15 Ways to Say “Thank You” in Portuguese in Every Situation

You’re in Rio de Janeiro, and your host offers you a traditional Brazilian dessert called brigadeiro.

“Obrigado” (thank you), you say.

But upon hearing you, he retracts the hot balls of sugary chocolate goodness and puts them in the fridge, leaving you empty-handed.

Why!? Did you say something wrong, or was it your pronunciation? 

This post will be your handy guide to all the ways to correctly say thank you in Portuguese—plus how to say “you’re welcome.”

That way, you’ll know how to express gratitude—and always get your dessert.

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How to Say “Thank You” in Portuguese

1. Obrigado / Obrigada — Thank you

This is by far the most common and easiest way to say thank you in Portuguese. It translates to something like “much obliged” in English, but is used to say thank you.

In Portuguese, this term is actually an adjective describing the speaker.

That means if the speaker is male, they’ll say obrigado, and if the speaker is female, they’ll use obrigada instead. As with other adjectives, it follows relevant plural and preposition rules as well.

If you’re just saying obrigado/a on its own, you’ll also need to be clear with your body language whether it’s a “yes, thank you” or a “no, thank you” kind of situation. This term depends heavily on context and non-verbal cues.

If someone is offering something to you, obrigado can be a polite refusal, especially when paired with body language that indicates a lack of desire.

So, your Brazilian host must have taken your casual obrigado above as a lack of interest in eating dessert. If you do want some, you can say:

Sim, obrigado. (Yes, thank you.)

Quero, obrigado. (I want some, thank you.)

Obrigado. (Thank you.) — Say this while nodding your head or making another nonverbal cue that you really do want to enjoy the treat.

2. Não, obrigado — No, thank you

While obrigado alone needs more context, saying não, obrigado (or não, obrigada if you’re female), is always a safe way of politely turning down someone’s offer.

To clearly tell your host you don’t feel like having any of that delicious Brazilian chocolate brigadeiro, feel free to say, “Não, obrigado” or simply “obrigado,” while putting your hands up in front of you as if you couldn’t eat another bite.

Alguém me ofereceu mais comida, mas eu disse, ‘Não, obrigado‘, porque já estou satisfeito. (Someone offered me more food, but I said ‘No, thank you’ because I’m already full.)

3. Muito obrigado  — Thank you very much

This is the most basic way to add emphasis to your thanks. Again, use this version if you’re male, or switch to the -a ending if you’re female.

Recebi um presente maravilhoso hoje. Muito obrigado pela sua generosidade! (I received a wonderful gift today. Thank you very much for your generosity!)

4. Valeu — Thanks/Cheers

When the context is more casual, there are a plethora of ways that locals typically thank each other, such as the colloquial valeu that’s often used among younger people.

This comes from the phrase valeu a pena, meaning “it was worth the effort.”

Valeu pela ajuda! Não teria conseguido sem você. (Thanks for the help! I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.)

5. Brigado, viu? — Thanks

Viu? is a contraction of ouviu? – “did you hear?” When you translate it directly, it seems a little strange, but it sounds very normal in Brazilian Portuguese. In fact, they use it a lot.

That’s because in Brazil, ending your sentences with viu? is a very common colloquialism to make you sound more friendly.

Você me emprestou o livro que eu queria? Brigado, viu? Você é muito gentil. (Did you lend me the book I wanted? Thanks a lot, you know? You’re very kind.)

6. Estou agradecido — I’m thankful

This is a general term that is neither extremely formal nor extremely informal and, therefore, can be used in most contexts.

Remember, the same gender, plural and preposition rules apply here as with obrigado and you need to add the first person form of “I am” (estou) to make it a complete phrase.

Estou agradecido pela oportunidade que você me deu. (I am grateful for the opportunity you have given me.)

7. Estou grato — I’m grateful

Roughly translated as “I am obliged/grateful,” you’ll follow the same guidelines about the -o/-a ending here and the same rule about needing the first person form of “I am,” which is estou.

This one is pretty formal and mostly reserved for such communications rather than everyday speech. Unless you’re writing formal emails or communications in the workplace, it’s best to opt for other “thank you” phrases on the list.

Estou grato pela ajuda que você me ofereceu durante esse momento difícil. (I am grateful for the help you offered me during this difficult time.)

8. Lhe agradeço  — I thank you

This phrase is handy when extreme formality is in order, and can be said as is no matter your gender.

If you want to step it up even further, add por (for) and then state the action you’re thankful for.

Lhe agradeço por me ajudar. (I thank you for helping me.)

9. Brigadão —  (A big) thank you

The -ão ending turns a regular “thank you” into the augmentative version of obrigado. This also can translate as “thanks a lot” or “thanks a bunch.” 

Brigadão pelo apoio incondicional. (Thanks a lot for the unconditional support.)

10. Brigadinho  — (A small, cute) thank you

The -inho / -inha ending makes this the diminutive version of obrigado. Depending on emphasis, it can mean “thank you very much” or simply add flair to your thanks!

