{"id":2628,"date":"2018-10-30T18:56:42","date_gmt":"2018-10-30T18:56:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/?p=2628"},"modified":"2018-11-19T17:20:59","modified_gmt":"2018-11-19T17:20:59","slug":"thank-you-in-portuguese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/thank-you-in-portuguese\/","title":{"rendered":"All the Essential Ways to Say \u201cThank You\u201d in Portuguese"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being able to show our appreciation when someone does something for us is important \u2013 especially if we’re in a foreign country (um pa\u00eds estrangeiro<\/em>). It’s important to be polite so that people get the right impression of us, and one of the most important ways to be polite is by knowing how to say \u201cthank you<\/strong>\u201d properly.<\/p>\n

The word \u201cthank you<\/strong>\u201d in Portuguese is not as straightforward as it could be. If you have studied other Latin languages, like Spanish<\/a> or French<\/a>, or are used to speaking English (falando ingl\u00eas<\/em>), you would be used to always saying \u201cthank you<\/strong>\u201d in the same way, no matter who you are or who you are talking to. In Portuguese, it is slightly different.<\/p>\n

That said, the situations when \u201cthank you<\/strong>\u201d is said are the same in Portuguese as in English. Such as when you are given a present (presente<\/em>), if someone holds the door (porta<\/em>) open for you, or when someone has done something nice for you.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Obrigado<\/strong> or Obrigada<\/strong>?<\/h2>\n

The word for \u201cthank you\u201d in Portuguese is obrigado<\/em><\/strong>. It comes from the Latin\u00a0obligare<\/em> \u2013 or in English, to be obliged<\/em>. Translated into English, it sounds as if we have gone back to Dickensian times and are saying \u201cI am much obliged, sir\u201d, whilst tipping our hats.<\/p>\n

Unlike in a lot of other languages, however, the word\u00a0for \u201cthank you\u201d in Portuguese\u00a0changes depending on\u00a0who is saying it<\/strong>. So, if you’re a male, you say obrigado<\/em><\/strong>, and if you’re a female, you say obrigada<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 regardless of who you’re talking to.<\/p>\n

So:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Raffael would say to his dad, \u201cObrigado pelo livro.\u201d<\/strong> (Thank you for the book.<\/em>)<\/li>\n
  • Or to his mum, \u201cObrigado pela ajuda.\u201d <\/strong>(Thank you for your help.<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    And:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Claudia would say to her dad, \u201cObrigada pelo seu conselho.\u201d <\/strong>(Thank you for your advice.<\/em>)<\/li>\n
    • Or to her mum, \u201cObrigada pelo carro.\u201d <\/strong>(Thank you for the car.<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The reason for this is that the word\u00a0obrigado<\/em><\/strong> is an adjective, and in Portuguese, often the endings of adjectives change according to the thing that is being talked about.<\/p>\n

      So, just as you would adapt:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • alto <\/strong>or alta <\/strong>(tall<\/em>)<\/li>\n
      • magro <\/strong>or magra <\/strong>(thin<\/em>)<\/li>\n
      • cansado <\/strong>or cansada <\/strong>(tired<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        according to the gender of whatever you are talking about, we do the same with obrigado \/ obrigada<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

        If you are going to say \u201cthank you\u201d in Portuguese on behalf of other people, the form changes slightly:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • If you are saying \u201cthank you\u201d on behalf of a group of other people (male<\/strong>, or male and female<\/strong>), both\u00a0men <\/strong>or women<\/strong> must use \u201cobrigados\u201d<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
        • If you are saying \u201cthank you\u201d on behalf of a group of women<\/strong>, women <\/strong>must use \u201cobrigadas\u201d<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          For example:<\/p>\n

          A couple (male and female or two males) might say \u201cobrigados\u201d<\/strong> at the end of their wedding to their guests.<\/p>\n

          An all-female band might say \u201cobrigadas\u201d<\/strong> at the end of a show (thanking the audience on behalf of the whole band).<\/p>\n

          Thank You as an Interjection<\/h2>\n

          Occasionally, you might hear a female use the word \u201cobrigado!\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>to say \u201cthank you\u201d in Portuguese.<\/p>\n

          The only time you will hear this (unless, of course, they are reporting what someone else was saying), is if it is used as an interjection<\/strong> \u2013 and not as an adjective.<\/p>\n

          An interjection<\/strong> is used when you want to express a sudden emotion or strong feeling \u2013 often followed by an exclamation mark (!).<\/p>\n

          For example:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Go!<\/strong><\/li>\n
          • Help!<\/strong><\/li>\n
          • Thank you!<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            In this case, you might also find a female saying \u201cobrigado!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

