Speaking with hands: understanding Brazilian gestures
- aprendendo português brasileiro
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
If there's one thing that stands out when observing the way Brazilians behave, it's how much they gesticulate and use their hands to communicate! That's right, gesturing is almost a language of its own here in Brazil. When we're excited, telling a story, or even explaining something, our hands move a lot, helping to express feelings and bring more life to what we say. Let's find out more about this?
This habit of gesturing is part of our culture. In Brazil, using your hands to communicate is very natural! And the curious thing is that many gestures have meanings that can change depending on the country. For example, the famous "thumbs up" — that gesture with the thumb raised — here means "all right," "good," "cool." But in other places, it may not have the same meaning or may even be interpreted differently.
Have you ever noticed the thumbs-down gesture? This gesture is very clear to Brazilians: it signals that something is wrong, that the situation is bad, or that the person didn't like it. It's the opposite of a thumbs-up and is often used to show disapproval or dissatisfaction in a simple and direct way.
Another very common gesture in the country to say "I don't care" is to shake both hands touching, as if pushing something away. It's used when someone wants to show that something is not their problem, in an informal way. For students, it's important to understand these cultural gestures to improve communication in everyday life!
More gestures
Besides these three, there are several other gestures that are part of our daily lives and are super interesting to know. From signals to call someone, indicate directions, or even express emotions, our hands help tell a lot about our story and personality.
And if you're enjoying discovering how Brazilians use their hands to communicate and want to better understand the meaning of these gestures, I've prepared a special video for you!
In it, you'll be able to see each gesture clearly, learn what it means, and how to use it in practice. This makes it much easier to understand what your interlocutor is trying to convey, even without saying a word 😊
Delve into the world of Brazilian gestures! See you in the video!
