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Well, at least it is not like with menina/rapariga :) Good that I read the discussion :-)
rapaz/rapariga remind me of the italian ragazzo/ragazza, which in turn comes from the vulgar latin ragazium and classical latin garcio (also the french garçon very likely has the same origin). I wonder where the menino/menina (and the spanish niño/niña) come from.
I just asked this very question on a chat with a guy from Brazil who is seventeen years old and he said the following: "Menino we use for kids", "Garoto we use for teenagers", and "Rapaz we use for someone that's starting to be an adult"
Menino is more specific, guy ressembkes cara, which is used in close relations among friends, and sometimes it may sound rude...
I don't suppose "rapaz" means "male prostitute" in Brazil, re: discussion on "rapariga" :)
1447
Portuguese
- (Brazil) O rapaz é irmão dele
- (Portugal) O rapaz é
oirmão dele - (Portugal) O rapaz é
oseu irmão
English
- (correct) The boy is his brother (never "the his")
- (strange) The boy is a brother of his
- (even stranger) The boy is the brother of his
- (different meaning) The boy is one of his brothers
What's the difference between the use of "dude, guy, man" and when I should use them?
"dude" would be "cara", (Oi cara! = Hey dude!) and "homem" is man, and I think you can use it whenever you would say man in an English sentence. "guy" i'm not so sure about, but I think if you're saying "that guy" you could use "homem", but I don't know what the slang would be.
I think both "rapaz" and "cara" could refer to all three in the same way we use "dude" and "guy" though rapaz sometimes seems to carry a more personal and serious tone, but that still depends on the context. "Esse cara pegó a cadeira" (that guy took the chair) or "rapaz, não faça isso. " (boy, do not do that." Context seems to be it. Been watching a lot of Brazilian shows.
