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Master Essential Portuguese Greetings: Hello, Goodbye & More

Master olá, bom dia, and the tu/você puzzle — when each greeting applies, and how to answer 'tudo bem?' without freezing, in European Portuguese.

📝 Vocabulary

PortugueseEnglishNotes
OláHelloWorks at any hour, with anyone
Bom diaGood morningUntil lunchtime
Boa tardeGood afternoonFrom lunch until it gets dark
Boa noiteGood evening / Good nightBoth a hello and a goodbye after dark
Tudo bem?How's it going? / Everything ok?
Como está?How are you?Formal — for strangers and elders
AdeusGoodbyeMore final than 'até logo'
Até logoSee you laterLater today
Até amanhãSee you tomorrow
Com licençaExcuse meWhen passing by someone or leaving a room

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💡 Grammar Notes

Tu vs. the Formal Register

Portuguese has two ways of saying "you", and Portugal is picky about them:

  • Tu (informal): friends, family, children. "Como estás?"
  • O senhor / a senhora (formal): strangers, elders, officials. "Como está o senhor?"

A very European Portuguese habit: in formal situations, people often drop the pronoun entirely and just use the verb — "Como está?" — or the person's name: "A Maria está boa?" The word você exists but can sound blunt in Portugal; when in doubt, leave it out.

Answering "Tudo bem?"

The universal exchange, worth automating:

  • "Tudo bem?" — "Tudo bem, obrigado. E tu?" (All good, thanks. And you?)
  • Men say obrigado, women say obrigada — it agrees with the speaker, not the listener.

Other natural replies: "Tudo ótimo!" (All great!), "Vai-se andando." (Getting by — a very Portuguese answer.)

Which Greeting When

The day is split in three, and the switch happens at meals:

  • Bom dia — from waking up until lunch (around 13h).
  • Boa tarde — from after lunch until sunset.
  • Boa noite — after dark, both arriving and leaving.

When in doubt, olá is never wrong, and olá, bom dia together is extremely common — Portuguese people love to double-greet.

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