Portuguese · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 9 of 12
Humour and informal language
Humor e linguagem informal
Understand informal Brazilian Portuguese: slang like trampo, massa and rolê, diminutives and irony, and tu vai and bah from the South.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Understand and use widely known slang, and know when not to use it
- Use diminutives and augmentatives for affection, irony and emphasis
- Recognise irony in informal conversation
- Recognise tu with the ele form of the verb and southern words like bah and tchê
Listen
On Friday evening in a bar in Porto Alegre, Luíza tells her friend Guilherme about her disastrous first week in a new job. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Guilherme
Bah, Luíza, finalmente! E aí, como é que foi a primeira semana no trampo novo?
Wow, Luíza, at last! So, how was your first week in the new job?
Luíza
Nem te conto, cara. Foi a pior semana da minha vida.
Don't even ask, mate. It was the worst week of my life.
Guilherme
Sério? Mas tu tava tão animada. O que foi que aconteceu?
Seriously? But you were so excited. What happened?
Luíza
Na segunda, o ônibus quebrou e eu cheguei atrasada, suando, num calorão de quarenta graus. No primeiro dia. Que ótimo, hein.
On Monday the bus broke down and I got there late, sweating, in forty-degree heat. On the first day. Great, eh.
Guilherme
Que mico! Mas isso acontece, tchê. Ninguém ia te julgar por isso.
How embarrassing! But these things happen, mate. Nobody would judge you for that.
Luíza
Espera, que piora. Na quarta, gravei um áudio reclamando da reunião pra minha irmã… e mandei no grupo da empresa. O chefe ouviu tudo.
Wait, it gets worse. On Wednesday I recorded a voice message moaning about the meeting for my sister… and sent it to the company group. The boss heard everything.
Guilherme
Não acredito! E ele?
I don't believe it! And what did he do?
Luíza
Ele é paulista e super gente boa. Riu e disse: “Mano, mó mancada, hein? Relaxa, acontece.” Mas o pessoal me zoou o resto do dia.
He's from São Paulo and a really nice guy. He laughed and said: “Bro, that was a real blunder, eh? Relax, it happens.” But everyone teased me for the rest of the day.
Guilherme
Bah, teu chefe parece ser da hora. E a fofoca se espalhou?
Wow, your boss sounds cool. And did the gossip spread?
Luíza
Rapidinho. Na sexta, até o pessoal do café já sabia. Mas pelo menos me dei bem com a equipe: me chamaram pra um rolê amanhã.
In no time. By Friday even the café staff knew. But at least I got on well with the team: they've invited me to go out with them tomorrow.
Guilherme
Viu só? No fim, tu te deu bem. Isso é massa. Bora pedir mais uma?
See? In the end, it worked out well for you. That's great. Shall we order another one?
Luíza
Bora. Mas, a partir de agora, antes de mandar qualquer áudio, eu escuto duas vezes.
Let's. But from now on, before I send any voice message, I'm listening to it twice.
Understand
Informal words and when to use them
Brazilian slang () changes by region and generation, but the words below are understood all over the country. Use them with friends and people your age. Avoid them in job interviews, with older people you don't know and in writing that isn't a chat message.
is a short form of and works like “really” or “such a”: (a real blunder), (really hot). and are typical of São Paulo, and of the Northeast and the South, but young people all over Brazil know them.
| Informal | Meaning | Neutral |
|---|---|---|
| , | mate, guy, bro | — |
| , , | cool, great | , |
| work, job | ||
| going out, an outing | , | |
| to tease someone | ||
| a blunder, a gaffe | , | |
| to be a nice person | ||
| let's go, let's |
Diminutives, augmentatives and irony
The diminutive -inho / -inha doesn't only mean “small”. It adds affection or makes something sound quick and easy: (just a minute), (really quickly), . The augmentative -ão makes things bigger or more intense: (a heatwave), (a big, flashy car).
Irony is common in informal speech. said in a flat voice after bad news means the opposite: “Just great.” at the end often signals irony or emphasis.
- Espera um minutinho.Wait just a minute.
- Vou ali rapidinho e já volto.I'm just popping out and I'll be right back.
- Que calorão!It's boiling!
- Choveu no meu dia de folga. Que ótimo, hein.It rained on my day off. Just great.
Tu in the South: tu vai, bah, tchê
In Rio Grande do Sul and some other regions, people say instead of . In speech, most of them use it with the form of the verb: , and , and : , . The textbook form with -s () is used in Portugal, in careful writing and by some speakers in Brazil.
You don't need to say yourself, but you'll hear it. Typical southern words are (wow, surprise or emphasis), (mate, a friendly word to address someone) and (very: ).
More in the grammar: Subject pronouns: eu, você, a gente…
New words
- bahwow (surprise or emphasis) · Rio Grande do Sul
- o trampowork, job · masculine; informal
- caramate, guy · informal; to a man or a woman
- reclamarto complain, to moan · : to complain about something
- a mancadablunder, gaffe · feminine; informal
- móreally, such a · informal, from :
- ser gente boato be a nice person · informal; also
- zoarto tease, to make fun of; to mess around · informal
- da horacool, great · informal; São Paulo
- a fofocagossip · feminine; : to gossip
- rapidinhoreally quickly, in no time
- se dar bem / malto do well / badly; to get on well / badly (with someone)
- o rolêgoing out, an outing · masculine; informal; : to go out
- massacool, great · informal; doesn't change:
Practise
1.You're in a job interview. How do you say you liked your last job?
2.Complete with the diminutive of : “I'm just popping out and I'll be right back.”
I'm just popping out and I'll be right back.
3.Complete with the augmentative of : “It's boiling!”
It's boiling! (What a heat!)
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.In the end, it worked out well for you.
5.Match the informal words with their neutral meanings.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.Your friend's flight is cancelled and she says flatly: What does she mean?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Nem te conto, cara.
Don't even ask, mate.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.