pessoal

Pessoal is a Portuguese word that functions as both an adjective and a noun, with several related meanings centered on people and individuality. It derives from a root related to “pessoa” (person) and uses the suffix -al to form an adjective meaning pertaining to a person or private matters.

As an adjective, pessoal is commonly used to describe things related to individuals or to private life. Examples include vida pessoal (personal life), assuntos pessoais (personal matters), and documentos pessoais (personal documents). It can also convey a sense of intimacy or private interests, as in motives pessoais or preferências pessoais. In everyday speech, pessoal can also serve as a general term for things belonging to or affecting people.

As a noun, the term refere to a group of people, especially the staff of an organization. In this sense, o pessoal means employees or personnel, as in o pessoal da empresa (the company’s staff) or o pessoal de limpeza (the cleaning staff). The plural form can be used to refer to a crowd informally, for example, olá, pessoal! (hello, everyone).

Usage notes: In formal writing, the distinction between personal (pertaining to individuals) and private matters is common, with a focus on substantive context to avoid ambiguity. In informal Brazilian Portuguese, pessoal is also a vocative for addressing a group, similar to “folks” in English.

Etymology: pessoal comes from pessoa (person) with the suffix -al, ultimately tracing to Latin persona (mask, character, person).