In Portuguese, the diminutives make a very cute sound, but its meaning sometimes gets lost in translation. Words in its diminished form tend to carry less weight, and Brazilians use them to soften things up and get what they want. Sneaky, we know... No wonder some Portuguese people say we speak ‘Portuguese with sugar’.

In English, diminutives may be perceived as something childish, but in Brazilian Portuguese, everyone uses them daily, from doctors to judges and shop assistants, without even a hint of irony.

But, as with everything else, context is essential.

➡️ A ‘minutinho’ may last forever;

➡️A ‘professorzinho’ would be a teacher that doesn’t quite match our expectations;

➡️A stop for a ‘cervejinha’ will usually involve several bottles of beer 🍻🍻🍻

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