Você é linda
/voˈse ˈɛ ˈlĩ.dɐ/word by word
The English phrase "you're beautiful" is translated into Portuguese as Você é linda.
Other variations include Você é bonita, which means "You are beautiful" when referring to a woman and Você é bonito for a man. In Brazil, you may encounter the slang Cê é bonita for a woman or Cê é bonito for a man. For a colloquial expression between friends in Brazil, you can use Ei, você está gata! Additionally, you can say O senhor é lindo to mean "Sir (or Mr.) is handsome".
Which one should you use?
While both express beauty, linda is generally stronger and more intense than bonita, which translates more closely to "pretty".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must change its ending to lindo if you are speaking to a man, such as in Você é lindo.
Did you know?
- If you use the slang gata to call someone beautiful, you are literally calling them a 'female cat'.
- The word você actually has a humble origin, meaning 'your mercy'. It evolved from the formal address vossa mercee, a way of showing extreme respect to others.
- Portuguese speakers often use the verb estar (to be) instead of ser (to be) when beauty is a temporary state, such as when someone is dressed up for a party.
Examples in context
- Deus, você é linda.God, you're beautiful.Tatoeba #7882440 by piterkeo, translation #3724731 by CM
- Você é linda, sabia?You're beautiful, you know?Tatoeba #6014669 by bill, translation #5173876 by CK
- Quer saber de uma coisa? Você é linda.You know what? You're beautiful.Tatoeba #13936893 by carlosalberto, translation #6440926 by OsoHombre
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rodrigo and Camila are on a romantic date at a restaurant.
- RodrigoVocê é linda hoje.You are beautiful today.
- CamilaObrigada, Rodrigo. Você também está bonito.Thank you, Rodrigo. You look handsome too.
- RodrigoVocê é linda de verdade.You are truly beautiful.
- CamilaVocê é muito gentil.You are very kind.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (você, é, linda) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries linda, você, é, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
