Lesson 1: Sounds, alphabet and greetings · Brazilian Portuguese · Session 1
Brazilian Portuguese, lesson 1 (Sounds, alphabet and greetings), session 1 of 248: explained in English, with audio for every sentence and exercises.
First words and greetings (30 min)
Aula 1, sessão 1 de 4 · 30 min
You already know more Portuguese than you think: banana, chocolate, samba, favela, capoeira, açaí, carnaval, Brasil. This course teaches the Portuguese of Brazil: how people really speak in São Paulo, Rio, Salvador or Porto Alegre, with enough formal language to be polite everywhere. Today you learn to greet people, to thank them and to say goodbye. Listen first, then repeat out loud: your mouth has to learn the new sounds, not only your eyes.
Vocabulary
| br | pronunciation | english |
|---|---|---|
| oi | OY | hi (the everyday greeting) |
| olá | oh-LAH | hello (a little more formal) |
| bom dia | BOH~ DJEE-ah | good morning |
| boa tarde | BOH-ah TAR-djee | good afternoon |
| boa noite | BOH-ah NOY-tchee | good evening, good night |
| tchau | TCHOW | bye |
| até logo | ah-TEH LOH-goo | see you soon |
| até amanhã | ah-TEH ah-mah-NYAH~ | see you tomorrow |
| tudo bem? | TOO-doo BEH~ee | how are you? (literally: all well?) |
| tudo bem | TOO-doo BEH~ee | fine, good (the usual answer) |
| e você? | ee voh-SEH | and you? |
| obrigado, obrigada | oh-bree-GAH-doo, oh-bree-GAH-dah | thank you (a man says -o, a woman says -a) |
| de nada | djee NAH-dah | you're welcome |
| por favor | poor fah-VOR | please |
| desculpe | djees-KOOL-pee | sorry, excuse me |
| com licença | koh~ lee-SEH~-sah | excuse me (to pass or to enter) |
Greeting people: which word, when
«Oi» is the everyday hello, for friends, strangers and shop assistants alike. «Olá» sounds a little more careful, like in a message or when you meet someone formally.
use «bom dia» until about noon, «boa tarde» from noon until it gets dark and «boa noite» after that. Unlike in English, «boa noite» is both «good evening» when you arrive and «good night» when you leave.
«tudo bem?» is the question everybody asks. The answer is «tudo bem» or «tudo bem, e você?». It is not a medical question: the answer is almost always «tudo bem».
to say thank you, men say «obrigado» and women say «obrigada», because the word agrees with the person speaking. Nobody checks who you are thanking.
In English: In English «How are you?» is a greeting, and so is «tudo bem?» in Portuguese. English has one «you» for everybody; Portuguese uses «você» for people you do not know well and for most situations. You do not need «sir» or «madam» in a shop: «bom dia» is enough.
Which greeting for which moment
| moment | say | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Arriving, until about 12:00 | bom dia | good morning |
| Arriving, from noon until dusk | boa tarde | good afternoon |
| Arriving or leaving, after dark | boa noite | good evening / good night |
| Meeting friends at any time | oi, tudo bem? | hi, how are you? |
| Leaving | tchau / até logo | bye / see you soon |
Good morning at the café
Marina walks into a café in the morning. João works at the counter.
- Marina: — Bom dia! — Good morning!
- João: — Bom dia! Tudo bem? — Good morning! How are you?
- Marina: — Tudo bem, e você? — I'm fine, and you?
- João: — Tudo bem, obrigado. Um café? — I'm fine, thanks. A coffee?
- Marina: — Sim, por favor. — Yes, please.
- João: — Aqui está. — Here you go.
- Marina: — Obrigada! Tchau! — Thank you! Bye!
- João: — De nada. Até logo! — You're welcome. See you soon!
Practise: Greet an imaginary neighbor in three different ways, out loud: with «oi», with «bom dia» and with «boa tarde». Then thank them and say goodbye.
Brazilian Portuguese · Brazilian Portuguese grammar for English speakers · Session 2 →