Portuguese Phrase
Estamos bem cheios, sem sobremesa.
Meaning
Literally, ‘We are quite full, without dessert.’ It’s a casual way to say you’ve eaten enough and won’t be having any sweet course.
When to use
Use this phrase after a hearty lunch or dinner when you want to politely decline a dessert or simply comment on how satisfying the meal was.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Estamosbemcheios,semsobremesa.
Estar (present)
‘Estamos’ is the first‑person plural present of ‘estar’, used for temporary states such as feeling full.
Bem as intensifier
‘Bem’ works as an adverb meaning ‘quite’ or ‘very’, strengthening the adjective that follows.
Adjective agreement
‘Cheios’ must agree in gender and number with the subject ‘nós’; for a mixed or all‑male group use ‘cheios’, for all‑female use ‘cheias’.
Sem + noun
‘Sem’ is a preposition meaning ‘without’; it directly precedes the noun without an article.
🗨In Conversation
Quer mais um pedaço de bolo?
Do you want another piece of cake?
Não, estamos bem cheios, sem sobremesa.
No, we’re quite full, no dessert.
✕Common Mistakes
Estamos muito cheios, sem sobremesa.
‘Muito’ can be used, but ‘bem cheios’ sounds more natural in everyday speech.
Estamos bem cheio, sem sobremesa.
The adjective must agree with the plural subject; ‘cheio’ is singular.
Estamos bem cheios, sem a sobremesa.
The article is unnecessary after ‘sem’; just use the noun alone.
↔Alternatives
Já estamos satisfeitos, não vamos comer sobremesa.
We’re already satisfied, we won’t have dessert.
Estou cheio, não preciso de sobremesa.
I’m full, I don’t need dessert.
Chegamos ao ponto de não querer sobremesa.
We’ve reached the point of not wanting dessert.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil it’s common to use ‘cheio’ to talk about feeling full after a meal. Adding ‘bem’ (or ‘muito’) intensifies the feeling. When refusing dessert, saying ‘sem sobremesa’ is polite and sounds natural, especially in family gatherings or at a restaurant.