Is there a lesson on the word mesmo?

Portuguese Questions Vocabulary
1

It is likely a me problem but I’m looking for a lesson on the 5 meanings of mesmo and not finding it. Onde fica o lição?

1 Like
2

Olá, @troyphubbell. We don’t have a whole lesson dedicated to mesmo, but it’s a suggestion I’ve just added to our list of potential future content. Here’s a non-exhaustive overview in the meantime:

Mesmo = same

  • Estamos no mesmo grupo. = We are in the same group.
  • É tudo a mesma coisa. = It’s all the same thing.

Mesmo = oneself

  • Eu desenhei-me a mim mesmo. = I drew myself.
  • Ele mesmo fez isto. = He himself did this.

In the use above, the word is typically not essential and just added for emphasis. The first sentence could just be “Eu desenhei-me”, and the second could just be “Ele fez isto”.

Mesmo = even

  • Vou sair mesmo que chova. = I’ll go out even if it rains.
  • Mesmo as pessoas ricas têm problemas. = Even rich people have problems.
  • Mesmo fazendo isso, nada vai mudar. = Even doing that, nothing will change.

Mesmo = really

  • O concerto foi mesmo bom. = The concert was really good.
  • És mesmo tonto. = You’re really silly.

In other uses, the word tends to be part of relatively fixed phrases, such as:

Mesmo assim = still, anyway

  • Mesmo assim, foi uma boa festa. = Still, it was a good party. / It was a good party anyway.

Isso mesmo = that’s it (or similar)

  • Isso mesmo, acertaste. = That’s it, you got it right.
  • Parabéns, isso mesmo! = Congratulations, that’s it!

Agora mesmo/mesmo agora (indifferent order) = just/right now

  • Eu cheguei mesmo agora. = I just got here.
  • Vem cá agora mesmo. = Come here right now.
1 Like