Speak like a local: Obrigado

'Obrigado' means thank you in Portuguese. The usual rule is that a man says 'obrigado' and a woman says 'obrigada', whoever they are thanking.

The woman at the bakery puts your bread on the counter and tells you the price. You pay, she hands you the change, and you say 'obrigado'. She says 'de nada' and turns to the next customer.

What does obrigado mean?

Word for word it means 'obliged', as in 'I am obliged to you'. In everyday talk nobody hears that any more. It just means thank you, and you will use it many times a day in Portugal.

• 🥖 Obrigado. (Thank you.)
• ☕ O café, obrigado. (The coffee, thank you.)
• 🚪 Obrigado, boa tarde. (Thank you, good afternoon.)

The old meaning is still alive in other sentences, so do not read every 'obrigado' as thanks. 'Fui obrigado a esperar' means 'I was made to wait'.

Obrigado or obrigada?

A man says 'obrigado', a woman says 'obrigada'. It does not matter who you are talking to, only who is speaking. The word describes the speaker, the one who is obliged, so it agrees with the speaker like an adjective.

• 👨 A man, to anyone: Obrigado.
• 👩 A woman, to anyone: Obrigada.

People will understand you whichever ending you use, and you will hear some Portuguese women say 'obrigado' too. Still, this is the rule taught to learners, and it is worth getting right early.

On signs and receipts you will usually see 'obrigado'. That is the business thanking you in the plain form, and it tells you nothing about who is reading it.

How do you pronounce obrigado?

The stress is on 'ga': o-bri-GA-do. The last 'o' sounds like a short 'u', so the ending is closer to 'du'. Said quickly, the first 'o' gets very small, and in a shop you may hear something like 'brigadu'.

The 'r' is a single light tap, like the 'r' in Spanish 'pero', never the English 'r'. In 'obrigada' the last 'a' is weak too, close to the 'a' at the end of 'sofa'.

What does muito obrigado mean?

'Muito obrigado' is thank you very much. In this phrase 'muito' stays the same, so a woman says 'muito obrigada'.

• 🎁 Muito obrigado pelo presente. (Thank you very much for the present.)
• 🤝 Muito obrigada pela ajuda. (Thank you very much for the help.)
• 🙏 Muito obrigado por tudo. (Thank you very much for everything.)

To say what you are thanking someone for, use 'por'. It joins with 'o' and 'a' to make 'pelo' and 'pela', which is why you get 'pelo presente' and 'pela ajuda'. Before a verb it stays 'por': 'obrigada por me ajudar', thank you for helping me.

Obrigadinho and other ways to say thanks

'Obrigadinho', or 'obrigadinha' from a woman, is the small, friendly version. You hear it a lot in Portugal for small favours, like someone holding a door. Said in a certain tone it can also be sarcastic, so it is better to learn it by ear first.

• 🚪 Obrigadinha! (Thanks!)

When you write to a doctor's office, a landlord or the câmara, you will often use the verb 'agradecer', to thank.

• ✉️ Agradeço a sua ajuda. (Thank you for your help.)
• ✉️ Muito obrigado pela atenção. (Thank you very much for your time.)

Thanking a whole group needs no special form: 'obrigado a todos' is thank you, everyone.

How do you say no, thank you?

'Não, obrigado', or 'não, obrigada'. The waiter offers more coffee, someone at the market offers you a taste, a stranger offers you a seat you do not need. It is the polite way to say no.

• 🍷 Mais vinho? Não, obrigado. (More wine? No, thank you.)
• 🧀 Quer provar? Não, obrigada. (Want to try it? No, thank you.)

How do you respond to obrigado?

'De nada' means you're welcome, and it is the reply you will hear everywhere. 'Não tem de quê' and 'ora essa' are two more, and we have a whole article on them: De nada, and two other replies.

In a shop the thanks often go both ways. The shop assistant thanks you for buying, and you thank them back.

• 🛍️ Obrigada, boa tarde. Obrigado, igualmente. (Thank you, good afternoon. Thank you, you too.)

You may also hear 'obrigado eu', or 'obrigada eu' from a woman. It means 'no, thank you': the person feels they are the one who should be thanking. 'Eu é que agradeço' says the same thing at more length.

• 🛍️ Obrigado pela ajuda. Obrigada eu! (Thanks for your help. No, thank you!)

Is it the same in Brazil?

Yes. 'Obrigado' and 'obrigada' work the same way in Brazil, with a different accent. Brazilians also say 'valeu' for thanks in casual talk, which you will rarely hear in Portugal.

The first lesson of our course starts with this word and the other words you need on day one. It is free: First Words.