Expressions · Brazilian Portuguese
How to say goodbye in Portuguese (Brazil)
“Bye” in Brazilian Portuguese is tchau (chow). “See you later” is até mais or até logo. Adeus exists, but it sounds final; Brazilians almost never use it.
41 phrases with audio · Questions
The phrases everyone needs
| Listen | Portuguese | English | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| tchau | bye | everyone, every situation; never rude, never formal | |
| tchau tchau | bye bye | softer; on the phone and with children | |
| até mais | see you | the everyday “see you later” | |
| até logo | see you later | a little more formal; does not promise soon | |
| até amanhã | see you tomorrow | when you will | |
| até a próxima | until next time | the end of a class, a show, a visit | |
| a gente se vê | see you around | casual; no date attached | |
| falou | later | friends; “that’s settled, bye” | |
| boa noite | good night (as goodbye) | leaving after dark | |
| se cuida | take care | warm; friends and family | |
| um abraço / um beijo | a hug / a kiss | closing a call or a message; abraço between men, beijo to a woman | |
| adeus | farewell | for good, or as a joke; rare in Brazil |
How to say goodbye in Portuguese
Tchau (chow), from the Italian ciao, is the goodbye for everyone and every situation in Brazil. Doubled, tchau tchau, it is softer and very common on the phone. It is never rude and never formal; it is just goodbye. Spelling: tchau, with tch; ciao and chau are Italian and Spanish.
To a woman, to a man
Goodbyes don’t change with gender: tchau, até logo and até amanhã are the same to anyone. What changes is the closing you put after them. Um beijo goes to a woman, a close friend or family; um abraço between men, or to anyone in an email. A woman leaving a group of friends says tchau, beijo; a man says tchau, abraço, or falou.
Pronunciation
tchau chow · até mais ah-TEH MAH-ees · até logo ah-TEH LOH-goo · até amanhã ah-TEH ah-mahn-YAHNG · falou fah-LOH · adeus ah-DAY-oos · um abraço oong ah-BRAH-soo · um beijo oong BAY-zhoo. The stress falls on the syllable in capitals. The ã of amanhã is nasal, through the nose with no hard n at the end; the pronunciation guide has it. Press play on any row above to hear each one.
All the ways to say it
See you later, see you soon, see you tomorrow
Brazilians say goodbye with até (“until”): até mais (see you), até logo (see you later; literally “until soon”, but it does not promise soon), até mais tarde (later today), até amanhã (see you tomorrow), até a próxima (until next time), até breve (see you soon, a little formal), até já (back in a moment; more Portugal). A gente se vê is “we’ll see each other”, the casual “see you around”.
até maissee you
the most common; any time of day
Até mais, bom trabalho!See you, have a good day at work!
até logosee you later
a little more formal; no promise of soon
Até logo, e obrigado pela ajuda.See you later, and thanks for the help.
até mais tardesee you later today
when you will meet again the same day
Vou almoçar, até mais tarde.I’m going to lunch, see you later.
até amanhãsee you tomorrow
leaving work, school, a friend’s house
Até amanhã, bom descanso.See you tomorrow, get some rest.
até a próximauntil next time
the end of a class, a show or a visit
Foi ótimo te ver, até a próxima!It was great to see you, until next time!
até brevesee you soon
a little formal; emails and farewells at the airport
Até breve, e boa viagem de volta.See you soon, and have a good trip back.
a gente se vêsee you around
casual; no date attached
Beleza, a gente se vê por aí.Cool, see you around.
Informal: how friends leave
Falou (“said”, meaning “that’s settled, bye”), falou então, fui (“I’m gone”, literally “I went”), valeu (thanks and bye in one), beleza, até, tchau, fica bem. In texts: tchau, flw (falou), vlw, bjs (beijos), abs (abraços).
faloulater; that’s settled
friends; closes a plan and the conversation
Falou, até sábado!Later, see you Saturday!
falou entãoalright then, bye
ending a call between friends
Falou então, te ligo mais tarde.Alright then, I’ll call you later.
fuiI’m off
young, casual; literally “I went”
Fui, gente! Até amanhã.I’m off, everyone! See you tomorrow.
bjs / abskisses / hugs (typed)
the sign-off in a text; said beijos, abraços
Boa noite, bjs!Good night, kisses!
Warm closings: abraço, beijo
Brazilians close calls and messages with um abraço (a hug), abraço, um beijo / beijos / beijinhos (kisses). Men to men: abraço. Between women, or a man to a woman he knows: beijo. In email, abraços is the normal friendly sign-off, like “best”.
um abraçoa hug; all the best
men to men; anyone in a friendly email
Um abraço, e até a semana que vem.All the best, and see you next week.
um beijoa kiss; love
to a woman or a close friend; on the phone
Tchau, mãe, um beijo!Bye, mum, love you!
abraçoshugs; best regards
the friendly email sign-off
Qualquer dúvida, me avisa. Abraços, Paulo.Any questions, let me know. Best, Paulo.
Take care, go well
Se cuida (take care), fica bem (be well), boa viagem (safe travels), bom descanso (rest well), vai com Deus / fica com Deus (go with God / stay with God: common, warm, not preachy), boa noite (both “good evening” and “good night, bye”).
se cuidatake care
warm; friends and family
Tchau, se cuida, viu?Bye, take care, OK?
fica bembe well
to someone having a hard time
Fica bem, qualquer coisa me liga.Be well, call me if you need anything.
boa viagemsafe travels
to someone leaving on a trip
Boa viagem! Me manda mensagem quando chegar.Safe travels! Text me when you arrive.
bom descansorest well
leaving work, or at night
Até amanhã, bom descanso.See you tomorrow, rest well.
vai com Deusgo with God
warm and common; fica com Deus to the one who stays
Vai com Deus, filho.Go with God, son.
boa noitegood night
leaving after dark; also the evening hello
Boa noite, gente, até amanhã!Good night, everyone, see you tomorrow!
