Who hasn’t heard (or said) São Paulo slang and expressions that, when translated into another language, don’t mean anything? After all, just as places can be striking, the way we speak and express ourselves also characterizes us as inhabitants of a particular place.
For example, when we think of São Paulo expressions, we immediately think of the famous “meu”! But there are many expressions that are the face of São Paulo. That’s why we’ve selected some of the funniest and most common examples in the daily lives of residents of São Paulo.
São Paulo slang and expressions
Cê
Short for you
“Are you going to class today?”
My
Used to call someone, or at the beginning and end of any sentence. It’s a São Paulo classic!
“Hey, man”
Bro
It works the same way as “mine”. Sometimes it becomes almost a comma because we use it so much.
“Dude, you don’t know what happened!”
Mina
The feminine form of “bro” is also used to refer to girlfriends.
“That’s my mine”
Brother from heaven
The interjection that is the face of São Paulo. It can be positive or negative and we can’t get enough of it.
“Jesus Christ! You don’t know!”
Are you taking me away?
A synonym for the expression “are you kidding me?”. Used to make up for attitudes we don’t like.
“I can’t believe you did it. You’re taking from me, aren’t you?”
Got it?
When you ask if someone knows a certain fact. Also often used at the end of sentences as a substitute for “got it?”.
“You know I really wish I could go…”
Beer
Beer.
“Shall we have a beer after work?”
Pistol/Pistolou
Someone who loses patience/Act of losing patience with something or someone.
“Did you see the fight? So-and-so got pistol-whipped!”
Old
From the same family as “dude” and “bro”.
“Old man, I’m so tired!”
Uncle
Yes, Paulistanos have all these ways of calling people.
“What’s that, Uncle? Are you crazy?”
Bone!
Something that is very difficult to happen or a bad situation.
“It’s tough at the firm.”
Manjar
Understand or know.
“You know that new bar that opened in Paulista?”
Meow
Something is wrong.
“This party is pissed! Let’s go!”
Roll
It’s the same as a party, an outing, a date. But it can also be used for something that takes a lot of work.
“Let’s go for a drive this weekend?” or “Wow, a drive to the South Zone and back!”
Grindstone
Synonymous with a lot.
“Wow, what a ride!” (too far, too difficult)
A lot
Cota is used for time and this empression with “mó” refers to something that has taken or will take a long time.
“I haven’t been to Center Norte in a long time.”
Necklace
Being present at a place or event.
“Are you going to the barbecue this weekend?”
Two sticks
Something that is done quickly.
“Hold on two sticks, I just need to finish this exercise.”
Blurry
A difficult situation to resolve.
“It’s hard to get everyone together, huh?!”
Closed
Synonymous with agreed upon.
“It’s closed, then. I’ll be there on Sunday!”
Sorry
The São Paulo way of apologizing for something.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Driving me crazy
Making up stories, lies or excuses. Whether it’s to avoid a situation or add to a story.
“She went crazy so she could miss school”
Migué
A variation on “going crazy”. Talking dirty or lying.
“I had to do something to get out of the house.”
Having “the moral high ground”
Synonymous with courage or audacity.
“I doubt you have the morals to do that!”
Stumble
Meeting someone.
“We’ll bump into each other at the party, then”
Give PT
Giving up “total loss” after a drink, i.e. not remembering (almost) anything.
“So-and-so drank so much at the party, he got PT! We had to ask for a cab.”
Bus
Bus.
“I can’t stand chasing the bus anymore.”
Cracking the beak
Laugh until you’re sick.
“Wow, I cracked up at that guy’s fall!”
You bet
Used when we agree with someone. Or not so much, but to avoid fatigue, we’ll end the discussion.
“You bet!”
Soft/sweaty
It’s used to agree with something, say that it’s fine or even refuse something.
“To soft to fight, can we be okay?”
Trampling
What every Paulistano does very well. Work!
“I can’t go out today, I’m working early tomorrow.”
Bullshit
Synonymous with quarrel or argument.
“Wow, there was a lot of trouble outside my house last night.”
Rubbish
It can be used in almost any situation as a synonym for “thing”, “situation”, etc.
“It’s crazy!”
Did you like the list of São Paulo slang and expressions? Which one do you use the most? And which one did you miss and can’t be left out? Oh, and if you’ve counted all the items and are wondering where the 35th item on our list is, here’s our farewell…