MP3 Audio (Lesson) | MP3 Audio (Dialog)
Do you know a creepy person? In this lesson we have a dialogue where we talk about other people, and we will learn how to refer to those who are lazy, rude and creepy in Portuguese. It has to be a useful lesson, right?
| A: | Você conhece o marido da Luíza? Do you know Luiza’s husband? | |
| B: | Conheço, e que cara chato, detesto ele. I do, and what a creepy guy, I hate him. | |
| A: | Sei, também acho. E além disso, é preguiçoso e mal-educado. I know, me too. And besides that he is lazy and rude. | |
| B: | E a Luíza, menina, tão boazinha, por que será que ela se casou com ele, hein? And Luiza, girl, is so nice, why did she marry him, you know? | |
| A: | Não foi por dinheiro não? Was it for money? | |
| B: | Não, que eu saiba, não é rico. No, as far as I know, he is not rich. | |
| A: | Realmente, o amor é cego. Really, love is blind. | |
| B: | Sei, mas sinceramente, esse cara é chato demais. I know, but seriously, that guy is too much. |
Orlando, you are a huge help. Thank you!
Would it be appropriate for me to ask a question that doesn’t have much to do with this lesson? Well… I guess I’ll ask anyway. : )
How would you say this phrase in Portuguese:
“Hey dude, what’s going on? I’m board, wanna hang out? Let’s go do something fun.”
Would it be:
“e ai, cara, que ta fazendo? estou chatiado, quer fazer algo? Vamos embora para fazer algo divertido.”
This lesson uses the word “chato” which you gusy say can be used as ‘I’m board’ as well. But it just doesn’t feel right (and I could be completely wrong) to say “estou chatiado” for “I’m board.” To be honest, the way I have translated this whole phrase doesn’t seem right with the ‘feeling’ I’m trying to convey.
Also, is there a translation for “hang out?”
Any help is much appreciated.
So the challenge here is the word “chato” and “chateado” because they cover both the sense of being bored and the sense of being annoyed. “Mas que coisa mais chata!” can refer both to the sense of being bored and to the sense of being annoyed. Our English speaking brain wants to subdivide these two ideas, thinking they are totally different, but the Portuguese speaking brain kind of lumps them together.
In true academic style, rather than answer your question directly, let me divert you to thinking not “how do I translate XYZ? and instead think in terms of “what do Brazilians say in situation XYZ?” If so, I’d probably change your dialog to something like, “Ô cara, vamo-lá, hein? Eu não aguento mais esse tal de ficar em casa, viu? Vamos sair um pouco, tá?… That is to say, don’t try to “force” a translation of some English phrase, and instead start with something new. And the key to this, unfortunately, is simply to pay attention when Brazilians are talking to see how they express themselves in similar situations.
I guess when I say it doesn’t feel right, it’s simply because they wouldn’t say it like that. 🙂
Great advice Orlando!
Vou tentar fazer mais assim. Obrigado!