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C2  ·  25 words

Road construction in Portuguese

A structure that people take for something flat.

Practise this list

From these 25 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.

More about this list

The eleventh entry is a formação de rodeiras, and the noun inside it is assembled in front of the reader: a roda is the wheel, and a rodeira is the groove a wheel wears into a surface. Nothing more is asked of it. English calls the same groove « a rut », a word that gives away nothing about wheels, and then does something Portuguese never did with its own: it lifts the groove out of the road and puts a life inside it. To be « in a rut » is to go on doing the same thing because the sides are too high to climb out of, and « stuck in a rut » is said of a job, a marriage or a Tuesday. The picture is exact, which is probably why nobody hears the tarmac in it any more. A rodeira carries none of that. Somebody whose weeks have flattened out says cair na rotina, or andar sempre na mesma, and the road keeps its ruts to itself. There is a second « rut » in English as well, unrelated and spelt the same way: the deer’s mating season.

The words

Noun (m) (9)

Grammar for these: Definite article: o, a, os, as · Contractions: do, na, ao, pelo

o leito do pavimentothe subgradeNoun (m)C2
O leito do pavimento é compactado antes de tudo o resto.The subgrade is compacted before anything else.
o betumethe bitumenNoun (m)C2
O betume endurece com o frio e amolece com o calor.Bitumen hardens in the cold and softens in the heat.
o teor de vaziosthe void contentNoun (m)C2
Um teor de vazios alto deixa entrar água.A high void content lets water in.
o padrão de fendilhamentothe crack patternNoun (m)C2
O padrão de fendilhamento diz de onde veio o esforço.The crack pattern says where the stress came from.
o buraco no pavimentothe potholeNoun (m)C2
Um buraco no pavimento começa numa fenda mal tapada.A pothole starts in a crack that was badly sealed.
o eixo-padrão equivalentethe equivalent standard axleNoun (m)C2
Um camião conta tantos eixos-padrão equivalentes como toda uma rua de carros.One lorry counts for as many equivalent standard axles as a whole street of cars.
o betuminoso recicladothe reclaimed asphaltNoun (m)C2
O betuminoso reciclado volta à central de mistura.The reclaimed asphalt goes back to the mixing plant.
o revestimento superficialthe surface dressingNoun (m)C2
O revestimento superficial sela a estrada por poucos anos.Surface dressing seals the road for a few years.
o serviço de invernothe winter serviceNoun (m)C2
O serviço de inverno começa antes de cair a primeira geada.The winter service starts before the first frost falls.

Noun (f) (16)

Grammar for these: Definite article: o, a, os, as · Contractions: do, na, ao, pelo

a sub-basethe sub-baseNoun (f)C2
A sub-base drena a água que chega por baixo.The sub-base drains the water that comes up from below.
a camada de basethe base courseNoun (f)C2
A camada de base reparte a carga por uma área maior.The base course spreads the load over a wider area.
a camada de ligaçãothe binder courseNoun (f)C2
A camada de ligação prende o desgaste à base.The binder course ties the surface course to the base.
a mistura betuminosathe asphalt mixNoun (f)C2
A mistura betuminosa chega quente da central.The asphalt mix arrives hot from the mixing plant.
a curva granulométricathe grading curveNoun (f)C2
A curva granulométrica diz que grãos entram na mistura.The grading curve says which grain sizes go into the mix.
a compactação do pavimentothe compaction of the surfacingNoun (f)C2
A compactação do pavimento tem de acabar antes de arrefecer.The compaction of the surfacing has to be finished before it cools.
a pavimentadorathe paverNoun (f)C2
A pavimentadora avança a passo de caminhada.The paver moves forward at walking pace.
a formação de rodeirasthe ruttingNoun (f)C2
A formação de rodeiras aparece onde os camiões travam.Rutting shows up where the lorries brake.
a aderência do pavimentothe skid resistanceNoun (f)C2
A aderência do pavimento perde-se com o polimento dos grãos.The skid resistance is lost as the grains are polished smooth.
a regularidade superficialthe surface evennessNoun (f)C2
A regularidade superficial é medida com um perfilómetro.The surface evenness is measured with a profilometer.
a inclinação transversalthe crossfallNoun (f)C2
A inclinação transversal leva a água para a berma.The crossfall carries the water out to the verge.
a sobrelevação na curvathe superelevation on a bendNoun (f)C2
A sobrelevação na curva encosta o carro à faixa de dentro.The superelevation on a bend pushes the car towards the inside lane.
a marcação rodoviáriathe road markingNoun (f)C2
A marcação rodoviária é refeita todos os verões.The road marking is repainted every summer.
a retrorreflexãothe retroreflectionNoun (f)C2
A retrorreflexão devolve a luz ao condutor e a mais ninguém.Retroreflection sends the light back to the driver and to nobody else.
a guarda de segurançathe crash barrierNoun (f)C2
A guarda de segurança tem de ceder um pouco para travar.A crash barrier has to give a little in order to stop anything.
a fresagem do pavimentothe milling of the road surfaceNoun (f)C2
A fresagem do pavimento faz-se de noite.The milling of the road surface is done at night.

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