Joana
Luís- PracticePortuguese.com
- Irene: Quem é? Irene: Who is it?
- Augusto: Boa tarde, D.ª Irene. É o Augusto, do 1.º Direito! Augusto: Good afternoon, Mrs. Irene. It's Augusto, from the 1st floor on the right!
- Irene: Ah! Sr. Augusto! Prazer em vê-lo. Como está? Irene: Ah! Mr. Augusto! Nice to see you. How are you?
- Augusto: Igualmente. Está tudo bem, obrigado. Augusto: Likewise. Everything's fine, thank you.
- E a D.ª Irene, como está? And you, how are you?
- Irene: Vai-se andando, graças a Deus. Em que posso ajudá-lo? Irene: I'm getting by, thank God. How can I help you?
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Vocabulary
acontecerto happen o canalizadorplumber masc. o cheirosmell as escadasstairs a pressahurry, haste, rush o prédiobuilding reformadoretired sentirto feel, sense sujarto dirty
Expressions
Prazer em vê-la novamenteNice to see you again sing.,formal,to woman Prazer em vê-lo novamenteNice to see you again sing.,formal,to man Não se preocupeDon't worry sing.,formal Mais uma vezOnce again, One more time Vai-se andandoIt's going, Just getting by, "Fine" with a shrug Agora que fala nissoNow that you mention it Se me dá licençaIf you'll excuse me
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Comments
In what cases they use Sr.ª D.ª Eunice, why not just senhora or dona Eunice?
“Sr.ª D.ª” is unusual as a form of treatment, as it feels quite formal. It may be heard rarely when addressing older women or housewives, especially if they’re in a position of power/status (e.g. a housekeeper talking to their employer). Apart from this, many of the everyday uses in conversation are tongue in cheek, from people playfully exaggerating formality with someone that doesn’t need it. In the context of this story in particular, it’s arguably quite sarcastic – the person seems angry and very insincere in the usage of that title.
Understood. And could you clarify nuances of modern usage (in common context) of senhora or dona? And do they use don for men?
Sure. This Learning Note should fully clarify this for you: Tu and Você in European Portuguese | Practice Portuguese
In short, “dona” is a common form of treatment for housewives, especially if older (no power/status differential needed). It’s formal enough, without being over the top, and always implies at least some familiarity, as this title must be followed by the person’s given name – it can’t stand alone. “Senhora” is also formal, maybe more so than “dona”, but widely applicable to any kind of women (mostly middle-aged and over) and usable on its own. So you can say “Como posso ajudar a senhora?” (What can I do for you, ma’am?), but never “Como posso ajudar a dona?”. We use “senhor”, but we do not use “dom”. Unlike “dona”, “dom” is still perceived as a title exclusively for nobility or high-ranking clergy.
One thing I can’t grasp: he lost his keys and has 2 homicide problems, why the lleh he answers “Está tudo bem”? Are there some theoretical cases, when portugals answer differently?..
Good question! It’s very common to give a positive answer when people ask us how we’re doing, even if things aren’t going that great. It will depend on the person and context, but most of the time we’ll answer with a “Está tudo bem” if we don’t have much time to talk about it, if we don’t want to talk about it or if we want to pretend everything is fine. In this situation, though, she’s asking how Augusto is doing and he says “everything’s alright” with him. He doesn’t have his keys and his house has humidity problems, but with him personally, everything is fine. He’s not unhealthy or doing bad. I hope that makes sense!
Got it, thanks.