How to Ask About Well-Being

Learn how to ask about well-being

Dialogue

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Vocabulary

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Lesson Notes

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Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Can-Do Portuguese by PortuguesePod101.com.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask about well-being in Portuguese.

For example, "How are you?" is

Tudo bem?

Susana Santos is in the office breakroom.

She greets Carlos Costa , a colleague, and asks about his well-being.

Before you listen to the conversation, let's preview some of its key components.

Bem.

"fine"

Bem.

Listen to the conversation and focus on the question.

Ready?

Tudo bem?

Tudo bem, obrigado.

Once more with the English translation.

Tudo bem?

"How are you?"

Tudo bem, obrigado.

"I'm fine, thank you."

Let's break down the conversation.

Do you remember how Susana asks Carlos ,

"How are you?"

Tudo bem?

First is tudo, "everything." Tudo. Tudo.

Next is bem, "well." Bem. Bem.

All together, it's Tudo bem, literally "is everything well?" but translates as "How are you," in this context.

Note the rising intonation to mark that it's a question: Tudo bem?

Tudo bem?

Note: To increase the formality, address the person with a title.

For example, if you are talking to a man:

Tudo bem com o senhor?

This starts with Tudo bem, "I'm fine."

Next is com o senhor.

This starts with com, "with." Com. Com.

Last is o senhor, literally "the sir." It translates as "sir" in this context. O senhor.

In Portuguese, all nouns have grammatical gender and are either singular or plural. Senhor is masculine and singular — a fact that determines the form of other words in the sentence.

Before this is the article, o. Think of it like "the" in English. O. O.

O is also masculine singular to agree with senhor.

Note: in this sentence, the article, o, does not have a corresponding English translation.

All together Tudo bem com o senhor?

Literally "is everything well with sir?" but translates as "How are you, sir?"

Tudo bem com o senhor?

To address a female speaker, use a senhora, "ma’am."

Tudo bem com a senhora?

How are you, ma'am?

Remember this variation. You’ll need it for the practice section.

Let's take a closer look at the response.

Do you remember how Carlos says,

"I'm fine, thank you."

Tudo bem, obrigado.

First is tudo, "everything." Tudo.

Next is bem, "well." Bem.

Together is tudo bem, literally "everything well," but translates as "I'm fine," in this context.

Last is obrigado, which literally means "obliged" or "indebted," but translates as "thank you." Obrigado. Obrigado.

Note: Obrigado is an adjective. In Portuguese, adjectives must agree with the noun they modify. As Carlos is talking about himself, he uses the masculine adjective, obrigado.

A female speaker would use the feminine adjective, obrigada, to talk about herself. Obrigada.

All together, Tudo bem, obrigado. "I'm fine, thank you." Tudo bem, obrigado.

Tudo bem, obrigado.

When responding to a question about your wellbeing, you can use the opportunity to inquire about the other person's wellbeing.

This is illustrated in the following exchange:

Tudo bem?

Tudo bem, e você?

"I'm fine, and you?"

This starts with Tudo bem, "I'm fine."

Next, you can inquire about the other person's wellbeing with E você? "And you?"

First is e, "And." E. E.

Next is você, meaning "you," in this context. Você. Você.

Note, as você, "you," is informal, this expression is appropriate for informal situations.

Let's look at some more examples.

Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers.

Tudo bem?

Tudo bem, obrigado.

Tudo bem?

"How are you?"

Tudo bem, obrigado.

"I'm fine, thank you."

Tudo bem com a senhora?

Tudo ótimo.

Tudo bem com a senhora?

"How are you, ma'am?"

Tudo ótimo.

"I'm great."

Tudo bem?

Mais ou menos, e você?

Tudo bem?

"How are you?"

Mais ou menos, e você?

"I'm so-so, and you?"

Como vai a senhora?

Tudo bem.

Como vai a senhora?

"How are you, ma'am?"

Tudo bem.

"I'm fine."

Did you notice how the last speaker uses a different pattern?

Como vai a senhora?

"How are you, ma'am?"

First is como, "how." Como. Como.

Next is vai, which translates as "are," as in "how are you," in this context. Vai. Vai.

Note: vai, literally means "goes," as in "he goes," or "she goes," depending on the gender of the person being addressed.

Vai is from the verb ir, meaning "to go." Ir.

Last is a senhora, "ma'am." A senhora.

All together it's Como vai a senhora?, literally "How does ma’am go?" but it translates as "How are you, ma'am?"

Como vai a senhora?

To address a male, use o senhor, "sir."

Como vai o senhor?

"How are you, sir?"

Let's review the key vocabulary.

Tudo ótimo.

"Everything great."

Tudo ótimo.

Mais ou menos.

Literally "More or less," but meaning "So-so."

Mais ou menos.

Let's review.

Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speaker, focusing on pronunciation.

Ready?

Do you remember how to say "everything?"

Tudo.

And how Susana Santos asks,

"How are you?"

Literally, "everything well?"

Tudo bem?

Do you remember how to say "I'm fine?"

Tudo bem.

Do you remember how Carlos says,

"I'm fine, thank you."

Tudo bem, obrigado.

Do you remember how to ask

"How are you, ma’am?"

Tudo bem com a senhora?

Do you remember how to say, "And you?"

E você?

And how to say "Everything is great."

Tudo ótimo.

Let's practice.

Imagine you're Carlos , Susana 's colleague. Ask how Susana is doing.

Ready?

Tudo bem?

Tudo ótimo.

Listen again and repeat.

Tudo bem?

Let's try another.

Imagine you're Samuel's teacher, Lilian Lopes , and you're starting class. Ask about Samuel 's well being using formal Portuguese.

Ready?

Tudo bem com o senhor?

Tudo bem, obrigado.

Listen again and repeat.

Tudo bem, obrigado.

Let's try one more.

Imagine you're Sergio , and you meet your friend at school. Respond by saying,

"I'm fine, and you?"

Ready?

Tudo bem?

Tudo bem, e você?

Listen again and repeat.

Tudo bem, e você?

Well done! This is the end of the lesson and the Can Ask About Well-Being unit of this course.

Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills.

What's next?

Show us what you can do.

When you're ready, take your assessment.

You can take it again and again, so try anytime you like.

Our teachers will assess it, and give you your results.

Keep practicing — and move on to the next lesson!

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