Language awareness Brazil – Portugal: tu – você – senhor – senhora
1. Note:
O Sr. = O senhor (formal way to address a man).
A Sr.a = A senhora (formal way to address a woman).
2. Language from the video:
You don’t need to learn all theses sentences now. It is important just to notice how tu – você – senhor – senhora work in the cultural context of Portugal.
| translation | |
|---|---|
| Olá! Como (tu) estás? | Hi. How are you? |
| Estou bem. E tu? | I am well. And you? |
| Boa tarde, Sr. Mendes. Como está? | Good afternoon, Mr. Mendes. How are you? |
| Bem, muito obrigado. E você? | Well, thank you very much. And you? |
| É você a jogar! | It’s your turn to play! |
| Onde é que o Sr. Arquiteto quer ir almoçar? * | Where do you want to go for lunch? * |
| Onde é que tu queres almoçar? | Where do you want to go for lunch? |
| Tu queres ir a Roma. | Do you want to go to Rome? |
| A Sr.a Engenheira leu o relatório? + | Did you read the report? + |
| Estou sim? Sr. Enfermeiro? | Hello. Nurse? |
| Tu estás a gostar da festa? | Are you enjoying the party? |
* Sr. Arquiteto = Where does Mr. Architect want to go for lunch? (word-for-word translation). In Portugal, it is common to use one’s job position to address them with a formal register.
+ A Sr.a Engenheira = Did Mrs. Engineer read the report? (word-for-word translation).
We can now use the following as guidance:
| tu (informal) |
você (slightly more formal) |
o senhor/a senhora (formal) |
3. How do tu – você – senhor – senhora work in Brazil?
As opposed to Portugal, tu and você are often just a matter of style. Both are informal. However, você is used in most parts of Brazil. The syntax that goes with tu tends to be colloquial in Brazil. These are the reasons why learning Portuguese with a Brazilian focus often omits tu.
Você is widely used in Brazil. It is closer to how ‘you’ is used in English in almost any context.
On the other hand, if you want to address someone in a formal way, in Brazil, just like in Portugal, you can use senhor or senhora, which are conjugated exactly like você (see table below).
Você = you person (informal in Brazil, but slightly more formal than tu in Portugal)
O senhor = you male person (formal)
A senhora = you female person (formal)
Os senhores = you male people (formal)
As senhoras = you female people (formal)
4. This table helps you build questions.
Listen to the questions on the table:
Você / O senhor…: Listen
Você / A senhora…: Listen
Vocês / O senhores…: Listen
Vocês / As senhoras…: Listen
Foundations of Portuguese for Global Communication
Foundations of Portuguese for Global Communication
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