Kilo Lingo
Portuguese grammar Part of Chapter 1

CEFR A1

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Test yourself (26 questions)

Greetings in Brazilian Portuguese: Oi, Bom Dia and Tudo Bem

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026

You can hold your first conversation in Brazilian Portuguese today, before you learn a single verb ending. Greetings are fixed phrases: learn them whole and use them at once. There are two small traps, and both are flagged below.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Pick the right phrase for each situation.

  1. It is three in the afternoon and you walk into a shop.

  2. It is nine at night and you arrive at a friend's party.

  3. A man wants to say thank you to a woman.

The whole system on one screen

Learn the left column; the rest of the page shows when to use each one.

Say thisIt meansUse it
hi, helloanyone, any time
helloa touch more formal
good morninguntil about midday
good afternoonmidday until dark
good evening, good nightafter dark
?how are you?almost every hello
byealmost every goodbye
see you laterwhen you will meet again
see you tomorrowcolleagues, neighbours
/ thank youman / woman speaking
pleaseasking for something
excuse meto get past or interrupt
sorryafter a mistake
you're welcomereply to thanks
...my name is...introducing yourself

This page teaches Brazilian Portuguese. Where says something different, it is labelled EP.

How formal is your hello?
CasualFormal
  1. E aí?what’s up? (friends)
  2. Oihi (anyone)
  3. Oláhello (emails, TV)
  4. Bom diagood morning (shops, work)
  5. Como vai o senhor?how are you, sir?

Oi and olá: hello

is the everyday Brazilian hello: friends, neighbours, shop staff, strangers, any hour. Brazilians often stack it with a time-of-day greeting.

  • , ? - Hi, how are you?
  • , ! - Hi, good morning!

is a touch more formal. In Brazil it lives in writing, emails and television more than across a shop counter.

SituationNatural choiceEnglish
friend in street!Hi!
start of email, Ana.Hello, Ana.
stranger in lift, !Hi, good morning

has one more job. Said as a question, it answers someone who calls your name, or asks them to repeat:

  • ? - Yes? / Sorry, what?

EP: in is the everyday hello and sounds Brazilian: , ?

Bom dia, boa tarde, boa noite

These three are the polite hellos, chosen by the clock. In Brazil you say one when you walk into a shop, a lift or a waiting room: ! to the room is ordinary manners.

Which greeting, when?

  1. Waking up to noonBom dia

    good morning

  2. Noon to darkBoa tarde

    good afternoon

  3. Dark to bedtimeBoa noite

    good evening, and good night

does double duty: hello when you arrive after dark, and goodbye when you leave or go to bed.

  • ! , . - Good evening! A table, please.
  • , ! - Good night, see you tomorrow!

In most of Brazil it is dark by about six, so starts early.

Why bom but boa?

masculinefeminineWhat do the colours mean?

The adjective agrees with the noun. is masculine, and are feminine.

GreetingNoun's genderEnglish
masculinegood morning
femininegood afternoon
femininegood night
Four panels of the same little house and garden: in the morning the sun has just risen above the horizon with an arrow pointing up; at midday a beaming sun sits high in the sky; in the evening an orange sun sinks into the horizon with an arrow pointing down; at night a sleepy crescent moon and stars shine over the lit-up house.

Bom dia until about midday, boa tarde until dark, boa noite after dark. Dia is masculine, so bom; tarde and noite are feminine, so boa.

Tudo bem? How are you, Brazilian style

? means literally all well?, and it follows almost every hello. The usual answer repeats the words and hands the question back.

QuestionAnswerEnglish
?, ?Fine, and you?
? , ?Fine, and you?
? , .Great, thanks.
?, .Well, thanks.

Like English how are you?, it is a greeting more than an enquiry: the expected answer is short and positive. ? is a little more formal, good with older people or at work. Among friends you will also hear ?, roughly what's up?

has a second meaning, that's OK:

  • ! - . - Sorry! - That's OK.

EP: says ? too, but ? (how are you?) is more common with anyone you do not know well.

Saying goodbye: tchau, até logo, até amanhã

is the everyday goodbye. The phrases mean until... and say when you will meet again.

GoodbyeLiterallyMeans
(from ciao)bye
until soonsee you later
until moresee you
until tomorrowsee you tomorrow

A typical Brazilian goodbye stacks two:

  • , ! - Bye, see you tomorrow!

sounds final in Brazil, a farewell to someone you may never see again.

EP: in is an ordinary goodbye: , !

Obrigado or obrigada: it depends on who is speaking

literally means obliged, so it agrees with the person who feels obliged: the speaker. Who you thank makes no difference.

SpeakerSaysEnglish
a man.Thank you.
a woman.Thank you.
a man .Thank you very much.
Inside a bakery with a striped awning: a customer holding out a coin stands at the counter; behind it a smiling baker in a chef's hat; on the counter a big loaf of bread, a steaming cup of coffee and a till, with more bread on the shelves behind.
  1. !
  2. .

