olá
/oˈla/
Hello in Portuguese is olá. Wiktionary also lists e aí?
Meaning: greeting (intj)
Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| olá | /oˈla/ (Brazil) /ɔˈla/ (Portugal) |
|
| e aí? | slang |
Depending on the time of day, other specific greetings are commonly used: Bom dia is commonly used until mid-afternoon as a polite greeting, Boa tarde can be used from mid-afternoon until early evening as a formal way to greet someone and Boa noite is used to say "good evening" or "goodnight" after sunset or during evening hours.
Which one should you use?
olá is a standard, neutral greeting suitable for most situations, whereas e aí? is a highly informal, slangy way to say hello or ask what is happening.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
olá is neutral. e aí? is considered slang. In some casual situations, Oi might be replaced with Salve.
How do you pronounce it?
/oˈla/
Did you know?
- The word aí in the phrase e aí? can be traced back to the Old Tupi language, an indigenous language of Brazil, rather than just Latin roots.
- In some urban Brazilian youth cultures, salve is used as a greeting. It literally means 'save' or 'salvation' but functions as a street-style way to say 'hello' or 'what's up'.
- When using e aí?, the response is often not an answer to the question but simply another e aí? returned by the second person.
Examples in context
- Olá, é o Mike.Hello, this is Mike.This sentence shows the use of olá when introducing oneself.Tatoeba #1292994 by alexmarcelo, translation #30980 by CN
- Olá. Sou a Nancy.Hello. I'm Nancy.This sentence demonstrates how to use olá to state your identity.Tatoeba #2849790 by MarlonX19, translation #2719673 by WestofEden
- Olá e adeus, irmã.Hello and farewell, sister.This sentence uses olá alongside a word for farewell.Tatoeba #6175980 by User75171, translation #6175538 by RobinvanderVliet
- 69 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Juliana meet on the street.
- GabrielOlá, Juliana!Hello, Juliana!
- JulianaOlá, Gabriel. Tudo bem?Hello, Gabriel. Is everything okay?
- GabrielTudo ótimo, obrigado.Everything is great, thanks.
- JulianaQue bom!That is good!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries olá, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aí, e, olá, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
