😬📏

How to Say ‘It was really close.’ in Portuguese

Foi muito à justa.

foy MOOY-too ah ZHOOSH-tah

[foy MOOY-too ah ZHOOSH-tah]

💬 Usage Tip: à justa means "just barely, tight", and it works beyond football too. For example, O tempo está à justa means "Time is tight".

Phrase Breakdown

Foi muito

foy MOOY-too

It was very

'Foi' is 'it was'. 'Muito' has a nasal sound, as if spelled 'mũĩtu'.

Example

Foi muito bom.

It was very good.

Words in this phrase

Foi

[foy]

it was / was

Past tense of 'ser,' often used in polite follow-up phrases like 'foi um prazer.'

Example

Foi ótimo conhecê-lo no evento.

It was great to meet you at the event.

muito

[MOOY-too]

very

Adverb used to intensify adjectives, adverbs, or expressions.

Example

Estou muito interessado em novas oportunidades.

I am very interested in new opportunities.

à justa.

ah ZHOOSH-tah

tight / by a narrow margin

'À justa' is a colloquial European Portuguese expression for something that was very close or tight. The 'j' sounds like the 's' in 'measure'.

Example

Chegámos à justa.

We arrived just in time.

Words in this phrase

[ah]

(part of 'à justa': tight)

Contraction 'a'+'a' forming the expression 'à justa', meaning very close or tight.

Example

Passou à justa.

It just barely passed.

justa

[ZHOOSH-tah]

tight; close

Feminine of 'justo'; in 'à justa' it means barely, by a narrow margin.

Example

A decisão foi à justa.

The decision was very close.

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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