Chapter 3

Oi! Hello! Greetings and Introductions

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Beginning a conversation

Bullet Introducing yourself and friends

Bullet Conversing in formal versus informal situations

Bullet Understanding the verbs “to be” and “to speak”

Bullet Parting ways

Saying hello and goodbye are the nuts and bolts of any língua (ling-gwah) (language). If you visit Brazil or meet a Brazilian friend or colleague, take the opportunity to praticar (prah-chee-kah) (practice) these basic palavras (pah-lah-vrahz) (words). Walking in and out of lojas (loh-zhahz) (shops), restaurantes (heh-stah-oo-rahn-cheez) (restaurants), and hotéis (oh-tay-eez) (hotels), you may hear Tudo bom? (too-doh boh-oong?) (How are you?) and Tchau! (chah-ooh!) (Bye! — from the Italian word ciao, which also means bye).

After exchanging a greeting, the próximo passo (proh-see-moh pah-soh) (next step) is introducing yourself to people and introducing the people you’re with. You’ll want to tell people your nome (noh-mee) (name) and maybe even your apelido (ah-peh-lee-doh) (nickname).

Your conversa (kohn-veh-sah) (conversation) may then involve explaining what you do for work and maybe what you like to do in your spare time. You can use common description techniques to talk about someone else, too. For example, what is your amigo (ah-mee-goo) (male friend) like fisicamente (fee-zee-kah-men-chee) (physically) — alto (ah-ooh-toh) (tall) or baixo (bah-ee-shoh) (short)? Is he legal (lay-gow) (nice) or tímido (chee-mee-doh) (shy)?

Finally, you may want to talk about how you’re doing or how someone else is doing in a particular momento (moh-men-toh) (moment). Are you cansado (kahn-sah-doo) (tired)? Feliz (feh-lees) (happy)? How about this one: Are you pronto (prohn-toh) (ready) to learn some basic Portuguese?

Saying Hello

Knowing how to say hello is the bare necessity of using any language. After you communicate a friendly greeting, the scene is set for social interaction — the fun part! What comes after the hello is unpredictable, and that’s the beauty of a vida (ah vee-dah) (life).

Here are the most common ways of saying hello in Brazil:

  • Oi. (oh-ee.) (Hi.)
  • Olá. (oh-lah.) (Hello.)

If you’re walking into a shop, restaurant, or hotel, it’s more common to use Good morning or Good afternoon — just like in English:

  • Bom dia. (boh-oong jee-ah.) (Good morning.)
  • Boa tarde. (boh-ah tah-jee.) (Good afternoon/Good evening.)
  • Boa noite. (boh-ah noh-ee-chee.) (Good evening/Good night.)

Tip You may be wondering when to use each of these phrases. It’s simple: Use bom dia until meio dia (may-oh jee-ah) (noon), and use boa tarde from noon until dark, usually about 6 or 7 p.m. In the early evening and night, use boa noite.

Another way of greeting someone is to ask, “How are you?” Check out the two ways of saying this:

  • Tudo bem? (too-doh bang?) (How are you? Literally: Everything well?)
  • Tudo bom? (too-doh boh-oong?) (How are you? Literally: Everything good?)

Here’s how you answer:

  • Tudo bem. (too-doh bang.) (I’m good. Literally: Everything well.)
  • Tudo bom. (too-doh boh-oong.) (I’m good. Literally: Everything good.)

Soundnative What’s the difference between Tudo bem and Tudo bom, you ask? Here’s the big answer: Nothing! They mean the same thing. If someone asks you, Tudo bem? you can answer either Tudo bem! or Tudo bom! Or try Tudo ótimo! (too-doh ah-chee-moh!) (Everything is great!). When responding, it’s polite to ask the person how they’re doing, too. Say, E você? (eeh voh-seh?) (And you?).

People commonly combine some of these phrases, like Olá, tudo bom? (oh-lah, too-doh boh-oong?) (Hello, how are you?) or Oi, tudo bem? (oh-ee, too-doh bang?) (Hi, how are you?).

Making Introductions

Introducing yourself is as easy as torta de morango (toh-tah jee moh-rahng-goh) (strawberry pie). Here are two different ways to do it:

  • Meu nome é … (meh-ooh noh-mee eh …) (My name is …)
  • Eu sou … (eh-ooh soh …) (I’m …)

To ask someone their name, say Qual é seu nome? (kwah-ooh eh seh-ooh noh-mee?) (What’s your name?).

After someone asks you for your name, you can answer and then say E o seu? (ee ooh seh-ooh?) (And yours?).