Recebi o seu presente surpresa. Brigadinho, você é muito atencioso! (I received your surprise gift. Thanks a bunch, you’re very thoughtful!)

11. OBG  — Thanks (in text slang)

This abbreviation of obrigado is often used by younger crowds, and almost exclusively used in text communication and on social media and messaging apps. Warning: your grandmother may be confused if you text this to her.

Ei! Só queria agradecer pela sua ajuda mais cedo. OBG! (Hey! Just wanted to say thanks for helping me out earlier. OBG!)

12. Obrigado por… pelo — Thanks for…

This will be followed by a verb or verb phrase, and is used to say thanks for a certain action.

Obrigado por vir. (Thank you for coming.)

Obrigado por me ajudar. (Thank you for helping me.)

If you’re thankful for an object or idea, you’ll use obrigado + pelo/a + noun.

Obrigado pelo brigadeiro. (Thank you for the brigadeiro.)

Obrigado pela ajuda. (Thank you for the help.)

13. Graças a… — Thanks to…

When you want to direct your thanks to a certain individual or circumstance, you can say graças a… meaning “thanks to…” It hints at the saying “by the grace of,” “by the favor of,” or “goodwill.” It can also mean “through.”

Deve ser graças a você também. (It must be thanks to you as well.)

Ele conseguiu o ingresso graças ao seu amigo. (He got the ticket thanks to his friend.)

14. Gratidão — Gratitude

This phrase, which is mostly heard in Brazil, is considered somewhat hipster in tone, when used alone. But you can also use it the old fashioned way—to mean “gratitude”—like in this example sentence:

Não tenho palavras para expressar minha gratidão por tudo que você fez por mim. (I have no words to express my gratitude for everything you have done for me.)

Or you can use it alone to say “thanks” with a cool, hipster Brazilian edge.

15. Agradecer — To thank

Agradecer is actually a verb meaning “to thank.” Therefore, remember to follow Portuguese conjugation rules when you use it.

Não posso lhe agradecer o suficiente. (I can’t thank him enough.)

Quero agradecer a todos por estarem aqui essa noite. (I’d like to thank you all for being here tonight.)

How to Respond to Thank You in Portuguese

Although you’ve now mastered how to say thank you in Portuguese, there will also be times when you will be thanked yourself—and you’ll probably want to respond to this gratitude! Here are some ways to graciously receive when you are given thanks:

De nada — You’re welcome

This is the most common way of responding to any sort of “thank you” on the list above. You can use it with anyone from your mother to a supermarket cashier. It covers all levels of formality, so it’s a good go-to for anytime you want to express that you were happy to help someone.

Agradeço por sua ajuda! (Thank you for your help!)

De nada! (You’re welcome!)

Não há de quê — You’re welcome

This phrase is slightly more formal than the others, so you can use it for situations where you want to express that the person is welcome, but maybe you don’t know them well, or they’re your elder or a person of authority. It also implies that whatever you’ve done for the person wasn’t an inconvenience to you. You were happy to do it.

Obrigado por me ajudar com o projeto. (Thank you for helping me with the project.)

Não há de quê, estou sempre aqui para ajudar quando precisar. (You’re welcome, I’m always here to help whenever you need.)

Por nada! — You’re welcome!

This is an alternative to de nada that basically has the same meaning. The small difference is that it implies just a little more of a feeling that you were happy to do whatever you’re being thanked for. It also implies that you expect nothing in return.

Obrigado! (Thank you!)

Por nada! Foi um prazer ajudar. (You’re welcome! It was a pleasure to help.)

To properly grasp which situations require which responses, it can be helpful to consume native media so you can hear these phrases used in context. 

You can try watching TV or movies in Portuguese, or using a language learning program like FluentU. 

FluentU creates personalized language learning lessons by using authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—to assist you in getting familiar, comfortable and confident with words and phrases in different contexts.

Each video comes with interactive subtitles, so you can find detailed information about any term just by clicking it. You can also study on-the-go with the iOS and Android apps.

Questions About Thank You in Portuguese

Do I say obrigado or obrigada?

This answer depends on the gender you identify as!

For instance, if you identify as male, you say “thank you” by using the word obrigado. Informally in speech, this can be said as brigado by dropping the ‘o’.

Similarly, if you identify as female, you say “thank you” by using the word obrigada. And, like above, in informal speech this can be said as brigada by dropping the ‘a’.

Do Portuguese speakers say gracias?

No—typically, this is used more by Spanish speakers.

The equivalent of gracias would be graça a, as discussed above. This word is used when a general sense of gratitude is given, like to a person or entity, like when saying a prayer, or giving grace/ to say grace: dar graças. See the connection there!

How do Brazilians say “thank you”?

They also say obrigado or obrigada—but they have some unique ways of expressing gratitude, as we’ve shown you above.

 

Hopefully, you’ve learned all you need to feel confident when thanking someone in every context.

With these phrases, grammar notes and tips, you’ll be sure to never miss out on that delicious brigadeiro!