah Seen-yor-ah]
This is a very common Brazilian expression. The full expression is “Nossa Senhora Aparecida,” which is the patron saint of Brazil. It’s a nicer way of saying “Oh my god!” rather than directly saying “Ai meu Deus.”

Example:
Olha ai ao final da rua. É o Cristo Redentor. Look up the street. It’s Christ the Redeemer!
Nossa Senhora! Que lindo. Oh my god! It’s beautiful.

2. Que é isso or O quê que é isso or Que isso? [Key eh ee-soo? Oo key kay eh ee-soo ? Key ee-soo]
All of these expressions mean the same thing: What IS that? It’s meant to show disbelief, and directly translates to “What the heck?”

Example:
Eu estou muito cansada. Fiquei vendo Big Brother a noite toda.
I’m so tired. I spent the whole night watching Big Brother.

Que isso!! Esse show é ruim demais.
What the heck?! That show is awful.

3. Caramba! [Kah-rahm-bah]
This word is meant to express surprise or shock, and translates to Wow! or Woah! or Jeez!

Example:
Caramba! Esta mala é pesada. Jeez! This suitcase is heavy.
Desculpa, é que trouxe muitos livros. Sorry, I brought a lot of books.

To be continued…

 
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