Portuguese Year 3: Figurative meaning: expressions not read literally
Portuguese, Year 3 (Portugal): Some words and expressions mean something other than what they literally say; the context helps to work out the meaning.
Saying one thing and meaning another
Some expressions do not mean what the words say literally. We say someone «tem um coração de ouro» (has a heart of gold) and nobody has a heart made of gold: it means the person is very kind. This is figurative meaning. Next to it is the literal meaning, what the words say to the letter. A single word can also gain a new meaning: the «pé» (foot) of the table is not a person's foot.
Why it matters
You hear and read these expressions every day. If you read them literally, you get confused: someone who «está com a cabeça na lua» (has their head in the moon) does not have their head on the Moon. Learning to find the figurative meaning helps you to understand conversations, stories and poems. And it helps you write with more colour: saying «chove a potes» (it is pouring) is livelier than just saying it rains a lot.
Working out «custar os olhos da cara»
Let us work out the meaning of an expression. You read: «O casaco custou os olhos da cara, por isso a mãe disse que não.» (The coat cost an arm and a leg, so Mum said no.) Step 1: read it literally: did someone pay with their eyes? That makes no sense. Step 2: read the rest of the sentence: Mum said no. Step 3: think why she would say no: maybe it was very expensive. Step 4: conclude: «custar os olhos da cara» means costing a lot of money. Step 5: try it in the sentence: «O casaco era muito caro, por isso a mãe disse que não.» It makes sense.
Not read to the letter, not changed
Two common mix-ups. The first is reading literally and not understanding: «dar com a língua nos dentes» (to hit your tongue on your teeth) does not mean hurting your tongue, it means letting a secret slip. The second is changing the words: a fixed expression does not change. We say «estar com a cabeça na lua» (to have your head in the moon), not «estar com a cabeça no sol». When a sentence makes no sense literally, it may be figurative: use the context.
In conversations, stories and poems
You find figurative meaning everywhere. In conversation: «Estou morto de sono.» (I am dead tired.) In stories: «Tinha um coração de ouro.» (He had a heart of gold.) In songs and poems, which are full of words with a new meaning. When an expression does not sound right literally, do what you did here: read it literally, look at the context, guess the meaning and check. If you are still unsure, ask someone or look it up in the dictionary.
Test what you learned
What is an expression with figurative meaning?
- a) An expression written with spelling mistakes
- b) An expression in another language
- c) An expression said very loudly
- d) An expression that does not mean exactly what its words say
Correct answer: d) An expression that does not mean exactly what its words say — Yes: «coração de ouro» says gold but means very kind.
«O João estava com a cabeça na lua e não ouviu a pergunta.» (João had his head in the moon and did not hear the question.) What does «estar com a cabeça na lua» mean?
- a) To be looking at the Moon
- b) To have a headache
- c) To be distracted, thinking of other things
- d) To be asleep in class
Correct answer: c) To be distracted, thinking of other things — Yes: someone whose mind is far away does not hear what is said.
The grandmother says: «Lá fora está a chover a potes.» (Outside it is pouring.) What does she mean?
- a) Pots are falling from the sky
- b) It is raining a lot
- c) It is raining very little
- d) She is washing pots outside
Correct answer: b) It is raining a lot — Yes: «chover a potes» is a fixed expression that means raining very hard.
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