Thank you and goodbye, hello and goodbye
Leaving a shop, a taxi or someone’s house, Brazilians thank and leave in one breath: obrigado, tchau! (a man), obrigada, tchau! (a woman), or between friends valeu, até mais! Arriving and leaving use different words: oi or bom dia on the way in, tchau or até logo on the way out. Only boa noite does both jobs, hello and goodbye after dark.
obrigado, tchau!thanks, bye!
a shop, a taxi, a visit; obrigada if you are a woman
Obrigada, tchau! Até a próxima.Thanks, bye! Until next time.
valeu, até mais!thanks, see you!
friends, a waiter, a driver
Valeu, até mais! Bom fim de semana.Thanks, see you! Have a good weekend.
oi… tchauhello… bye
hello arriving, bye leaving; never the other way round
Oi, gente! … Bom, tchau, até amanhã!Hi, everyone! … Well, bye, see you tomorrow!
Adeus: when goodbye is final
Adeus (ah-DAY-oos) means goodbye, but in Brazil it carries “forever”. People say it when they don’t expect to see you again, or as a joke. If you want “goodbye” and not “farewell”, say tchau.
adeusfarewell
for good; or a joke, with a wave
Ela disse adeus e nunca mais voltou.She said goodbye and never came back.
tchau, até nunca maisbye, see you never
the joke version, between friends
Tchau, até nunca mais! Brincadeira, até segunda.Bye, see you never! Kidding, see you Monday.
Formal vs informal at a glance
| Situation | Listen | Say | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| A client or someone older | até logo, boa tarde, um abraço | falou, fui | |
| Friends | tchau, falou, até mais, fui | adeus, unless you’re joking | |
| Texts | tchau, flw, bjs, abs | até breve: stiff in a text | |
| Leaving a shop | tchau, obrigado / obrigada | adeus |
Brazil vs Portugal
Portugal uses adeus as a normal goodbye and até já, até logo daily; tchau is spelled chau there and is more casual. Falou, fui and a gente se vê are Brazilian.
Common mistakes
- Saying adeus to someone you’ll see tomorrow. It sounds final.
- Spelling tchau as chau or ciao. Portuguese writes it with tch.
- Mixing in adiós or hasta luego: Spanish.
- Treating até logo as a promise to meet soon. It is just “see you”.
- Forgetting that boa noite also means goodbye after dark, not only good night at bedtime.
In real Brazilian books
“— Faz bem. Adeus. Até quando?”“— Até amanhã ou depois.”“— Até logo, não? perguntou o Lobo Neves.”Questions
How do you say goodbye in Portuguese?
Tchau for almost everything, até mais or até logo for “see you later”, até amanhã for “see you tomorrow”. Adeus means farewell and is rare in Brazil.
What is bye bye in Portuguese?
Tchau tchau. Brazilians double it on the phone and with children. One tchau is just as correct.
How do you say see you later in Brazil?
Até mais (most common), até logo, or a gente se vê. Between friends, falou.
Do they say ciao in Portugal or Brazil?
Brazilians say tchau, which comes from the Italian ciao and sounds the same. Portugal writes it chau.
Do Portuguese speakers say adiós?
No, that is Spanish. The Portuguese word is adeus, and in Brazil it sounds final, so people say tchau instead.
How do you say thank you and goodbye in Portuguese?
Obrigado, tchau! (a man) or obrigada, tchau! (a woman). Between friends: valeu, até mais! The thank you guide has every way to say thanks.
How do you say goodbye in Portuguese to a woman or a man?
The same way: tchau, até logo. Goodbyes don’t change with gender. What changes is the closing: um beijo to a woman or a close friend, um abraço between men.
What does tchau mean?
Bye. It is the everyday goodbye in Brazilian Portuguese, borrowed from Italian ciao, and it is used only when leaving, never as hello.
Entries in this group
- Beijos / beijo
Beijo is a kiss, and beijos (kisses) is how Brazilians sign off a text, a card or a phone call: beijos, até domingo!
- Tchau
Tchau is the everyday goodbye in Brazil, for everyone and every situation: friends, shops, the phone, a meeting.
- Adeus
Adeus is goodbye, but in Brazil it carries “forever”.
- Falou / fui
Falou (literally “said”) is how Brazilian friends close a conversation: it means “that’s settled, bye”, and often ends a phone call as falou então.
- Até logo / até mais
Brazilians say goodbye with até (“until”).
- Valeu / vlw
Brazilians use valeu as a casual thanks, and often as a quick “cheers/bye” at the end of a friendly exchange.
Next
- Thank you in Portuguese
Obrigado or obrigada, valeu, and how to reply: thank you and goodbye go together.
- Hello in Portuguese
Oi, bom dia, tudo bem and the greetings for every time of day: hello and goodbye.
- Texting abbreviations
Flw, bjs, abs and 45 more, as Brazilians type them.
- How to pronounce Brazilian Portuguese
The nasal ã of amanhã and the rest.
- Every group of expressions
Greetings, thanks, goodbyes, please and sorry, yes and no, celebrations, affection and slang.
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