# gostosa



## IAMGOD

I also have another question if anyone is interested in answering.

I already know what gostosa means (I was told that it means 'sexy'), and I've been called it a few times by the two young guys that I was talking about before.... but what I'm wondering is if it would be considerably 'taboo' or inappropriate to brazilians for an old man to call a young girl gostosa, or if thats like a normal thing. Cause theres this really old guy at work and hes super sweet, and every time I see him he goes "Linda!" or "Bonita!"... buuuut as of lately he's started calling me "gostosa" and like... blowing on my neck.......

Here in the U.S. blowing on someones neck tends to be a pretty sexual thing to do, so I was just wondering if that was just some culture difference, and if that kind of thing would be socially normal to brazilians, or if he really is being creepy. I don't really mind or anything, I'm just curious.


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## Vanda

Hehehe. Blowing in someone's neck it is a pretty sexual thing to do in any country, I think! If a woman is not interested in a guy and he does that to her, he can count on a slap on face. Also, about calling a girl gostosa, the guy has to be prepared for 1- having another slap on the face , 2 - the girl likes it and it is ok.



> if that kind of thing would be socially normal to brazilians, or if he really is being creepy


Not socially normal to Brazilians. I think this guy is really creepy! It is quite normal  for guys to say those things in some environments, but it is not normal for all girls to accept it, as I've said above.


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## IAMGOD

oh no, I was kind of hoping that I was just mistaking it as creepiness because of cultural differences and that he wasn't actually as creepy as he seems. eeeeeeeek! He is so old! And the strange part is that he kind of looks like my grandmother, except she is italian instead of brazilian and a woman. 


I don't really mind when the two young guys call me "gostosa", considering that the word doesn't really mean anything to me necessarily, and they're actually close to my age. One of them tells me that he's in love with me all of the time anyway, haha. He calls me "meu amor" and says "I love you forever baby"... I don't know why but I find it hilarious.


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## bhagavan dasa

Generally, in movies, the translation to "gostosa" is not "sexy", but "hot". Like "Ela é muito gostosa!", "She is so hot!".

If a girl from my class comes with a small skirt or something like that I say "Sexy!" and that is okay, but "Gostosa" might sound too dirty, I think.

*Sexy is already an official Portuguese word


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## ayupshiplad

It seems that Brazilians have the same chat-up lines everywhere hahaha. When I worked with Brazilians (in fact I left my work because of them and their inability to understand that sexual assault isn't just 'banter'!) they always called me gostosa, gatinha, meu amor bla bla blah. 

Anyway, to keep this thread on track and not just chat...! I got the impression that gostosa was quite creepy. "Oi...gatinha...você é tããão gostosa" was constantly said to practically every female and I don't know...there was just something about it which totally gave us all the creeps. 

So in answer to your question, yes it is very creepy (in my opinion). Basically I don't think it is very suitable in the workplace! Anyway, in all seriousness, be really careful.

Good luck! 

(P.S: I am aware that not all Brazilians are like that, just that the ones IAMGOD is working with seem to be very similar to the ones I used to work with.)


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## cescato

bhagavan dasa said:


> Generally, in movies, the translation to "gostosa" is not "sexy", but "hot". Like "Ela é muito gostosa!", "She is so hot!".
> 
> If a girl from my class comes with a small skirt or something like that I say "Sexy!" and that is okay, but "Gostosa" might sound too dirty, I think.
> 
> *Sexy is already an official Portuguese word



Yes, they usually translate "hot" by "gostosa". But it is a bad translation in my opinion. It is very vulgar and I would slap in the face if someone told that to me, independently of whether I were using a small skirt or not!


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## cescato

ayupshiplad said:


> It seems that Brazilians have the same chat-up lines everywhere hahaha. When I worked with Brazilians (in fact I left my work because of them and their inability to understand that sexual assault isn't just 'banter'!) they always called me gostosa, gatinha, meu amor bla bla blah.
> 
> Anyway, to keep this thread on track and not just chat...! I got the impression that gostosa was quite creepy. "Oi...gatinha...você é tããão gostosa" was constantly said to practically every female and I don't know...there was just something about it which totally gave us all the creeps.
> 
> So in answer to your question, yes it is very creepy (in my opinion). Basically I don't think it is very suitable in the workplace! Anyway, in all seriousness, be really careful.
> 
> Good luck!
> 
> (P.S: I am aware that not all Brazilians are like that, just that the ones IAMGOD is working with seem to be very similar to the ones I used to work with.)



I agree that "gostosa" is very creepy and I do not think it suitable anywhere... It means something like "you are sexually juicy to be eaten" and all the women that I know get offended by being called that!


