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Portuguese · Meeting people · Beginner

How to say hello and goodbye in Portuguese

Use the time of day: “Bom dia” until lunch, “Boa tarde” until dark, “Boa noite” after. Add “Tudo bem?” with people you know. With older people, “E a senhora?” or “E o senhor?” is the polite ‘and you?’. To leave, say “Até logo” or “Até amanhã”.

Try it · about two minutes

Through the day you greet shopkeepers, neighbours and colleagues, and say goodbye the right way.

You choose what to say back, and Frasa tells you why it works.

The conversation

  1. Morning. You walk into the bakery on your street.

    You

    Bom dia.

    Good morning.

  2. People around you

    Olá, tudo bem?

    Hi, how are you?

    You

    Estou bem. E consigo?

    I’m fine. And you?

  3. People around you

    Bom resto de dia!

    Have a good rest of the day.

    You

    Igualmente, obrigado.

    You too, thanks.

  4. People around you

    Bom dia a todos.

    Good morning, everyone.

    You

    Bom dia. Tudo bem?

    Morning. All well?

  5. People around you

    Há quanto tempo! Como tem passado?

    Long time no see. How have you been?

    You

    Bem, obrigado. E a senhora?

    Well, thanks. And you?

  6. People around you

    Cuide-se bem!

    Take care.

    You

    Obrigado, igualmente. Boa noite.

    Thanks, you too. Good night.

Key phrases

  • Olá, tudo bem?

    Hi, how are you?

  • Estou bem. E consigo?

    I’m fine. And you?

  • Como está hoje?

    How are you today?

  • Vai-se andando.

    Getting by.

  • Há quanto tempo! Como tem passado?

    Long time no see. How have you been?

  • Bom dia a todos.

    Good morning, everyone.

  • Bom resto de dia!

    Have a good rest of the day.

  • Cuide-se bem!

    Take care.

  • Com licença, por favor.

    Excuse me, please.

  • Foi um prazer conversar consigo.

    It was a pleasure talking to you.

Good to know in Portugal

Greetings by time of day

  1. 1

    Bom dia: from the morning until lunch.

  2. 2

    Boa tarde: from lunch until it gets dark.

  3. 3

    Boa noite: after dark, for hello and for goodbye.

O senhor, a senhora

Polite

E a senhora, como está?

And how are you?

Blunt

E você, como está?

And how are you?

With older people, use o senhor or a senhora; with others you don’t know well, just drop the pronoun. Você can sound blunt in Portugal.

Kisses or a handshake

Friends and acquaintances often greet with two kisses on the cheek, dois beijinhos, between women and between men and women. Men usually shake hands.

Obrigado or obrigada

Men say obrigado and women say obrigada. The word agrees with the speaker, not with the person you’re thanking.

More situations in Portuguese

All situations in Portuguese

Keep these phrases in Frasa

Frasa is an iPhone app for the conversations in front of you. Save phrases like these, rehearse them out loud, and they come back until they stick.

AI-generated. May be inaccurate.