Occupying top #5 on the Brazilian charts within two weeks of release, Luísa Sonza, one of the biggest artists in the country right now, has just put out to the world her new album, Escândalo Íntimo. It has surprised her fans with the newest hit “Penhasco2”, a feat with the worldwide known superstar, Demi Lovato, who has also happened to launch a new record this past week.
Besides being announced unexpectedly, what was really shocking, but still fascinating, about the collab was the fact that Demi sang a verse in PORTUGUESE. Because, guess what? SAUDADE has no translation!
If analyzed shallowly, the specific part given to the North American singer to deliver can be perceived as someone missing its significant other and not being able to translate that emotion, but what makes this even better, and genius, is that the word chosen literally does not exist in any other language. That way, only Portuguese speakers are able to recognize the double meaning, and I think that’s beautiful.
So, with this in mind, check out other 10 expressions that also don’t have translations to other idioms, and contributes to make Brazilian Portuguese such the beautiful and unique language that it is.
SAUDADE
As previously mentioned, it is the feeling of missing something or someone badly. It can also be explained as the sensation of nostalgia, but deepier.
Brazilians are usually very emotional driven people, so it does make sense that they are the only ones that came up with a term that states one of the strongest feelings to exist in the world.
XODÓ
Probably what Luísa Sonza calls her boyfriend, Chico! It is a pet name for your partner, the way that you can call someone special, or a nickname with the intention of demonstrating love and affection, in a very cliché way.
CAFUNÉ
Still talking about passion and care, “cafuné” is the act of scratching someone’s head gently. It’s a term that sums up in one word the action of running your fingers through someone’s hair, for example, and the universal gesture that indicates tenderness for Brazilian people.
MARMITA
The dream of every student after classes, more known as packed lunch.
CHULÉ
The smell may be universal, but the word for it is not. We are talking about stinky feet.
CAPRICHAR
What Demi did while singing in Portuguese! It’s the word that explains doing something in a meticulous and perfect way, paying attention to all the details.
PEREBA
Basically, a skin lesion called in a funny way.
MALANDRO
Someone smart and strategic, but not always in a good way. A person who is “malandro” can be considered as mischievous and a cheater. In Brazil, people would say that “malandro” is the cat! The reason for that is explained by the bad reputation that cats have, since they’re not the most trustful animals out there. (According to Brazilian popular saying, it is also because they are already born with a mustache).
GAMBIARRA
It is a part of Brazilian culture to solve problems quickly, to work smart and not hard, and sometimes that leaves us with some inventions that not even NASA is capable of explaining. In other words, it is an improvised solution to a situation of emergency.
CALORENTO/FRIORENTO
If you feel heat more intensely than other people, just know that you are “calorento”. The same goes to someone that feels cold, but, in this case, it’s called “friorento”.
After we “named the oxen” (there are so many good expressions), it is easy to realize how amazing this language is when it comes to verbalizing in the greatest way what you want to say. With all of its peculiarities, Portuguese can be one of the hardest languages to learn and become fluent in, but it’s worth it when you really understand all the funny and intense ways that Brazilians find to express themselves.
The article above was edited by Rafaella Alcici.
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