Expressions · Brazilian Portuguese
How to say thank you in Portuguese (the Brazilian way)
“Thank you” in Brazilian Portuguese is obrigado if you are a man and obrigada if you are a woman. Between friends, Brazilians mostly say valeu.
39 phrases with audio · Questions
The phrases everyone needs
| Listen | Portuguese | English | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| obrigado / obrigada | thank you | any situation; the form follows you, the speaker | |
| muito obrigado / muito obrigada | thank you very much | warmer; the everyday “thanks a lot” | |
| valeu | thanks, cheers | friends, shops, taxis, texts; the most Brazilian of all | |
| obrigadão | big thanks | informal, Brazil only | |
| brigado / brigada | thanks (clipped) | how obrigado sounds at speed | |
| agradeço | I appreciate it | polite, slightly formal | |
| grato / grata | grateful (written) | emails, formal notes | |
| obg / vlw | thx | texts and chats |
How to say thank you in Portuguese
The word is obrigado. It is an old past participle meaning “obliged”, so it agrees with the person who is obliged: the speaker. A man says obrigado, a woman says obrigada, whoever they are thanking. Say it oh-bree-GAH-doo / oh-bree-GAH-duh; the final -o sounds like “oo”. In fast speech the first syllable disappears and you hear brigado / brigada, which is fine to copy.
To a woman, to a man
The person you are thanking changes nothing. A woman thanking a man says obrigada. A man thanking a woman says obrigado. The question “thank you in Portuguese to a woman” has the same answer as “to a man”: it depends on you. (Non-binary speakers in Brazil use either form, or agradeço, which has no gender.)
Pronunciation
obrigado oh-bree-GAH-doo · obrigada oh-bree-GAH-duh · muito obrigado MWEEN-too oh-bree-GAH-doo · valeu vah-LAY-oo · agradeço ah-grah-DEH-soo · de nada jee NAH-dah · imagina ee-mah-ZHEE-nah. The stress falls on the syllable in capitals. The final -o of obrigado is a short “oo”, never “oh”; the d before an i or a final e softens to “j” in most of Brazil, which is why de nada starts “jee”. Press play on any row above to hear each one; the pronunciation guide has the nasal vowels and the rest.
All the ways to say it
Thank you very much
Muito obrigado / muito obrigada (MWEEN-too oh-bree-GAH-doo). Brazilians add the reason with pela / pelo: obrigada pela ajuda (thanks for the help), obrigado pelo presente (thanks for the gift). Obrigadão is a warm, informal “thanks a million”; muitíssimo obrigado is the formal, slightly theatrical version.
muito obrigado / muito obrigadathank you very much
warmer than obrigado; the everyday “thanks a lot”
Muito obrigada pela ajuda.Thank you very much for the help.
obrigado pelo / pela…thanks for…
naming the reason: pelo before a masculine noun, pela before a feminine one
Obrigado pelo presente!Thanks for the gift!
obrigadãothanks a million
warm and informal; Brazil only
Obrigadão, cara, você salvou o meu dia.Thanks a million, man, you saved my day.
muitíssimo obrigado / obrigadathank you so very much
formal, a little theatrical
Muitíssimo obrigado pela atenção.Thank you so very much for your attention.
Thank you for the help, the gift, the ride
To name what you are thanking for, Brazilians say obrigado por plus the thing, and por joins the article: pela before a feminine noun (pela ajuda), pelo before a masculine one (pelo presente). The thanks itself still agrees with you, the speaker, so a woman says obrigada pelo presente and a man says obrigado pela ajuda.
obrigada pela ajudathanks for the help
ajuda is feminine, so pela; a woman speaking
Obrigada pela ajuda com a mudança.Thanks for the help with the move.
obrigado pelo presentethanks for the gift
presente is masculine, so pelo; a man speaking
Obrigado pelo presente, adorei!Thanks for the gift, I loved it!
obrigado pela caronathanks for the ride
the lift home; carona is Brazilian for a ride
Obrigado pela carona, até segunda!Thanks for the ride, see you Monday!
obrigada pela atençãothank you for your attention
the end of a talk, an email or a phone call
Obrigada pela atenção, bom dia a todos.Thank you for your attention, good morning everyone.
obrigado pelo convitethanks for the invitation
accepting or declining an invitation
Obrigado pelo convite, mas hoje não vou conseguir.Thanks for the invite, but I can’t make it today.
obrigada pela paciênciathanks for your patience
after a wait or a long explanation
Obrigada pela paciência, foi um dia difícil.Thanks for your patience, it was a hard day.
