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How to Say ‘The gas bottle might be empty.’ in Portuguese

A botija pode estar vazia.

uh boo-TEE-zhah POH-jee eh-stahr vah-ZEE-ah

[uh boo-TEE-zhah POH-jee eh-stahr vah-ZEE-ah]

💬 Usage Tip: pode estar + description is a handy way to guess at a cause: pode estar avariado "it might be broken".

Phrase Breakdown

A botija

uh boo-TEE-zhah

The gas cylinder

A 'botija' is a gas bottle, very common in Portugal. The 'j' sounds like the 's' in 'measure': 'bu-TEE-zha'.

Example

Preciso de uma botija nova.

I need a new gas cylinder.

Words in this phrase

[uh]

the

Feminine singular definite article, meaning 'the'.

Example

A empresa parece aberta a novas ideias.

The company seems open to new ideas.

botija

[boo-TEE-zhah]

gas cylinder

Portable gas bottle, very common in Portuguese homes for heaters and stoves.

Example

Comprei uma botija de gás.

I bought a gas cylinder.

pode estar vazia.

POH-jee eh-stahr vah-ZEE-ah

may be empty.

'Pode estar' expresses possibility. 'Vazia' agrees with the feminine 'botija'.

Example

A sala pode estar vazia.

The room may be empty.

Words in this phrase

pode

[POH-jee]

can

To be able to.

Example

Você pode me ajudar?

Can you help me?

estar

[eh-stahr]

to be

To exist or live; to be in a place.

Example

Ele vai estar aqui amanhã.

He will be here tomorrow.

vazia

[vah-ZEE-ah]

empty

Feminine form of 'vazio', empty.

Example

A garrafa está vazia.

The bottle is empty.

Guides for Portuguese learners

The Portuguese You Actually Need in Your First Month in PortugalThe European Portuguese phrases for your first weeks in Portugal: paperwork, renting a flat, the bank, the health centre, cafés, trains and your new neighbours.

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