Action movies and extreme sports are full of dangerous stunts and close calls.
| The stunt double had to do a risky jump. | O duplo tinha de fazer um salto arriscado. |
When telling thrilling stories about disasters that almost happened, Portuguese uses a very specific expression.
Por pouco não (Almost / Narrowly missed)
To describe a near miss, use the phrase por pouco não (literally, "by a little, not") followed by a verb in the Pretérito Perfeito Simples (Simple Past).
Because the catastrophic event did not actually happen, Portuguese logically frames it as a negative past event: "by a little bit, it didn't occur."
| The stunt double almost fell from the cliff. | O duplo por pouco não caiu do penhasco. |
| The parachute didn't open and the boy almost hit the ground. | O paraquedas não abriu e o rapaz por pouco não bateu no chão. |
You can use this structure for any close call, whether it involves a failing parachute or a dangerous explosion (a explosão).
| The boat exploded and the flame almost hit him. | O barco explodiu e a chama por pouco não o atingiu. |
| The stunt double's car almost exploded. | O carro do duplo por pouco não explodiu. |
When stunt performers survive these crazy situations, they often emerge unharmed (ileso). If the near miss involves a reflexive verb, like drowning (afogar-se), the reflexive pronoun simply stays right before the verb as usual.
| The actress was unharmed, but earlier she almost drowned. | A atriz ficou ilesa, mas antes por pouco não se afogou. |