Valeu: how friends say thanks
Valeu (vah-LAY-oo), literally “it was worth it”, is the everyday Brazilian thanks between friends, with a waiter, a driver, anyone your age. Valeu, cara! Valeu mesmo! (thanks a lot). It is also a goodbye. In texts it is vlw. Don’t use it in a job interview; use it everywhere else.
valeu mesmothanks a lot
when it meant something
Valeu mesmo, não sei o que eu faria sem você.Thanks a lot, I don’t know what I’d do without you.
valeu, carathanks, man
between friends; cara is “man” or “dude”
Valeu, cara! Até amanhã.Thanks, man! See you tomorrow.
Polite and formal
Agradeço (“I thank you”), agradeço muito, muito agradecido / agradecida. In writing, grato / grata at the end of an email, or desde já agradeço (“thanks in advance”). Obrigado itself is never rude, so when in doubt it is the safe choice.
agradeçoI appreciate it, I thank you
polite, slightly formal; no gender to choose
Agradeço a atenção de todos.I thank you all for your attention.
muito agradecido / agradecidamuch obliged
formal speech and writing; agrees with the speaker, like obrigado
Fico muito agradecida pela oportunidade.I’m very grateful for the opportunity.
grato / gratagrateful
the end of an email or a formal note
Grato pela resposta rápida.Grateful for the quick reply.
desde já agradeçothanks in advance
closing a request in writing
Desde já agradeço a sua ajuda.Thank you in advance for your help.
In texts
obg, obgd, brigadão, vlw, tmj (tamo junto, “we’re together”: the reply, not the thanks). The texting abbreviations page has 48 of these.
obgthx (obrigado / obrigada)
texts and chats; said “obrigado”
Obg! Te mando depois.Thx! I’ll send it to you later.
brigadãobig thanks
texts and speech, between friends
Brigadão pelo convite!Big thanks for the invite!
tmjwe’re in this together (tamo junto)
the reply to thanks, not the thanks
— Vlw! — Tmj.“Thanks!” “Anytime.”
How to reply: you’re welcome in Portuguese
The textbook answer is de nada (jee NAH-dah). Brazilians say it, but more often they say imagina! or magina! (“imagine that”, meaning “don’t mention it”), nada, que isso! (“what’s this”, meaning “no need”), não foi nada, disponha (a little formal, “at your service”), por nada, or eu que agradeço (“I’m the one who thanks you”). In the south you also hear capaz!. In Portugal you hear não tem de quê / não há de quê; Brazilians understand it but rarely say it.
| Situation | Listen | Reply | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anywhere, any time | de nada | the textbook answer; always right | |
| Between friends, in a shop | imagina! / magina! | the natural Brazilian one: “don’t mention it” | |
| A small favour | nada | quick and casual | |
| Someone thanks you warmly | que isso! | “no need”, friendly | |
| A favour that cost you nothing | não foi nada | “it was nothing” | |
| Service, a little formal | disponha | “at your service” | |
| You helped and were helped | eu que agradeço | “I’m the one who thanks you” | |
| A quick, neutral reply | por nada | fine, a little flat | |
| In the south | capaz! | regional: “don’t be silly” | |
| In Portugal | não tem de quê | understood in Brazil, rarely said |
Formal vs informal at a glance
| Situation | Listen | Say | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| A shop or a taxi | valeu / obrigado | agradeço: too formal for a counter | |
| A stranger older than you | muito obrigado / obrigada | valeu, obrigadão | |
| An email | agradeço / grato | vlw, obg | |
| Friends | valeu, obrigadão | grato: sounds stiff | |
| A text | obg, vlw | agradeço: sounds like a form letter |
Brazil vs Portugal
The obrigado/obrigada rule is the same. Valeu, imagina, obrigadão and que isso are Brazilian. Portugal prefers não tem de quê as the reply and says obrigadinho as a casual thanks. Pronunciation differs: Portugal clips the vowels (brigad’), Brazil rounds them.
