destruidor de corações
The English phrase 'heartbreaker' is translated into Portuguese as destruidor de corações.
Meaning: person who causes sorrow (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal composition of destruidor (destroyer) and de corações (of hearts).
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a female heartbreaker, change the noun to the feminine form destruidora.
Did you know?
- Portuguese has a specific word saudade to describe the feeling left behind by a destruidor de corações. English has no single equivalent for this mixture of longing, nostalgia and sadness.
- In Portuguese, the phrase destruidor de corações can be used ironically in social media captions to describe a cute pet or a baby who 'steals' or 'breaks' hearts.
- If you call someone a destruidor de corações in a romantic comedy, it often sounds much more dramatic and 'soap opera' than the English 'heartbreaker'.
Example conversation
Lucas and Juliana are talking about a mutual friend.
- LucasVocê conhece o novo colega de trabalho?Do you know the new coworker?
- JulianaSim, mas ele parece ser um destruidor de corações.Yes, but he seems to be a heartbreaker.
- LucasPor que você acha isso, Juliana?Why do you think that, Juliana?
- JulianaEle muda de namorada toda semana.He changes girlfriends every week.
