# Malandro- Negative or positive?



## Sorte

Hi!

I wonder is someone could explain the meaning of the word "malandro". Is it a negative or positive description of somebody? I would also like to know whether "malandro" can only be used for describing a male.

Thanks in advance!


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## Minimagpro

The word comes from the word malandragem.

The way we use it is we say <malandro> for a guy who is kind of a thug or a beach bum. We use it talking about a guy living the lifestyle of malandragem.

Someone can give you a better explanation, I dont know the exact meaning in english


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## Outsider

Sorte's question is well-put. The concept of _malandro_ is not as simplistic as "thug". It's a complex mix of the negative with the positive. A clever swindler, perhaps. Do you know that film with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster called _Maverick_? I think that's more or less it.


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## Sorte

The explanation "clever swindler" clarifies a lot. Obrigada!


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## kurumin

Sorte said:


> Hi!
> 
> I wonder is someone could explain the meaning of the word "malandro". Is it a negative or positive description of somebody? I would also like to know whether "malandro" can only be used for describing a male.
> 
> Thanks in advance!


 
_malandro_ is masculine,
_malandra_ is feminine


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## Sorte

Thanks! But is it common to describe a woman as a "malandra"? I think somebody has said that it is solely a desciption of a man...?


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## Vanda

We use malandra for women too, mainly _malandrinha_ that gives it an affectionate meaning. Being _malandrinha _implies a desirable quality for a woman. But a malandra or malandro can have positive and negative way, it dependes of the intention of the user. Here a discussion related to this term.


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## spielenschach

Olá 
 
That story of _malandrinha_ it’s, I think a ‘Brazilian’ story, as in Portugal we haven’t. We say also ‘malandro’ (_positive_ or _negative_?) with the meaning of a lover of flirt, not exactly a D. Juan, but he likes to conquer the girls one by one …and these are always desiring for the flirt.


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## panjabigator

Reviving an old thread here.  Can someone explain "malandro" in this song?


> Se segura malandro
> Pois malandro que é malandro não se estora


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## Fer BA

Sorte:

If you can get and listen _Opera do malandro_ (Chico Buarque) or read _Dona Flor es seus dois maridos_ (paying attention to the character of Vadinho) you will grasp much better the meaning of the term. I'm not sure that _clever swindler_ (at least in the meaning that's common in the States -closer to a charming con artist-) is exactly the same.


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## Nonstar

Also, there is even this gentleman, Sérgio Mallandro, the _malandro_ par excellence.


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## Ariel Knightly

Well, at least in my dialect, _malandro _usually has a negative connotation. When it's a noun, it describes a (cleverly) dishonest man who is always involved in illegal activities. This use is normally restricted to men. Mind you, I'm not saying _malandra _and _malandrinha _are impossible, but these sound rather exotic to my ears.

_Malandro _can also be an adjective. In this case, it means the same as _cunning_, which isn't necessarily negative.


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## Carfer

Ariel Knightly said:


> Well, at least in my dialect, _malandro _usually has a negative connotation. When it's a noun, it describes a (cleverly) dishonest man who is always involved in illegal activities. This use is normally restricted to men. Mind you, I'm not saying _malandra _and _malandrinha _are impossible, but these sound rather exotic to my ears.
> 
> _Malandro _can also be an adjective. In this case, it means the same as _cunning_, which isn't necessarily negative.


 
Guess that song is Brazilian, so perhaps it's not appropriate to recall Outsider's post #2 about the meaning of '_malandro_' in Portugal. It can have the same negative connotation that Ariel mentions above, but the usual meaning is _'clever swindler'_, may apply to females and besides it can also be quite affectionate, especially if you use it referring to children or young people.


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## Mike Valente

Hi
Just to throw in my little bit of knowlege

Malandro is sometimes used in Italian meaning  meaning lively, high spirited, exuberant.... but more commonly used is vivace.


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## 4TranslatingEnglish

And to add to all that was said, malandro, at least in Portugal, can also mean "naughty". Conversa malandra can be naughty talking, yes, as in sexual innuendo.
Malandrice can be what Brazilians call sacanagem. So beware when you use it. 

Eu própria, ao puxar o assunto, estou a ser malandra.


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## mglenadel

Specific uses in Rio:

Lazy: "Esse João é um malandro, nem quer saber de arrumar um emprego."
Cunning/Clever: "Mas é claro que ele não acreditou na história que você contou. Ele é malandro."
Thuggish: "Filha minha não sai com um malandro daqueles!"

