desenmerdar

Portuguese

Alternative forms

Etymology

From des- +‎ *enmerdar, from en- +‎ merda (shit) +‎ -ar, literally to unshit oneself, to get oneself out of the shit. Alternatively, a calque of French se démerder.

Pronunciation

 
  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /de.zẽ.meʁˈda(ʁ)/ [de.zẽ.meɦˈda(h)]
    • (São Paulo) IPA(key): /de.zẽ.meɾˈda(ɾ)/
    • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /de.zẽ.meʁˈda(ʁ)/ [de.zẽ.meʁˈda(χ)]
    • (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /de.zẽ.meɻˈda(ɻ)/
 
  • (Portugal) IPA(key): /dɨ.zẽ.mɨɾˈdaɾ/ [dɨ.zẽ.mɨɾˈðaɾ]
    • (Southern Portugal) IPA(key): /dɨ.zẽ.mɨɾˈda.ɾi/ [dɨ.zẽ.mɨɾˈða.ɾi]

Verb

desenmerdar (first-person singular present desenmerdo, first-person singular preterite desenmerdei, past participle desenmerdado)

  1. (Portugal, reflexive, vulgar) to take oneself out of a difficult situation, without help; to pull oneself up by one's bootstraps, to be on one's own
    Synonyms: orientar-se, desenrascar-se
    Tu é que te puseste nessa situação, agora desenmerda-teYou've put yourself in that situation, now figure it out by yourself / you're on your own.

Usage notes

Mostly used in the imperative.

Conjugation