Brazilian Portuguese greetings: oi, tudo bem and 23 more

Brazilians greet each other constantly — the shop clerk, the bus driver, a stranger in the elevator. Below are 25 ways to say hello, ask "how's it going?", answer, and say goodbye — each one with an IPA transcription where it helps and synthesized BR-PT audio. Tap the speaker and repeat it out loud.

What does "Oi, tudo bem?" mean

Literally, oi is "hi" and tudo bem? is "everything good?". Together they form the standard Brazilian greeting: "Hi, how's it going?". Here's the key thing — it's not really a question about your life, it's a ritual, the same way English speakers say "hey, how are you" in passing without expecting a real answer. The reply is almost always one of two things: tudo bem! ("all good") or tudo bom! ("all good", same idea) — even on a bad day. To bounce the question back, say tudo bem, e você? ("all good, and you?").

A fun quirk: there's no real difference between tudo bem? and tudo bom? — either question can get either answer. The exchange "Tudo bom? — Tudo bem!" plays out in Brazil hundreds of times a day.

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening: bom dia, boa tarde, boa noite

The three "polite" greetings are tied to the clock: bom dia before noon, boa tarde after noon and before dark, boa noite once it's dark out. Boa noite works both ways — it's "good evening" when you arrive and "good night" when you leave. All three fit anywhere, from the bakery counter to a job interview.

All 25 greetings by situation

Every entry includes an IPA transcription where it helps, plus audio. The list is short enough to work through in one sitting.

Street greetings: e aí, beleza, opa, falou

Informal speech — with friends, at a bar, on the beach — sounds different. E aí? (literally "so, what?") and beleza? (literally "beauty?") both mean roughly "hey, what's up?". Opa! is a delighted "oh, hey!" for a chance encounter. And falou! (literally "said") is a casual "later" or "take care" on the way out. Don't use these with your boss — but with a neighbor in Rio, they're exactly right.

How to make these greetings automatic

1. Say it out loud, always. A greeting needs to come out without thinking. Listen to the audio, then repeat it with your own voice three times, matching the same intonation.

2. Tie each one to a time of day. Bom dia on the way to work, boa tarde after lunch — context will cue the right phrase the moment you need it.

3. Spaced repetition. The trainer schedules the next review from your answer history. Practise recall without hints; a sustainable pace and the time needed vary by learner.

Greetings are just the start — the full set of first-necessity phrases lives in our 50-phrase phrasebook.