A1 · Unit 1 · Lesson 1
Greetings and introductions
How Brazilians actually greet each other — and how to introduce yourself without sounding like a phrasebook.
Brazilians greet warmly and often — here are the openings, introductions, and goodbyes that keep a conversation friendly.
Greeting by the time of day
Brazilians swap the greeting with the clock: “bom dia” until lunch, “boa tarde” through the afternoon, and “boa noite” once it's dark. “Boa noite” also doubles as goodnight.
Spot the pattern
The greeting tracks the clock — and “bom / boa” agrees with the noun. Predict each one.
Bom dia, professora!
Good morning, teacher!
Boa tarde, senhor.
Good afternoon, sir.
Boa noite, até amanhã.
Goodnight, see you tomorrow.
Saying who you are
To introduce yourself, reach for “eu sou” (I am) or the more conversational “me chamo” (I call myself). Both are everyday and interchangeable.
Eu sou o Pedro.
I'm Pedro.
Me chamo Lúcia, e você?
My name is Lúcia, and you?
Este é o Bruno, um amigo meu.
This is Bruno, a friend of mine.
“Tudo bem?” both asks and answers
“Tudo bem?” means “all good?” and the very same words bounce back as the reply. Add “e você?” to return the question politely.
— Tudo bem? — Tudo bem!
— All good? — All good!
Tudo tranquilo por aqui.
Everything's calm here.
— Como vai? — Vou bem, obrigado.
— How's it going? — I'm well, thanks.
Common mistakes
- — “Boa noite” is both an evening greeting and a goodnight — context, not a separate word, tells them apart.
- — Match the thank-you to yourself, not the listener: a man says “obrigado”, a woman says “obrigada”.
- — Keep “adeus” for dramatic, final farewells; for everyday goodbyes use “tchau” or “até logo”.
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