Águas passadas não movem moinhos.

"Past waters don't power mills."


Mills are usually located and powered by rivers.


The water that has passed the mill will not make it work again.



"Águas passadas não movem moinhos" is a brazilian idiom very used when you wanna talk to someone to forget past situation which hurts him/her.


So this means that you SHOULD NOT worry about things of the past.

"Wash the horse" or better, "Lavar a égua"

This expressions means "to do well," "to have success," or to "enjoy oneself." It originated in Minas Gerais during the gold boom, when horses and donkeys were used to haul the gold out of the mines. The gold dust would get all over the horse, so the miners would "wash" the horse off to get the gold when they left the mine.

"Égua" is a female horse.


Example: Hoje irei a três festas. (I'm going to 3 parties. )
Vou lavar à égua. (I'll enjoy a lot.)

Cadê

Cadê?

Cadê is probably one of those most useful and most entertaining words to learn in Portuguese, because of its straightforward usage and easy pronunciation.

It means "where is..." followed by the object. This can be an actual object or a person.

This is a Brazilian expression that emerged from a language evolution from "o que é de..." to "quedê?" to "cadê?"

Quedê is still used in some parts of Brazil, but you will most frequently hear cadê.

• Cadê meu livro? Where's my book?


• Cadê o seu casaco? Where's your coat?


• Cadê a sua mãe? Where's your mom?


• Cadê você? Where are you?

We can also use cadê alone to mean, "Where is it?"

We use this if we haven't understood where the object is, or if we still can't find the object.

• O livro está lá embaixo da mesa. The book is under the table.

• Cadê? Where/Where is it?When referring to a person, though, we can also use the expression onde estar. Estar is the temporary state of to be, and is the standard grammatical form of the question, especially when referring to people.

• Onde você está? Where are you?


• Estou chegando! I'm almost there!


• Onde estão as meninas? Where are the girls?


• Estão no quintal. They're in the backyard.

Se liga [see lee-gah]

This expression is difficult to translate literally, since it would be "turn yourself on!" Ligar means to turn on, like a computer or a light.

When used in this way, it means "listen up," "listen" or "pay attention."

It is a slang expression, most commonly used by young people.

Example . Se liga. Vem me buscar às seis, tá bom?

Listen up. Come get me at six, ok?

Como assim???

If you don't understand the question, or you'd like the person to clarify, you say "Como assim?"

It most closely translates to "What do you mean?

examples: 1 "Você está triste comigo? Are you upset with me?

Como assim? What do you mean?

2 Você ficou sozinha? Were you there alone?

Como assim? What do you mean?

You can also use this phrase when a person makes a statement that seems impossible.

example: 1 Estou aqui perdido na mata! I'm lost in the forest!

Como assim, está perdido na mata? What do you mean, you're lost in the forest?!

2 Perdi o vôo. I missed my flight.

Como assim, perdeu o vôo? What do you mean you missed it?

Meditation

Espera ai [ess-pehr-ah ah-ee]


This expression means "wait a second" or "hold on."

In spoken Portuguese, though, it often becomes "peraí."

-------- Peraí. Esqueci meu casaco.
--------Wait a sec. I forgot my coat.


--------Espera ai. Já volto.

--------Hold on. I'll be right back.

Tô numa boa!

Ever try to say 'I'm just chilling' or 'laid-back' in Portuguese?

Here's a quick list of terms:

Relaxa!! : relaxed, chill, 'all-good' (pronounced 'hee-lax')
Tranqüilooo: mellow, tranquil (pronounced 'trahn-kwee-loh')
Tá de boa? : "You chilling brother?"

It's interesting that the common greetings in Portuguese tudo bom / tudo bem already literally mean 'it's all good.' This literal translation when used in English implies tranquility and mellowness.