Well, it’s time to “QUEIMAR AS PESTANAS” (burn some more eyelashes) with the funniest phrases in the Portuguese language!
The phrases below belong to European Portuguese. Brazilian Portuguese is, as you know, quite different from European Portuguese.
Burn the eyelashes (“queimar as pestanas”). Meaning: To study a lot or to read!
A Portuguese person does not “give up,” they “take their little horse away from the rain.” (“Tirar o cavalinho da chuva”)
A Portuguese person does not “have a problem,” they “ are done to the beef.” (“Estou feito ao bife!”)
Portuguese people don’t want you “to leave them alone,” they want you to “bother Camões.” (“Vai chatear o Camões” – a very famous portuguese poet.)
In Portugal we don’t “cause problems,” we “breaks all the dishes.” (“Partir a loiça toda”)
In Portuguese, you are not “sexy,” you are “as good as corn.” (“Boa como o milho”)
In Portugal we don’t work a lot,” we “get water up our beard.” (“Água pela barba”)
A Portuguese does not “talk about the same thing over and over again,” they “turn the record and play the same song”. (“Gira o disco e toca o mesmo”)
We don’t do stuff “to show off,” we do it “so the English can see
it.” (“Para inglês ver”)
Portuguese people are not “shameless,” they have “a rotten face.” (“Cara podre”) OR they “have a lot of cans”. (“Ter muita lata”)
We don’t “shut up and listen to things we do not like,” we “swallow frogs.” (“Engolir sapos”)
Go comb monkeys! (“Ir pentear macacos”). Meaning: to tell someone to get lost!
Bread bread, cheese cheese (“pão pão, queijo queijo”). Meaning: Things are what they are. To call a spade a spade.
Head of dry garlic. (“cabeça de alho chocho”). Meaning: We say this to someone who is distracted.
I’m in the paints (“estou-me nas tintas”). Meaning: I don’t give a damn about that.
You’re here, you’re over there. (“estás aqui estás ali”). Meaning: if you don’t behave, I’ll slap you.
You’re letting water in (está a meter água). Meaning: you’re doing something wrong / you’re doing not well at all!
Monkeys are biting me (“macacos me mordam”). Meaning: when you get very intrigued or surprised with something.
God gives nuts to those who don’t have teeth (“dá Deus nozes a quem não tem dentes”). Meaning: We use this expression when someone is wasting an opportunity. When an opportunity is not seized.
To speak with elbows (“falar pelos cotovelos”). Meaning: It means someone speaks a lot / too much.
You’re putting the paw in the puddle (“estás a meter a pata na poça”). Meaning: You’re screwing up.
Deaf as a door (“surdo como uma porta”). Meaning: someone who doesn’t hear well.
Smart as garlic (“esperto como um alho”). Meaning: we use it to mention that someone is clever or intelligent
To sleep like a rock (“dormir como uma pedra”). Meaning: when you sleep very deeply
Burro como um calhau (“dum as a rock”). Meaning: we use it to mention that someone is stupid.
To be fresh as a lettuce (“estar fresco como uma alface”). Meaning: when someone has rested a lot and very well.
We would never tell you to “piss off,” but we can say to you “to go to the place where Judas lost his boots.” (“Onde Judas perdeu as botas”)
A Portuguese person does not “wake up angry,” they “wake up with their feet outside.” (“Com os pés de fora”)
We are never “upset,” we “are with olive oil”. (“Estar com os azeites”)
A Portuguese is not “an experienced person,” he has “spent many
years turning chickens.” (“São muitos anos a virar frangos”)
People from Portugal do not believe you have strange ideas,” we “think you have little monkeys inside your head.” (“Ter macaquinhos na cabeça”)
For a Portuguese guy, something is not “really simple,” it is “bread to bread and cheese to cheese.” (“Pão, pão, queijo, queijo”).
We do not die, ” we “go from this one to a better one.” (Ir desta para melhor.) OR, we “go off with the pigs.” (“Ir com os porcos”)
We never “feel suspicious,” we “have a flea behind our ear.” (“Estar com a pulga atrás da orelha”)
A Portuguese is not “worry free” they “ are sitting under a banana tree.” (“Estar à sombra da bananeira”)
We are not “clumsy,” we just “look like a silly cockroach.” (“Barata tonta”).
Click HERE to get more information about our portuguese classes.
EXCELLENT Based on 158 reviews Lene Bille Høegh2025-04-22Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We were a family of 3 taking the 3 weeks A1 course with Frederico, at LisbonLanguageCafe. We are now able to speak basic sentences in our daily life and to understand quite a bit, both when reading and listening. We will all be hading for the A2 course soon. We cannot recommend LisbonLanguageCafe and Frederico enough, it has been the best fast track to starting a new language that we could have ever imagined. Sarah Neal Simpson2025-04-21Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I cannot recommend Frederico’s Portuguese course at Lisbon Language Café highly enough. After trying other classes and leaving more confused than when I started, Frederico’s approach was a game changer. The lessons are clear, well-structured, and focused on practical communication, making it the first time I genuinely felt confident about learning the language. Frederico provides a wealth of resources—like unit booklets, an online platform, podcasts, flashcards, and practice activities—which make it easy to reinforce what you learn in class at home. The small class sizes and relaxed, friendly environment create the perfect setting to build your skills and actually see progress. If you’re serious about learning Portuguese, this is the course to take. Highly recommend! Yaara2025-04-20Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I took the Portuguese intense 3 weeks A1 classes here and had a great experience! Our teacher, Frederico, was excellent – very patient, clear in his explanations, and kept the classes interactive and engaging. I also really appreciated the online materials and practice quizzes provided – they were super helpful for reinforcing what we learned in class and made it easy to review at my own pace. I’ve already signed up for A2 and can't wait to start. Highly recommend this school if you're looking to learn Portuguese! Nichole Garcia2025-04-02Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Took A1, was a really great class to understand the foundation. Recommend! Lynn Plummer2025-04-01Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I took the 3-week A1 intensive course with Frederico and I highly recommend it to anyone looking get started with Portuguese. Frederico is a thoughtful and fun teacher. He creates a very comfortable environment to learn and practice. Ava McBride2025-03-31Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I thought the intensive A1 course was exactly what I needed to kick off my Portuguese learning. The lessons were well structured and 'need-to-know' concepts were well explained. I highly recommend Lisbon Language Cafe! Ian Casey2025-03-30Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. A fantastic learning experience, Frederico is a highly skilled teacher, patient, funny and clearly passionate about sharing his knowledge of his native language, the grammar and his country. 1000% the right decision to attend classes here and plan to continue to advance. Frederico makes it fun, the classes are 5-7 people max, interactive & relevant. paul selina2025-03-07Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I just completed the A1 course and it has really helped me understand the basic components of Portuguese. The class was a small group of 7 people which allowed for good interactions. Frederico has developed quite varied modules for each topic seeing, listening, writing, and speaking the language in class. The lessons are complemented with many different online modules to expand on the class materials which I will use for further study. I already signed up for the A2 classes !!! Thank you Frederico