If you want to apresentar (ah-preh-zen-tah) (introduce) a person who’s with you, use one of the following phrases:

  • Este é meu amigo … (es-chee eh meu-ooh ah-mee-goo …) (This is my friend … [name of man])
  • Esta é minha amiga … (eh-stah eh meen-yah ah-mee-gah …) (This is friend … [name of woman])
  • Estes são meus amigos … (es-jeez sah-ooh meh-ooz ah-mee-gooz …) (These are my friends … [names of multiple people or men])
  • Estas são minhas amigas … (eh-stahz sah-ooh meen-yus ah-mee-guz …) (These are my friends … [names of women])

Flip to Chapter 6 to find out how to refer to specific family members — such as mother, brother, cousin, and uncle — in Portuguese.

Using First Names, Last Names, and Nicknames — Brazilian-Style

In Portuguese, first names are nomes (noh-meez) (Literally: names), and last names are sobrenomes (soh-bree noh-meez) (surnames).

When someone says Qual é seu nome? (kwah-ooh eh seh-ooh noh-mee?) (What is your name?), they want to know your first name. If they say Qual é seu nome completo? (kwah-ooh eh seh-ooh noh-mee kohm-pleh-too?) (What’s your full name? Literally: What’s your complete name?), then they're asking for both your nome and sobrenome.

Cultural wisdom Many Brazilians use two last names — one from their dad’s family and one from their mom’s. The longer the name, the more likely it is that the person is from a família rica (fah-mee-lee-ah hee-kah) (rich family) that enjoys preserving tradição (trah-dee-sah-ooh) (tradition).

If a person’s name includes two last names, then the mom’s last name goes before the dad’s. Some people even have two first names and two last names. Check out this mouthful: Henrique Alfredo Gonçalves de Almeida (ang-hee-kee ah-ooh-freh-doh gohn-sah-ooh-veez jee ah-ooh-may-dah).

Sometimes names come with a de (jee) (of) or da (dah) (of [before a name ending in -a]), as in Vinicius de Moraes (vee-nee-see-oohz jee moh-rah-eez), one of the composers of the famous song “Girl from Ipanema” (1964).

Do you know what the Brazilian version of Smith is? The most common last name in Brazil is da Silva (dah see-ooh-vah). In fact, there are way more da Silvas in Brazil than there are Smiths in English-speaking countries.

Cultural wisdom A former presidente (preh-zee-dang-chee) (president) of Brazil has a very unusual name. It’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (loo-eez ee-nah-see-oh loo-lah dah see-ooh-vah) (served 2003–2010). He has two first names, but the third name, Lula, is an apelido (ah-peh-lee-doh) (nickname) for Luiz. It’s like saying John Scott Johnny Smith. It’s not common in the United States for a nickname to be part of a full name like this; but in Brazil, especially for the rich and famous, an apelido is often legally added to the full name for marketing reasons and to avoid lawsuits.

Brazilians have an obsession with apelidos (ah-peh-lee-dooz) (nicknames) and using first names only in the case of celebrities. The former President Lula has always been known in Brazil simply as “Lula.” The president who served right before Lula, Fernando Henrique Cardoso (feh-nahn-doh ang-hee-kee kah-doh-zoo) was simply called Fernando Henrique. No one — not even on news shows — refers to these leaders as Presidente da Silva or Presidente Cardoso. If people want to be formal, they say Presidente Lula (preh-zee-dang-chee loo-lah), which is like saying President Barack when referring to former U.S. President Barack Obama.

Only recently, I learned that the real name of Brazil’s most famous soccer star of all time, Pelé (peh-leh) (his career spanned 1956–1977) is actually Edson Arantes do Nascimento (eh-jee-soh-oong ah-rahn-cheez doo nah-see-men-toh). I discovered that in the United States, after I moved back after spending three years in Brazil! In Brazil I heard him referred to only as Pelé — never by his real name.

Brazilians also prefer to stick to nomes in general. I have friends who say they don’t even know many of their friends’ sobrenomes, even after knowing them for a long time.

Dividing the World between Formal and Informal

One way to think about people is to divide them into two categories: those you call Mr. or Mrs. and those you call by their first names.

Brazilians use the terms Senhor (seen-yoh) (Mr.) and Senhora (seen-yoh-rah) (Mrs.) pretty much just like you use Mr. and Mrs. in English. When you’re talking to your elderly vizinho (vee-zeen-yoh) (neighbor), he’s Senhor so-and-so. When a casal (kah-zah-oo) (couple) walks into a real estate agency, for example, they’re addressed as Senhor e Senhora (seen-yoh ee seen-yoh-rah) (Mr. and Mrs.) so-and-so.

