graças a Deus
/ˈɡɾa.sɐz a ˈdews/
The English phrase "thank God" is translated into Portuguese as graças a Deus.
graças a Deus is an exclamation used to express gratitude or relief regarding a situation.
Meaning: exclamation of gratitude or relief (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "thanks to God".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In certain regions, particularly in Portugal, people may use the longer expression Graças a Deus e aos santos.
How does it change in a sentence?
In this specific idiom, the word graças is the plural form of graça (meaning grace or thanks) and is always used in the plural.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈɡɾa.sɐz a ˈdews/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The preposition a in this phrase shares a deep ancestry with the Egyptian hieroglyph for a bull.
- In Brazil and Portugal, graças a Deus is frequently used as a reflexive filler in conversation, sometimes appearing even when the speaker is not particularly religious.
- Depending on the region, saying graças a Deus in response to 'how are you' is a standard polite formula that avoids complaining about one's life.
Examples in context
- Sou ateu, graças a Deus.I'm an atheist and I thank God for it.This sentence shows how someone might use graças a Deus to express gratitude for their own state of being.Tatoeba #3045911 by carlosalberto, translation #2569592 by Dejo
- Graças a Deus é sexta-feira.Thank God it's Friday.This sentence demonstrates the use of the phrase to express relief that it is Friday.Tatoeba #2155697 by alexmarcelo, translation #2153071 by MrShoval
- Graças a Deus ninguém morreu.Thank God nobody died.This sentence shows the phrase being used to express relief that no one was injured.Tatoeba #5078936 by ajdavidl, translation #4497295 by CK
- Graças a Deus a cirurgia foi bem-sucedida.Thank God the surgery was successful.
- Deus seja louvado por ter nos abençoado tanto.God be praised for blessing us so much.
- Obrigada, meu Deus, pela força que me deu para superar os obstáculos.Thank you, my God, for the strength you gave me to overcome the obstacles.
- Graças a Deus você chegou!Thank God you arrived!
- Obrigada, meu Santo Antônio, por me ajudar a encontrar as chaves.Thank you, my Saint Anthony, for helping me find my keys.
- Graças a Deus e aos santos, encontramos o caminho de volta.Thanks to God and the saints, we found our way back.
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Juliana and Felipe are at home after a stressful day of driving.
- JulianaGraças a Deus chegamos em casa em segurança.Thank God we arrived home safely.
- FelipeSim, o trânsito estava terrível hoje.Yes, the traffic was terrible today.
- JulianaFelipe, você está muito cansado?Felipe, are you very tired?
- FelipeEstou, mas agora posso descansar.I am, but now I can rest.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank God” translations and entries graças a Deus, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Deus, a, deus, graças a Deus, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
