Top 10 greetings in Portuguese for Beginners

Portuguese is a Romance language spoken by over 282 million people. It is considered to be one of the most formal languages in the world. Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe, while having co-official language status in East Timor, Equatorial Guinea and Macau. There’s absolutely no doubt that this language holds a massive ground on its own. In addition to its popularity, Portuguese expands your horizons when it comes to your job opportunities as well. Whether you wish to travel to one of those countries that primarily speak the language, or are just curious to learn a new language, Portuguese is the language for you.

Whether you’re an explorer at heart or travelling for a more professional reason, either way, you are going to need a few greetings in Portuguese to survive. These greetings are also appropriate for any beginner who just happens to start learning Portuguese.

1. Bom dia. = Good morning.

When in need of a phrase to politely initiate a conversation in the early hours of the morning, use ‘good morning’ in Portuguese to do so. It is a polite way of greeting someone as well as initiating a conversation.

2. Boa tarde. = Good afternoon.

Similar to a ‘good morning’, if you’re in need of a phrase to initiate a conversation or simply actively participate in one during the rest of the day, use a simple ‘good afternoon’ in Portuguese to do so.

3. Meu nome é = My name is

When we are talking to someone new or a bunch of new people, we always introduce ourselves by first telling them our name. Similarly, when initiating a conversation in Portuguese with new people, always introduce yourself by stating your name.

4. Muito prazer em conhecê-lo. = I’m pleased to meet you.

Being polite does not harm anybody. Therefore, when you meet someone always show them gratitude for their presence.

5. Como vai você? = How are you?

When actively participating in a conversation, you can use ‘how are you’ to inquire about their well being and day while also being polite.

6. Onde você está? = Where are you?

If you are travelling with someone or need someone to be at a specific location but do not know where they exactly are, you can use the above phrase to inquire about their whereabouts.

7.  I’m sorry.

Let’s all hope you don’t have to actually use this. But either way, it’s always better to know what ‘sorry’ is in Portuguese in case you need to apologise to someone.

8. Até breve = See you soon

This is one of two ways of ending a conversation with someone while being polite.

9. Goodbye.

This is one of two ways of ending a conversation with someone while being polite.

10. Muito Obrigado = Thank you very much

Everybody appreciates a polite individual who shows an appropriate amount of gratitude.

If you are reading this, I hope it will be useful for you, as writing it was for me. As a beginner, the first and most important thing to consider is to ask yourself  “what must I practise first? Being new to the language, spending at least 3-4 hours every single day might be worthy of rewards. Keep it interesting by introducing movie day, podcast, music days as you don’t want to reach a burnout stage in learning, by pushing yourself past your limit before you find a comfortable rhythm. We suggest you to check out the Live Online classes by Multibhashi. Try starting with short learning sessions that are 30 minutes or less, adding a couple more minutes every week.