Meaning
To live in extreme poverty or with minimal resources.
Cultural Background
In Portugal, the phrase is often associated with the 'Estado Novo' period, where poverty was widespread and many families literally survived on bread and soup. In Brazil, while the idiom is understood, people often prefer 'estar na pindaíba' or 'passar perrengue'. 'A pão e água' sounds slightly more dramatic or literary. In Angola, the phrase can be used to describe the resilience of the people during the long years of civil conflict. Because of the strong Catholic influence in Lusophone countries, 'pão e água' is also recognized as a form of voluntary fasting (jejum) during Lent.
Use for Emphasis
Use this phrase when you want to sound more empathetic or dramatic about financial hardship than just using 'pobre'.
Preposition Alert
Never say 'com pão e água'. It's the most common mistake for English speakers.
Meaning
To live in extreme poverty or with minimal resources.
Use for Emphasis
Use this phrase when you want to sound more empathetic or dramatic about financial hardship than just using 'pobre'.
Preposition Alert
Never say 'com pão e água'. It's the most common mistake for English speakers.
The Bread Symbol
Remember that bread is a staple in Portugal. Saying you only have bread is like saying you've lost all your 'extras' in life.
Test Yourself
Complete the sentence with the correct preposition and phrase.
Desde que a fábrica fechou, a vila inteira está ______.
The idiom 'a pão e água' always uses the preposition 'a' and no articles.
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly in a figurative sense?
Qual frase está correta?
This correctly uses the idiom to mean 'withholding resources' or 'extreme budget cuts'.
Match the situation to the most likely use of the phrase.
Situação: Um estudante gastou todo o dinheiro em uma viagem e agora não tem nada para o resto do mês.
This is the standard idiomatic way to describe being broke and having to eat minimally.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 'Você viu como o Paulo emagreceu?' B: 'Sim, ele perdeu o emprego e está ______ há dois meses.'
The idiom fits the context of weight loss due to financial hardship.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Practice Bank
4 exercisesDesde que a fábrica fechou, a vila inteira está ______.
The idiom 'a pão e água' always uses the preposition 'a' and no articles.
Qual frase está correta?
This correctly uses the idiom to mean 'withholding resources' or 'extreme budget cuts'.
Situação: Um estudante gastou todo o dinheiro em uma viagem e agora não tem nada para o resto do mês.
This is the standard idiomatic way to describe being broke and having to eat minimally.
A: 'Você viu como o Paulo emagreceu?' B: 'Sim, ele perdeu o emprego e está ______ há dois meses.'
The idiom fits the context of weight loss due to financial hardship.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
5 questionsNo, but it is serious. Using it to joke about someone who is truly suffering might be seen as insensitive.
Technically yes, but it sounds like you are being punished. For a voluntary diet, 'estou de dieta' is better.
'Comer' focuses on the act of eating/sustenance, while 'viver' describes the overall lifestyle of poverty. They are mostly interchangeable.
Yes, it is understood everywhere, though Brazilians have many other slang terms for being broke.
90% of the time, yes. Occasionally it refers to literal prison or religious fasting.
Related Phrases
Estar na pindaíba
synonymTo be completely broke (Brazilian slang).
Passar fome
similarTo go hungry.
Viver de brisa
similarTo live on air (having nothing to eat).
Pão-duro
contrastA stingy person.
Comer o pão que o diabo amassou
builds onTo go through hell/great suffering.
