Which one should you use?
The use of está in this phrase implies that the person looks beautiful specifically today or in their current state. If you were to say é linda instead, it would mean that the person is a beautiful person by nature.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
There are several ways to adjust the level of formality. For a formal situation, you can say A senhora está maravilhosa hoje. In informal settings, you can use the shorter Você tá linda hoje. or even more concisely Tá maravilhosa hoje. For a very colloquial and enthusiastic compliment, you can say Tá um arraso hoje, which translates to "You look stunning today.".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many parts of Brazil and in Portugal, it is common to use the second-person singular pronoun tu in an informal way, resulting in the phrase tu estás linda hoje.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on the gender of the person you are speaking to. When speaking to a woman, use the feminine adjective linda as in você está linda hoje. When speaking to a man, use the masculine adjective lindo to say "you look handsome today" (você está lindo hoje).
Did you know?
- The colloquial phrase Tá um arraso hoje uses the word arraso, which literally refers to a demolition or a total collapse.
- The common pronoun você actually has a very humble origin, tracing back to the respectful phrase vossa mercee, which means 'your mercy'.
- In some regions of Brazil, the pronoun tu is used frequently, but speakers often pair it with verbs in the third person instead of the grammatically correct second person.
Examples in context
- A propósito, você está linda hoje.You look beautiful today, by the way.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use você está linda hoje in a natural conversation.Tatoeba #11199845 by bill, translation #10081201 by shekitten
- Você tá gata hojeYou look beautiful today.
- Você está linda hoje, de verdade.You look beautiful today, truly.
- Eu não disse que você está linda hoje?Didn't I say that you look beautiful today?
Example conversation
Felipe welcomes Beatriz to a party.
- BeatrizOi, Felipe! Cheguei agora.Hi, Felipe! I just arrived.
- FelipeOi, Beatriz. Você está linda hoje!Hi, Beatriz. You look beautiful today!
- BeatrizObrigada! Você também está elegante.Thank you! You look elegant too.
- FelipeObrigado! Vamos entrar.Thanks! Let's go inside.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries está, hoje, linda, você, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
