Exclamations – Part II

Experiencing some emotion, the first thing we do is express it with some special word, and sometimes even with a set of sounds that have no explanation other than the feeling embedded in them. Sometimes such exclamations replace a thousand words and help in difficult situations when we want to express understanding and solidarity, but we have absolutely no idea what to say.

Especially in a foreign language to us! Let’s fix this!

Desire

To express desire, we are helped by words from the grammar section that we are already covering at an advanced level of the Portuguese language. It is precisely after these words that we use special verb forms and begin our acquaintance with the Subjunctive Mood (Presente do Conjuntivo). Translating them literally is quite difficult. Let’s imagine that they all mean “Would that…”

• Deus queira (que sim/não)! Oxalá! Quem (me) dera! Tomara (eu)!

Examples will give you a better understanding of in which situations they can be used or heard. And remember – they are interchangeable!

• Oxalá que o exame corra bem, estou nervoso. (Would that the exam goes well, I’m nervous.)
• Tomara que o meu projeto seja aprovado, seria fantástico. (Would that my project is approved, it would be great!)
• Deus queira que a viagem corra sem problemas, estou ansioso. (Would that the trip goes smoothly, I’m anxious.)

Pain

This is the most acute and important situation when we need a special word that we can use to avoid cursing indecently out of emotions. We can restrain ourselves when we feel joy or experience surprise, but we almost cannot control ourselves in two situations: when we feel pain and when we feel fear. So, we can simply exclaim:

Ai! Au! Ui! Ouch!

• Au! Isso doeu, bati com o pé na mesa. (Ow! It hurts! I hit my foot on the table.)
• Não aperte tão forte, isso dói! Ai! (Don’t tighten it so hard, it hurts! Ow!)

Or we can use words with a specific meaning:

• Caramba! (Darn!) Puxa! Bolas! (Geez!)
• Caramba! Perdi o autocarro, agora vou chegar atrasado. (Darn! I missed the bus, now I’ll be late.)
• Acho que parti o meu dedo! Puxa! (I think I broke my finger! Gosh!)

Impatience, anger

Similar emotions can also provoke a flow of swear words, so as an alternative we offer you to familiarize yourself with the following words. They will help you let off steam politely and express indignation:

• Caraças! Fogo! Irra! Poça! Que raio! Raios!  (Damn it!)
• Caraças! Esqueci-me de trancar a porta de casa. (Damn it! I forgot to lock the door at home.)
• Irra! Estou farto desta situação, preciso de uma solução. (Damn it! I’m sick of this situation, I need a solution.)
• Raios! A televisão avariou outra vez. (Damn it! The TV broke down again.)

Did you know that in Portugal movies are shown in the original language with Portuguese subtitles? So you can encounter such cultural swearing there – in the cinema!

Doubt

A less expressive feeling is doubt. Despite the fact that it is not necessary to express it out loud, it still has its characteristic sounds, for example:

Huh? Hem? Hum?

• Hã? Podes repetir, não ouvi bem. (Huh? Can you repeat, I didn’t hear well.)
• Hem? O que é que disseste? Estava distraído. (Huh? What did you say? I was distracted.)
• Hum? Interessante, nunca tinha pensado nisso desse modo. (Hmm? Interesting, I never thought of it that way.)

You can also ask using full words, namely:

• Diga? Diz? (Say?)   Como? (How?)  Como assim? (What do you mean?)   O quê?  (What?)
• Como assim? Não estou a perceber o que queres dizer. (What do you mean? I don’t understand what you mean.)
• O quê? Não entendi nada. (What? I didn’t understand anything.)

Silence

How annoying chatterboxes in the cinema or public transport can be! Do you want to know how to make a remark and call for silence in Portuguese? Then you can make the following sounds:

• Pss! (Pss!)   Chiu! (Shh!)
• Chiu! Preciso de estudar, não aguento mais barulho! (Shh! I need to study, I can’t stand any more noise!)
• Pss! Estou a tentar trabalhar e não consigo. (Psst! I’m trying to work and I can’t.)

You can also call for silence directly. So that you don’t have to remember how exactly, we’ll give you examples.

• Calou! Caluda! (Quiet!)   Pouco barulho! (Little noise!)   Silêncio! (Silence!)
• Caluda! Será que não percebes que o meu bebé está a dormir? Pouco barulho, por favor! (Quiet! Don’t you realize my
• baby is sleeping? Little noise, please!)
• Silêncio! Não consigo ouvir a música com tanto barulho, por favor baixa o volume! (Silence! I can’t hear the music with so much noise, please lower the volume.)

Encouragement

Oh, these are very necessary and important words in our lives – words of encouragement. They not only support, but also motivate us to feats. Entire stadiums of people shout out these words to support their favorite team or athlete. These words are whispered by anxious parents at their child’s competition. And sometimes, we even say these words to inanimate objects, like a car that won’t start, or a computer that executes commands very slowly.

First, there are popular exclamations derived from the verb “ir” (to go), because it sets the direction towards success:

• Vá! Vai!  (Go!) Vá lá! (Come on!)  Vamos! Vamos lá! (Let’s go!) Em frente! (Forward!)
• Vá lá! Acredita em ti, tu consegues superar isto. (Come on! Believe in yourself, you can overcome this.)
• Temos de ganhar este jogo! Vamos! (We have to win this game! Let’s go!)

Second, there are several words that sound similar. Most likely they originated from the same word, and then variations multiplied:

Bora! Bora lá!

• Bora! Mais rápido!  (Let’s go! Faster!)

Third, we can use the verb “dar” (to give):

Dá-lhe! Dá-lhe gás!

• Dá-lhe! Mostra o que vales, tu consegues! (Give it to him! Show what you’re worth, you can do it!)
• Dá-lhe gás! És melhor do que pensas!(Give him gas! You’re better than you think.)

Fourth, here is a list of suitable words for you to choose which ones to remember and use in your future life:

• Adiante! Avante!  (Go ahead! Come on!)  Anda! Anda lá! (Come on!)
• Ânimo! (Spirit!)  Coragem! (Courage!) Força! (Strength!)
• Adiante! Não desistas agora, estás quase a terminar. (Go ahead! Don’t give up now, you’re almost there.)
• Ânimo! Estamos quase a chegar ao topo da montanha. (Spirit! We’re almost at the top of the mountain.)
• Força! Tu és capaz, não desistas. (Strength! You can do it, don’t give up.)

Conclusion

Exclamations help to convey the emotional color of the statement and make it more expressive and emotionally rich. Exclamatory words also help to attract the attention of the interlocutor and emphasize the importance or unusualness of what is said. Sometimes one word or even one sound tells us more than a whole book!

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