Speak like a local: De nada

You are leaving the bakery with your bread when you notice the person behind you has both hands full. You hold the door open so they can get through without dropping anything. They look at you and say 'obrigado'. You smile and say 'de nada' before carrying on down the street.

What does de nada mean?

'De nada' means you're welcome. Word for word it is 'of nothing': what you did was no trouble, so there is nothing to thank you for. It is the standard reply to 'obrigado' and 'obrigada', in Portugal and in Brazil.

• 🚪 Obrigado! De nada. (Thank you! You're welcome.)
• 🥖 Obrigada pelo pão. De nada, até amanhã. (Thanks for the bread. You're welcome, see you tomorrow.)
• 🪑 Obrigado pelo lugar. De nada, sente-se. (Thanks for the seat. You're welcome, sit down.)
• 📧 Obrigada pela ajuda. De nada, foi rápido. (Thanks for the help. You're welcome, it was quick.)

How do you reply to obrigado?

With 'de nada', to anyone. A friend who thanks you for a book, a customer at work, an older stranger who thanks you for a seat on the bus: the same two words fit all three. It works in writing too, so it is what you put at the end of an email after helping someone.

It does not change with who is speaking. A man says 'de nada', a woman says 'de nada', to a man or to a woman. The word that changes is the thank you before it: 'obrigado' from a man, 'obrigada' from a woman. That is the first thing we teach in the course, in First Words.

How to say you're welcome in Portuguese: the other two

Portugal has two more replies to 'obrigado', and they are the ones foreigners rarely use. Each says something slightly different.

'Não tem de quê' means there is nothing to thank me for. It is a polite alternative to 'de nada' that fits a shop, an office or a stranger in the street. With someone you call 'tu' it becomes 'não tens de quê'.

• 🤷 Obrigado pela informação. Não tem de quê. (Thanks for the information. No need to thank me.)

'Ora essa' is warm and very Portuguese. It means something like 'come on, don't mention it', and you will hear it from friends and neighbours and from polite strangers alike.

• 🙌 Obrigada por me trazeres o guarda-chuva. Ora essa! (Thanks for bringing me the umbrella. Don't mention it!)

Words that go with de nada

People often add a few warm words after it so it sounds less like a formula.

• 😊 De nada, foi um prazer. (You're welcome, it was a pleasure.)
• 👋 De nada, pá. (You're welcome, mate.)
• 🤝 De nada, é para isso que cá estamos. (You're welcome, that is what we are here for.)

'Pá' is very informal, a bit like adding 'mate' in English. Keep it for relaxed moments with people you know.

How to pronounce de nada

Portuguese people do not say all the sounds. The 'e' in 'de' almost disappears, so what you hear is closer to 'd'nada', in one quick breath, with the stress on the first 'a' of 'nada': d'NA-da.

If you say the two words slowly and separately, people will understand you, but it marks you as a learner. Say it fast and small and it sounds like you have been saying it all your life.

Is it the same in Brazil?

Brazilians say 'de nada' too. They also say 'imagina', which means 'imagine', as in 'imagine thanking me for that', and 'disponha', 'at your service', which you hear far more there than in Portugal. In Portugal 'de nada' and the two replies above are the neutral choices, so those are the ones to learn.

What do you say back?

Nothing. You thanked them, they answered, and the exchange is over. Foreigners often feel they should add something, but a Portuguese person would smile or nod. In a shop the natural end is a 'bom dia' or 'boa tarde' on the way out.

• 🛍️ Obrigada. De nada, boa tarde. Boa tarde. (Thank you. You're welcome, good afternoon. Good afternoon.)