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Portuguese · Frustration & Despair

Puta merda!

POO-tah MEHR-dah · /ˈpu.ta ˈmɛʁ.da/

Holy shit! / Goddammit!

3/5 Watch your audience

genuinely rude; friends only, never at work

Literally

"Whore shit"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

The mid-weight blow-up — stronger than "merda," a step below "puta que pariu." Spilled coffee on the laptop, missed the connection, stubbed your toe. Genuinely rude but common; friends and vented-to-yourself moments. Not for polite company.

Heard in the wild

Puta merda, derramei vinho no sofá branco.

Holy shit, I spilled wine on the white couch.

Where it lands

Brazil (universal).

Quick answers

What does "Puta merda!" mean?
In Portuguese, "Puta merda!" means "Holy shit! / Goddammit!". Literally it's "Whore shit". The mid-weight blow-up — stronger than "merda," a step below "puta que pariu." Spilled coffee on the laptop, missed the connection, stubbed your toe. Genuinely rude but common; friends and vented-to-yourself moments. Not for polite company.
Is "Puta merda!" offensive?
It's genuinely rude — a 3/5 (Watch your audience) on the Punch-o-Meter. Fine among friends, never at work or with people you've just met.
How do you pronounce "Puta merda!"?
Say it "POO-tah MEHR-dah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈpu.ta ˈmɛʁ.da.

Related in Portuguese

Porra! POH-hah Damn! / Fuck! — but mostly used as pure punctuation Caralho! kah-RAH-lyoo Fuck! / Hell! — exclamation and all-purpose intensifier Merda! MEHR-dah Shit! / Crap! Droga! DROH-gah Darn! / Damn it! Caramba! kah-RAHM-bah Wow! / Geez! / Holy cow! Cacete! kah-SEH-chee Damn! / Bloody hell! — also 'a ton' as 'pra cacete'

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Damn".

how to say "Damn" →

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