algarcia66

Formal / Informal (3)

2.2. VOCÊ / VOCÊS

So, "vós" is dead and "tu" is a mess. What should you use then when you simply want to say "you"? Why is it so hard to get straight to the point?! Are Brazilians nuts?! Chill out, dude. Ignore this horrible pun and simplify your life, by knowing that 85% of the time, be the situation formal or not, we'd use "você" in singular and "vocês" in plural (this number represents no statistics at all, it's all based in my point of view and instinct, take it or leave it). And the verbs are conjugated, respectively, according to the third person of singular and plural. The same happens about the related pronouns (except for the "I-didn't-even-know-that-I-was-using-it" form of "tu"). End of story.

Not that fast. I still have some things to put across. I said 85%, remember? "Você" is used in a lot of formal contexts, because formality in Brazil is very different. And that's my point now. You shouldn't use "você" in the following situations:

- For the elderly (unless they ask you that, in order to feel younger and cheerful). Keep in mind, formality is closely related to age.

- For reasonably refined customers, if you work with the public (unless they ask you that, etc...). In this case, it's easier to evaluate the level of formality, by comparing to the situations in which you'd say "you sir / ma'am" in English. If you are a call center operator, you must use it always, even if you're talking to a pizza-face 17 year-old loser. Been there, done that.

- For your parents and grandparents, depending on their mood. My neighbor slapped her son's face because he called her "você", while asking him: "Cadê o respeito, menino???"

- For God, Jesus, Maria - Jesus' mother and some saints. Even if you're not Catholic. Sounds strange. Here you'd rather use "tu" (one saint) or "vós" (one [!] or more saints).

- For teachers and professors, mainly professors. But it's been changing. Most of my students call me "você" and I really don't care. I'm also too young to worry about the ones who don't. I used to call all my professors "você" too. And they looked very pleased by that, as though I was giving them a botox shot.

- When you want to express reverence or subordination. A horrible and old-fashioned behavior, but believe me, many people follow that. In the army, they never use it either. And there are the SM games... hahahahahaha... (not my cup of tea).

In Portugal, I heard "você" is rather formal, because the origin of the word is in the ancient title "Vossa Mercê", something similar to "Your Excellency", but much softer, not a royal title. However I also heard the Brazilian soap operas have been a fever down there, and influenced much their way of speaking.

2.3. - O SENHOR / A SENHORA / OS SENHORES / AS SENHORAS

These are the ones you should say instead of "você" in more formal situations (what is something really questionable, whether the best word is "formal", as you may have found out). "O  senhor" is male and "A senhora", female. The other two are the respective plural forms and should be conjugated such as "vocês". While the first ones, as "você". To my knowledge, in Germany, they use "du" (informal) to talk to God, to anybody in their family, to children and teenagers under 16, and to close friends. And "Sie" (formal) to anyone else. Here it's a mess, but similar: "o(a)(s) sr(a)(s)." to talk to God and all the cases mentioned before in 2.2; "você(s)" to anybody else.

One last thing to be considered is that when people use "o(a)(s) sr(a)(s).", and it's not one of the cases above, they are being ironic and the pronoun becomes disapproving. It's especially used by bosses, wives and mothers when you do something wrong.

e.g.: "O que o senhor andou fazendo a essa hora na rua, Ademar?"

Ooofff... I think that's it. The problem about "you" is solved. Now let's analyse "we".

2.4 - NÓS / A GENTE

This is complex. Some decades ago, "a gente" was considered slang. But it's so easier to conjugate the verbs in third person of singular, that everybody has used it more and more, instead of "nós". This was the reason why "vós" died long ago and "tu" is almost undergoing euthanasia. We could say "nós" has just discovered a tumor.

However, both "nós" and "a gente" can be used in formal and informal occasions nowadays. There doesn't seem to be a rule or criterium, though when you want to "sound" more formal you use "nós". Depending on the situation, it may even sound too intellectual or snobbish if you use "nós".

That usage of pronouns, seen in "tu" and "você", also happens here, they are sometimes mingled, as in: "A gente quer que o homem que nos roubou seja preso e que ele devolva as nossas coisas." or "Nós sabemos dos direitos da gente." People with little education commonly exchange the conjugation of the verbs, complicating it even more: " A gente sabemos que nós não é inocente, mas nós precisava se alimentar."

One thing is right: it really sounds like you're poor and dumb if you make this exchange; it really sounds weird and snobbish if you use "nós" and a refined vocabulary; it really sounds immature if you only use "a gente"; it sounds you're trying to impress (unsuccessfully) someone if you use "nós" and a poor vocabulary...

What to do then? Common people sound natural when they take turns, sometimes "nós", sometimes "a gente", conjugating everything correctly though. And if you use "a gente" with some refined vocabulary in a formal situation, it sounds you're cool but not futile. I know, that probably doesn't make any sense at all for you. But that's the way things work over here.

...TO BE CONTINUED...

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