Shopping malls are popping up all over Brazil now, and have become an important new social space, especially in big cities with high crime rates. Today I'm featuring a post about the mall, called shopping in Portuguese, from Brazilian chaos, a blog written by an American woman who used to live in Salvador.
The mall in Brazil has a different function than the mall in the US does. Of course in the US there are folks who like to go to the mall to just "hang out". But in my experience most people go to the mall with the purpose of buying something, maybe getting a snack and then leaving. The social experience of walking around, seeing and being seen, is left mostly to adolescents who like to use the mall as a place to check each other out. Adults and families don't really use the mall in this way.
Here in Brazil, at least in Salvador, the mall serves an important social function. It's a place where people can go, in security, to walk around, hang out, socialize and as an added bonus buy something that they might need. But it appears that the primary purpose of the mall is not to consume or buy, but to offer a safe place to socialize.
In the mall people can walk around wearing fancy clothes, watches and jewelry without fear of mugging like there is on the street here. They can talk on their expensive cell phones without having to look over their shoulder to see if there is a thief close by, waiting to run and snatch the phone from their hand. It offers peace of mind not found on the street. This is why on the weekend the mall is totally packed with people.
When you go to the mall here, it's a place where people are checking you out to see what you are wearing and what you look like. Most people get all dressed up and made up to go to the mall. You can't just go in your casual wear like we do in the US (well you can, but you get a lot of weird looks!). It's a full on event and you have to be ready for it.
Another thing is the word for "the mall" in Portuguese: "Shopping". It's often difficult for Brazilians learning English to fully incorporate into their second language that in English shopping is a verb, and not a mall. Many folks, even advanced English speakers here will still say, "I'm going to the shopping" when they really want to say, "I'm going to the mall".
So the next time you run over to the mall to get some new socks, think about these differences as you are waiting in line in your pajama bottoms to pay, excited by the thought of getting the hell out of there as quickly as possible! It's a different experience. - Cheryl S.
Here in Brazil, at least in Salvador, the mall serves an important social function. It's a place where people can go, in security, to walk around, hang out, socialize and as an added bonus buy something that they might need. But it appears that the primary purpose of the mall is not to consume or buy, but to offer a safe place to socialize.
In the mall people can walk around wearing fancy clothes, watches and jewelry without fear of mugging like there is on the street here. They can talk on their expensive cell phones without having to look over their shoulder to see if there is a thief close by, waiting to run and snatch the phone from their hand. It offers peace of mind not found on the street. This is why on the weekend the mall is totally packed with people.
When you go to the mall here, it's a place where people are checking you out to see what you are wearing and what you look like. Most people get all dressed up and made up to go to the mall. You can't just go in your casual wear like we do in the US (well you can, but you get a lot of weird looks!). It's a full on event and you have to be ready for it.
Another thing is the word for "the mall" in Portuguese: "Shopping". It's often difficult for Brazilians learning English to fully incorporate into their second language that in English shopping is a verb, and not a mall. Many folks, even advanced English speakers here will still say, "I'm going to the shopping" when they really want to say, "I'm going to the mall".
So the next time you run over to the mall to get some new socks, think about these differences as you are waiting in line in your pajama bottoms to pay, excited by the thought of getting the hell out of there as quickly as possible! It's a different experience. - Cheryl S.
Nice article. However, I would like to add on the use of shopping as a verb. Brazilians call it shopping, short for shopping center.
So, they're actually saying "I'm going to the shopping [center]".
Posted by: Liesl78 | April 17, 2009 at 01:12 AM
I agree, but not when Cheryl says you can't go casual, at least, not where I live. I always go casual to the mall and nobody never looked weird to me even because I live in a beach city and people don't care even you spent a whole day in a beach and after all you decide getting snack in a restaurant just wearing some shorts or a speedo (I didn't figure out yet because so many gringos hate speedo or are ashamed of wearing one, LOL) as I use to do sometimes.
Posted by: Sergio | April 17, 2009 at 08:33 AM
Brings me back to when I used to live next door in Paraguay and would frequent the Asuncion malls, aptly named "Mariscal Lopez Shopping" and of course "Shopping del Sol" (ie Mall of the Sun). I think they do refer to mall as shopping as opposed to center there. And I loved the pronunciation...sounded like chope-ing.
Posted by: Cristina | April 17, 2009 at 08:57 AM
Brazilians dont say wrong when saying "I go to the shopping". Shopping is short for Shopping Center (or Centre).
While Mall is the word mostly used in USA, in England they say Shopping Centre.
Americans themselves use the shortened version, since the correct would be SHOPPING MALL, not only "mall".
Wikipedia article names it Shopping Center
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopping_center
"In most of the world the term shopping centre is used, especially in Europe and Australasia; however shopping mall is also used, predominantly in North America.[1] Shopping precinct and shopping arcade are also used. In North America, the term shopping mall is usually applied to enclosed retail structures (and may be abbreviated to simply mall) while shopping centre usually refers to open-air retail complexes."
Posted by: RogerPenna | April 17, 2009 at 09:58 AM
I remember my Brazilian days --- yes, it's very true. Shopping Centers in Brazil are socializing places, and they have bars that serve alcohol (I wrote
a piece on the Ypioca Tavern in Fortaleza for Brazzil.com). It was weird when I relocated to NY and saw what malls looked like here - in fact, they are all in the suburbs, like Staten Island and Queens (Manhattan Mall doesnt count, its becoming a JC Pennys)
Posted by: Ernest Barteldes | April 17, 2009 at 04:26 PM
in the north i ve heard people dress up to go shopping also in the suburbs in brazil when plp go to the shopping center they dress up
however in my city in brazil we do go to the shoping center to hang out or eat sumeting but we would never dress up for it
i usually fo in havianas or even clothes straight from the beach
Posted by: Julia | April 18, 2009 at 04:13 PM
Most people are very casuals in the malls I've been to in Rio.
Also, when I was a teenager in an upper middle class school, the uncoolest place to hang out in was the mall. Although it was quite popular with the pre-teen set, teenagers wouldn't want to be caught dead in a mall.
So I don't agree with this at all. Not saying it isn't true but it was not my particular experience.
Posted by: André | April 19, 2009 at 04:32 AM
Just one question: how to add your blog into my rrs reader, thanks so much.
Posted by: louboutin | January 07, 2010 at 01:52 AM