Languagle #36: Portuguese
Quem tem boca vai a Roma
"Whoever has a mouth can get to Rome."
What it means
You can get anywhere if you are willing to ask. With a mouth to ask the way, you can even get to Rome. Used to encourage people not to be shy about asking.
What kind of saying it is
Oral tradition. In Portuguese, a provérbio. Passed down by word of mouth. Sayings like this have no single author.
About the Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language with over 230 million native speakers, most of them in Brazil, and it is official in nine countries on four continents. It began in the medieval kingdom of Galicia and Portugal, and Galician remains its closest relative. Portuguese is known for its nasal vowels, marked with a tilde as in 'não' (no), and European and Brazilian Portuguese differ noticeably in pronunciation.
← #35 · All answers · #37 →