BicaUnit 1 of 16A14 lessons · 31 words
Greetings and introductions in European Portuguese
Olá!
Greet people, say please and thank you, and introduce yourself. This is an A1 unit of the Bica course, in the Portuguese spoken in Portugal: below are all its words, example sentences you can listen to, and the grammar notes.
Words and phrases
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
olá | hello |
bom dia | good morningUsed from morning until lunchtime. |
boa tarde | good afternoon |
boa noite | good nightSaid after dark, both when you arrive (good evening) and when you leave (good night). |
adeus | goodbye |
até logo | see you later |
até amanhã | see you tomorrow |
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
obrigadoalso obrigada | thank youMen say obrigado, women say obrigada. |
muito | very |
por favoralso se faz favor | pleaseIn Portugal you can also say se faz favor. |
se faz favoralso por favor | pleaseVery common in Portugal when asking for something. Por favor is just as correct. |
de nada | you're welcome |
desculpe | sorry |
com licença | excuse meSaid when you need to get past someone. |
sim | yes |
não | no |
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
chamo-me | my name is |
como te chamas | what's your nameInformal. To be formal: Como se chama? |
o meu nome | my name |
muito prazer | nice to meet you |
eu | I |
tu | youThe normal "you" in Portugal. |
e | andPronounced like "ee". |
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
como estás | how are youInformal. Formal: Como está? |
tudo bem | how's it going |
estou | I am |
bem | well |
mal | badly |
mais ou menos | so-so |
o senhor | you (formal, to a man)Optional, to show extra respect. Most of the time tu is fine. |
a senhora | you (formal, to a woman)Optional, to show extra respect. Most of the time tu is fine. |
Example sentences
- Olá, bom dia!Hello, good morning!
- Bom dia, Ana!Good morning, Ana!
- Boa tarde, Pedro.Good afternoon, Pedro.
- Obrigado!Thank you!
- Muito obrigada.Thank you very much.
- De nada.You're welcome.
- Eu chamo-me Ana.My name is Ana.
- Como te chamas?What's your name?After a question word like como, the pronoun te goes before the verb.
- Muito prazer!Nice to meet you!
- Olá, tudo bem?Hi, how's it going?
- Tudo bem, obrigado.All good, thanks.
- Como estás?How are you?
Every lesson page has all of its sentences: Hello & goodbye · Please & thank you · What's your name? · How are you?
Unit notes
Bom dia, boa tarde, boa noite
Portuguese greetings depend on the time of day. Say bom dia in the morning until lunch, boa tarde in the afternoon, and boa noite once it is dark. Boa noite means "good night", and Portuguese also uses it as a greeting when you arrive in the evening, where English would say "good evening".
Olá is a friendly "hello" that works at any time. To say goodbye, use adeus, or more often até logo ("see you later") and até amanhã ("see you tomorrow").
- Bom dia!Good morning!
- Boa noite, até amanhã.Good night, see you tomorrow.
Obrigado or obrigada?
"Thank you" depends on who is speaking, not who you are talking to. Men say obrigado, women say obrigada. Both are always correct in this course.
In Portugal you will hear se faz favor all the time. It means "please" when you ask for something or call a waiter. Por favor is also correct.
- Muito obrigado.Thank you very much. (said by a man)
- Muito obrigada.Thank you very much. (said by a woman)
- Sim, se faz favor.Yes, please.
Tu: the normal "you"
In Portugal, tu is the normal way to say "you": Como estás? It is the form you learn first, and the one you use with most people.
Sometimes people show extra respect, for example to someone much older, by using the verb on its own (Como está?) or o senhor / a senhora. That is optional and depends on your relationship with the person.
- Como estás?How are you?
- Como está?How are you? (with extra respect)
- E a senhora?And you? (with extra respect, to a woman)
Chamo-me: the pronoun comes after the verb
In European Portuguese, little pronouns like me and te normally come after the verb, joined by a hyphen: Eu chamo-me Ana ("I call myself Ana").
They move in front of the verb after question words and after não: Como te chamas? Não me lembro. This is one of the clearest signs of European Portuguese.
- Chamo-me Pedro.My name is Pedro.
- Como te chamas?What is your name?
How it sounds in Portugal
European Portuguese swallows its unstressed vowels. Obrigado sounds like "o-bri-GA-du", and a final -e almost disappears: boa noite sounds close to "boa noit".
An s at the end of a word or before a consonant sounds like English "sh": adeus is roughly "a-DEH-ush". Listen to every sentence and copy the rhythm.