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work hard

[wɜrk hɑrd]
verb phrase
trabalhar duro
1. to make a lot of effort in one's job or studies; to exert oneself physically or mentally in labor
She works hard to achieve her goals.
Ela trabalha duro para alcançar seus objetivos.
2. to apply oneself diligently and persistently to a task
He has been working hard on his project all week.
Ele tem trabalhado duro em seu projeto durante toda a semana.
NYC Slang
put in work / grind
Synonyms
toillaborexert oneselfapply oneselfput in effortbeaver away
Antonyms
slack offloafbe lazyshirkidle

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
trabalhar duro
most common usage across Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
trabalhar duro / se esforçar
interchangeable with esforçar-se (to make effort)
São Paulo
trabalhar duro / quebrar galho
quebrar galho also used colloquially for working hard or improvising
Portugal
trabalhar muito / trabalhar duro
trabalhar muito is more commonly used than trabalhar duro

Related Idioms & Phrases

work one's fingers to the bone
blood, sweat and tears
nose to the grindstone
dar-se ao trabalho
suar a camiseta
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