All of those come from the image associated with the original "malandro": a clever, cunning, slightly ill-principled, self-reliant petty-criminal, sometimes a pimp, sometimes a fencer, sometimes a smuggler.


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## Guigo

Moreira da Silva (1902-2000), o rei dos malandros, teria dito:

"Se malandro soubesse como é bom estar do lado da lei, ficava do lado da lei só de malandragem."

Eu penso que a palavra _malandro_, no Brasil, tem atualmente uma conotação mais para positiva; com sentido de esperto, vivaz, matreiro. A conotação negativa recai sobre a palavra _pilantra._


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## TexasLifter

I'm quite familiar with the various uses of this term 'malandro' and its variations (such as malandrasso, for a big time malandro). If you've taken the time to read the different answers, you start to get an idea of its meaning. Of course it has different connotations depending on region. Here in Tijuana, being far from Portugal and close to the U.S., it's usually negative. I often tell the locals here that they don't discern between malandro and 'rata' or 'ratero.' Rata means a thief (as opposed to.a snitch in Mexico). Think of the malandro as a Robinhood who forgets the part of giving to the poor. They use their cunning, people skills, and often are very likable. They do not victimize friends and try to keep it as non-personal as possible. They're more apt to take a whole rack of clothes from a corporate place like a Macy's, but will not steal a stick of gum from a mom & pops place. The Portuguese have folk songs about malandros because they often take from the larger legal thieves like their governments or tax agencies.


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## inmigracionFL

I know this is a Portuguese thread, but in Venezuela a "malandro" is definitely a criminal.  My clients say it all the time when referring to why they left their country.


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## leolucas1980

Sorte said:


> I wonder is someone could explain the meaning of the word "malandro". Is it a negative or positive description of somebody?



Brazilians don't fully agree about that because of different political views and philosophy of life.

Some Brazilians think that _malandragem_ is a good Brazilian feature that help people survive in adverse situations. They might think of police as oppressive. Many people with such an opinion is pro-drug liberalization. The composer and singer Bezerra da Silva is probably the better example of someone that used _malandro_ in a positive way. He has been accused of apology to drugs by many critics.

Other Brazilians, perhaps the most conservative ones, think of _malandragem_ as a bad aspect of Brazilian culture because it leads to corruption, crime and poverty. Everybody want to take advantage from others, but everybody ends up losing by having a worse society. People that think like this would use malandro as an offense, frequently as a synonym of "criminal".

Once, a Brit told me that "streetwise" would be a good translation for "malandragem" in a sense. But that is the noun, not the adjective. Is there a "streetwiseR" word?


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## Tony100000

leolucas1980 said:


> Brazilians don't fully agree about that because of different political views and philosophy of life.
> 
> Some Brazilians think that _malandragem_ is a good Brazilian feature that help people survive in adverse situations. They might think of police as oppressive. Many people with such an opinion is pro-drug liberalization. The composer and singer Bezerra da Silva is probably the better example of someone that used _malandro_ in a positive way. He has been accused of apology to drugs by many critics.
> 
> Other Brazilians, perhaps the most conservative ones, think of _malandragem_ as a bad aspect of Brazilian culture because it leads to corruption, crime and poverty. Everybody want to take advantage from others, but everybody ends up losing by having a worse society. People that think like this would use malandro as an offense, frequently as a synonym of "criminal".
> 
> Once, a Brit told me that "streetwise" would be a good translation for "malandragem" in a sense. But that is the noun, not the adjective. Is there a "streetwiseR" word?


"Streetwise" isn't definitely a noun, as far as I know, but an adjective. Someone who has the knowledge and experience that is needed to deal with the difficulties and dangers of life in a big city. I would simply translate it as "(pessoa) sabida / vivida".


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## leolucas1980

Tony100000 said:


> "Streetwise" isn't definitely a noun, as far as I know, but an adjective.



Indeed, it could be "malandro(a)".


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## Vanda

leolucas1980 said:


> Brazilians don't fully agree about that because of different political views and philosophy of life.
> 
> Once, a Brit told me that "streetwise" would be a good translation for "malandragem" in a sense. But that is the noun, not the adjective. Is there a "streetwiseR" word?


Yes, streetwise is definitely one of the meanings for malandro.
malandro - Dicionário Português-Inglês WordReference.com


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