how do you say hello in portuguese

The most common way to say hello in Portuguese is “Olá” (pronounced oh- LAH).

Basic greetings

• Olá – Standard “hello”, works in Brazil and Portugal, neutral and slightly polite.

• Oi – Informal “hi”, very common in Brazil with friends and family.

• Alô – Used mainly when answering the phone, like “hello?” in English.

Time-of-day hellos

• Bom dia – “Good morning,” used until around lunchtime.

• Boa tarde – “Good afternoon,” from after lunch until early evening.

• Boa noite – “Good evening” or “good night,” used after it gets dark.

Friendly follow-up phrases

• Tudo bem? – Literally “Everything good?”, used like “How are you?”.

• Como vai? / Como vai você? – “How are you doing?” a bit more formal.

Tiny usage tips

• In Brazil, “Oi, tudo bem?” is an extremely common casual greeting.

• In Portugal, “Olá, bom dia” is a safe, polite way to greet someone you don’t know well.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.