você cheira mal
The phrase "you smell" is translated into Portuguese as você cheira mal.
This phrase is used to tell someone that they have an unpleasant body odor.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of você (you), cheira (smell/scent) and mal (bad/badly).
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase você cheira mal, the word mal functions as an adverb, modifying the verb cheirar to indicate the quality of the smell.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the adjective mau instead of the adverb mal when describing how someone smells.
Did you know?
- The word você originates from the phrase vossa mercee, which literally means 'your mercy'.
- In Brazil, telling someone você cheira mal is extremely blunt and could be seen as a serious social aggression.
- While você cheira mal is a literal description of a bad scent, calling someone a cheiroso (fragrant/smelly) can be used sarcastically. Depending on the tone, it can actually imply the opposite of a good scent.
Examples in context
- Você cheira mal depois do treino.You smell bad after the workout.
Example conversation
Felipe and Beatriz are talking after a long day of hiking.
- FelipeBeatriz, você cheira mal.Beatriz, you smell.
- BeatrizSério? Eu não sinto nada.Really? I don't feel anything.
- FelipeSim, você precisa de um banho.Yes, you need a shower.
- BeatrizTudo bem, vou tomar um agora.Alright, I'll take one now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mal, você, CC BY-SA 4.0.
