Portuguese · Romance & Rejection
Levar um fora
leh-VAR oong FOH-rah · /le.ˈvaʁ ũ ˈfɔ.ɾa/
To get rejected / dumped / blown off
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"To take an 'outside'"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The universal word for romantic rejection — shot down when you ask someone out, or dumped. "Dei em cima e levei um fora" ("I made a move and got shot down"). Also "dar um fora" = to reject someone, OR (separately) to slip up socially. Clean and very relatable.
Heard in the wild
Chamei ela pra sair e levei o maior fora.
I asked her out and got totally shot down.
Where it lands
Brazil (universal).
Quick answers
- What does "Levar um fora" mean?
- In Portuguese, "Levar um fora" means "To get rejected / dumped / blown off". Literally it's "To take an 'outside'". The universal word for romantic rejection — shot down when you ask someone out, or dumped. "Dei em cima e levei um fora" ("I made a move and got shot down"). Also "dar um fora" = to reject someone, OR (separately) to slip up socially. Clean and very relatable.
- Is "Levar um fora" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Levar um fora"?
- Say it "leh-VAR oong FOH-rah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: le.ˈvaʁ ũ ˈfɔ.ɾa.
Related in Portuguese
Cantada kahn-TAH-dah A pickup line / a come-on Levar um chifre leh-VAR oong SHEE-free To be cheated on Gato / Gata GAH-too / GAH-tah Hottie / good-looking guy or girl Ficar (com alguém) fee-KAR To make out / hook up casually (no strings) Gostoso / Gostosa gohs-TOH-zoo / gohs-TAW-zah Hot / sexy (of a person); also literally 'delicious' (of food) Putz! POOTS Darn! / Ugh! / Oh no!
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Tough luck".
- French C'est nul ! That sucks / That's lame
- German Mist! Crap! / Rats! — the family-friendly 'damn'
- Greek σιγά Big deal / whatever / calm down / as if — dismissive minimizing.
- Italian Merda! Shit! / Damn it!
- Japanese 勘弁して Give me a break / spare me / oh, come on
- Korean 아이고 Oh dear / oof / good grief — the sound of Korea sitting down after a long day.
- Polish szlag Damn it — 'szlag by to trafił' = may a stroke strike it.
- Russian Капец! That's it, it's over / Damn / Whoa
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