The customer is a woman, so she says obrigada, whoever she is thanking. The baker answers de nada.

The reply is , literally of nothing. Brazilians also say !, roughly don't mention it.

  • ! - . - Thank you! - You're welcome.

Por favor, com licença, desculpa

English excuse me does two jobs, and Portuguese splits them. Ask: am I asking permission before, or apologising after?

PhraseWhenExample
asking for something , .
before: getting past, ?
after: apologising, .
the same, more polite, .

The examples: a coffee, please; excuse me, can I get past?; sorry, I didn't mean it; sorry, madam.

is the one for strangers, older people and work; is everyday and friendly. From a beginner, either is fine.

Your name: eu me chamo, meu nome é

Two ways to say your name, both natural in Brazil:

PortugueseLiterallyEnglish
Ana.I call myself AnaMy name is Ana.
Ana.my name is AnaMy name is Ana.

And the two matching questions:

  • ? - What's your name? (literally how do you call yourself?)
  • ? - What is your name?

With someone much older, or a customer, Brazilians replace with (to a man) or (to a woman):

  • ? - What is your name, sir?

Once introduced, say or just , nice to meet you. The reply is , the pleasure is mine.

EP: puts the after the verb and keeps the article: - Ana. and Ana.

A first conversation, start to finish

Tom knocks on his new neighbour's door at about ten in the morning.

WhoPortugueseEnglish
Tom, !Hi, good morning!
Ana! ?Good morning! How are you?
Tom, ?Fine, and you?
Ana . Ana.Great. My name is Ana.
Tom Tom. .My name is Tom. Nice to meet you
Ana, Tom! .Nice to meet you! Thanks for coming
Tom . , !You're welcome. Bye, see you later!
Ana, !Bye, see you tomorrow!

Ana says because she is a woman, whoever she is thanking. Tom would say .

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
is masculine, so
and are feminine
at 9 p.m.after dark, hello or goodbye
man says the speaker's gender decides
, after asks before, not sorry after
to a colleaguein Brazil sounds final
Ana Anaa name takes , from

What to do next

  1. Start the Portuguese course and use , ? and in every lesson.
  2. Read a gente, the Brazilian everyday we.
  3. Then ser and estar, the two verbs to be.

Practise: test yourself

Matching

0/6

Match each greeting to its meaning.

Pick the right one

0/6

Pick the right phrase for each situation.

  1. It is three in the afternoon and you walk into a shop.

  2. It is nine at night and you arrive at a friend's party.

  3. A man wants to say thank you to a woman.

  4. A woman wants to say thank you to a man.

  5. You need to get past someone in a narrow corridor.

  6. You have just stepped on someone's foot.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Tap the mistake.

Complete the story

0/6

Choose the right word for each gap.

Tom meets his neighbour

Tom: Oi, dia! Ana: Bom dia! Tudo ? Tom: Tudo bem, e você? Ana: Tudo ótimo. Eu me Ana. Tom: Muito , Ana. Ana: pela visita! Tom: De nada. Tchau, até !

Gap 1 of 6

Translation drill

0/4

Translate into English.

  1. Bom dia! Tudo bem?

  2. Tudo bem, e você?

  3. Eu me chamo Pedro.

  4. Tchau, até amanhã!

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Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Infographics

  1. Key points infographic
  2. The whole system on one screen
  3. Oi and olá: hello
  4. Why bom but boa?
  5. Tudo bem? How are you, Brazilian style
  6. Saying goodbye: tchau, até logo, até amanhã
  7. Obrigado or obrigada: it depends on who is speaking
  8. Por favor, com licença, desculpa
  9. Your name: eu me chamo, meu nome é
  10. A first conversation, start to finish
  11. Mistakes English speakers make

Other formats

  1. Listicle

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

How do you say hello in Brazilian Portuguese?
Oi is the everyday hello in Brazil: friends, shop staff, neighbours, anyone, at any hour. is a touch more formal and turns up more in writing, on television and in emails. For a polite hello tied to the time of day, use , or . Brazilians often combine them: Oi, !
What does mean?
Literally all well. As a question, ?, it means how are you? or is everything OK?, and the usual answer is the same two words: , e ? As a statement it also means that's OK or no problem, for example when someone apologises to you. ? and are interchangeable with it.
Is it or ?
It depends on who is speaking, not on who you are thanking. A man says and a woman says , to anyone. The word literally means obliged, so it agrees with the person who feels obliged. The reply to either is , you're welcome.
When do you say and ?
runs until about midday. covers the afternoon, from midday until it gets dark. starts once it is dark, around six in most of Brazil, and works both as a hello when you arrive and as good night when you leave or go to bed.
What is the difference between and ?
Both translate as excuse me, but they do different jobs. asks permission before you do something: get past someone, come into a room, interrupt. apologises after something has happened, like bumping into someone. is the slightly more polite form of the apology.