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## IAMGOD

cescato said:


> I agree that "gostosa" is very creepy and I do not think it suitable anywhere... It means something like "you are sexually juicy to be eaten" and all the women that I know get offended by being called that!





Well when you put it that way.... ew. Just, ew. I am wayyyyy super creeped out now.


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## cescato

IAMGOD said:


> Well when you put it that way.... ew. Just, ew. I am wayyyyy super creeped out now.



Yeah!... Sometimes we have to give an "explicit" definition of the word so that one captures its meaning...


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## ayupshiplad

Hmm interesting. According to my (nice) Brazilian friend, being called gostosa is a good thing if it's said in the 'heat of the moment'.


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## Outsider

I wonder if the other Brazilians have the same reaction to the word _gostosa_ as *Cescato*, because it doesn't seem particularly vulgar to me. 

What made it creepy in this case, from what I understood, was the context, namely the fact that it was a "dirty old man" who was using it.


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## MOC

Outsider said:


> I wonder if the other Brazilians have the same reaction to the word _gostosa_ as *Cescato*, because it doesn't seem particularly vulgar to me.
> 
> What made it creepy in this case, from what I understood, was the context, namely the fact that it was a "dirty old man" who was using it.


 
Blowing on her neck probably didn't help his cause much.


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## Outsider

Yes, that sounds creepy in any language.


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## Macunaíma

Outsider said:


> I wonder if the other Brazilians have the same reaction to the word _gostosa_ as *Cescato*, because it doesn't seem particularly vulgar to me.


 
Yes, Cescato defined it perfectly. That's exactly how I feel the word. It's _very_ vulgar.

Calling my girl _gostosa_ when we are alone is one thing, but calling a co-worker _gostosa_... for God's sake! That's totally unacceptable and by no means common practice here. I think it's ridiculous.


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## uchi.m

In fact, the word is not creepy itself.

The point is that usually men who say _gostosa_ say the word in a sexually enticing manner, and _that_ is creepy depending on the occasion.


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## ayupshiplad

uchi.m said:


> In fact, the word is not creepy itself.
> 
> The point is that usually men who say _gostosa_ say the word sexually enticingly, and _that_ is creepy.


 
Yeah, at my work it was always kind of...drawled. Lovely. Also, it was even sometimes accompanied by 'galinha'. Just a fun fact!


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## uchi.m

ayupshiplad said:


> Yeah, at my work it was always kind of...drawled. Lovely. Also, it was even sometimes accompanied by 'galinha'. Just a fun fact!



Hahaha. _Galinha_... That's what I call a quite fair pay off.


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## larica

I do not understand. As far I could tell, if an "dirty old man" says it, it´s creepy, but if an "dirty young guy" says it, that´s ok?
I always knew that word as having a disctinct sexual meaning (when used to qualify a woman).
The most similar word that We have (I think) is "Boa", as in "És boa como o milho".


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## uchi.m

larica said:


> I do not understand. As far I could tell, if an "dirty old man" says it, it´s creepy, but if an "dirty young guy" says it, that´s ok?



I understand _gostosa_ as _hot_ like it was said above.

What makes it creepy is the voice modulation and the usually dirty guy who utters it in the wrong occasion.


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## Macunaíma

What I think is creepy and unacceptable is calling a girl who's passing by _"gostosa!"_ or walking up to her and saying _"oi, gostosa"._ I may refer to a girl as _gostosa_ when I'm among my friends and I want to describe how I feel about her, but that's not something I would say _to_ a girl. I think there's no way of saying that _to _a girl, rather than _about_ a girl while with friends, without sounding either creepy or idiotic, in my opinion.


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## uchi.m

Macunaíma said:


> What I think is creepy and unacceptable is calling a girl who's passing by _"gostosa!"_ or walking up to her and saying _"oi, gostosa"._ I may refer to a girl as _gostosa_ when I'm among my friends and I want to describe how I feel about her, but that's not something I would say _to_ a girl. I think there's no way of saying that _to _a girl, rather than _about_ a girl while with friends, without sounding either creepy or idiotic, in my opinion.



I would add up to the list not referring to any girl as _gostosa_ when you are among female friends. Unless you are some sort of jerk and you mean it.


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## Vanda

Out, read my very 1st post on how Brazilian women response to that! I said everything the others said.


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## cescato

I still insist. The term "gostosa" is very vulgar and refers to a girl as a piece of meat (of flesh) to be eaten. I do not think any man would like to be called "gostoso". It transforms him in a passive and bass-monde object of sexual desire.


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## patriota

I've never called a woman that. Im my opinion, that's stupid and impolite.


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## cescato

patriota said:


> I've never called a woman that. Im my opinion, that's stupid and impolite.



