The Falando Atlas of Brazilian Portuguese
13 regional words and expressions documented for São Paulo — paulista Portuguese.
Maintained by the Falando editorial team21 cited sourcesHow to cite this page
Approximate. Usage varies by age, social group and context; a word can be heard outside the highlighted area.
Paulistano Portuguese varies between a tap and retroflex r at the end of a syllable, between single-vowel and diphthongal pronunciations of nasal e, and in nominal and verbal plural marking. These variables carry social information connected with neighbourhood, age, education, class, family roots in the city and speaking style.
Across the state, the retroflex “caipira r” is especially prominent in the interior, while the metropolis reflects successive international and Brazilian migrations. The SP2010 corpus consequently studies both locally rooted families and migrant speech accommodation, alongside urban vocabulary and identity.
| Word | Meaning | Category | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| corre | hustle, errand, mission | Actions & verbs | slang |
| farol | headlight, lighthouse, traffic light | Places & getting around | informal |
| goma | home, place, crib | Places & getting around | slang |
| mandrake | slick streetwise guy | People & forms of address | slang |
| mano | bro, dude, man | Interjections & fillers | informal |
| meo | dude, hey | Interjections & fillers | informal |
| mexerica | tangerine | Food & drink | neutral |
| mocorongo | silly, distracted, dimwit | People & forms of address | informal |
| padoca | bakery | Places & getting around | informal |
| perreco | teasing, mockery, lie | Other words | slang |
| que daora | how cool, awesome | Interjections & fillers | slang |
| se pá | maybe, perhaps | Other words | slang |
bro, dude, man
The paulistano vocative par excellence: 'mano' opens or closes a sentence to any friend, or literally means brother. Heard nationwide now, but it reads as São Paulo speech.
Mano, me passa o sal, por favor.Bro, pass me the salt, please.
dude, hey
A paulistano vocative or attention-getter, also written meu. The study classifies it as a regional use spread across social class, age and gender rather than a narrow in-group slang.
Meo, você viu aquele gol?Dude, did you see that goal?
how cool, awesome
'Daora' (from 'da hora') means cool or great, and 'que daora!' is the admiring exclamation. Youth slang that started out paulista and is now heard nationally; it can sound a bit dated to the youngest speakers.
Esse seu boné é que daora, onde você comprou?That cap of yours is so cool, where did you buy it?
Falando turns this list into daily practice: flashcards, example sentences and conversation practice in Brazilian Portuguese. Free for 7 days, no credit card.
slick streetwise guy
Names a sharply dressed young man from the urban periphery — designer clothes, fresh haircut, funk-scene attitude. It is a style label as much as a personality one, and can be admiring or mocking depending on who says it.
Aquele mandrake conhece todo mundo na área.That slick guy knows everyone in the area.
silly, distracted, dimwit
A pejorative for someone seen as a country bumpkin — clumsy, unpolished, out of step. Aulete marks it Pej., so it is an insult, not affectionate teasing. In Pará it separately means someone from Santarém.
Não seja mocorongo, presta atenção!Don't be silly, pay attention!
tangerine
The Southeastern name for the tangerine; elsewhere you will hear 'tangerina', 'bergamota' (South) or 'mimosa'. Completely neutral, everyday vocabulary at the market.
Em São Paulo, muita gente diz mexerica.In São Paulo, many people say mexerica.
hustle, errand, mission
'Fazer o corre' / 'dar o corre' is to go and get something sorted — an errand, a side job, a hustle. Very common in São Paulo youth and rap speech and now spreading nationally.
Tenho vários corres pra fazer hoje.I have a bunch of errands to run today.
headlight, lighthouse, traffic light
Everywhere in Brazil farol means a lighthouse or a car headlight. Its use for a traffic light is regionally marked: Priberam labels that sense "[Brasil: São Paulo]", and it is what paulistanos say day to day.
O carro parou porque o farol estava vermelho.The car stopped because the traffic light was red.
home, place, crib
Periphery ('quebrada') slang for someone's house or place, familiar from São Paulo rap and funk; very informal and best kept to friends. Also widely heard in Rio.
Vamo lá pra minha goma que lá é mais sossegado.Let's go to my place, it's quieter there.
bakery
Affectionate everyday shortening of 'padaria' — the corner bakery where you also get coffee and a snack. Casual but not rude; you would still write 'padaria' formally.
Vou na padoca pegar um pão.I'm going to the bakery to grab some bread.
teasing, mockery, lie
São Paulo periphery slang for a row or a beef — 'arrumar um perreco' is to start trouble; applied to a person it means a troublemaker or a bullshitter. Very informal.
Ele veio de perreco pra cima de mim na frente de todo mundo.He came at me with mockery in front of everyone.
maybe, perhaps
A hedging opener meaning 'maybe / who knows' — 'se pá eu vou'. Very casual youth slang; it would sound out of place in writing or at work.
Se pá eu vou na festa hoje.Maybe I'll go to the party today.
to take a stroll / to go for a wander
Casual way of proposing a walk or a wander with no fixed destination. Watch out for the related but different 'dar uma banda EM alguém', which means to trip someone up or to cheat on them.
Bora dar uma banda no parque?Shall we take a stroll in the park?