Brazilians often use o/a (ooh/ah) (the) before saying Mr. or Mrs. It’s like saying “the Mr. Oliveira.” Here are some examples:

  • o Senhor Wilfredo Oliveira (ooh seen-yoh veel-freh-doh oh-lee-vay-rah) (Mr. Oliveira)
  • o Senhor Luciano da Silva (ooh seen-yoh loo-see-ah-noh dah see-ooh-vah) (Mr. da Silva)
  • a Senhora Mônica Tavares (ah seen-yoh-rah moh-nee-kah tah-vah-reez) (Mrs. Tavares)
  • a Senhora Fernanda Gimenes (ah seen-yoh-rah feh-nahn-dah zhee-men-ez) (Mrs. Gimenes)

Cultural wisdom Another thing to note is that in Brazil, it’s common for people in the service industry to use Senhor and Senhora for young people — even teenagers. There’s the term senhorita (sen-yoh-ree-tah) (Miss), but it’s very old-fashioned. And it’s normal for people to say Senhor David or Senhora Luciana — using the first name instead of the last name.

I’m called Senhora Karen (seen-yoh-rah kahr-eeng), whether I’m at the cabelereiro (kah-beh-leh-ray-roh) (hairdresser’s), talking to an agente de viagens (ah-jehn-chee jee vee-ah-jehnz) (travel agent), or at my favorite padaria (pah-dah-ree-ah) (bakery). At first, I wondered whether people thought I was middle-aged (I lived in Brazil from ages 25–28), but then I noticed the same treatment for teenagers. Whew — it was nice to know that the word Senhora wasn’t a reflection of how old I looked!

Of course, when two people know each other reasonably well, the formal titles drop off and people just call each other by their first names.

Imagine you’re a man talking to a hotel concierge. They treat you with respect because it’s their job to serve you. They may ask you the following questions:

  • O senhor mora aqui? (ooh seen-yoh moh-rah ah-kee?) (Do you live here?)
  • O senhor está cansado? (ooh seen-yoh eh-stah kahn-sah-doo?) (Are you tired?)
  • O senhor é brasileiro? (ooh seen-yoh eh brah-zee-lay-roh?) (Are you Brazilian?)
  • O senhor gosta do restaurante? (ooh seen-yoh goh-stah doo heh-stah-oo-rahn-chee?) (Do you like the restaurant?)

And here are some more typical questions that the concierge may ask a guest. Can you tell that, in these examples, the guest is a woman?

  • A senhora gosta de dançar? (ah seen-yoh-rah goh-stah jee dahn-sah?) (Do you like to dance?)
  • A senhora é americana? (ah seen-yoh-rah eh ah-meh-ree-kah-nah?) (Are you American?)
  • A senhora vai para a praia? (ah seen-yoh-rah vah-ee pah-rah ah prah-ee-ah?) (Are you going to the beach?)
  • A senhora está de férias? (ah seen-yoh-rah eh-stah jee feh-ree-ahz?) (Are you on vacation?)

Now imagine that the speaker who’s asking you all these questions is your new neighbor — a Brazilian. All the o senhors and a senhoras become você (voh-seh) (you [informal]). Você is what you call people when it’s appropriate to be casual. The neighbor might ask you, Você gosta do bairro? (voh-seh goh-stah doo bah-ee-hoh?) (Do you like the neighborhood?)

Cultural wisdom If you vacation in Brazil, many people you come into contact with will be people in the tourism industry who will call you o Senhor or a Senhora. Make sure to lembrar (lehm-brah) (remember) to use o Senhor or a Senhora rather than você, especially if you meet um idoso (oong ee-doh-zoo) (an elderly person). It’s nice to show respect.

Describing Permanent Qualities: Ser

The verb ser (sehr) (to be) is the way to describe someone or something. Use this verb when you want to communicate the equivalent of is or are in Portuguese.

Brazilians use ser for permanent qualities of a thing or person. I’m talking about qualities of places and people that don’t change much: New York is an island. New York is a big city. New York is pretty. She is married. He is from California. He is smart and nice. The verb estar (eh-stahr) (to be) is also used to mean is and are, but only in situations where the quality being described is temporary, such as being sleepy. I cover the ins and outs of estar in the section “Describing Temporary Qualities: Estar” later in this chapter.

