Mini Lesson 5: Why Are Brazilians Called Inho? The -inho Ending Explained
Brazilians aren't really called "inho": -inho is an ending that means "little", added to names and words to show affection. Ronaldinho means "little Ronaldo" and Juninho "little Júnior". It goes on everyday words too, like cafezinho (a little coffee).
Why Are Brazilians Called Inho?
Why are Brazilians called inho? They aren't, exactly. The ending -inho means "little", and Brazilians add it to names to show affection. In my family everyone gets one: my husband Josh is Joshinho, my mum Claudia is Claudinha, my nephew Gustavo is Gustavinho, and I'm Samarzinha.
How to say it: -inho sounds like "EEN-yoo" and -inha like "EEN-yah". The "nh" is the "ny" in "canyon".
[incluir áudio aqui 1: inho]
How to Add -inho to a Name
Name ends in -o or -a: drop the last letter and add -inho for a man or -inha for a woman. Gustavo becomes Gustavinho, Claudia becomes Claudinha.
[incluir áudio aqui 2: Gustavinho]
[incluir áudio aqui 3: Claudinha]
Name ends in a consonant: add -zinho or -zinha. Samar becomes Samarzinha.
[incluir áudio aqui 4: Samarzinha]
Nicknames don't always follow the rules, though. Josh just became Joshinho.
[incluir áudio aqui 5: Joshinho]
Why So Many Footballers Are Called -inho
In Brazil, footballers are usually known by a nickname, and lots of those nicknames end in -inho. Ronaldinho means "little Ronaldo". Juninho means "little Júnior".
[incluir áudio aqui 6: Ronaldinho]
[incluir áudio aqui 7: Juninho]
It's Not Only Names
Literally, -inho means small, but most of the time it just makes a word warmer or softer.
Cafezinho: a little coffee, the small, strong one you're offered everywhere.
[incluir áudio aqui 8: cafezinho]
Obrigadinho / obrigadinha: a light, friendly "thanks". Men say obrigadinho, women say obrigadinha.
[incluir áudio aqui 9: obrigadinha]
Rapidinho: "just a quick one". It's almost never actually quick, but it sounds less demanding.
[incluir áudio aqui 10: rapidinho]
Um minutinho: "just a minute", said by someone who means at least ten.
[incluir áudio aqui 11: um minutinho]
Try this!
Next time a Brazilian friend offers you a coffee, ask for um cafezinho. And if someone says they'll be ready in um minutinho, get comfortable.
Read next: Mini Lesson 10: Why Brazilians Have Five Words for "Dating" and Mini Lesson 13: How Brazilians Really Talk About How They're Feeling
If today's lesson made you want more, I'd love to have you as a student.
I'm Samar, I'm Brazilian! I teach Brazilian Portuguese one-on-one, for anyone who actually wants to learn properly.
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Samar Rawlinson
Samar is a Brazilian Portuguese teacher from Rio de Janeiro. She teaches real, spoken Portuguese online to English speakers in the UK, USA and Australia.
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