You know I love colloquial expressions 😉 They make us sound natural speaking a foreign language. In addition, an idiomatic expression can often get your point across better than any other way of putting things.

So here’s another great Brazilian Portuguese colloquial expression: a gota d’água.

A gota d’água

Literally: the drop of water

What it means:

• the last straw;
• the last in a series of unpleasant events that finally makes you feel that you cannot continue to accept a bad situation.

To remember this expression, think about that last drop of water that makes the glass overflow. Got it?

Two things to keep in mind

1)

When we use this expression, we never say “de água”. We always pronounce it together: d’água. Listen to the pronunciation in the video.

2)

You always use the verb Ser with this expression. Below are examples of a gota d’água in use with the verb Ser in different verb tenses.

Examples using a gota d’água

1) Imagine the girl in the picture below is having an argument with someone. They have been exchanging angry text messages back and forth, and she has just got that one message that made her go: This is the last straw!

É a gota d’água! = This is the last straw!

2) Esse corte no salário foi a gota d’água. Vou procurar outro emprego.

= This cut in pay was the last straw. I will look for another job.

3) Não chegue atrasado de novo porque vai ser a gota d’água. Você pode terminar perdendo o emprego.

= Don’t be late again because it’s going to be the last straw. You may end up losing your job.

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