Say you’re talking about your friend Ana, who has a rich husband. When you’re thinking about whether to use ser or estar to say the husband is rich, don’t worry yourself over questions like What if Ana’s husband goes bankrupt tomorrow? or What if Ana gets divorced tomorrow? Use the decade rule: If the quality you’re talking about seems like it will last another ten years, then use ser.

If you make a mistake, don’t sweat it. That’s how you learn. Plus, Brazilians are nice. They won’t laugh at you.

Using an example

To clarify how to use the verb ser, I’m going to use the exemplo (eh-zem-ploh) (example) of Gisele Bündchen (zhee-zeh-lee boon-chang), Brazil’s most famous fashion modelo (moh-deh-loh) (model) — one of the most famous supermodels of all time in the world. If you don’t know what she looks like, do an online search for her name and then come back to this text.

Did you do it? Okay. What are Gisele’s permanent qualities? These are qualities about her that last for um longo período (oong lohn-goo peh-ree-ooh-doh) (a long time) — at least a decade or so. When talking about these qualities, use the verb ser. When conjugated for she, the verb ser is é (eh).

Ela é (eh-lah eh) (She is)

  • alta (ah-ooh-tah) (tall)
  • bonita (boo-nee-tah) (pretty)
  • uma modelo (ooh-mah moh-deh-loh) (a model)
  • rica (hee-kah) (rich)
  • do Rio Grande do Sul (doo hee-ooh grahn-jee doo soo) (from Rio Grande do Sul state)

I talked about what she looks like (physical characteristics), what her profession is, and where she’s from. These are a few things that probably won’t mudar (moo-dah) (change) about Gisele for another dez anos (dez ah-nohz) (ten years). She certainly won’t get baixa ou feia (bah-ee-shah ooh fay-ah) (short or unattractive) any time logo (loh-goo) (soon).

The verb ser is the one most often used in Portuguese. It’s an irregular verb (look at Chapter 2 for a quick lesson on verbs), but it’s the easiest irregular verb there is in Portuguese. Check it out in the following table.

Conjugation

Pronunciation

eu sou

eh-ooh soh

você é

voh-seh eh

ele/ela é

eh-lee/eh-lah eh

nós somos

nohz soh-mooz

eles/elas são

eh-leez/eh-lahz sah-ooh

vocês são

voh-sehz sah-ooh

Warming up to ser

Entendeu? (en-ten-deh-ooh?) (Did you get it?). Ser is just the plain old is and are and am. How basic is that?

Now that you know the verb ser, you can say a ton of things:

  • Eu sou homem. (eh-ooh soh oh-mang.) (I am a man.)
  • Eu sou da Califórnia. (eh-ooh soh dah kah-lee-foh-nee-ah.) (I am from California.)
  • Ele é muito alto. (eh-lee eh moo-ee-toh ah-ooh-toh.) (He is very tall.)
  • Nós somos amigos. (nohz soh-mooz ah-mee-gooz.) (We are friends.)
  • Elas são simpáticas. (eh-lahz sah-ooh seem-pah-chee-kahz.) (Those women are nice.)
  • Ela é jovem. (eh-lah eh zhoh-vang.) (She is young.)
  • Nós somos da Austrália. (nohz soh-mooz dah ah-ooh-strah-lee-ah.) (We are from Australia.)
  • Eles são inteligentes. (eh-leez sah-ooh een-teh-lee-zhang-cheez.) (They are smart.)

Soundnative Gente boa (zhang-chee boh-ah) is a very common phrase in Brazil. It’s used to describe people who are laid-back and down-to-earth. It literally means good people, but you can use it to describe one person or a group of people. Here are a couple phrases you can use to win Brazilian friends:

  • Você é gente boa. (voh-seh eh zhang-chee boh-ah.) (You’re a really cool person.)
  • Os seus amigos são muito gente boa. (oohz say-oohz ah-mee-gooz sah-ooh moo-ee-toh zhang-chee boh-ah.) (Your friends are really great.)

As you can see, ser goes perfectly with descriptions of things and people. Take a look at Table 3-1 to check out some basic adjectives you can use with ser. These words are sure to come in handy.

