LinguaTudo bem? – asking how someone is
The most Brazilian question of all is Tudo bem? – literally “everything well?” – and it usually comes right after the greeting: Oi, tudo bem? The normal answer simply repeats it: Tudo bem, e você? or Tudo bom! Como vai? – “how are you doing?” – is a little more polite and is answered with Vou bem. The answer is often a ritual, like English fine, thanks: nobody expects a list of problems. If you want to be honest, say mais ou menos (“so-so”) or Estou cansado – “I’m tired”.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Tudo bem? | how are things? (literally: all well?) |
| Tudo bom? | how are things? (the same) |
| Como vai? | how are you doing? (a little more polite) |
| Tudo bem, e você? | fine, and you? |
| Vou bem, obrigado. | I’m doing well, thank you. |
| Mais ou menos. | so-so |
Obrigado or obrigada? Cansado or cansada?
Obrigado means “thank you” – literally “obliged” – and it agrees with the person who is speaking, not with the person thanked: a man says obrigado, a woman says obrigada. Words that describe you work the same way: a man is cansado, a woman is cansada. Estou (“I am”) is a form of estar, the verb Portuguese uses for how you are right now; for você, ele and ela it is está: Você está bem? You will learn the whole verb later – for now, estou bem and está bem are enough.
– Oi, Carla, tudo bem? – Tudo bem, e você? – Estou cansado, mas tudo bem.– Hi, Carla, how are things? – Fine, and you? – I’m tired, but fine.
Você, o senhor, a senhora
Você is used with almost everyone in Brazil. For an older person, a customer or a very formal situation, Brazilians say o senhor to a man and a senhora to a woman – literally “the gentleman”, “the lady”. The verb stays exactly the same as with você: Como o senhor está?, A senhora mora aqui? A waiter will call you o senhor or a senhora, and many Brazilians use these words with their grandparents and parents-in-law. If you are not sure with an older person, start with o senhor / a senhora – if they prefer você, they will tell you: Pode me chamar de você.
– Boa tarde! Como o senhor está? – Vou bem, obrigado. E a senhora?– Good afternoon! How are you, sir? – I’m doing well, thank you. And you, madam?
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tudo bem | how are things?, all good | Oi, Marcos, tudo bem? Hi, Marcos, how are things? |
| como vai | how are you doing? | Boa tarde, como vai? Good afternoon, how are you doing? |
| bem | well, fine | Minha mãe está bem. My mother is fine. |
| mais ou menos | so-so | Hoje estou mais ou menos. Today I’m so-so. |
| cansado | tired | Pedro está cansado hoje. Pedro is tired today. |
| obrigado | thank you (said by a man) | Muito obrigado, Ana! Thank you very much, Ana! |
| obrigada | thank you (said by a woman) | – Tudo bem? – Tudo, obrigada! – How are things? – All good, thanks! |
| e você | and you? | Estou bem, e você? I’m fine, and you? |
| o senhor | you (polite, to a man), sir | O senhor fala inglês? Do you speak English, sir? |
| a senhora | you (polite, to a woman), madam | A senhora mora aqui? Do you live here, madam? |
| o amigo | friend (male) | Rui é meu amigo de Lisboa. Rui is my friend from Lisbon. |
| a amiga | friend (female) | Minha amiga se chama Lia. My friend is called Lia. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 1
- translate the sentence: 2
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
You meet a friend in the street. She asks: Oi, tudo bem? What is the natural answer?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.