Common mistakes
- Saying obrigada because you’re thanking a woman. The word follows the speaker.
- Writing obligado: a Spanish habit. Portuguese has an r.
- Saying gracias. Brazilians will smile, but it isn’t Portuguese.
- Answering de nada to everything. Fine, but imagina sounds more natural.
- Obrigado você for “thank *you*” is common in speech; in careful Portuguese say obrigado a você or eu que agradeço.
In real Brazilian books
“ELE - Muito obrigado.”“— Obrigado pelo serviço que me prestou.”“— Valeu!”Questions
Should I say obrigado or obrigada?
Obrigado if you are a man, obrigada if you are a woman. The word agrees with the person speaking, not the person being thanked. If you don’t want to choose, agradeço (“I thank you”) has no gender.
How do you say thank you politely in Portuguese?
Muito obrigado / muito obrigada works in any polite situation. In writing, agradeço or grato / grata. Adding the reason, obrigada pela ajuda, is the warmest polite form.
How does a woman say thank you very much in Portuguese?
Muito obrigada. The -a ending is because the speaker is a woman; the person she thanks doesn’t change it.
Do Portuguese speakers say gracias?
No. Gracias is Spanish. In Portuguese it’s obrigado / obrigada; the informal Brazilian version is valeu.
How do you respond to obrigado?
De nada is always right. Brazilians also say imagina!, nada, que isso!, disponha or eu que agradeço.
Do they say de nada in Brazil?
Yes, but imagina and magina are heard just as often, especially in São Paulo and the south-east. De nada is the safe choice; imagina is the natural one.
What does obrigado mean literally?
“Obliged”. Saying it means “I am obliged to you”. That is why it changes with the speaker’s gender like an adjective.
How do you say thank you sir in Portuguese?
Obrigado, senhor / obrigada, senhora. Brazilians use senhor and senhora for older people and in formal service situations.
Is obrigado a greeting?
No. It only means thank you. The greetings are oi, olá, bom dia, boa tarde, boa noite: see how to say hello in Portuguese.
Entries in this group
- Obrigado / obrigada
Obrigado / obrigada is the everyday Brazilian Portuguese way to say “thank you.” Traditionally, the word agrees with the person speaking: a man says obrigado, a woman says obrigada, no matter who they are thanking.
- Muito obrigado / muito obrigada
Muito obrigado is the everyday “thanks a lot” in Brazil: muito (very) in front of obrigado.
- Bem-vindo / bem-vinda
Bem-vindo is “welcome” said to someone arriving, literally “well come”.
- De nada
Brazilians use de nada after someone says obrigado, obrigada, or valeu.
- Valeu / vlw
Brazilians use valeu as a casual thanks, and often as a quick “cheers/bye” at the end of a friendly exchange.
- Agradeço
Agradeço is the verb agradecer in the first person: “I thank”.
- Imagina / magina
Brazilians say imagina after obrigado/obrigada to mean the favor was nothing and the other person needn’t feel indebted.
Next
- Goodbye in Portuguese
Tchau, até logo, falou and adeus: thank you and goodbye go together.
- Please, sorry and excuse me in Portuguese
Por favor, desculpa, com licença: please and thank you go together.
- Hello in Portuguese
Oi, bom dia, tudo bem and 25 Brazilian greetings, with how to reply.
- Texting abbreviations
Obg, vlw, tmj and 45 more, as Brazilians type them.
- How to pronounce Brazilian Portuguese
The nasal vowels and the final -o that sounds like “oo”.
- Every group of expressions
Greetings, thanks, goodbyes, please and sorry, yes and no, celebrations, affection and slang.
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