Tudo Bem in Portuguese - How to Greet Your Friends in Brazil

posted on October 17, 2014

I am often asked: What is the meaning of tudo bemin Portuguese? What does it really mean?

It is no surprise that this is a popular question. Your Brazilian friends likely greet you with “tudo bem?” on a daily basis. Let’s see what exactly tudo bem means and how you can answer the “tudo bem?” question.

In this lesson you will learn:

1. Powerful pronunciation tips that will apply to all your Portuguese language journey

2. What exactlytudo bemmeans. Mygoal is to help you interact with confidence with your Brazilian friends and colleagues

3. How to answer the “tudo bem?” question in a Brazilian way

So, what does Tudo Bem mean in Portuguese?

Tudo = everything, all

I talk about tudo in my lesson Roberto Carlos: Learn Brazilian Portuguese with Songs. Make sure you check it out.

Bem = well

It is an adverb.

Therefore, the literal translation is:

Tudo bem? = Everything well?

This is one of the most common ways to greet people in Brazil. You simply ask: Tudo bem? It is our equivalent to “How are you?” and works both in person and over the phone, with friends and coworkers.

How about Tudo bom?

You will also hear the variation: Tudo bom?

Bom = good; it’s an adjective.

The literal translation is:

Tudo bom? = Everything good?

You can use bem and bom interchangeably in this specific greeting, but keep in mind that they are not the same thing and will not be used interchangeably in other situations. Bem = well. Bom = good.

Learn how to use Bom and Bem correctly. I have a lesson on the topic!

How to reply to Tudo bem in Brazil?

The most common way to answer is to simply say: Tudo.

You can also say: Tudo bem.

Here are other ways to answer:

Tudo certo:Literally, it means: everything right.
Tudo ótimo: All is great.
Tudo indo: Literally: all is going. It means so so, not so good.
Mais ou menos: more or less, so so

And you can be nice and ask back: E você? = And you?

The other super popular Brazilian greeting

This one will make your Portuguese sound super cool. You will sound like a Brazilian. Visit my Portuguese lesson about “E aí?“

When Bem means Muito

Sometimes the word Bem is used to emphasize a quality. Here’s a lesson on the topic.

Take the Next Step

As you become more familiar with “tudo bem” and other basic expressions in Brazilian Portuguese, you might wonder what’s next on your journey to fluency. Understanding everyday phrases is a fantastic start, but true mastery of a language comes from delving deeper, especially into its idiomatic expressions.

Now, imagine how enriching it would be to have idiomatic expressions explained to you in Portuguese, complete with a wealth of additional vocabulary and examples from various media sources.

Envision a quiz that not only shows you the expression in various contexts but also helps you practice and memorize it.

That’s precisely what my course, the 30-Day Brazilian Idioms Experience, offers you.

The course is not about learning slang or common phrases like “show de bola”.

It’s about becoming proficient in 30 handpicked Brazilian expressions that will elevate your conversational skills and make your Portuguese sound more authentic and engaging.

Here is what’s inside the course:

🌟 30 video lessons in Portuguese, with Portuguese subtitles to boost your listening skills

🌟 30 quizzes so you can practice the expressions in different situations and different verb tenses

🌟 My special ASA system for each lesson: Assimilate, Situate, Activate

🌟 Access to an exclusive community where I’ll be on hand to answer all your language questions

Vem comigo!

Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: Words beginning in PS
Texting in Portuguese? Texting Abbreviations…
Master Question Words in Portuguese: O que, Que, Qual

