What does it mean word for word?
The word obrigado literally means 'obliged' or 'indebted'.
Which one should you use?
The form of the word changes based on the gender of the person speaking. Use obrigado if you are male and obrigada if you are female. For a more formal tone, you may use Agradeço, which means 'I appreciate'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazilian Portuguese, the informal expression Valeu is commonly used to say 'thanks'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word must agree with the gender of the speaker: a male speaker must use the masculine form obrigado, while a female speaker must use the feminine form obrigada.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 4 syllables and the stress is on the 3rd syllable: /o.bɾiˈɡa.du/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using gracias to say 'thank you' in Portuguese, as this is actually the Spanish word. Instead, use obrigado or obrigada.
Did you know?
- While obrigado is the standard for gratitude, the same word can be used as a harsh command in certain legal or military contexts to mean 'forced'.
- The word obrigado is a semi-learned borrowing from the Latin obligātus, which is the past participle of obligō, meaning 'to bind in obligation'.
- The informal Brazilian term valeu comes from the verb valer, meaning 'to be worth', suggesting that the favor received was 'worth it'.
Examples in context
- Muito obrigado pela sua ajuda.Thank you very much for your help.
- Valeu pela carona!Thanks for the ride!
- Obrigada, mana, você é demais!Thanks, sis, you're awesome!
- Muito obrigado pelo presente.Thank you very much for the gift.
- Obrigado por sua ajuda.Thank you for your help.
- Ele disse obrigado ao garçom.He said thank you to the waiter.
Example conversation
Rodrigo hands Camila a glass of water.
- RodrigoAqui está a sua água, Camila.Here is your water, Camila.
- CamilaObrigado, Rodrigo!Thank you, Rodrigo!
- RodrigoDe nada.You're welcome.
- CamilaVocê é muito gentil.You are very kind.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry obrigado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries obrigado, CC BY-SA 4.0.
