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C1 (Advanced)Lesson 7: Literary & Formal Grammar
The formal address system of official Brazil: Vossa Senhoria, Vossa ExcelĂȘncia, Vossa MagnificĂȘncia, MeritĂssimo and the rest, with the letter formulas that surround them. The grammar that defines the topic is that all of them are third person even though they address the listener, and that Vossa switches to Sua the moment you speak about the person instead of to them.
Vossa + quality when you speak to the person, Sua + quality when you speak about them: Vossa ExcelĂȘncia jĂĄ assinou? (Have you signed, Your Excellency?) versus Sua ExcelĂȘncia jĂĄ assinou. (His Excellency has signed.)
They are third person despite addressing the listener: Vossa Senhoria estĂĄ enganado (You are mistaken), never estais â and the possessive is seu/sua, never vosso.
Vossa Senhoria (V.Sa.) is the workhorse of formal correspondence; Vossa ExcelĂȘncia (V.Exa.) is for presidents, ministers, judges, senators and generals.
Ceremony keeps its own list: Vossa MagnificĂȘncia (university rectors), Vossa Santidade (the Pope), Vossa EminĂȘncia (cardinals), Vossa ReverendĂssima (clergy), MeritĂssimo (a judge in court).
Doutor/Doutora in Brazil is a marker of deference as much as a qualification â physicians and lawyers by convention, and anyone who looks like authority by habit.
Letters open with Prezado Senhor or ExcelentĂssimo Senhor and close with Atenciosamente (equals and below) or Respeitosamente (a superior).
Outside officialdom Brazilians say o senhor / a senhora: V.Sa. in an ordinary email reads as stiff, or as sarcasm.
Vossa + quality (addressing) · Sua + quality (speaking about) â both take THIRD-person verbs and seu/sua: Vossa ExcelĂȘncia estĂĄ enganado · Sua ExcelĂȘncia chegou
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The moment your Portuguese becomes genuinely useful â a court summons, a visa appointment, a letter to a cartĂłrio (a notary's office), a university ceremony â you meet a system that contradicts everything you have learned. It looks second person and behaves third person, so Vossa ExcelĂȘncia estais marks you as a learner in four words, and vosso does the same. The opposite error costs more: Vossa Senhoria aimed at a colleague sounds pompous at best and sarcastic at worst, and Brazilians read it that way instantly. Knowing this register means knowing when to stay out of it.
Each form is Vossa plus an abstract quality â literally "your excellence", "your lordship". Who receives which one is fixed by custom, not by taste:
| Form | Abbreviation | Addressed to |
|---|---|---|
| Vossa Senhoria | V.Sa. | the default formal address: officials, companies, business letters |
| Vossa ExcelĂȘncia | V.Exa. | the President, ministers, senators, deputies, governors, mayors, judges, generals |
| Vossa MagnificĂȘncia | V.Mag.ÂȘ | university rectors, in ceremony |
| Vossa Santidade | V.S. | the Pope |
| Vossa EminĂȘncia | V.Em.ÂȘ | cardinals |
| Vossa ReverendĂssima | V.Rev.ma | priests, pastors and clergy generally |
| Portuguese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Prezado Senhor, escrevo para solicitar a segunda via do documento. | Dear Sir, I am writing to request a duplicate of the document. |
| ExcelentĂssimo Senhor Juiz, a defesa requer o adiamento da audiĂȘncia. | Your Honour, the defence requests that the hearing be postponed. |
| Informamos a Vossa Senhoria que o prazo termina na sexta-feira. | We inform you that the deadline ends on Friday. |
| Vossa ExcelĂȘncia serĂĄ recebida pelo reitor Ă s dez horas. | Your Excellency (a woman) will be received by the rector at ten o'clock. |
| Sua ExcelĂȘncia o Ministro chegou ao PalĂĄcio do Planalto. | His Excellency the Minister arrived at the Planalto Palace. |
| MeritĂssimo, a testemunha nĂŁo compareceu Ă audiĂȘncia. | Your Honour, the witness did not appear at the hearing. |
| Agradecemos a atenção de Vossa Senhoria e permanecemos à disposição. | We thank you for your attention and remain at your disposal. |
| Sua Santidade celebrou a missa na Praça de São Pedro. | His Holiness celebrated mass in St Peter's Square. |
Reaching for vĂłs pronouns. The verb is not the only thing that stays third person â the object pronoun does too: â Venho vos informar do ocorrido â â Venho informĂĄ-lo do ocorrido (I am writing to inform you of what happened), or simply Venho informar Vossa Senhoria do ocorrido.
Agreeing the adjective with Vossa. The pronoun is grammatically feminine, but adjectives and participles follow the actual person: to a man, â Vossa ExcelĂȘncia estĂĄ preocupado; to a woman, â Vossa ExcelĂȘncia estĂĄ preocupada (Your Excellency is worried). â Vossa ExcelĂȘncia estĂĄ preocupada addressed to a male minister is the classic error.
Opening a letter with Sua ExcelĂȘncia. The vocative uses ExcelentĂssimo, not the treatment form: â Sua ExcelĂȘncia, venho solicitar... â â ExcelentĂssimo Senhor Ministro, venho solicitar... (Your Excellency, I am writing to request...)
Translating "Dear" as Querido. â Querido Senhor Diretor â â Prezado Senhor Diretor (Dear Director). Querido is reserved for people you would kiss on the cheek.
Mismatching the temperature of opening and closing. â ExcelentĂssimo Senhor Ministro ... Abraços! (Your Excellency ... Hugs!) â â ExcelentĂssimo Senhor Ministro ... Respeitosamente. (Your Excellency ... Respectfully.) The two ends of a letter must sit at the same height.
Keeping titles masculine for women. Brazilian officialdom feminises them: â ExcelentĂssima Senhora Ministra (Madam Minister), â Senhora JuĂza (Madam Judge), â Doutora Helena. â ExcelentĂssimo Senhor Ministra mixes the two and lands badly.
Since 1 May 2019, Decreto nÂș 9.758 has made senhor â with its feminine and plural forms â the only form of address used when communicating with Brazilian federal public agents, "regardless of hierarchical level, of the nature of the post or function, or of the occasion". The same decree expressly forbids Vossa ExcelĂȘncia, ExcelentĂssimo, Vossa Senhoria, Vossa MagnificĂȘncia, doutor, ilustre/ilustrĂssimo, digno/dignĂssimo and respeitĂĄvel â even abbreviated.
Article 3 also forbids refusing to carry out an administrative act, or reprimanding the sender in the record, merely because the form of address was wrong. Note the scope, though: the decree binds the federal executive and expressly steps aside for the Judiciary, the Legislature, the Tribunal de Contas, the Defensoria PĂșblica and the MinistĂ©rio PĂșblico when their own rules require special treatment â which is why Vossa ExcelĂȘncia is still alive and well in a courtroom.
Source: Decreto nÂș 9.758, de 11 de abril de 2019 â PresidĂȘncia da RepĂșblica.
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