Study Resource: Brazilian Portuguese adverbials beginning with ‘a’

By: Fabiana Dametto Oliveira

The following are some common adverbial phrases in Brazilian Portuguese that begin with the preposition a.


Adverbial phrase	Example
à beira de Translation: on the edge of	A região está à beira de um colapso. Translation: The region is on the edge of collapse.
à deriva Translation: adrift	O barco ficou à deriva. Translation: The boat was adrift.
à força Translation: by force	Abriram a janela à força. Translation: They opened the window by force.
à prestação Translation: on installments	Pagamos o carro à prestação. Translation: We pay the car in installments.
à risca Translation: strictly/to the letter	Eles seguem as regras à risca. Translation: They follow the rules to the letter.
ao relento Translation: in the open	Os animais dormiram ao relento. Translation: The animals slept in the open.
às avessas Translation: in reverse / topsy-turvy	O personagem é um herói às avessas. Translation: The character is a hero in reverse (= anti-hero).
às escondidas Translation: on the sly / secretly	Saíram de casa às escondidas. Translation: They left home secretly.
às pressas Translation: in a rush	Foram ao hospital às pressas. Translation: They went to the hospital in a rush.

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