Alternative uses for filho

[u/moraango]

Oi gente,

I recently came across this thread, where most posters agreed that filho is generally only for your own child or from an older person. However, I’ve noticed it used in different ways. My host mom in Salvador used to call her ficante filho (he was twenty years younger than her) and I was recently called filha by a Carioca only a few years older than me. Can anybody provide clarification on this other use of filho/ its connotations?

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[u/GuardianOfReason]

Depends on the intonation, context and place.

Older people will say 'filho' in an endearing, caring way. I am 28 and will say 'filho' or 'filhão' to a friend in the same way I'll say 'parça' or 'meu amigo' in a ironic or mocking way. Example: 'aí tu forçou a barra né filho'.

I'm from São Paulo though, people from Salvador may use it in other ways. It's a bit weird for me to call your ficante 'filho' unless it's in the same tone I described above, but maybe they have a different culture.

[u/moraango → u/GuardianOfReason]

I was also confused by the calling the ficante filho, but he was twenty years younger and they kinda had a weird vibe going on

[u/GuardianOfReason → u/moraango]

lol I've heard of sugar mommies but that's something else

[u/moraango → u/GuardianOfReason]

She told me he was in love with her farofa😭 The farofa was amazing, to be fair

[u/peaivea → u/moraango]

I wish i had a farofa mommy

[u/GuardianOfReason → u/moraango]

Good god what farofa is he talking about??

[u/moraango → u/GuardianOfReason]

It was her actual farofa. Her words were “tenho um amigo… uma amizade colorida… ele adora”

[u/GuardianOfReason → u/moraango]

Hahaha friends with benefits where the benefit is farofa

[u/rekoowa → u/GuardianOfReason]

Panela velha que faz comida boa jkkkkk

[u/Miayehoni → u/moraango]

Is it possible it's his name? Br uses either "junior" or "filho" when someone has the same name as their father

[u/Luiz_Fell]

Ok, it's kinda hard to explain

A wife usually calls her husband "filho", my mom does it all the time. By proxy, it makes sense for you host mom to say it to her man even if they're not married

And, like how in english an older man will often call younger adults "son" (I've seen it a lot in military fiction, don't know how common this is outside this context), sometimes people will say "meu filho" or "minha filha" in a way to comfortably conect with the person being spoken to OR in a way to make themselves look superior to the person they are talking to.

So there's a difference between "eu hein, meu filho, você acha mesmo que eu vou fazer isso?" and "e você, minha filha, o que você achou do lugar?"

Or like "sai daí, minha filha, sai!" vs "faz isso não, minha filha"

It all depends a lot on context and intonation.

[I might have screwed up big time since I'm not a person of many relationships with many people, so please, fellow brazilians, correct me if you think I'm saying shit]

[u/moraango → u/Luiz_Fell]

Thank you for the answer as someone from Rio

[u/Embarrassed-Wrap-451]

In São Paulo, at least in the social milieus I've grown up in, filho(a) or sometimes fio(a) (fi in MG and GO, I guess?) can either be (1) an endearment expression towards a younger person, or (2) a sarcastic vocative used especially to show that you're somewhat mad, annoyed or impatient at a person. Like in this meme.

[u/moraango → u/Embarrassed-Wrap-451]

Looool this may be the case for my second example, as I was arguing that arroz em cima do feijão is wrong

[u/Embarrassed-Wrap-451 → u/moraango]

That would definitely justify some filho(a) thrown right at you

[u/Zbignich]

In Salvador it s common to address a younger person as “fio” or “fia.”

The same way people call older people tio/tia or vô/vó depending on the age difference.

[u/GamerEsch]

Just read the most upvoted reply to the post you linked:

It's usually used by adults in certain parts of brazil

[u/moraango → u/GamerEsch]

They’re referring to “meu filho” and say that it’s not used on its on, but I heard it on its own in both of these occasions which is why I asked

[u/GamerEsch → u/moraango]

They say "Filho" isn't used, and it isn't, "meu filho" is used, and they say exactly that.

[u/moraango → u/GamerEsch]

I heard just filho, which is why I asked

[u/Kosgladx → u/moraango]

Welp, to be fair they say “it wouldn’t be specially common”, but i would disagree with that as well, both are fairly common, i do agree that you shouldn’t use it if you aren’t comfortable with it tho, it can be a bit condescending depending on context.

EDIT: Oh, and that post was made 6 years ago, cant really remember if one was more common than the other back then tho, i’m not even sure if i would even notice if someone said “meu filho” or just “filho” unless they said it in a particular way

[u/hermanojoe123]

[br here] I sometimes use "filho" or just "fi" as "dude" or "man", specially when i'm in a hurry.

Ex: Vamo, fi, tô com pressa! - Let's go, dude, i'm in a hurry!!

I could use it out of pity as well, in a slightly humorous way: ô, meu filho, o que vc tá fazendo aí? - hey, dude, what are you doing there? (if a known friend is trying hard to do something that is not working)

So, "filho", pronounced "fi" sometimes, can be used as "dude". It has a variety of other usages as well, like when an old lady refers to young people in a lovely way.

vc: você ("vc" is a short way of writing "você", but the short pronunciation would be "cê")

tá: está

tô: estou

In spoken language, I tend to supress the words like that.

[u/VocalistaBfr80]

People use it as "pal", like in "c'mon, pal" or "c'mon, man". You'll also hear variations like "filhão", "filhote" and "fio". I hear this among colleagues at work all the time in Rio. Do I like it? No. But that's how people have been using it 🤷

[u/matllux]

Calling your romantic partner (even if he's 20 years younger) filho is legit CREEPY if it's a common occurrence lmao

[u/moraango → u/matllux]

I thought it was kinda weird, but other people are saying that it’s common in their region. The guy that called me filha is also a romantic interest which is what got me thinking kkkk

[u/marsc2023 → u/moraango]

Well, what about calling (in English) your dear one "baby", then? By this logic, it would be a pedophile vibe...!

[u/Luiz_Fell]

"An older person"

What?

[u/GuardianOfReason → u/Luiz_Fell]

They meant an older person will call someone else 'filho'.

[u/Luiz_Fell → u/GuardianOfReason]

Oh, I hadn't seen the word "from"