Berkley Center

Every language has greetings. Here in Brazil, there are various expressions, but the most common is “Tudo bom?” Translated from Portuguese, the phrase means “Everything good?” This ubiquitous greeting initiates virtually every encounter one experiences in Rio de Janeiro. Whether long-time friends or new acquaintances, “Tudo bom?” opens the conversation. Although translating the expression into English is a skill learned in any introductory Portuguese class, truly understanding its significance took me about five months of living and studying in Brazil.

In the United States, we ask, “How are you?” “How’s it going?” or in the most familiar of cases, “What’s up?” These questions precipitate a wide array of responses. Replies can span the spectrum of someone’s emotional or social condition. In Brazil, they work with the assumption that someone is already doing well. Not only do they make that assumption, but they assume that everything is good.

Hidden beneath these two words I have discovered distinct elements of the Rio de Janeiro, or Carioca, culture. The postulate “Tudo bom?” represents the natural Carioca mentality. While it is not fair to generalize an entire society, there clearly exists a (general) positive disposition here in Rio. Perhaps it’s the sunny weather, maybe it’s the street-side samba, or it could be the overwhelming friendliness, but there just seems to be an optimism here.

Tied to the optimism reflected in the phrase “Tudo bom?” is the jeitinho carioca. It refers to the mentality among residents of Rio de Janeiro that “when there’s a will, there is a way.” Words like yes and no are rarely used. Instead, maybe, perhaps, and eventually are much more common. With this carefree attitude, tudo tends to be bom.

Despite the ostensible positive disposition, the phrase reveals a broader glimpse into the Rio de Janeiro culture. As explained above, the greeting “Tudo bom?” works with the assumption that everything is good with you. They are the first words uttered in an encounter, almost as if to get the greeting out of the way. While this may indicate the aforementioned positive disposition and outlook, after living in Rio for nearly a semester I have discovered that the greeting embodies the façade that Brazilian society often constructs to mask deeper issues. By assuming that everything is good, the phrase leads to a denial of the not-so-good things.

Rio de Janeiro is in the process of preparing for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. All around the city one can find development and construction. The port is being completely revitalized as the Porto Maravilha, or the Marvelous Port. Supposedly, the rehabilitation of this area of the city seems beneficial, yet a closer examination reveals that the project has destroyed many low-income, yet historic and culturally significant, areas of the city. Like “Tudo bom?” there is more underneath the surface. Along the same lines, a common and playful habit among Brazilians is to criticize their government and country among each other, yet boast about it to foreigners. Superficially, everything is good, but when discussed more frankly, the mood shifts.

The greeting “Tudo bom?” is an often overlooked, yet vital conversational element in Brazil. One might learn it in an introductory Portuguese class, but it takes much longer to truly understand it.