Como digo em inglês: Que roubo!

By Ana | Podcast Inglês Online

Oct 13
Como digo em inglês Que roubo

Hi everyone!

Se você achava que “What a steal!” tem o significado do nosso “Que roubo!”, ouça esse podcast. A maneira de dizer “Que roubo” é outra, e você também vai saber o que quer dizer “What a steal”. Clique nos links na transcrição para ir para posts relacionados às expressões linkadas.

Transcrição

Hey, everyone! This is the new episode of Inglesonline Podcast. To see the transcript and every episode of this podcast, go to inglesonline.com.br and click ‘Podcast Inglesonline’.

So, let’s say you’re interested in buying a new notebook computer. A simple one. But you don’t know anything about computers, so you visit an online shop and you type in a few keywords like “notebook” and “Windows”, for example. Then, you look at the search results, and you’re astounded. You’re in shock. A simple notebook computer, running on Windows, with not too much memory, costs… let’s say, five thousand reais.

If you were thinking in Portuguese, what thought would you have? Maybe “Que roubo!” Well, be careful! One way to translate “Que roubo” into English is “What a steal!” But “What a steal” means the opposite. It means that you found something that is worth way more than what the seller is asking for. To steal means roubar, but in this case it’s as though you, the buyer, were stealing something because it is so cheap.

Examples: you go shopping for… shirts, and you find these Italian shirts that look amazing, and they’re very high quality, and each one is eight reais. Ok, eight. And they’re not defective or anything, they’re just unbelievably cheap. You could say “They’re a steal!”. Or let’s say you want a new TV and your neighbor is selling his, which originally cost two thousand, for five hundred because he’s… moving to the Himalayas. What a steal! Or you went to an outlet last weekend and bought a brand-name shirt… not a knockoff, but a real, genuine brand-name shirt for twenty reais. You show it to your friend and you say “It was a steal. It was so cheap, it was a real steal”. A weekend on the beach at a very nice hotel for 80 reais? That’s a steal. A great show by an unknown band for fifteen reais? Another steal.

So you can usually find some real steals at outlets. An outlet is a store that sells things from past seasons at discounted prices, or slightly defective items, so… in general, they’re cheaper. Sometimes, if you’re in luck, you can find some real steals when you go to an outlet.

And what about that notebook computer for 5,000 reais? That’s not a steal. You think this little computer isn’t worth 5,000 reais… it’s not even worth 2,000 reais! So your opinion is, this is a rip-off. This store is trying to rip people off… to rip people off. That means that the store is asking for way more than the computer is worth. You could say “What a rip-off! I’m not gonna buy this computer because I don’t wanna be ripped off”.

“Rip off” is kind of a strong expression, OK? I mean, if you say that someone is trying to rip you off, you’re not just saying that what they wanna sell you is simply expensive. It’s almost like you’re saying that they’re intentionally charging way more than that thing is worth. Now, when something is just expensive, but you think it’s worth it, then you are not being ripped off. It’s not a rip-off, you’re just spending a lot of money on something that is worth a lot to you.

Here’s another example of “rip off”: sometimes, wine bottles at restaurants are a rip-off. People order them anyway, but be warned! When you order wine at a restaurant, it might be the case that you’re being ripped off. What does that mean? That means that the price the restaurant is charging for the wine is a lot higher than what you would pay if you bought the same wine at a store. So, the restaurant is ripping you off. You’re being ripped off. What a rip-off!

One more example: once I bought a skirt and when I showed it to my sister, she asked me how much I’d paid for it. When I told her, she said “You were ripped off”. Why did she say that? Because she had just seen a similar skirt for half of what I paid. So, she thought I had been ripped off. I didn’t think so, because I knew the skirt she was talking about and… it looked nothing like my skirt.

But anyway… When was the last time you got a steal? What was it? Have you ever been ripped off… or have you ever ripped someone off?? Tell us in the comments, and talk to you next time.

Key expressions

  • What a steal!
  • What a rip-off!
  • rip (someone) off

Glossary

astounded = incrivelmente espantado, estupefato

something is worth more/less than = algo vale mais/menos que

it’s as though you = é como se você

unbelievably cheap = inacreditavelmente baratas

unknown = desconhecida

some real steals = umas barganhas/pechinchas muito boas

slightly = ligeiramente

be warned = esteja avisado

it might be the case that = pode ser o caso de, pode ser que

Ana
Alex 21/01/2011

Olá,

Excelente explicação e excelente trabalho. Só agora consegui entender as diferenças destass palavras quando vejo os seriados “sitcom”
Abs,

alysson 16/01/2011

Hey, Ana
you are so awesome

once i was coming back of my prep for vestibular, was around for 9 hours of night, one guy of cycling was around me, he continued each block close to me. Suddenly he approached of me and attempted steal my wallet, but i ran when i realized that was this your intention and fortunately i managed to arrive safely at my house.
Never i was ripped off, because i no have money fo it, and either the opposite rs

By ana , thanks a lot for your help.

