How to Say It in Portuguese: To look just like someone else – Portuguese Lesson

É a cara da mãe!

This is how we say that someone looks just like someone else:

• Aninha é a cara da mãe! = Aninha looks just like her mother!
• João é a cara do pai. = João looks just like his father.

Ser a cara de alguém = to look just like someone

Just a little grammar can go a long way

Notice the preposition DE in the phrases above:

• If the word after the preposition is feminine, you use DA, as in: Aninha é a cara da mãe.
• If the word after the preposition is masculine, you use DO, as in: João é a cara do pai.

Also notice that in Portuguese we don’t use the possessive pronoun, such as in “her mother” and “his father”.

Please take note!

This is a common way to say that someone looks like someone else. Here we are talking about their looks, and not the way they do things or their common likes and dislikes.

Stay tuned because my next lesson will show you hot to say that someone takes after someone else (regarding what they do, like or dislike).

How to say: This reminds me of you

I can also use this expression to say that something reminds me of someone because it is that person’s style or because I know the person really likes it.

For example, let’s say that I am having a drink with a friend and they start playing a song that my friend Ana really loves. So that song really reminds me of Ana. I can say:

• Essa música é a cara da Ana.

Literally, I am saying: This song looks just like Ana. What I mean is that the song reminds me of Ana because she likes the song so much.

You can use this expression for anything in that sense, really. Here is another example. I am shopping with my girlfriend. We see this beautiful dress and I think that it totally matches her style. I tell her:

• Esse vestido é a sua cara. Você devia provar! = This dress is totally your style. You should try it on.

My next lesson will tell you how to say that someone takes after someone else in the family when we are not talking about looks. Stay tuned!

Now what?

To use your new vocabulary correctly you need lots of practice. There’s only so much that apps, books, and videos can do for your Portuguese. You need to have real conversations with real people in order to take your fluency to the next level.

Street Smart Brazil offers online, live Portuguese lessons via video calls. Book a trial lesson with us to see how we can help you speak Portuguese with confidence.