We hope you don’t have to use these expressions to talk about yourself, but life has its ups and downs. It’s common to hear a friend or coworker complain about being broke. Here are two Brazilian slang words you can use to say that someone is broke in Brazilian Portuguese.
1. Liso
The word liso has several uses. It can describe a smooth surface (uma superfície lisa), straight hair (cabelo liso), or plain fabric (o tecido liso).
However, it’s also one of the most common ways to say someone is broke in Brazil.
Example 1:
Sílvia: Queria muito comprar um carro, mas estou lisa. (I really wanted to buy a car, but I am broke.)
Example 2:
Antônio: Não vou jantar com vocês porque estou liso. (I am not going to have dinner with you guys because I am broke.)
2. Quebrado
Quebrado literally means broken, as in:
- Meu computador está quebrado. (My computer is broken.)
It also means that someone is out of money.
Example 1:
Milena: Não vou ao Brasil este ano. Estou quebrada. (I’m not going to Brazil this year. I’m broke.)
Example 2:
Felipe: André está baixo astral porque está quebrado. (André is feeling down because he is broke.)
You can use liso and quebrado interchangeably.
Liso and quebrado are adjectives, and as such, need to agree in gender and number with the person they refer to.
Let me know how your Brazilian friends react when you use these words. I bet it’s going to be fun, even though being broke is no fun!
The video below is old and not really great, but at least you can hear the pronunciation of the words and the examples:
