Brazilian Idiom from Soccer: Vestir a camisa

This Portuguese lesson will you teach you a Brazilian idiom that comes from soccer and that we use very often in everyday life: vestir a camisa.

You don’t have to like soccer to learn soccer-related vocabulary. In Brazil we use idiomatic expressions that come from soccer all the time. We call it futebolês. It is a play with the words futebol (soccer) and português to refer to idiomatic Brazilian Portuguese expressions that come from soccer.

Get your futebolês ready and join in the conversation. You know Brazilian are crazy about soccer, right?

Brazilian idiom: Vestir a camisa

The video below show you the pronunciation of this Brazilian expression. But please keep reading: I have examples below showing the expression in use.

The literal translation from Portuguese to English is: to wear the shirt.

This expression is a reference to the team’s jersey:

• a camisa do time = the team’s jersey
• a camisa da seleção = the Brazilian national team’s jersey

Let’s think about this for a minute. If you follow a sports team closely, you usually have the team’s jersey. You wear it at games and other occasions. If you are a really big torcedor (fan), you go to all your team’s games in town. When they win you feel super happy. When they lose you feel bummed. You support your team through thick and thin.

This image of the enthusiastic, committed, and supportive fan is the idea behind the Brazilian idiom vestir a camisa. When you “wear the jersey” of an organization, cause, or idea, you are a loyal supporter. You believe in that idea with your heart, defend it if others attack it, and put effort on working for it.

This expression is commonly used in the workplace. Let’s see a couple of examples:

Exemple 1:

Jonas e o chefe dele estão conversando sobre sua avaliação de desempenho este ano.

Chefe: É bom ter você no time, Jonas. Vejo que você veste a camisa da empresa e dá o seu melhor para alcançar bons resultados.

Translation:

Jonas and his boss are talking about this year’s performance evaluation.

Boss: It’s good to have you in the team, Jonas. I see that you are loyal and dedicated to the company, and you give your best to achieve good results.

Exemple 2:

Andrea e Sílvio estão conversando sobre Antônio, um colega de trabalho.

Andrea: Não gosto de depender do Antônio nos meus projetos. Não confio na qualidade do trabalho dele.

Sílvio: O problema do Antônio é que ele não veste a camisa da equipe.

Translation:

Andrea and Sílvio are talking about their colleague Antônio:

Andrea: I don’t like to depend on Antônio for my projects. I don’t trust the quality of his work.

Sílvio: Antonio’s problem is that he is not committed to the team.

Other Portuguese Lessons with Soccer Vocabulary

1. Soccer Vocabulary in Portuguese – with video
2. Learn Colloquial Portuguese: Pisar na bola
3. Brazilian Idiom from Soccer: Pendurar as Chuteiras & Verb Aposentar-se
4. Brazilian idiom: Entrar de Sola & The Verb Entrar

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