Here’s another light-hearted take on the differences between the European Spanish and Portuguese languages. It is all too easy for an individual who is familiar with one of these languages and goes on to learn the other to be caught out by numerous false friends.

Take the Spanish term polvo meaning dust. Other than referring quite simply to dust such as lleno de polvo, dusty, or limpiar el polvo or quitar el polvo, either of which can be used to describe the act of dusting furniture for instance, “dust” in Spanish is used in a variety of expressions which are normally quite negative ones.

Firstly, the expression hacer [algo] polvo, literally to make dust of something, means to ruin something, which when taken in a literal sense in fact makes considerable sense, to an English speaker at least.

In reference to persons, the similar expression hacer polvo a alguien means to wear a person out, to tire them. It can also mean to bring them down, in other words, to make them feel down, blue or depressed. Likewise, if you are holding a discussion, and more likely a heated discussion with someone, to make them polvo means you won the argument or came out on top after a good debate. In English we would often say that we wiped the floor with that person.

Yet another meaning of polvo when taken with the past participle of the verb hacer (to do or to make), namely, hecho polvo, means shattered, exceptionally tired, worn out. So, in the Spanish translation of this phrase, you would use the verb estar, to be, and say estoy hecho polvo. Of course, if you’re female, or the person you’re describing as exhausted is female, the correct form would be estoy hecha polvo.

This Spanish expression, estar hecho(a) polvo, can also be used to describe things. If you describe an object as hecho polvo, in English this would translate colloquially as the item being wrecked or falling to pieces, for instance. 

Turning to the Portuguese word polvo. To use this word in any similar construction in a direct Portuguese translation from English of any of the above expressions would surely cause no end of laughter or quite likely confusion to the average Portuguese speaker with no knowledge of Spanish and even less inclination to analyse the expression should he or she even have some knowledge of colloquial Spanish. This is because the word polvo in Portuguese purely and simply means octopus. And if you’re interested, the Spanish word for octopus is pulpo.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this little article. Share your expressions using the Spanish term polvo here with us or ask any questions about any of the English expressions or others posted on here.

Translations2u is a European translations provider and legal translation expert.