gens

[/dʒɛnz/]
noun
pessoas, gente
1. People in general; persons or individuals
There were a lot of gens at the party last night.
Havia muita gente na festa ontem à noite.
2. In Roman history, a clan or group sharing a common ancestor and name
The patrician gens controlled much of Roman politics.
A gens patrícia controlava grande parte da política romana.
3. Informal/slang: folks, guys, or people (often used colloquially)
The gens around here are pretty friendly.
A galera por aqui é bem amigável.
In English, 'gens' is primarily used as an informal or slang term for people/folks, most commonly in urban American English and hip-hop culture. In Portuguese, 'gente' is the standard word for people and is extremely common in everyday speech. The historical Roman meaning of 'gens' (a patrician clan) is primarily used in academic or historical contexts.
NYC Slang
folks, crew, people, homies
Synonyms / Sinônimos
peoplepersonsfolksindividualscrewgang

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
gente, pessoal, galera
Common informal usage for people or folks
Rio de Janeiro
galera, turma
Slang term for group of people or crew
São Paulo
pessoal, gente
Standard usage for people or group
Portugal
pessoas, pessoal
More formal or standard Portuguese usage

Related Words

genusgenerationgendergentlegenteelsociety

Related Idioms & Phrases

good gens - good people
gens from around here - local people
what gens do - how people behave
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