"This shoe fits me well."

Translation: Este sapato serve bem em mim.

[Davu]

This has to be another Portuguese idiom. I thought the answer would involve the verb "caber" (to fit) and not "cair" (to fall). How does this mean "fits well"? If the shoe falls off it sounds like it's too loose. :-) Anyway, another little bit of usage learnt at the expense of a heart.

[Paulenrique]

yes, another expression. that reminded of a song: "...e dizem que a solidão até que me cai bem...." Plus, if you say some food "não me caiu bem" that means the food made you feel bad.

[Davu]

Thanks. I get the general drift of your quote now I know "me cai bem" means "fits me" or "suits me", but the position of "até que" confuses me. Could you do me a favour and translate it into English for me?

[Paulenrique]

até is a complicated word since it can be translated in a variety of ways... when you use "até que" linked to "cair bem" you mean you didn't expect that to suit someone well, but it did!! surely it could be better though! "até que cai bem" = " it somehow fits you well"

[SeaOfSand]

Yes, this is another good one for the long list of idioms.

[NobleJohn]

The use of 'fall' to mean 'fit' reminds me of the English idiom - "That suit hangs well on you" although that one doesn't apply to shoes.

[AdrianoMai1]

I'm a little bit worried about this. "Cair bem em alguém" in my opinion does not translate into "to fit well" (at least the way I understand it). When you say that something "cai bem" you mean that thing (generally a peace of clothing) looks good when worn by that person. "Este sapato me cai bem" means "this shoe looks good on me". If this sense is included in "fit well" then forget this comment ;-)

[Davu]

Well, in English "to fit" and "to suit" can mean the same thing. In this case, though, I would say they mean quite different things and having a pair of shoes that merely fit you well (are the perfect size) is not the same as having a pair that suit you (look good on you).

This translating dictionary: http://dictionary.reverso.net/portuguese-english/cair says "cair bem/mal" = "to fit well/badly", but I notice this monolingual dictionary: http://www.aulete.com.br/cair says "Cair bem" = "Ser adequado, agradar" which seems to be more about being suitable or pleasing. Thanks for pointing that out.

[AdrianoMai1]

Thank you! Aulete is quite authoritative.

I've looked in my physical Houaiss and it says "condizer, ser adequado ou apropriado (to be suitable); vir a propósito (to happen in a good or precise time); ser bem aceito (be well accepted); agradar (to please)". The examples it brings are very good (esta roupa cai bem com a ocasião = these clothes are appropriate for the occasion) and (vermelho não lhe cai bem = red color does not look good in (?) him/her/you).

Remember that the opposite "cair mal" or even better "não cair bem" has the same usage but is commonly used for food or drink that made you fell ill. "O café da manhã não me caiu bem".

[Davu]

Thanks. Thanks too for your answer in the thread dealing with the reverse translation. Your use of "não cair bem" is very close to the idiomatic English "to not go down well" though in this case I'd probably say "Breakfast didn't agree with me".

[AdrianoMai1]

That's amazing because we have another very similar idiom with verb descer. You can easily hear someone saying "o café da manhã não desceu bem" :-)

[vsandl]

Why not "me fica bem"?

[Paulenrique]

This is not used in Portuguese.

[amysand]

Is it possible to use the verb 'ficar' here? Can I say 'Este sapato fica bem em mim'? Thanks :)

[AdrianoMai1]

Yes, it is! Actually it is a very common usage of verb "ficar". Note that like "cair bem", it relates more to "suit" than to "fit".