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contraía-se
[kõn-tra-ˈi-ə-sə]
verb
it contracted; it shrank; it was contracted
1.
third person singular preterite indicative of 'contrair' with reflexive pronoun 'se' - to contract, shrink, or become smaller
The muscle contraía-se when touched.
O músculo contraía-se quando tocado.
2.
to assume an obligation or debt
He contraía-se with the obligation to pay.
Ele contraía-se com a obrigação de pagar.
3.
to become wrinkled or shriveled
The fabric contraía-se in the heat.
O tecido contraía-se no calor.
Synonyms
encolhia-se
enrugava-se
diminuía-se
Antonyms
dilatava-se
expandia-se
aumentava-se
Regional Variations
General Brazilian
contraía-se
Standard usage in both written and spoken Portuguese
Portugal
contraía-se
Standard usage; may also use present tense 'contrai-se' more frequently in modern speech
Related Idioms & Phrases
contrair uma dívida - to incur a debt
contrair matrimônio - to enter into marriage
contrair uma obrigação - to assume an obligation
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