Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA |
|---|---|
| oi | /ˈoj/ (Brazil) /ˈoj/ (Portugal) |
| olá | /oˈla/ (Brazil) /ɔˈla/ (Portugal) |
| alô | /aˈlo/ (Brazil) /aˈlo/ (Portugal) |
| e ai? | /ˈɛ ˈaj/ (Brazil, word by word) |
The forms provided are used to greet people. oi is the most common informal greeting, equivalent to "hi" or "hey" in English. olá is a neutral or slightly more formal way to say "hello". e aí? is a popular informal greeting similar to "What's up?" or "How's it going?", while alô is used specifically to answer the telephone.
Which one should you use?
oi is the most common informal way to say hi. olá is slightly more formal or neutral than oi. alô is distinct from the others as it is used only when answering the phone.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈoj/
When do people say it?
When greeting a group of people informally, you can use Olá pessoal to say "hello everyone". To ask how someone is doing informally, you can use Tudo bem? (Is everything okay?), Como vai? (How's it going?) or the very casual Fala aí (what's up?).
Did you know?
- While oi is a common way to say 'hi' in Brazil, it is a completely different word from the English interjection 'oi', which is used to get someone's attention.
- In very informal settings, Brazilians may replace the greeting oi with a short, melodic whistle or a specific hand gesture to acknowledge a friend from a distance.
- The word alô is a loanword from the English 'hallo' and is used almost exclusively for phone conversations in Brazil.
Examples in context
- Oi, sou o Tom.Hi, I'm Tom.This sentence is useful for introducing yourself using oi.Tatoeba #6774455 by Ricardo14, translation #5576200 by CK
- Oi! Como vai você?Hi! How are you?This sentence is useful for asking how someone is using oi.Tatoeba #1473097 by rafael8243, translation #30316 by Zifre
- Oi, você está bem?Hi, are you OK?This sentence is useful for checking if someone is okay using oi.Tatoeba #3076163 by Ricardo14, translation #505937 by 8684
- 74 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Juliana and Felipe meet at a coffee shop.
- JulianaOi, Felipe!Hi, Felipe!
- FelipeOi, Juliana. Tudo bem?Hi, Juliana. Is everything okay?
- JulianaTudo ótimo, e com você?Everything is great, and with you?
- FelipeTudo bem também.Everything is fine too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries oi, olá, alô, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (e, ai) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ai, alô, e, oi, olá, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
