Thank You in Portuguese: Obrigado vs Obrigada, Valeu & More

Obrigado vs obrigada: which one do I say?

Here's the rule that confuses every beginner, so read it twice. The word for thank you in Portuguese changes based on who is speaking, not who you're thanking.

• If you are male, you always say obrigado.
• If you are female, you always say obrigada.

Why? Because obrigado/obrigada started as an adjective meaning "obliged" (as in "I am obliged to you"). Adjectives in Portuguese agree with the person they describe, and that person is you, the speaker.

So if you're a woman thanking a man, you still say obrigada. If you're a man thanking a woman, you say obrigado. The other person's gender never changes your word. Once that clicks, you've got the hardest part done.

If you're answering "thank you in Portuguese to a girl," the girl's gender doesn't matter at all. A male speaker thanking her says obrigado; a female speaker thanking her says obrigada. Match yourself, every time.

How do I say thank you very much in Portuguese?

To turn up the warmth, add muito ("MOOEEN-too"), meaning "very" or "a lot." It goes in front of obrigado/obrigada, and it still agrees with you, the speaker.

• Man: muito obrigado = thank you very much
• Woman: muito obrigada = thank you very much

Want to sound even more grateful? Brazilians stack on extra words. Muito obrigado mesmo means "thank you so much, really." Obrigado por tudo means "thanks for everything." These small additions make you sound natural fast.

What does valeu mean? Brazilian slang for thanks

Valeu ("vah-LEH-oo") is the casual Brazilian way to say "thanks" or "cheers." It comes from the verb valer ("to be worth"), so it carries a vibe like "that was worth it, much appreciated."

Here's the best part about valeu in practice: it never changes for gender. Men and women both say valeu. Use it with friends, in casual texts, when someone holds a door, or after a quick favor.

Keep it casual, though. You wouldn't say valeu to your boss in a formal email or to an elderly stranger. For those, stick with obrigado/obrigada.

You'll also hear the shortened brigado / brigada ("bree-GAH-doo" / "bree-GAH-dah"), where Brazilians drop the first "o" in fast speech. It still follows the speaker-gender rule.

All the ways to say thanks in Portuguese (full table)

Here's your master reference. The casual ones (valeu, brigado) are pure Brazilian. The formal ones (grato, agradeço) show up in emails, customer service, and polite writing.

Note on grato vs grata: same rule as obrigado. A man writing a formal email signs off grato; a woman signs off grata. It means "grateful" and sounds polished in writing.

How do you say you're welcome in Portuguese?

When someone thanks you, you need a reply. Good news: these responses don't change for gender, so there's nothing to memorize about endings here.

The everyday answer is de nada ("jee NAH-dah"), literally "of nothing," much like the English "it's nothing." Brazilians also love imagina ("ee-mah-ZHEE-nah"), a warm "oh, don't mention it." In formal settings you'll hear disponha ("dees-POHN-yah"), meaning "I'm at your service."

A tiny dialogue to lock it in. Someone says muito obrigado and you smile and reply imagina! That exchange happens a thousand times a day in Brazil, and now you can join it.