About Luciana Lage

I'm Luciana, the founder of Street Smart Brazil. I am thrilled to assist you on your journey to speaking Portuguese. Having taught Brazilian Portuguese for over ten years, I am deeply passionate about helping individuals forge deeper connections, both personally with their loved ones and professionally in their work environments, through learning my beautiful language. My aim is to inspire my clients to speak fluently and naturally, enabling them to express themselves authentically in Portuguese. What drives me is the profound way in which we connect through language and culture.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Peter
December 30, 2019 at 5:42 pm
Hola.. I’m from Philippines.. I like to know more about this language.. cheerz happy new year..
Reply
- Luciana Lage
  January 2, 2020 at 11:37 am
  Feliz ano novo!
  Reply
Arjun
May 1, 2017 at 1:31 pm
I like to see you
Reply
See Also
20 Greetings in English 13 Ways to Greet Someone What are the formal and informal greetings?Learning English | BBC World Service
- Sophie
  November 29, 2018 at 2:20 pm
  Don’t be a weirdo Arjun
  Reply
  - Lindsay
    May 13, 2019 at 4:42 pm
    LOL
    Reply
    - Daddy
      March 1, 2022 at 9:13 pm
      Hi
      Reply
  - D e b
    March 23, 2021 at 3:56 pm
    Maybe it was quite an innocent remark but his intended meaning was lost in translation?
    However, if you gain your confidence and self-esteem by humiliating others I’d hazard a guess at saying you succeeded. Well done.
    Reply
Jack De Paula
July 15, 2016 at 7:32 am
LU, parabens ! Bom de mais ! Gostei muito. Breve comprarei seu progama.
Me pergutam a diferenca entre Tudo e Todo. e ai , que digo ???
Um abraco,
Jack
Reply
- Luciana Lage
  July 18, 2016 at 10:24 am
  Obrigada, Jack. I have a handout on Tudo and Todo. You get this handout and two other ones when you sign up to my newsletter. You can do so from any page on my website. Just roll the page down. You will see the newsletter form at the bottom. Our newsletters are very informative. I believe you will like them. We only send 1 or 2 per month. Obrigada!
  Reply
  - Kara guiry
    February 19, 2017 at 9:10 am
    What does to do bom mean coz I got a message from my friend and he said todo bom. So I typed up on google what it means and it said it was rudo bom
    Reply
    - Luciana Lage
      February 20, 2017 at 3:15 pm
      Tudo bem? =Tudo bom? Same thing when it is a greeting.
      Reply
      - Doug
        August 3, 2017 at 12:29 am
        Bom dia from Scotland Luciana
      - Luciana Lage
        August 4, 2017 at 7:38 am
        Bom dia de Fortaleza, Doug!
  - Harold
    May 8, 2018 at 7:31 am
    You have a website where I can download your newsletter and other learning material? If so, can you please let us know. Greetings from New York City. 🙂
    Harold C.
    Reply
    - Luciana Lage
      May 11, 2018 at 8:33 pm
      Oi, Harold! I don’t have my blog material organized in a downloadable form. That’s a project in my to-do list.
      When you sign up for the newsletter, you get 3 handouts to download. And I believe that you have access to the newsletter archive. To sign up for the newsletter, please use the form on the bottom of any website page: https://streetsmartbrazil.com/
      Also visit my YouTube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/user/StreetSmartBrazil?feature=mexp
      Obrigada!
      See Also
      24 Brazilian Slang Words – StoryLearning
      Reply
winnie
March 3, 2016 at 12:36 pm
Brazilian Portuguese is interesting am trying and I love their music so much especially Nossa by Michel Telo
Reply
- Luciana Lage
  March 3, 2016 at 1:13 pm
  Learning with songs is great. And it is fun 🙂
  Reply
Vargas Mentor
December 27, 2015 at 12:01 pm
Bom dia!
Sou Vargas, tô estudando o Português há 4 meses. Com certeza vejo muito progresso ao ler o seu blog e ao pôr em pratica os seus elementos de pronuncia, gramática, e também as clarificaçoes sobre certos conceitos da lingua sem esquecer o seu modo unico em nos fazer entender o que poderia ser muito difícil com muita facilidade.
Muito obrigado por ajudar-nos no estudo da essa bela lingua sua! Eu sinto que o meu nível já me fez somelhar ao verdadeiro irmão do Ronaldinho Gaucho. (O meu melhor jogador de futebol da seleção)