            ‘Brigado\u2026<\/h2>\n

            It is not uncommon to hear Brazilians \u2013 and especially the Portuguese \u2013 to chop the first o<\/em><\/strong> off obrigado<\/em> \u2013 so it sounds like they are saying\u00a0brigado<\/em><\/strong> or brigada<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

            It is important to remember, though, that it’s similar to the way that we sometimes drop our t’<\/em>s in English. You wouldn’t write it down like that and you wouldn’t speak to people of authority like that \u2013 or someone might come back at you with:<\/p>\n

            N\u00e3o \u00e9 para brigar<\/strong>\u2026 (It’s not for <\/em>fighting<\/em><\/strong> about.<\/em>)<\/p>\n

            as the verb\u00a0brigar<\/strong>\u00a0means to fight.<\/em><\/p>\n

            You will probably be able to tell if someone is thanking you or picking a fight with you, however.<\/p>\n

            If You’re REALLY Thankful<\/h2>\n

            Just as in English we can say \u201cthank you very much<\/strong>\u201d, in Portuguese there are ways to say that you are really thankful.<\/p>\n

            One way is to say muito obrigado(a):<\/em><\/p>\n

              \n
            • Muito obrigado<\/strong> pela aula de Portugu\u00eas (Thank you very much<\/em><\/strong> for the Portuguese lesson<\/em>) if you are male.<\/li>\n
            • Muito obrigada <\/strong>pela aula de Portugu\u00eas (Thank you very much<\/em><\/strong> for the Portuguese lesson<\/em>) if you are female.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              In Portuguese, you can finish some words with -\u00e3o to make something bigger than it is. For example\u00a0grande<\/em>\u00a0becomes grand\u00e3o \u2013 big\u00a0<\/em>becomes really big<\/em>.<\/p>\n

              So, another way of saying \u201cthank you very much<\/strong>\u201d in Portuguese is by saying obrigad\u00e3o <\/em>\u2013 the same whether you are male or female. This is informal, mainly used in Brazil and is generally treated as a one-word thank you <\/em>sooooo<\/em><\/strong> much<\/em>.<\/p>\n

              If you want to show that you are REALLY, REALLY grateful, you might also want to say:<\/p>\n

              Muit\u00edssimo obrigado(a)<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

              So, some examples might be:<\/p>\n

                \n
              • Muit\u00edssimo obrigado<\/strong> pelo dinheiro (Thank you very, very much<\/em><\/strong> for the money<\/em>) if you are a male.<\/li>\n
              • Muit\u00edssimo obrigada<\/strong> por ter vido (Thank you very, very much<\/em><\/strong> for coming<\/em>) if you are a female.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                You can also use obrigad\u00edssimo(a) <\/strong>in the same way.<\/p>\n

                For example:<\/p>\n

                  \n
                • Obrigad\u00edssimo<\/strong> pelo diamante (Thank you very, very much<\/strong> for the diamond) if you are a male.<\/li>\n
                • Obrigad\u00edssima<\/strong> pelo novo casaco (Thank you very, very much<\/em><\/strong> for the new coat<\/em>) if you are a female.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                  Obrigadinho(a)<\/h2>\n

                  Just as we have the -\u00e3o<\/em> on the end of words to make them bigger, Portuguese also has a way to make them smaller. This is often a way to show affection. The ending is –inho<\/em> (masculine) or -inha<\/em> (feminine).<\/p>\n

                  So, for example,<\/p>\n

                  Ronaldo might turn into Ronaldinho<\/em> \u2013 an affectionate name for Ronaldo.<\/p>\n

                  Or you can also say:<\/p>\n

                  Tenho uma casinha<\/strong> (I have a <\/em>little <\/em><\/strong>house<\/em>).<\/p>\n

                  If you were to say obrigadinho <\/em><\/strong>or obrigadinha<\/em><\/strong>, this is usually used as a tongue-in-cheek or ironic way of saying thanks \u2013 so make sure that your facial expression shows what you really are trying to say!<\/p>\n

                  An\u00a0Obrigado<\/strong> Misinterpretation<\/h2>\n

                  Sometimes different cultures can interpret words in their own way.<\/p>\n

                  Imagine, for example, that you get invited around to someone’s house for lunch (almo\u00e7o<\/em>). They might offer you some delicious smelling and looking p\u00e3o de queijo <\/em>\u2013 a famous cheesy bread made in Brazil \u2013 and as they head towards you, you look at them, smile and say \u201cobrigado\u201d. <\/strong>To which they promptly turn around and stash the delights away before you even get a chance to try.<\/p>\n

                  If you say \u201cobrigado<\/strong>\u201d or \u201cobrigada\u201d<\/strong> when you are about to be offered something, they will often take that to mean no thanks<\/em>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

