você está tão fofo
The English phrase "you look so cute" is translated into Portuguese as você está tão fofo.
This phrase is a compliment used to tell someone that their current appearance is endearing or sweet. In Brazilian Portuguese, the word fofo(a) is widely used to mean cute.
Which one should you use?
The use of the verb estar (está) specifically refers to the person's current appearance or state, which is the direct equivalent of the English "you look…"
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are speaking to a woman, you must change the masculine adjective fofo to the feminine fofa (e.g., você está tão fofa). To say this to more than one person, change the pronoun to vocês, the verb to estão and the adjective to the plural fofos (e.g., vocês estão tão fofos). Additionally, using the verb ser (é) instead of estar (está) implies that the person is a cute person by nature, rather than just looking cute in this specific moment (e.g., você é tão fofo).
Did you know?
- The word você evolved from the phrase vossa mercee, which literally means 'your mercy'.
- In Brazil, calling someone fofo can sometimes be used patronizingly to imply that a person is naive or too innocent for their own good.
- While fofo describes a cute person, it is also the standard word for 'fluffy', such as when describing a cloud or a towel.
Examples in context
- Você está tão fofo com esse chapéu!You look so cute with this hat!
- Você está tão fofo quando sorri.You look so cute when you smile.
- Olha, você está tão fofo hoje!Look, you look so cute today!
Example conversation
Juliana and Lucas are walking in a park.
- JulianaLucas, você está tão fofo com esse casaco novo.Lucas, you look so cute in this new jacket.
- LucasSério? Obrigado, Juliana.Really? Thanks, Juliana.
- JulianaSim, combinou muito com você.Yes, it suits you very well.
- LucasFico feliz que você tenha gostado.I am happy that you liked it.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries está, fofo, tão, você, CC BY-SA 4.0.
