How to introduce yourself in Brazilian Portuguese

Introduction

Introducing yourself is one of the first things you will do when speaking Brazilian Portuguese. This article teaches you how to say your name, ask someone else's name, and share basic information about yourself. You will learn the most common phrases used in everyday conversations, what each word means, and how to use them naturally.

Saying your name in Portuguese

The simplest way to say your name in Brazilian Portuguese is:

Meu nome é [your name].

This means "My name is [your name]." Here is how each word works:

  • Meu means "my"
  • Nome means "name"
  • É means "is"

If your name is Sarah, you would say Meu nome é Sarah. If your name is Michael, you would say Meu nome é Michael.

The word é is pronounced like the English word "eh." The word meu sounds like "may-oo" said quickly together. The word nome is pronounced "NO-mee."

This phrase works in any situation. You can use it when meeting someone for the first time at a party, in a classroom, at work, or anywhere else. It is neither too formal nor too casual.

Another way to say your name

Brazilians also commonly say:

Eu sou [your name].

This means "I am [your name]." Here is what each word means:

  • Eu means "I"
  • Sou means "am"

The word eu is pronounced like the letters "e" and "oo" blended together. The word sou rhymes with "go" but starts with an "s" sound.

Both Meu nome é Sarah and Eu sou Sarah mean the same thing. Brazilians use both phrases naturally. You can choose whichever feels more comfortable to you.

Understanding verbs in Portuguese

When you say sou, you are using a verb. A verb is a word that expresses an action or a state of being. In English, verbs include words like "run," "think," and "am."

The word sou comes from the verb ser, which means "to be" in English. In English, you say "I am," "you are," "he is." Portuguese works the same way. The verb changes depending on who is speaking or who you are talking about.

For "I am," Portuguese uses sou. This is the form of ser that goes with "I." You will see this verb often because it is used to describe who you are, where you are from, and what you do.

Asking someone's name

When you meet someone new, you will want to ask their name. The most common way to ask is:

Qual é o seu nome?

This means "What is your name?" Here is what each word means:

  • Qual means "what"
  • É means "is"
  • O means "the"
  • Seu means "your"
  • Nome means "name"

The word qual is pronounced "kwal." The word seu sounds like "say-oo" said quickly.

If you put word by word into English, this phrase says "What is the your name?" Portuguese uses "the" before "your name" even though English does not. This is just how Portuguese structures this question.

You can also ask:

Como você se chama?

This is another way to say "What is your name?" but it literally means "How do you call yourself?" Here is what each word means:

  • Como means "how"
  • Você means "you"
  • Se is a word that makes the verb refer back to the person
  • Chama means "calls"

Both questions are common and natural. Qual é o seu nome? is slightly more straightforward for beginners because the words match English more closely.

A complete introduction exchange

Here is what a typical introduction looks like in Brazilian Portuguese:

Person A: Oi! Meu nome é Carlos. Qual é o seu nome? (Hi! My name is Carlos. What is your name?)

Person B: Oi, Carlos! Meu nome é Ana. Prazer em conhecer você. (Hi, Carlos! My name is Ana. Nice to meet you.)

Person A: Prazer em conhecer você também. (Nice to meet you too.)

The phrase Prazer em conhecer você means "Nice to meet you." Here is what it means word by word:

  • Prazer means "pleasure"
  • Em means "in"
  • Conhecer means "to meet" or "to know"
  • Você means "you"

The word também means "too" or "also." When someone says Prazer em conhecer você to you, you respond with Prazer em conhecer você também.

You can also shorten this to just Prazer, which means "Pleasure" or "Nice to meet you." This is very common and perfectly polite.

Greeting before introducing yourself

Before you say your name, you will usually say hello. The most common greetings in Brazilian Portuguese are:

  • Oi means "hi"
  • Olá means "hello"
  • Bom dia means "good morning"
  • Boa tarde means "good afternoon"
  • Boa noite means "good evening" or "good night"

Oi is casual and friendly. You will hear it constantly in Brazil. Olá is slightly more formal but still common.

Bom dia is used in the morning until around noon. Boa tarde is used from around noon until evening. Boa noite is used when it gets dark outside and when you are saying goodbye at night.

A typical introduction starts with one of these greetings:

Oi, meu nome é Patricia. (Hi, my name is Patricia.)