Hmmm! Tô brincando…
No futuro, pretendo de comprar o seu programa completo pra poder melhorar o meu falar.
Muito obrigado Luciana!
Reply
- Vargas Mentor
  December 27, 2015 at 2:09 pm
  Oi, a senhora, tem dois erros no meu comentario: * somelhar: Assemelhar
  : * Pretendo de comprar: pretendo comprar.
  NB: se talvez tenha outros erros não podia ver pessoalmente, por favor a senhora pode mos fazer ver.
  A propósito, a senhora poderia ter um blog sobre: o futuro do subjuntivo e também o infinitivo pessoal se faz favor?
  Graças ao seu blog eu já fiz muito progresso!
  Muito obrigado a senhora!
  Reply
- Luciana Lage
  December 27, 2015 at 6:57 pm
  Muito obrigada, Vargas! Fico muito feliz de saber que minhas lições ajudam você. Seu português escrito realmente está bem avançado. Parabéns!
  Reply
Chrislife
November 16, 2015 at 1:38 pm
I stil need to learn more then what i know. This page help alot , thanks to u (Luciana lage) u did well.
Reply
- Luciana Lage
  November 16, 2015 at 2:46 pm
  Muito obrigada 🙂
  Reply
Chrislife
November 9, 2015 at 4:16 am
Luciana Obrigada por visitar ler nosso blog.
Reply
Chrislife
November 9, 2015 at 4:14 am
Luciana Obrigada por ler nosso blog.
Reply
Chrislife
November 6, 2015 at 5:38 am
Am chrislife… and am from nigeria: i whent to learn how to speak brazilan /portuguese i love the both so much , i known bem,bom, tudo. Thanks
Reply
- Luciana Lage
  November 6, 2015 at 7:12 pm
  Oi, Chrislife, obrigada por ler o blog e visitar o site!
  Reply
John gerber
October 24, 2015 at 7:00 am
I love samba music I even have my own pare of bongos ther tunable it would be so cool if I could live in Brasil why because of the coulter the wildlife the birds the food and most of all the samba music cant wait for the next world cup he kicks its in Goal……. I cheer for brasil I even got a brasil futebol hat ive watched your youtube videos I even drew a picture of the brasilian flag with the mato ordem e progresso I feed birds and this year I hand fed a hummingbird by holding the feeder on different days got it on photo and video I could feel the vibration of the hummingbirds rapidly rotating wings through the feeder.
Reply
Ben Lyne
January 31, 2015 at 9:29 pm
obrigado ter sua lessons atleast i have been able to make amizade with people from brazil valeu
Reply
- Luciana Lage
  February 2, 2015 at 1:01 pm
  Obrigada por ler nosso blog!
  Reply
Sahadev Kumar
January 31, 2015 at 1:16 am
Sir, I want to learn Angolan Portuguese
I want to know what is the different
Angolan portuguese and Brazilian
rtuguese please tell me.Thankyou
From: SAHADEV KUMAR
Reply
- Luciana Lage
  February 2, 2015 at 1:06 pm
  There are differences in pronunciation and grammar between Brazilian Portuguese and Continental Portuguese, including Portuguese from Angola. The main difference is in pronunciation. Imagine a foreigner learning English in the US and then traveling to England or Australia. This person will need to adjust to how the language sounds in the new country. The same is true for Brazilian and European Portuguese.
  The best way for you to see the difference is to find videos on YouTube, although it is easier to find videos comparing the languages in Brazil and in Portugal.
  Reply
  - Salim
    September 15, 2016 at 10:13 am
    Angola is an African country. Thus the same would be true Brazilian and African Portuguese in Cape Verde, Angola, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique…not Brazilian and European Portuguese 🙂
    Reply
Coy
January 19, 2015 at 7:42 pm
Great post! We will be linking to this particularly great content on our site.
Keep up the great writing.
Reply
DeJuan
January 2, 2015 at 2:18 am
Oi, tudo bem? I could not find the 55 Words to Boost Your Vocabulary that end with al on your blog. Which link do I click on? I love your lessons & web site. Muito Obrigado!
DeJuan
Reply
- Luciana Lage
  January 2, 2015 at 8:41 am
  Oi! Muito obrigada pelo comentário and for following our blog and lessons. The lesson you are looking for can be found in our Portuguese Starter Kit. Here is the link:
  https://streetsmartbrazil.com/portuguese-starter-kit/ Até mais!
  Reply