Name Prefixes, Titles, and Honorifics in Brazil
Referring appropriately to authorities or entities might be just a detail, but, sometimes, this simple act may help cause a positive impact. This article will give an overview of prefixes and honorifics in Brazil.
Senhor, Dona, and Vossa Excelência are all generic names used when referring to another person in Brazil. Some of this prefixes and titles are used in more formal situations, like in a conversation with an authority, or in cases where it is needed to write to somebody that occupies an official position.
In ordinary situations, Brazilians also use specific pronouns to demonstrate respect or unfamiliarity with someone.
Authorities
As a general rule, the correct way of addressing an authority, when talking with this official, is "Your Excellency", which, in Portuguese, is “Vossa Excelência”, or “Sua Excelência” when referring to him. The abbreviature of this pronoun, when applied, is “V. Exa.”. This is used when talking to people in high positions, such as:
- Presidents
- Ministers
- Secretaries
- Governors
- Politicians
- Ambassadors
- Judges
The vocative — used to call, warn, or apostrophize — is usually “Senhor” or “Senhora”, followed by the position occupied by this person. These terms mean Mister and Mistress, respectively, and are abbreviated as “Sr.” and “Sra.”.
The only exceptions are when talking with presidents of governmental bodies and the President of the Republic himself. In these cases, “Excelentíssimo Senhor” or “Excelentíssima Senhora” is used instead.
Other Formal Cases
Not every position requires “Sua Excelência”. When addressing a company’s president or its directors, the used prefix is “Vossa Senhoria”. This is also used for consuls and some other authorities.
University rectors are also referred to in a different way. In Portuguese, the used form is “Vossa Magnificência”, which means Your Magnificence.
People in General
The official pronoun to call or address another person that is not an authority is “Senhor”, for men, or “Senhora”, for women. This is used mainly when referring to an older person or someone relatively unknown. When talking to people that are closer to themselves, Brazilians use “Você”, which is "You" in Portuguese.
Throughout the years, the continuous use of “Senhor” was corrupted into “Seu”. This is considered a friendlier way to speak with an older person. Some employees, especially in the rural areas, also use “Seu” when referring to their bosses, showing respect.
The equivalent form for “Senhora” would be “Dona”. In all previous cases, the person’s name is inserted after this pronoun.
The “Doctor” Treatment
Addressing somebody using the word Doctor, or “Doutor” in Portuguese, is a practice widely seen. Unlike other countries, people do not use this word only when directing to those that have a doctorate-level degree.
This can also be seen in conversations where one of the parties tries to maintain a respectful manner of speaking to the other, or where there is a superior-subordinate relationship. This use, though, is improper.