olá
/oˈla/
In Portuguese, 'hello' is said as olá. Wiktionary also lists e aí?
Meaning: greeting (intj)
Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| olá | /oˈla/ (Brazil) /ɔˈla/ (Portugal) |
|
| e aí? | /ˈɛ aˈi/ (Brazil, word by word) | slang |
The primary greeting is olá, which is used to say hello. The slang phrase e aí? can be used both as a greeting and as a question meaning 'how are things?' or 'what's up?'
Which one should you use?
olá is a neutral greeting suitable for most situations, whereas e aí? is much more informal.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
olá is a neutral form. In very informal settings, you might use the slang e aí? to say 'what's up?' among friends. Other informal options include Oi for 'Hi' and Boas for 'Hey'. For more formal contexts, you can use Bom dia for 'Good morning' or Boa tarde for 'Good afternoon'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazilian Portuguese, the phrase Bom dia, tudo bem? means 'Good morning, how are you?' and Tudo bem? means 'How's it going?'
How do you pronounce it?
/oˈla/
Did you know?
- In Brazil, it is common to pair a greeting like olá with a physical gesture, such as a single cheek kiss in some regions or two in others.
- The word aí in the greeting e aí? has a dual history, potentially stemming from Latin 'ibī' meaning 'there' and also from the indigenous Old Tupi word 'a'y'.
- The phrase tudo bem? is so integral to greetings that it is often used as both the question and the answer, creating a loop of tudo bem? and tudo bem.
Examples in context
- Olá, é o Mike.Hello, this is Mike.This sentence is useful for introducing oneself using olá.Tatoeba #1292994 by alexmarcelo, translation #30980 by CN
- Olá. Sou a Nancy.Hello. I'm Nancy.Tatoeba #2849790 by MarlonX19, translation #2719673 by WestofEden
- Olá e adeus, irmã.Hello and farewell, sister.This sentence shows a farewell and a greeting using olá.Tatoeba #6175980 by User75171, translation #6175538 by RobinvanderVliet
- 69 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felipe and Beatriz meet at a coffee shop.
- FelipeOlá, Beatriz!Hello, Beatriz!
- BeatrizOlá, Felipe. Tudo bem?Hello, Felipe. Is everything okay?
- FelipeTudo ótimo, e com você?Everything is great, and with you?
- BeatrizTudo bem também.Everything is fine too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries olá, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (e, aí) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aí, e, olá, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
