Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Portuguese term or phrase:
se afogar num copo de água
English translation:
make a mountain out of a molehill
Added to glossary by
Richard Jones
Oct 25, 2023 18:29
7 mos ago
32 viewers *
Portuguese term
Brazil
Native in: English 
se afogar num copo de água
Portuguese to English
Other
Other
Any idea what this would be in English? Thanks for your help!!
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+6
8 mins
Selected
drown in a glass of water
:) How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water: A Novel: Cruz, Angie
Amazon.com
https://www.amazon.com › How-Not-Drown-Glass-Water
As Cara confronts her darkest secrets and regrets, we see a woman buffeted by life but still full of fight.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 mins (2023-10-25 18:39:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Drowning in a Glass of Water
Elephant Journal
https://www.elephantjournal.com › ...
·
20 de mai. de 2021 — In Spanish, we say that someone drowns in a glass of water: ahogarse en un vaso de agua. It's like saying, “don't make a mountain out of a ..
Amazon.com
https://www.amazon.com › How-Not-Drown-Glass-Water
As Cara confronts her darkest secrets and regrets, we see a woman buffeted by life but still full of fight.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 mins (2023-10-25 18:39:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Drowning in a Glass of Water
Elephant Journal
https://www.elephantjournal.com › ...
·
20 de mai. de 2021 — In Spanish, we say that someone drowns in a glass of water: ahogarse en un vaso de agua. It's like saying, “don't make a mountain out of a ..
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Andrew Bramhall
18 mins
|
|
thanks
|
|
| agree |
Karina Miguel
22 mins
|
|
thanks
|
|
| agree |
Oliver Simões
: It just dawned on me that the meaning is metaphorical; therefore a literal translation may not be understood by some people. I just posted an alternative translation.
26 mins
|
|
thanks
|
|
| agree |
Nelson Soares
58 mins
|
|
thanks
|
|
| agree |
José Patrício
: “drowning in a glass of water.”-https://artmuseum.williams.edu/drowned-in-a-glass-of-water-a...
1 hr
|
|
a pergunta foi posta no infinitivo, obrigado:)
|
|
| agree |
Mario Freitas
:
4 hrs
|
|
obrigado
|
|
| neutral |
philgoddard
: If I came across this literal translation in the middle of a sentence, I'd be confused. We need an equivalent English idiom, but we don't have any context.
10 hrs
|
|
Well, you can explain what it means in brackets. I do not recommend a translation different from the literal. Thanks
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Great! I think "make a mountain out of a molehill" is great! Thank you!"
6 hrs
Carolina Falcao
Brazil
Brazil
Native in Portuguese
Brazil
History Archaeology Social Sciences RPG
Native in: Portuguese (Variant: Brazilian)
Works in: Simple English to Portuguese, Portuguese to Simple English, Portuguese, and 5 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
making a mountain out of a molehill, to make a big fuss over nothing, to sweat the small stuff
In the context of "se afogar num copo de água," a suitable English translation would be "to make a big fuss over nothing" or "to sweat the small stuff." These expressions convey the idea of someone overreacting or getting overly concerned about a trivial matter.
Note from asker:
| Marvelous Carolina! That's exactly what I was looking for! |
7 hrs
Diego Martins
China
China
Native in Portuguese
China
Mandarin and English to Portuguese
Native in: Portuguese (Variant: Brazilian)
Works in: English to Portuguese, Chinese to Portuguese, Portuguese to English
Tempest in a teapot (AM-ENG) or storm in a teacup (BRT-ENG)
I believe most of the proposed translations were quite good. However, this phrase came to my mind, probably from something I read years ago, I am not sure where I first read it, but I think this can be a very good option.
It seems this phrase has been translated into several languages from the original Latin excitabat enim fluctus in simpulo ut dicitur Gratidius
It seems this phrase has been translated into several languages from the original Latin excitabat enim fluctus in simpulo ut dicitur Gratidius
Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempest_in_a_teapot
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/15/storm-in-teacup-tempest-glass-water
Note from asker:
| Thanks Diego. The idea of making a mountain out of a molehill works very well here, too. |
4 hrs
Oliver Simões
United States
United States
Native in Portuguese
United States
BA in Transl., MA in ESL, 15 yrs of exp.
