In this lesson you will learn five common Brazilian Portuguese greetings and farewells: Olá, Bom dia, Boa tarde, Boa noite and Tchau. You will see how they work in a short dialogue and practice choosing the right phrase for the time of day and the situation.
Objectives
- Greet someone in Brazilian Portuguese at any time of day using Olá, Bom dia, Boa tarde or Boa noite.
- Say goodbye casually with Tchau and respond politely with Estou bem, obrigado.
- Choose the right greeting or farewell for a casual or polite situation.
Phrases
Hi! / Hello!
A general, friendly greeting that works at any time of day and in both casual and polite situations.Good morning!
Used from early morning until around noon. Dia is masculine, so the greeting uses bom.Good afternoon!
Used from around noon until it gets dark. Tarde is feminine, so the greeting uses boa.Good evening! / Good night!
Used after dark, both when arriving and when leaving. Noite is feminine, so the greeting uses boa.Bye!
A casual farewell used with friends, family and people you know well.Explanations
One greeting for any time: Olá
Olá is a general, friendly greeting that works at any time of day and in both casual and polite situations. It is a safe choice when you are not sure which time-based greeting to use. In the dialogue, both speakers open with Olá before adding a time-specific greeting.
Greetings that follow the time of day
Bom dia means 'good morning' and is used from early morning until around noon. Boa tarde means 'good afternoon' and is used from around noon until it gets dark. Boa noite means 'good evening' or 'good night' and is used after dark, both when arriving and when leaving. Notice that dia is masculine, so it takes bom, while tarde and noite are feminine, so they take boa.
Farewells and polite replies
Tchau is a casual farewell, like 'bye', used with friends, family and people you know well. In the dialogue, speaker B answers Como está? with Estou bem, obrigado, which means 'I am well, thank you'. Obrigado is used by a male speaker; a female speaker says obrigada. These reply phrases do not change with the time of day; only the greeting changes.
Dialogue
A: Hi!
B: Hi! Good morning!
A: Good morning! How are you?
B: I am well, thank you. Bye!
Pronunciation
Listen carefully to the recording and repeat each phrase, copying the speaker's rhythm and intonation. Pay attention to the nasal sound in bom and the final -o in obrigado. Practice saying Olá and Tchau with a relaxed, friendly tone, and Bom dia, Boa tarde and Boa noite with a clear, polite tone. Repeat the dialogue line by line, then try to say your part without looking at the text.
Common mistake
Using the wrong form of the greeting, for example saying Boa dia or Bom tarde.
Match the form to the noun: dia is masculine, so say Bom dia; tarde and noite are feminine, so say Boa tarde and Boa noite.
Practice
You meet a friend in the morning. Greet them casually with the phrase that means 'Hi!'.
This greeting works at any time of day, so it fits a morning meeting with a friend.
Show answer
Olá!Olá is the general, friendly greeting that means 'Hi!' and works at any time of day.
You arrive at a shop at 9 a.m. Greet the shopkeeper politely with the phrase for 'Good morning'.
At 9 a.m. you need the morning greeting, and dia is masculine.
Show answer
Bom dia!Bom dia means 'Good morning' and is the polite morning greeting used until around noon.
You are leaving a friend's house in the evening. Say the casual farewell that means 'Bye!'.
This farewell is casual and used with people you know well.
Show answer
Tchau!Tchau is the casual farewell that means 'Bye!' and is used with friends, family and people you know well.
Use Olá at any time, choose Bom dia, Boa tarde or Boa noite for the time of day, and say Tchau as a casual farewell. Remember that dia takes bom, while tarde and noite take boa.
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