TABLE 3-1 Adjectives Describing Permanent States

Adjective

Pronunciation

Translation

alto

ah-ooh-toh

tall

baixo

bah-ee-shoh

short (height)

caro

kah-roh

expensive

barato

bah-rah-toh

cheap

bom

boh-oong

good

mau

mah-ooh

bad

curto

kooh-toh

short (length)

comprido

kohm-pree-doh

long

pequeno

peh-keh-noh

small

grande

grahn-jee

big

fácil

fah-see-ooh

easy

difícil

jee-fee-see-ooh

difficult

divertido

jee-veh-chee-doo

fun

chato

shah-toh

boring/annoying

gordo

goh-doh

fat

magro

mah-groh

thin

jovem

zhoh-vang

young

velho

vehl-yoh

old

Soundnative If you want to sound a little more casual when speaking Portuguese, use né at the end of a sentence to mean Right?Né is the contraction of não é (nah-ooh eh) (Literally: isn’t it), though Brazilians also use não é in place of né. Also, use É (eh) to affirm a question someone just asked you – use É when you would respond, “Yeah.” These words aren’t necessary for you to learn, but they’re fun, and Brazilians use them all the time!

Describing Temporary Qualities: Estar

Use the verb estar (eh-stahr) (to be) to describe the temporary qualities of a thing or person. Is the state of the person or thing likely to change in a few minutes? In a few days or weeks? In a few years? If so, then use estar. In terms of people, estar is used most often to describe mood or physical state or location.

Estar enables you to convey that you’re nervoso (neh-voh-zoo) (nervous) about something, or you’re doente (doh-en-chee) (sick) — right now. Tomorrow you may be happy and not sick. If you use ser with these adjectives, you’re saying that you’ll be nervous or sick for many years. Hopefully that isn’t the case!

But don’t worry too much about this. If you mix up the verbs, Brazilians will still understand what you’re saying.

Using an example

Consider the model Gisele Bünchen (zhee-zeh-lee boon-chang) again. To describe some of her temporary qualities, use the verb estar. If it helps, you can think about temporary qualities as someone’s state of being, which often changes from minute to minute or from one day to the next.

When conjugated for she, the verb estar is está (eh-stah).

Imagine Gisele is on a photo shoot and having a bad day. Ela está (eh-lah eh-stah) (She is):

  • com fome (koh-oong foh-mee) (hungry)
  • com sapatos vermelhos (koh-oong sah-pah-tooz veh-mel-yooz) (wearing red shoes)
  • em Roma (ang hoh-mah) (in Rome)
  • triste (trees-chee) (sad)

These phrases describe her emotions and daily physical needs, temporary aspects of her appearance, and her physical location. All of these aspects are things that will change soon about Gisele.

Tomorrow, Gisele will go back to the United States, where she lives, and she will probably change her sapatos vermelhos.

Remember Estar is for qualities of a person, place, or thing that are temporary. Both ser and estar are used to say am, is, and are. To find out the different forms of estar, take a look at the following table.

Conjugation

Pronunciation

eu estou

eh-ooh eh-stoh

você está

voh-seh eh-stah

ele/ela está

eh-lee/eh-lah eh-stah

nós estamos

nohz eh-stah-mohz

eles/elas estão

eh-leez/eh-lahz eh-stah-ooh

vocês estão

voh-sehz eh-stah-ooh

Warming up to estar

Here are some common phrases that use estar:

  • Ela está de férias. (eh-lah eh-stah jee feh-ree-uz.) (She is on vacation.)
  • Nós estamos com fome. (nohz eh-stah-mohz koh-oong foh-mee.) (We are hungry.)
  • Eu estou triste. (eh-ooh eh-stoh trees-chee.) (I am sad.)
  • Ela está no carro. (eh-lah eh-stah noh kah-hoh.) (She is in the car.)
  • Eu estou em casa. (eh-ooh eh-stoh ang kah-zah.) (I am at home.)
  • Eles estão no Brasil. (eh-leez eh-stah-ooh noo brah-zee-ooh.) (They are in Brazil.)

Again, with estar, you’re talking about people’s emotional states, their physical states, and where they’re located.

Speaking about Speaking: Falar

Now onto a really easy, fun verb: falar (fah-lah) (to speak/to talk). Talking is, after all, how to really learn a language! This book is a good primer for learning Brazilian Portuguese, but you can catch on much more quickly if you can spend some time in Brazil or find a Brazilian where you live who will falar with you. Luckily, Brazilians love to falar, so they’re the perfect conversation partners.

To discover the different forms of falar, take a look at the following verb conjugations:

Conjugation

Pronunciation

eu falo

eh-ooh fah-loh

você fala

voh-seh fah-lah

ele/ela fala

eh-lee/eh-lah fah-lah

nós falamos

nohz fah-lah-mohz

eles/elas falam

eh-leez/eh-lahz fah-lah-ooh

vocês falam

voh-sehz fah-lah-ooh

Falar is the verbo perfeito (veh-boh peh-fay-toh) (perfect verb) to use to talk about speaking Portuguese — or any language at all. Browse through Table 3-2 to find out how to say the names of other languages.

