In Sao Paulo, to what extent can someone get by with Japanese, Italian or Arabic?

[Tooting Carmen]

Given that it is home to the largest Japanese, Italian and Lebanese populations outside their respective countries.

[JMack]

Impossible. You can't do nothing without Portuguese in Brazil.

Even in cities in which 99% of the population is of Italian origin no one speaks Italian because our ancestors were speaking other languages like Venetian, Lombardian, Friulan etc.
Maybe fully descendants of Tuscans and Southern Italians can speak a bit of Italian.

[Tooting Carmen]

Impossible. You can't do nothing without Portuguese in Brazil.

Even in cities in which 99% of the population is of Italian origin no one speaks Italian because our ancestors were speaking other languages like Venetian, Lombardian, Friulan etc.
Maybe fully descendants of Tuscans and Southern Italians can speak a bit of Italian.

What about German? Don't German descendants hold onto their language and traditions more than other immigrant groups in Brazil do? As an aside, however, if you speak slowly in Italian (or Spanish), wouldn't Portuguese-speakers generally understand you anyway?

[Joso]

What about German? Don't German descendants hold onto their language and traditions more than other immigrant groups in Brazil do? As an aside, however, if you speak slowly in Italian (or Spanish), wouldn't Portuguese-speakers generally understand you anyway?

Even the younger children know German in many cases but they tend to speak german only on their houses, which some exceptions, some elders speak only German,
But yes, you will need to know Portuguese to speak to majority of them

[JMack]

What about German? Don't German descendants hold onto their language and traditions more than other immigrant groups in Brazil do? As an aside, however, if you speak slowly in Italian (or Spanish), wouldn't Portuguese-speakers generally understand you anyway?

In isolated villages you can go around even with Pomeranian depending on the location, but it's only in countryside villages. If you speak Venetian or some Italian-Brazilian dialect you can maybe walk around parts of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Espírito Santo without Portuguese.

I mean most people would understand an Italian speaking slowly, but it isn't the same as speaking Portuguese.

[luc2112]

What about German? Don't German descendants hold onto their language and traditions more than other immigrant groups in Brazil do? As an aside, however, if you speak slowly in Italian (or Spanish), wouldn't Portuguese-speakers generally understand you anyway?

In Brazil there is no neighborhood of immigrants, they are in the whole city. Germans founded cities here in the south, these cities today speak Portuguese, some decent people speak (old) German as second language. Those who speak Spanish, we understand each other. That's why the Argentines come here.