I totally agree... and ask film translators: please find another word for "hot"...

What about "sexy"... it is what they use in French and Spanish...


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## Ricardo Tavares

cescato said:


> I totally agree... and ask film translators: please find another word for "hot"...
> 
> What about "sexy"... it is what they use in French and Spanish...


I though something like tasty or juicy (but they sound worse than hot). So, I agree that hot as a good translation for "gostosa".


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## MOC

cescato said:


> I totally agree... and ask film translators: please find another word for "hot"...
> 
> What about "sexy"... it is what they use in French and Spanish...


 
Sexy and hot are both used in English and they don't mean the exact same thing.


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## olivinha

Outsider said:


> I wonder if the other Brazilians have the same reaction to the word _gostosa_ as *Cescato*, because it doesn't seem particularly vulgar to me.  .


Well, I most certainly do not. I myself use this word for men and women. Ok, it's not that I go out on the street calling people _gostoso_ or _gostosa_ (now, that's vulgar!) but have told girlfriends of mine that she look _gostosa_ on a certain dress or that a famous athlete, say Rafa Nadal, is _um gostoso_. (É gostoso ou não é?) Yes, we are talking about flesh, body parts, so what? Libera.



Outsider said:


> What made it creepy in this case, from what I understood, was the context, namely the fact that it was a "dirty old man" who was using it.


Thank you!
O

More on gostosa (port-span discussion).


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## ayupshiplad

MOC said:


> Sexy and hot are both used in English and they don't mean the exact same thing.


 
I don't think my friends or I would ever use the word sexy. Despite being an English word originally, it just sounds quite foreign! I think the only time it would be used was if we were emphasising that a guy (or girl) wasn't good-looking but that despite this they were still attractive.

Actually, we would use it for 'comical language' too. For example, when my friends and I bump into each other, we might say "arite* sexy!" for comic effect.  

(*Arite is some form of Scottish for alright)


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## MOC

ayupshiplad said:


> I don't think my friends or I would ever use the word sexy. Despite being an English word originally, it just sounds quite foreign! I think the only time it would be used was if we were emphasising that a guy (or girl) wasn't good-looking but that despite this they were still attractive.
> 
> Actually, we would use it for 'comical language' too. For example, when my friends and I bump into each other, we might say "arite* sexy!" for comic effect.
> 
> (*Arite is some form of Scottish for alright)


 
But is it used in any country where english is spoken? Because my idea was to show there's a difference between hot and sexy, since I'm pretty sure I've heard both before in conversations between two people whose native language is English, ruling out the possibility of translating hot as sexy just because it is used in french.


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## ayupshiplad

MOC said:


> But is it used in any country where english is spoken? Because my idea was to show there's a difference between hot and sexy, since I'm pretty sure I've heard both before in conversations between two people whose native language is English, ruling out the possibility of translating hot as sexy just because it is used in french.


 
No you're right, the two words do mean separate things! Both are used in different ways (technically), although sexy is rarely used (it might be more popular in other English speaking countries, I don't know ).


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## cescato

MOC said:


> Sexy and hot are both used in English and they don't mean the exact same thing.



I was thinking in the use of "sexy" as a means to convey [not exactly translate] the idea of "hot", but in the context of a translation into Portuguese... as when they use "sexy" in translations into Spanish or French...


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## olivinha

ayupshiplad said:


> No you're right, the two words do mean separate things! Both are used in different ways (technically), *although sexy is rarely used (it might be more popular in other English speaking countries, I don't know *).


In the US, for example.


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## IAMGOD

MOC said:


> But is it used in any country where english is spoken? Because my idea was to show there's a difference between hot and sexy, since I'm pretty sure I've heard both before in conversations between two people whose native language is English, ruling out the possibility of translating hot as sexy just because it is used in french.



Hot and Sexy are both used interchangeably in the United States. Obviously they don't mean exactly the same thing, but they're close enough. I would say that 'sexy' is a bit stronger than 'hot', but they basically are used the same way.


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## uchi.m

IAMGOD said:


> I would say that 'sexy' is a bit stronger than 'hot', but they basically are used the same way.



_Sexy _would possibly be stronger than _gostosa_, since _sexy _comes from the word... _sex_, while _gostosa _does not.

But I'm digressing


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## ayupshiplad

uchi.m said:


> _Sexy _would possibly be stronger than _gostosa_, since _sexy _comes from the word... _sex_, while _gostosa _does not.
> 
> But I'm digressing


 
Ah well I wouldn't agree, even though the logic is good  In my opinion, the mildest to the strongest out of the ones we've discussed (plus an additional) are: sexy, hot, gostosa, the sex.

(Eg: "You have to see that guy at that Italian...he is just the sex!")


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