TABLE 3-2 Some of the World’s Major Languages

Language

Pronunciation

Translation

inglês

eeng-glehz

English

português

poh-too-gez

Portuguese

português de Portugal

poh-too-gez jee poh-too-gah-ooh

Portuguese from Portugal

português do Brasil

poh-too-gez doo brah-zee-ooh

Brazilian Portuguese

espanhol

eh-spahn-yoh-ooh

Spanish

russo

hoo-soh

Russian

chinês

shee-nez

Chinese

francês

frahn-sez

French

italiano

ee-tah-lee-ah-noh

Italian

alemão

ah-leh-mah-ooh

German

árabe

ah-rah-bee

Arabic

hebraico

eh-brah-ee-koh

Hebrew

And hey, did you notice that Brazilians don’t capitalize the primeira letra (pree-may-rah let-rah) (first letter) of names of languages in Portuguese? This convention is different from English, where you sempre (sem-pree) (always) capitalize the first letter of línguas estrangeiras (ling-gwahz eh-strahn-jay-rahz) (foreign languages).

Here are some easy ways to use falar:

  • Eu falo inglês. (eh-ooh fah-loh eeng-glehz.) (I speak English.)
  • Eu gostaria de falar chinês. (eh-ooh goh-stah-ree-ah jee fah-lah shee-nehz.) (I would like to speak Chinese.)
  • Você fala muito rápido! (voh-seh fah-lah moh-ee-toh hah-pee-doh!) (You talk really fast!)
  • Na reunião, nós falamos durante cinco horas! (nah hay-ooh-nee-ah-ooh, nohz fah-lah-mohz doo-rahn-chee sing-koh oh-ruz!) (During the meeting, we talked for five hours!)
  • Elas falam muito bem. (eh-lahz fah-lah-ooh moh-ee-toh bang.) (They speak really well.)
  • Você fala quantas línguas? (voh-seh fah-lah kwahn-tuz ling-gwuz?) (How many languages do you speak?)

Tip I bet this will be one of your favorite phrases of the whole book: Como se diz…? (koh-moo see jeez…?) (How do you say…?). This great phrase got me out of many linguistic jams.

Cultural wisdom Does it seem unusual that alguém (ah-ooh-gang) (someone) would say she loves speaking her língua nativa (ling-gwah nah-chee-vah) (native language)? It’s like saying that you love to speak English (if English is your native language). Well, for Brazilians, it’s different. When famous Brazilians are interviewed and asked what they miss most about Brazil when they’re fora do país (foh-rah doo pah-eez) (out of the country), they often say they miss falar em português (fah-lah ang poh-too-gez) (speaking in Portuguese). And the truth is, I miss speaking Portuguese, too, now that I’m not living in Brazil anymore!

Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye to a Brazilian is easy! Well, the expression is fácil (fah-see-ooh) (easy), at least. When you’ve made um bom amigo (oong boh-oong ah-mee-goo) (a good friend) and you realize you won’t see them for a while, it’s difícil (jee-fee-see-ooh) (difficult) to say goodbye in any language.

The quick way to say goodbye is simply Tchau! (chow!) (Ciao!)

Todo mundo (toh-doo moon-doh) (everyone, Literally: all world) in Brazil — from the guy selling abacaxi (ah-bah-kah-shee) (pineapple) on the street to the dono (doh-noo) (owner) of the restaurant where you’re eating — uses Tchau in almost all situations. It’s not like in English, where Ciao! can sound a little snobby.

It’s also very common to say Até (ah-teh) (until) plus another word referring to when you think you’ll see the person de novo (jee noh-voh) (again). (I cover the Portuguese words for date and time references in Chapter 4.) But if you want to just memorizar (meh-moh-ree-zah) (memorize) one of the following phrases, pick Até logo. It never fails.

  • Até logo. (ah-teh loh-goo.) (See you later.)
  • Até mais. (ah-teh mah-eez.) (See you; Literally, Until more)
  • Até amanhã. (ah-teh ah-mahn-yah.) (See you tomorrow.)
  • Até a semana que vem. (ah-teh ah seh-mah-nah kee vang.) (See you next week.)

Soundnative A gente se vê (ah zhang-chee see veh) (See you around) is a common way of saying bye in a casual situation.