Portuguese · A2 (Elementary)
Greetings in Portuguese: Words & Phrases
Quick answer: The most useful Portuguese words for greetings are Bom dia, senhor/a (Good morning, sir/madam), De nada (You're welcome) and Como está? (How are you? (formal)). The full Portuguese greetings phrase list with example sentences is below.
The essential Portuguese vocabulary for greetings, with example sentences and English translations. This is A2 (Elementary) material — exactly the kind of practical language you need when you're learning Portuguese to live, work, or settle abroad.
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Key greetings vocabulary
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Bom dia, senhor/a | Good morning, sir/madam |
| De nada | You're welcome |
| Como está? | How are you? (formal) |
| Muito bem, obrigado/a | Very well, thank you |
| Apresento-lhe | May I introduce you to (EU formal) |
| Muito prazer | Great pleasure / Nice to meet you |
| Com licença | Excuse me / May I? |
| Aqui está o meu cartão | Here is my card |
| Tenha um bom dia | Have a good day |
| É um prazer | It's a pleasure |
Example sentences
Obrigado. — De nada.
Thank you. — You're welcome.
Como está? Muito bem, obrigado.
How are you? Very well, thank you.
Apresento-lhe a minha colega, Sofia.
May I introduce my colleague, Sofia.
Muito prazer, senhor Santos.
Nice to meet you, Mr Santos.
Aqui está o meu cartão de visita.
Here is my business card.
É um prazer conhecê-lo.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
How to actually learn these
Reading a vocabulary list is not the same as being able to use the words when it counts. Research on adult language acquisition consistently shows that vocabulary retained through contextual use — hearing a word, producing it under mild pressure, and being corrected when you get it wrong — transfers to real speech far more effectively than passive list review. The fastest way to make vocabulary like this stick is to practise it in the actual conversations where it comes up: not drills, but a real back-and-forth where you have to retrieve the word and say it aloud. Language Lab turns vocabulary like this into voiced, real-life scenarios with Sonia, a live AI language tutor who holds real conversations, corrects you in context, and remembers the specific words you keep getting wrong across sessions. The vocabulary stops being something you read and becomes something you say — automatically, under pressure, when you actually need it.
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