😅📏

How to Say ‘That was so close!’ in Portuguese

Foi por um triz!

foy poor oong treesh

[foy poor oong treesh]

💬 Usage Tip: por um triz means "by a hair". You can use it for any near miss: Apanhei o comboio por um triz "I caught the train by a hair".

Phrase Breakdown

Foi por

foy poor

It was by

'Foi' means 'it was', and 'por' means 'by'. Link them smoothly: 'foi pur'.

Example

Foi por pouco.

It was by a little (it was close).

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.

por

[poor]

by (in 'por um triz')

Preposition forming the idiom 'por um triz', by a whisker.

Example

Escapou por pouco.

He escaped by little.

um triz!

oong treesh

a whisker!

'Por um triz' is an idiom meaning 'by a hair' or 'only just'. 'Um' is nasal, and the final 'z' in 'triz' sounds like 'sh': 'ũ trish'.

Example

Escapei por um triz.

I escaped by a whisker.

Words in this phrase

[oong]

An indefinite article used before a masculine singular noun.

Example

Em «um» prazer, o artigo introduz a expressão educada.

In “a” pleasure, the article introduces the polite expression.

triz

[treesh]

whisker; hair's breadth

Only used in 'por um triz', meaning very narrowly.

Example

Perdi o comboio por um triz.

I missed the train by a hair.

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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