Second Portuguese Lesson on Tomorrow Algarve facebook page
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PORTUGUESE LESSON Nº 2
We were very pleased to note that our first Portuguese lesson was very popular! Here comes the second one. You are going to learn how to say hello….
Continuing with greetings, let’s learn a little bit more. So, how do you say in Portuguese “How are you?” There are, of course, more than one option, but let’s learn the most common ones.
Here’s a possible dialogue:
-Olá, bom dia, como está? (Hi, good morning, how are you?)
-Estou bem, obrigado(a). E você? (I’m fine, thank you. And you?)
-Também, obrigado(a) (I’m fine too, thanks)
Using the expression “Como está”, you’re being polite and you’re using the formal term, so this is a good one to use with everyone except for your family, Portuguese friends, children or teenagers.
The word “você” means “you”, but it’s our formal “you”. Our informal “you” is “tu”.
What if you want to talk to someone you know, using that person’s name, but keeping the formal term? You must use the word “senhor” for men and “dona” for ladies plus the person’s name, like this:
-Olá, boa tarde Sr. João, como está? (“Sr.” stands for “senhor”)
Or
-Olá, boa noite, D. Teresa, como está? (“D.” stands for “dona” – it doesn’t matter if the woman is married or unmarried. If she’s not a girl anymore, “Dona” is the right term.
Also, don’t forget the difference between “obrigado” and “obrigada”. Men should always say “obrigado” and women should always say “obrigada”.
If you’re living in Algarve, I’m sure you’ve heard “’brigad’” a lot, instead of “obrigado(a)”. That’s not an actual word, that’s just the Algarvian accent. Actually, if you pay attention to how people speak here in the Algarve, you’ll realize that they usually omit the last vowel.
If you go to Lisbon, for instance, you’ll notice that everyone pronounces the word endings. Portugal is a small country, but, like everywhere else, it has many different accents. The regular way to reply to “obrigado” is the expression “de nada” (meaning “it’s nothing”).
If you want to be more informal and quick, try this one:
– Tudo bem? (Is everything ok?)
– Tudo bem. (Yes, everything is ok)
You can use the same expression to ask and to reply; you just have to change the intonation a little according to your intention.