Phrase · 🧩 Everyday idioms
Sem verba, ficamos de mãos atadas.
Without funding, our hands are tied.
C2explaining constraintsAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
Semprepositionwithoutverba1nounfundingfem. · sing.,ficamosverbwe are (left)ficar · present · 1st pl.deprepositionof, frommãosnounhandsmão · fem. · pl.atadasadjectivetiedatar · fem. · pl..
- ficamos → atadas: ficar de mãos atadas
- mãos → atadas: mãos atadas
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1«verba» = public money, funding (false friend of Spanish «verba», chatter).