                  Which is probably not what you want \u2013 if you don’t want to miss out, especially if it’s p\u00e3o de queijo<\/em>!<\/p>\n

                  What you should say instead is \u201csim, por favor\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>(yes please<\/em>).<\/p>\n

                  Thanks for \u2013 Por<\/h2>\n

                  When we are saying thank you, we usually want to say what we are being thankful for. For this, we use the word por<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

                  When we it\u00a0with a verb, it will always keep the\u00a0por<\/em> form.<\/p>\n

                  For example:<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  • Obrigada por cozinhar<\/strong> (Thank you <\/em>for cooking<\/em><\/strong>) if you are female.<\/li>\n
                  • Obrigado por dirigir<\/strong> (Thank you <\/em>for driving<\/em><\/strong>) if you are male.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    However, if you are using it with a noun, the word\u00a0por<\/em><\/strong> changes to pelo<\/em><\/strong> or pela<\/em><\/strong>, depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine.<\/p>\n

                    So, for example:<\/p>\n

                      \n
                    • Obrigado pelo cachorro<\/strong> (Thanks <\/em>for the dog<\/em><\/strong>) if you are male.<\/li>\n
                    • Obrigado pela televis\u00e3o<\/strong> (Thanks <\/em>for the television<\/em><\/strong>) if you are male.<\/li>\n
                    • Obrigada pelo computador<\/strong> (Thanks <\/em>for the computer<\/em><\/strong>) if you are female.<\/li>\n
                    • Obrigada pela ajuda<\/strong> (Thanks <\/em>for your help<\/em><\/strong>) if you are female.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                      Other Way of Saying Thanks in Portuguese<\/h2>\n

                      There are some other words which can also be used to also say thank you<\/em> in Portuguese \u2013 although obrigado(a)<\/strong> is the most commonly used term. They vary in formality \u2013 some being so formal that you barely hear them, and others being very informal.<\/p>\n

                        \n
                      • Agradecido(a)<\/em><\/strong> is a very formal way of saying thank you \u2013 its literal translation is grateful.<\/em><\/li>\n
                      • Grato(a) <\/em><\/strong>is another very formal way to say thank you \u2013 literally meaning thankful.<\/em><\/li>\n
                      • Valeu<\/em><\/strong> is a very informal way to say thanks. It is short for vale a pena<\/strong>, which means it was worth it. Valeu<\/em> is almost like a slang word and not often written down.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                        In English, we sometimes use the word thanks <\/em>when we could also use due to<\/em>.<\/p>\n

                        \u201cThanks to your hard work, we will open on time.\u201d<\/p>\n

                        In Portuguese, we use the gra\u00e7as <\/strong>in this context, so the above phrase would be:<\/p>\n

                        “Gra\u00e7as ao seu trabalho duro, vamos abrir a tempo.”<\/em><\/p>\n

                        Or, as heard very often, gra\u00e7as a Deus<\/strong><\/em> (thank<\/em> God<\/em>).<\/p>\n

                        Responding to Thanks in Portuguese<\/h2>\n

                        Of course, it’s one thing being able to say thanks, but another being able to respond to someone when they have thanked you.<\/p>\n

                        The most common way of saying you’re welcome<\/em> in Portuguese is de nada <\/strong><\/em>or por nada<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

                        And the good news is that it doesn’t matter whether you’re male or female, or who you’re talking to!<\/p>\n

                        And it sometimes rhymes, which makes it sound even better.<\/p>\n

                        \u201cObrigada!\u201d
                        \n<\/strong>\u201cDe nada!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

                        De nada <\/strong>or por nada<\/strong> literally means, it’s nothing<\/em>, or it was no trouble\/problem<\/em>.<\/p>\n

                        You might find that some people say N\u00e3o h\u00e1 de qu\u00ea.<\/strong><\/p>\n

                        This means There’s nothing to thank me for<\/em>, but basically means you’re welcome<\/em>, although it is a little less common.<\/p>\n

                        In Brazil, you might hear people say in shops or similar places\u00a0obrigado(a) voc\u00ea <\/em><\/strong>or obrigado(a) eu<\/em><\/strong>, meaning literally\u00a0no, thank YOU<\/em>.<\/p>\n

                        \n

                        So now you know how to say \u201cthank you\u201d or \u201cthanks\u201d in Portuguese and how to respond to someone thanking YOU.<\/p>\n

                        Obrigada por ler esse artigo!<\/strong><\/p>\n

                        Challenge yourself with Clozemaster<\/h2>\n

                        Test your skills and see what you\u2019ve learned from this article by playing a selection of sentences with various ways to say \u201cthank you\u201d in Portuguese.<\/strong><\/p>\n