Língua da Gente — Quem É Ele?

🎧 Listen to the podcast episode

First listen: What are the two speakers looking at? How does speaker A describe the person? Who turns out to be that person?

Língua da Gente · Episode 28

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💬 The Conversation

Listen again while reading. Notice how A describes the mystery man — and pay attention to the augmentatives that make the description so vivid!

A

Um, quem é ele?

Um, who is he?

B

Quem? Aquele ali do lado.

Who? That guy over on that side.

A

Ele, aquele altão, bonitão.

Him, that really tall, really handsome guy.

B

Ah ele, ele é o primo do Carlinhos.

Oh, him, he is Carlinhos' cousin.

📖 Aumentativo com -ão — Making things bigger and more intense

A describes the man as "altão, bonitão" — not just tall and handsome, but really tall and really handsome. The suffix -ão (feminine: -ona) adds size, intensity, or admiration. It's one of the most expressive features of everyday Brazilian Portuguese.

Base adjective	Augmentative (m.)	Augmentative (f.)	Meaning
alto (tall)	altão	altona	really tall
bonito (handsome)	bonitão	bonitona	really handsome / gorgeous
grande (big)	grandão	grandona	really big / large
legal (cool / nice)	legalão	legalona	really cool / awesome
gostoso (tasty / attractive)	gostosão	gostosona	really attractive / delicious

💡 -ão vs. muito Both muito alto and altão mean "very tall", but they feel very different. Muito is neutral and descriptive. -ão is expressive, enthusiastic, and typically spoken — it carries a sense of admiration or exaggeration. When A says "aquele altão, bonitão", you can almost hear the swoon in the voice!

📖 Demonstrativos — Este, esse, aquele

B points to the man with "aquele ali" — that one over there. Portuguese has three levels of distance for demonstratives.

Demonstrative	Distance	Example	Meaning
Este / Esta	Close to the speaker	Este livro aqui.	This book (right here).
Esse / Essa	Close to the listener	Esse cara aí.	That guy (near you).
Aquele / Aquela	Far from both	Aquele ali do lado.	That one over there.

In everyday Brazilian speech, esse/essa is often used even for things close to the speaker — the three-way distinction is becoming less strict informally. But aquele is clearly reserved for things at a visible distance.

📖 Key Expressions from the Dialogue

Portuguese	English	Notes
Um…	Um… / Uh…	Hesitation filler — universal! Brazilians use um or é… the same way English speakers say "um" or "uh".
Quem é ele?	Who is he?	Quem = who. Used for people only. Compare: O que é isso? = What is that? (for things).
Aquele ali do lado.	That one over on the side.	Ali = over there (specific). Do lado = on the side / nearby. Together they point precisely.
Altão, bonitão.	Really tall, really handsome.	Two augmentatives in a row — emphatic and expressive. A is clearly impressed!
O primo do Carlinhos.	Carlinhos' cousin.	Possession: de + o = do. Primo = (male) cousin. Note: -inho on Carlos → Carlinhos (affectionate diminutive — very common with Brazilian names).

🇧🇷 Culture Note — "-inho" on names: Carlinhos, Zezinho, Mariazinha Brazilians love to add -inho / -inha to names as a sign of affection. Carlos → Carlinhos. José → Zezinho. Maria → Mariazinha. This doesn't mean the person is young or small — it simply signals closeness and warmth. If someone calls you by a diminutive of your name in Brazil, it's a sign they like you!

🔊 Phonology Note — "Ah ele, ele é…" — repetition for emphasis Notice how B says "Ah ele, ele é o primo do Carlinhos" — repeating ele twice. This kind of repetition is very natural in Brazilian speech when clarifying or confirming who you mean. The first ele is a recognition marker ("oh, him") and the second starts the actual sentence. Don't be surprised when you hear this pattern!

1 What does it mean? — Expression Quiz

Each expression comes from the dialogue. Choose the correct English meaning.

Aquele ali do lado.

✅ Correct! Aquele = that (far away). Ali = over there. Do lado = on the side. Together they point to someone visible but at a distance.

Altão, bonitão.

✅ Correct! The suffix -ão intensifies — altão = really/very tall, bonitão = really handsome. It's more expressive than just saying muito alto!

O primo do Carlinhos.

✅ Correct! Primo = (male) cousin. Do = de + o (of the / 's). Carlinhos is the affectionate diminutive of Carlos — very typical in Brazilian Portuguese.

Quem é ele?

✅ Correct! Quem = who (used for people). Compare: onde = where, como = how, o que = what.

2 Complete the Dialogue

Fill in the blanks. Type the missing word or form.
Word bank: quem · altão · primo · aquele · bonitão

— Um, é ele?

— Quem? ali do lado.

— Ele, aquele , .

— Ah ele, ele é o do Carlinhos.

3 Aumentativo -ão — Build the form

Choose the correct augmentative form for each adjective.

alto → ___

bonito → ___

grande → ___

legal → ___

4 Your Turn — Describe someone!

Write in Portuguese.
Describe a person you know — real or imaginary. Use at least one augmentative (-ão / -ona) and say who they are using de / do / da.