Native in: Portuguese 
Works in: English to Portuguese, Portuguese to English, Spanish to Portuguese, and 2 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
27
let small things get to you
The translation will depend on your specific context. For example, in the following excerpt I would translate it as "let small things get to you":
"Às vezes, as relações de casal passam por uma pequena crise, mas isso não significa que você deva jogar a toalha ou se afogar em um copo de água. Isso é normal, então tente ser paciente e confie no seu parceiro. Não tem motivos para ter ciúmes por qualquer coisa."
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2023-10-25 23:27:59 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Sorry, I accidentally pressed the wrong key and ended up posting the answer before I was ready to.
URL for the above passage: https://www.visaooeste.com.br/horoscopo-do-dia-03-de-abril-q...
Don;t let small things get to you: https://www.google.com/search?q="don't let small things get ...
The same translation fits into the following context. The idea is that you have a choice between being overwhelmed by life's uncertainties or accepting uncertainty as a part of life. After all, letting small things get to you is another option in your daily life.
"Você decide se vive assediado pelas preocupações dos milhares de infortúnios que podem acontecer com você e com aqueles que você ama, ou aceita a incerteza como parte da vida.. Afinal, se afogar em um copo de água é mais uma opção entre todas disponíveis no seu dia a dia." https://pt.sainte-anastasie.org/articles/psicologia/t-decide...
I hope this helps clarify a bit.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 21 hrs (2023-10-26 15:57:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Alternative translation: fret about small things
https://translate.google.com/?sl=en&tl=pt&text=to fret about...
"Às vezes, as relações de casal passam por uma pequena crise, mas isso não significa que você deva jogar a toalha ou se afogar em um copo de água. Isso é normal, então tente ser paciente e confie no seu parceiro. Não tem motivos para ter ciúmes por qualquer coisa."
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2023-10-25 23:27:59 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Sorry, I accidentally pressed the wrong key and ended up posting the answer before I was ready to.
URL for the above passage: https://www.visaooeste.com.br/horoscopo-do-dia-03-de-abril-q...
Don;t let small things get to you: https://www.google.com/search?q="don't let small things get ...
The same translation fits into the following context. The idea is that you have a choice between being overwhelmed by life's uncertainties or accepting uncertainty as a part of life. After all, letting small things get to you is another option in your daily life.
"Você decide se vive assediado pelas preocupações dos milhares de infortúnios que podem acontecer com você e com aqueles que você ama, ou aceita a incerteza como parte da vida.. Afinal, se afogar em um copo de água é mais uma opção entre todas disponíveis no seu dia a dia." https://pt.sainte-anastasie.org/articles/psicologia/t-decide...
I hope this helps clarify a bit.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 21 hrs (2023-10-26 15:57:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Alternative translation: fret about small things
https://translate.google.com/?sl=en&tl=pt&text=to fret about...
Note from asker:
| Thank you Oliver. This idea of not letting small things get to you is great. Maybe making a mountain out of a molehill, as was suggested by Carolina works well. |
2 days 15 hrs
Nick Taylor
Native in English
Portuguese to English, English to Portug
Native in: English
Works in: Portuguese to English, English to Portuguese
Related KudoZ points
:
121
blow things out of proportion
blow things out of proportion (write the original and bracket the explanation)
Note from asker:
| Great Nick. Thanks for your help!! |
Discussion
Afogar-se num copo de água.
Significado: Fracassar diante do menor obstáculo; perturbar-se com pouco.
Afogar-se em pouca água.
Provérbio:
“Quem se afoga em pouca água, com pouco se embaraça.”
"O Almeida afoga-se em pouca água, não tem razões para estar preocupado."
[Almedia lets small things get to him, [but] he has no reason to worry.]
https://orxeira-euportugues.blogspot.com/2013/11/afogar-se-n...
Not to be confused with "fazer tempestade em copo d'água" (make a mountain out of a molehill").