Bom dia. Eu sou Roberto. (Good morning. I am Roberto.)

Saying where you are from

After saying your name, people often share where they are from. To say this, you use:

Eu sou de [place].

This means "I am from [place]." The word de means "from."

If you are from New York, you would say Eu sou de Nova York. If you are from Texas, you would say Eu sou de Texas.

Notice that you use sou again, the same word you use when saying "I am [name]." This is because sou means "I am" and you use it for both your name and your origin.

To say your country, you would say:

Eu sou dos Estados Unidos. (I am from the United States.)

Eu sou americana. (if you are a woman) Eu sou americano. (if you are a man) (I am American.)

The word dos is a combination of de (from) and os (the). It means "from the." Portuguese uses "the" before "United States" the same way English does.

Notice that americana and americano are spelled differently. In Portuguese, words that describe people change based on whether the person is male or female. Words ending in a are used for women. Words ending in o are used for men.

Asking where someone is from

To ask where someone is from, you say:

De onde você é?

This means "Where are you from?" Here is what each word means:

  • De means "from"
  • Onde means "where"
  • Você means "you"
  • É means "are"

If you put it word by word into English, it says "From where you are?" Portuguese often puts words in a different order than English.

Saying what you do

Another common thing to share when introducing yourself is your occupation. To say what you do, you use:

Eu sou [occupation].

This means "I am [occupation]." Notice you use sou again, the same word for "I am."

Here are some common occupations:

  • Eu sou professor. (I am a teacher, if you are a man)
  • Eu sou professora. (I am a teacher, if you are a woman)
  • Eu sou estudante. (I am a student)
  • Eu sou engenheiro. (I am an engineer, if you are a man)
  • Eu sou engenheira. (I am an engineer, if you are a woman)

Notice that Portuguese does not use "a" before the occupation. In English you say "I am a teacher," but in Portuguese you say Eu sou professor without any word for "a."

Also notice that many occupations have different endings for men and women, just like the words for nationalities.

Asking what someone does

To ask what someone does, you say:

O que você faz?

This means "What do you do?" Here is what each word means:

  • O que means "what"
  • Você means "you"
  • Faz means "do" or "make"

You can also ask:

Qual é a sua profissão?

This means "What is your profession?" This is slightly more formal but very clear. The word profissão means "profession."

Putting it all together

Here is what a fuller introduction might look like:

Person A: Oi! Meu nome é Lucas. Qual é o seu nome? (Hi! My name is Lucas. What is your name?)

Person B: Oi, Lucas! Eu sou Maria. Prazer. (Hi, Lucas! I am Maria. Nice to meet you.)

Person A: Prazer, Maria. De onde você é? (Nice to meet you, Maria. Where are you from?)

Person B: Eu sou dos Estados Unidos. E você? (I am from the United States. And you?)

Person A: Eu sou de São Paulo. O que você faz? (I am from São Paulo. What do you do?)

Person B: Eu sou professora. E você? (I am a teacher. And you?)

Person A: Eu sou estudante. (I am a student.)

Notice that people often add E você? which means "And you?" This is how you ask the same question back to someone without repeating the whole question.

Common mistakes to avoid

When you are learning to introduce yourself, here are some common mistakes to watch for:

Using "a" before occupations: In English you say "I am a teacher," but in Portuguese you do not use a word for "a." Say Eu sou professor, not Eu sou um professor.

Forgetting to change word endings for gender: Remember that words like americano/americana and professor/professora change based on whether you are male or female.

Pronouncing nome like the English word "gnome": The word nome has two syllables. It is pronounced "NO-mee," not "nome" rhyming with "gnome."

Using você after eu sou: When you say Eu sou [name], you do not add você. Say Eu sou Sarah, not Eu sou você Sarah.

Practicing your introduction

You now know how to introduce yourself in Brazilian Portuguese. Start with the basics:

  • Say your name using Meu nome é [name] or Eu sou [name]
  • Ask someone's name using Qual é o seu nome?
  • Say where you are from using Eu sou de [place]
  • Say what you do using Eu sou [occupation]

Practice saying these phrases out loud. Get comfortable with the pronunciation. The more you practice, the more natural it will feel when you meet someone who speaks Portuguese.