Jul 5, 2019 16:52
4 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Portuguese term

se pega com

Non-PRO Portuguese to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
This phrase appears in a story about a character who is crying out in desperation. The line is: "Ele se pega com todos os santos, pede pela mãe." What does "se pega com" refer to there? All I can guess from its literal meaning is something like "aligns himself with all the saints?" Thanks!
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

PRO (1): Oliver Simões

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Proposed translations

5 mins
Selected

reaches out to (all saints)

I believe this can be interpreted quite freely. This is my suggestion. One of the meanings of "pegar" is:


pronominal
apegar-se, valer-se de, agarrar-se (a algo ou alguém).
"ele se pega por horas com qualquer pessoa"

From
https://www.google.com/search?q=pegar dicionário&oq=pegar di...
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you Lucas! Very helpful to learn this additional meaning, as the synonyms apegar-se, valer-se de, and agarrar-se fit the context much better than the more literal definitions."
+1
1 min

resorts to all saints/prays to all saints

.
Peer comment(s):

agree Mark Robertson
30 mins
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5 hrs

he appeals to all that is holy

he appeals to all that is holy
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+1
5 hrs

devotes himself to all saints

About prophet Daniel:

"Daniel led a consistent life. He prayed and devoted himself to God daily. Daniel’s faith and trust in the Lord is what helped him in the lion’s den, because he had a personal daily walk with the Lord." - http://www.cfcpca.org/daniel-by-debbie-graves

"Daniel levava uma vida coerente. Ele rezava/orava e se pegava com Deus diariamente. A fé e confiança de Daniel no Senhor é o que lhe ajudou na cova do leão, porque ele caminhava diariamente com o Senhor."

About Abba Palamon, a pilgrim who rejected the world and spent his life in a monastery:

"He devoted himself to God, and he fought so many fights that Satan became weary of fighting against him." -- http://www.stmichaeleoc.org/Synaxarium/Senne_17.htm

"Ele se pegou com Deus e travou tantas batalhas que Satanás ficou exausto de lutar contra ele."

Of course, "devote oneself to" also translates as "dedicar-se a", "devotar-se a".
https://dictionary.reverso.net/english-portuguese/devoted hi...

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Note added at 18 hrs (2019-07-06 11:27:24 GMT)
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In my view, the reflexive use of the verb ("se pega", "devotes himself") is crucial to establish a relationship between the faithful and the sacred entities (i.e. saints, God, Jesus, etc.). There is a reason for the pronoun to be there. I wouldn't use "aligns himself", though.

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Note added at 1 day 33 mins (2019-07-06 17:26:17 GMT)
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"Pegar-se" is stronger than just praying ("orar/rezar") or resorting to the saint or the Divine. It means being totally connected, being a devout.
Peer comment(s):

agree Aline Amorim
50 mins
Obrigado, Aline.
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