در ۱۵ ثانیه
- Used when someone fails to show up for a planned meeting.
- Commonly used for dates, hangouts, or even professional appointments.
- Can be used as 'giving' (offender) or 'taking' (victim) the cake.
معنی
This phrase is used when someone fails to show up for a planned meeting or date without warning. It is the equivalent of 'standing someone up' or 'no-showing' on a friend or colleague.
مثالهای کلیدی
3 از 6Waiting for a date at a bar
Acredita que ele me deu um bolo ontem à noite?
Can you believe he stood me up last night?
Texting a friend who didn't show up for coffee
Poxa, você me deu um bolo! Estou aqui esperando.
Man, you stood me up! I'm here waiting.
A client missing a scheduled business meeting
O fornecedor deu um bolo na equipe e não veio para a reunião.
The supplier stood the team up and didn't come to the meeting.
زمینه فرهنگی
In Brazil, 'dar um bolo' is often followed by a 'desculpa esfarrapada' (a lame excuse). It's culturally common to discuss these incidents in detail with friends to validate one's frustration. In Portugal, the phrase 'dar um balão' is more frequent. The social consequence of standing someone up can be seen as more severe in smaller, more traditional communities. In Angolan Portuguese, you might hear 'dar uma mika', which carries a similar meaning of failing to show up or failing a commitment. Younger generations often use 'dar um perdido' or 'ghostear' (from English ghosting) interchangeably with 'dar um bolo' when the no-show happens in a digital context.
Use with Pronouns
Always include 'me', 'nos', or 'nele/nela' to make the sentence clear.
Not for Business
Avoid this in emails to your boss. It's too informal.
در ۱۵ ثانیه
- Used when someone fails to show up for a planned meeting.
- Commonly used for dates, hangouts, or even professional appointments.
- Can be used as 'giving' (offender) or 'taking' (victim) the cake.
What It Means
Imagine you are waiting at a cafe. You have a date. Ten minutes pass. Thirty minutes pass. Your friend never shows up. In Brazil, you didn't just get stood up. You were 'given a cake'. Dar um bolo describes that frustrating moment of being stood up. It implies a broken promise. It covers everything from romantic dates to casual hangouts.
How To Use It
The grammar is very simple. You use the verb dar (to give). You can say ele me deu um bolo (he stood me up). You can also say levar um bolo (to take/receive a cake). This means you were the victim. If you are the one who missed the meeting, you 'gave' the cake. If you were left waiting, you 'took' the cake. It is a very active way to describe a social disappearance.
When To Use It
Use it when a friend misses lunch. Use it when a date disappears. It works perfectly for social flakes. You can use it in a professional setting too. If a client misses a Zoom call, you might tell a coworker: O cliente me deu um bolo. It sounds a bit more colorful than saying they were absent. It highlights the personal inconvenience of waiting.
When NOT To Use It
Do not use this for serious emergencies. If someone is in the hospital, they didn't 'give you a cake'. That sounds too trivial. Also, avoid it in very formal legal documents. You wouldn't write it in a contract. It is a social expression. If you actually give someone a physical cake to eat, don't use this! They might think you are canceling your plans instead of being sweet.
Cultural Background
Brazilians are generally flexible with time. However, completely failing to show up is still considered rude. The origin is a bit mysterious. Some say it refers to a party where the guest of honor never arrives to cut the cake. Others think it relates to 'fluffiness'—something that looks big but is full of air. Either way, it has been part of the vocabulary for decades. It is a staple of Brazilian social life and soap operas.
Common Variations
You will often hear levar um bolo. This is the most common way to complain. You might also hear ficar a ver navios. This means 'to be left watching ships'. It is a more poetic way of saying you were left behind. But dar um bolo remains the king of social flakes. It is punchy, clear, and everyone understands the sting of it.
نکات کاربردی
The phrase is mostly informal. It is perfect for social life, dating, and casual work environments. Avoid it in formal writing or when speaking to high-level authorities unless you are being intentionally colorful.
Use with Pronouns
Always include 'me', 'nos', or 'nele/nela' to make the sentence clear.
Not for Business
Avoid this in emails to your boss. It's too informal.
The 'Levar' Variation
Use 'Levei um bolo' to sound more like a native when you are the victim.
The Excuse
If you give a bolo, be prepared to give a very good reason, or you might lose a friend!
مثالها
6Acredita que ele me deu um bolo ontem à noite?
Can you believe he stood me up last night?
Uses 'me deu' to show the action was directed at the speaker.
Poxa, você me deu um bolo! Estou aqui esperando.
Man, you stood me up! I'm here waiting.
A direct but casual confrontation via text.
O fornecedor deu um bolo na equipe e não veio para a reunião.
The supplier stood the team up and didn't come to the meeting.
Slightly more professional but still uses the idiom to show frustration.
Se você me der um bolo de novo, eu vou comer o bolo sozinho!
If you stand me up again, I'm going to eat the cake by myself!
A pun playing on the literal meaning of cake.
Levei um bolo da Maria, então voltei cedo.
Maria stood me up, so I came back early.
Uses 'levar' to show the speaker was the one left waiting.
Todo mundo deu um bolo e ninguém apareceu na festa.
Everyone stood me up and nobody showed up to the party.
Describes a collective failure to show up.
خودت رو بسنج
Complete a frase com a forma correta do verbo 'dar'.
Eu esperei por duas horas, mas ela me ___ um bolo.
The sentence refers to a completed action in the past, so the Pretérito Perfeito 'deu' is required.
Qual é o significado de 'dar um bolo'?
O que significa quando alguém te dá um bolo?
The idiom specifically refers to a no-show.
Complete o diálogo de forma natural.
A: 'Você vai sair com o Bruno hoje?' B: 'Não, ele me ___ ontem, então não quero mais ver ele.'
The context of not wanting to see him again implies a social slight like being stood up.
Combine a situação com a frase correta.
Situação: Você marcou de ir ao cinema com um amigo, mas ele não apareceu e não atendeu o telefone.
All three expressions are common synonyms for being stood up in Brazil.
🎉 امتیاز: /4
ابزارهای بصری یادگیری
بانک تمرین
4 تمرینهاEu esperei por duas horas, mas ela me ___ um bolo.
The sentence refers to a completed action in the past, so the Pretérito Perfeito 'deu' is required.
O que significa quando alguém te dá um bolo?
The idiom specifically refers to a no-show.
A: 'Você vai sair com o Bruno hoje?' B: 'Não, ele me ___ ontem, então não quero mais ver ele.'
The context of not wanting to see him again implies a social slight like being stood up.
Situação: Você marcou de ir ao cinema com um amigo, mas ele não apareceu e não atendeu o telefone.
All three expressions are common synonyms for being stood up in Brazil.
🎉 امتیاز: /4
سوالات متداول
5 سوالThe phrase itself isn't rude, but the action it describes is considered very disrespectful in Brazil.
No, for professional or medical appointments, use 'faltar'.
'Furar' is for flaking on a plan (often before it happens), while 'dar um bolo' usually means leaving someone waiting at the spot.
Eu dei, você deu, nós demos, eles deram.
Yes, but 'dar um balão' is more common there.
عبارات مرتبط
dar o cano
synonymTo stand someone up (slightly more informal).
furar
similarTo flake on plans.
dar um perdido
specialized formTo disappear or avoid someone.
ficar a ver navios
builds onTo be left disappointed/empty-handed.
desmarcar
contrastTo cancel.
