7. NÃO REPARA A BAGUNÇA

Every single Brazilian person who was raised in a not-so-upper class have heard this one. Every mom had said that for sure. It’s a very simple and very witty welcome into someone’s home.

“Não repara a bagunça”. It translates to: “Do not remark the mess”. Something like “excuse the mess”. (It might have grammar minor mistakes in both Portuguese/English, but this blog is not tied to the educational standards of no language)

It’s an early and anticipated apology that is just routine, there’s no need of an actual mess for the expression to be used. Usually it’s a little mess, the big mess we cleaned up before the guest arrived.

It’s a very poor-people-thing, but hey, we poor kids are majority around here, so… that expression has been – and if it depends on me will be forever – used A LOT.

And we do have this thing of inviting people over, specially in the country, and we always apologise for the – existing or not existing – mess.

And in the case of an existing bit of mess – you know, people have kids, pets, are lazy sometimes – you were instructed not to remark, so please ignore it.

That’s an unspoken agreement.

And as a bonus, I’ll give you the expressions that follow the “não repara a bagunça”:

• “pode ficar à vontade” – “you may feel free”

Something like “make yourself at home”. It’s a very polite and warming one, so do not overwork the goodwill, okay?

• “desculpa qualquer coisa” – “I apologize for anything”

The same way “não repara a bagunça” is a warm welcome, “desculpa qualquer coisa” is the friendly goodbye. A general apology for anything that might have not been to your liking in your visit.

This is the <having guests pack>, whenever you hear them, you may rest assured you’re very welcome at that home.

As for this blog, dear foreign, don’t mind the mess and make yourself at home around here, we’ll leave the apologies for anything for the end of our project, deal?

Till tomorrow,

expressionada.