O Barney quer um pouquinho de café

What does “deixa” mean in Portuguese?

Deixar means both “to leave” and “to let.” When someone is begging, it’s the second meaning. Deixa? is “will you let me?”, and deixa tomar um pouquinho is “let me have a little sip.” Brazilians also say deixa eu ver (“let me see”) all the time. It’s an easy way to ask for permission.

Everyday Brazilian speech strongly prefers deixa eu ver. Formal writing may prefer deixe-me ver, and in Portugal deixa-me ver is the usual form. The other meaning is just as common: me deixa em paz means “leave me alone.” In this clip, the family goes back and forth about whether Barney the dog can have some coffee (você não pode tomar café, “you can’t have coffee”), and it ends with dá um pouquinho e pode (“give him a little and it’s fine”).