Show de bola
- Word for word
Ball show- What it really means
- Awesome, great
- In a sentence
- “A festa foi show de bola!”
- Natural English
- “The party was awesome!” Meaning Match 92
Brazilian slang translators get wrong
Brazilian Portuguese is full of colorful expressions, and translated word for word they sound bizarre. Here is what Brazilians actually mean.
Pagar mico
- Word for word
I paid the biggest monkey- What it really means
- I totally embarrassed myself
- In a sentence
- “Paguei o maior mico na reunião.”
- Natural English
- “I made a total fool of myself in the meeting.” Meaning Match 92
Ficar de molho
- Word for word
Stay soaking in sauce- What it really means
- Rest up and lie low at home
- In a sentence
- “Vou ficar de molho em casa hoje.”
- Natural English
- “I'm gonna stay home and take it easy today.” Meaning Match 92
Dar um rolê
- Word for word
Give a roll- What it really means
- Hang out / go out for a bit
- In a sentence
- “Bora dar um rolê no shopping?”
- Natural English
- “Wanna go hang out at the mall?” Meaning Match 92
Quebrar o galho
- Word for word
Breaking the branch- What it really means
- Helping out in a pinch
- In a sentence
- “Valeu por quebrar o galho!”
- Natural English
- “Thanks for helping out!” Meaning Match 88
Pisar na bola
- Word for word
I stepped on the ball- What it really means
- I messed up
- In a sentence
- “Pisei na bola com você, desculpa.”
- Natural English
- “I messed up with you, sorry.” Meaning Match 92
Cair a ficha
- Word for word
The token just dropped- What it really means
- It just sank in
- In a sentence
- “Só agora caiu a ficha.”
- Natural English
- “It just hit me now.” Meaning Match 89
Tirar onda
- Word for word
Taking a wave- What it really means
- Showing off
- In a sentence
- “Ele tá tirando onda com o carro novo.”
- Natural English
- “He's showing off with the new car.” Meaning Match 92
Why word-for-word translation fails here
Slang and idioms mean something different from their words. Rebotar translates the meaning, catches slang and idioms, and shows a Meaning Match score so you know it's right before you hit send.
Translate your own text free 🪃