P.S: I’m just kidding about the meaning of the word steal

Terry 12/01/2011

Very sexy your voice. You drive me crazy…kissesssss

Ana Luiza 13/11/2010

Hi everyone, Wigna, Ramon, thanks for stopping by and enjoy

Hi Ronaldo! Adorei saber, e tem coisas que a gente não explica, não é? Eu também sou fã de inglês, mesmo porque eu vejo quanta coisa aconteceu na minha vida por eu saber inglês. Você já leu as dicas “Como Ter Progresso na Fluência”? Estão na barra lateral – acho q você vai gostar.

Ronaldo 11/11/2010

Hi Ana Luiza! Sou mais que privilegiado pois já tenho recebido as postagens que você sempre envia para minha caixa.
Tenho 52 anos, sou graduado em letras, porém nunca exerci a docência. Trabalho como mecânico e motorista de ônibus, vai entender isso…
Sou alucinado pelo idioma anglo-saxônico, porém quase não tenho tempo para me devotar aos livros, espero algum dia, talvez quando me aposentar, estudar com mais afinco e quem sabe até poder lecionar. Dizem por aí que a esperança é a ultima a falecer… tudo bem!
Se bem que no meu caso, gostaria que, se possível fosse, em um curso de inglês livre, isso porque, como é sabido, o ensino de inglês na escola pública vai mal, o que não é preciso nem citar as razões.

Ramon 25/10/2010

Great podcast, i’ve become a huge fan of this website, and of course of you, you have a beautiful voice and explain so well.
Thnks!

Wigna Guerra 25/10/2010

Olá, Ana Luiza! Gostei muito do site! Tá me ajudando muito, tanto na parte auditiva, como vocabulário, etc… Parabéns!

Ana Luiza 23/10/2010

Oi Magda! No momento, apenas para Iniciantes (cobre o Básico) – me fale se quiser informações, OK?

magda 23/10/2010

Voce e tao clara para explicar, que gostaria de saber se da aula em alguma escola ou curso, pois adoraria ser sua aluna.  Obrigada, mais uma vez.

Mer 20/10/2010

Ótima!!!!! Amei!!

Ana Luiza 20/10/2010

HI everyone! Obrigada pelos comentários, e vocês clicaram nos links no meio da trasncrição? Pra que parar por aqui… tem mais!
Abraço a todos.

andre 20/10/2010

A whole slew of good tips in this site. Perfect, keep doing your good work, Ana.

Thiago 20/10/2010

Parabens pelo site.
Tem me ajudado mto a estudar ingles.

Ana Luiza 17/10/2010

Wellington, Ailton e magda – very happy to hear you guys are enjoying the podcasts and the website smile

Oi tiago – que bom, hein? Esses podcasts nem são para iniciantes, nem para básico… Parabéns, que bom q você compreendeu.

tiago lima 17/10/2010

eu tive muita dificuldade para acompanhar pois sou muito leigo ainda nunca entrei em uma sala de aula mais depois da segunda vez que escutei ja consegui acompanhar certinho vc tem uma boa dicção. otimo.

magda 16/10/2010

You are a good teacher.  Congratulations.

Ailton 16/10/2010

Great podcast, congratulations, it helps a lot!!

Wellington 16/10/2010

i’ve been looking for a good podcast with transcriptions, actually i’ve looked at international websites, because i thought i’d be better then I found your website, that’s awesome! congratulations for your website and keep it up o/

Ana Luiza 15/10/2010

Hi Carlos – nope, wrinkles aren’t defects (‘cause you can iron them out). Maybe a tear (um rasgo), a malfunctioning zipper, etc…

Mari – great, you’re welcome and enjoy!

Mari Guilarducci 15/10/2010

Oh my God! I love the site!! I don’t knhow about this site and my teacher talk about it. You make a good work. I learn so much with this text. Thanks so much.

Carlos Augusto 14/10/2010

Hi Ana,awesome your english.It ‘Slightly defective items’means wrinkle or even fall apart?

    All the best.

Pedro Henrique 14/10/2010

HI Ana luiza Finally i got listen everything

Ana Luiza 14/10/2010

Oi Guilherme! rs.. não sei como saiu essa combinação pois sou paulista, mas vai ver q é a influência de amigos!

Oi Pedro – não entendi – qual é o problema?

Pedro Henrique 14/10/2010

Hi Ana luiza, yours podcast so fantastic,
but this Podcast having a little error in the middle i didn´t get listen until finished

Guilherme 14/10/2010

Mais uma vez muito proveitoso o podcast. Adoro seu sotaque ingles/carioca rs. Parebéns.

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