How do you say "How are you?" in Portuguese – and how do you reply? This free lesson gives you some useful words and phrases to pack in your Portuguese language survival kit. You’ll learn the formal and informal Portuguese for asking people how they are – important stuff if you want to make the right first impression. And just in case you need to apologize, you’ll learn how to say sorry in Portuguese as well!
After you greet someone, you’ll want to ask how they are. Here are some common questions that follow a greeting.
How to say "How are you?" in Portuguese
For friends or family:
Important! Perfect Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record
Our voice recognition tool, Rocket Record, is used extensively throughout Rocket Portuguese to get you speaking the right way. Listen to the tutor audio then record yourself saying the phrase. Use a headset mic in a quiet environment for best results. Problems? Click here!
Tudo bem?
How are you? / Everything well? (formal)
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For strangers or more senior people:
Como vai? / Como está?
How are you?
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What do you say if someone asks you how you are?
Bem, obrigado / Bem, obrigada
Well, thanks (male/female)
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Muito bem
Very well
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Na mesma
As always
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Tudo na mesma
Everything is as always
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Um pouco cansado / Um pouco cansada
A little tired (male/female)
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Estou doente
I'm sick
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Mais ou menos
So-so
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Nada mal
Not bad
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Mal
Bad
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Tudo bem
All good
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Vai tudo bem
Everything is going well
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Beleza
Great
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A common follow-up question is, "And you?", "E você?":
E você?
And you?
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If someone tells you that he or she is not feeling well you could reply with the following…
Sinto muito
I'm sorry
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Que pena!
What a shame!
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If someone is feeling great, you can respond with the following…
Que bom!
That's good!
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É bom saber!
Nice to know!
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The above words are extremely important. From experience, I think that the most important thing to know in any language is how to say you’re sorry! Others disagree. They say that there are THREE important phrases that you absolutely must know. They are:
Sinto muito
I'm sorry
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Eu te amo
I love you
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Preciso de ajuda
I need help
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Hmm, I can’t think of a situation in which I’d need to use all three, but I’ll leave that to your imagination! That’s it for today’s lesson.
Find out about asking Portuguese questions in this series of lessons. Make sure you listen to the audio and practice your Portuguese pronunciation. And do the Portuguese tests at the end of each lesson to reinforce your knowledge of Portuguese questions!
We love Brazilian people and Brazilian culture - from iconic monuments and colorful Carnival to refreshing cocktails and rhythmic capoeira! And there's no better way to connect with them than by learning português.