14 Ways to Respond in Portuguese When Someone Calls Your Name

Wondering what to say when someone calls you in Portuguese? Knowing how to respond in Portuguese is one of those things textbooks skip, because here in Brazil we almost never just say "what?". We answer with short replies like "já vou" (I'm coming), "fala" (go ahead), "oi" (yeah?) or "o que foi" (what's up?), and each one tells the other person something different: that you're busy, that you're already on your way, or that you're close to them.

Think about how you'd answer in English: "coming!", "just a sec!", "yeah?". We have the same kind of options in Portuguese, so I put together this list of 14 Portuguese responses that we use every day at home, at work and on the street, each one with a short dialogue and a video so you can hear how it really sounds.

Learning these Brazilian Portuguese replies also helps you with the famous "yes": the way we do it in Brazil, a lot of the time without "sim", is to repeat the verb from the question ("Você vem?" "Venho!"). And if what you're looking for is how to answer the phone, I have a separate lesson with phone phrases in Portuguese.

Video: Ways to respond in Portuguese

In this video I show you the ways to respond in Portuguese that you'll hear the most in Brazil, with the intonation for each one. Pay close attention to the tone: the same word can sound friendly or rude depending on how you say it.

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List of Portuguese responses

These are the most common Portuguese responses when someone calls your name in Brazil. Each one comes with a short dialogue, so you can see when to use it and how it sounds in a real conversation.

PERA AÍ / ESPERA AÍ

"Pera aí" is the short form of "espera aí" and means "hold on" or "wait a sec". We use it when someone calls us and we're finishing something. It's informal and you'll hear it all the time among friends and family.

• - Marcelo!
  - Pera aí / Espera aí!

JÁ VOU

"Já vou" means "I'm coming" and it's the classic answer when someone calls you from another room. It says you'll be right there, although in Brazil that "right there" can sometimes take a little while.

• - Renata!
  - Já vou!

TÔ INDO

"Tô indo" is the contraction of "estou indo" and means "I'm on my way". The difference from "já vou" is that here you're already moving toward the person who called you.

• - Julio!
  - Tô indo!

How to use Porém, Embora and Ir Embora

JÁ VAI

"Já vai" literally means "it's going already", and in Brazil we say it mostly when the doorbell rings or when someone calls us and seems in a hurry. It works like "coming, one second!" said a little rushed.

• - Ana!
  - Já vai!

FALA / DIZ

"Fala" and "diz" mean "speak" and "tell me", and we use them to invite the other person to say what they need. They're informal and friendly. In fact, "fala" also works as a greeting between friends: "Fala, Philipe, beleza?".

• - Philipe!
  - Fala! / Diz

HÃ

"Hã" is an interjection similar to "huh?" in English, and it slips out when we're distracted and someone calls us. It's very informal and, depending on the tone, it can sound uninterested, so save it for home and friends.

• - Diego!
  - Hã

OI

"Oi" is the most neutral and polite response when someone calls you in Portuguese: it works with friends, family or coworkers. Besides "hi", it works like "yes?" or "what is it?".

This one is kind of funny: imagine calling someone and they answer "OI", which sounds just like "oy" in English (as in "oy vey"), and you're left thinking "oy... what?"

"Oi" is also used like "what?" or "pardon?". For example, if someone says something you didn't quite catch, you can just say "Oi?"

• - Jorge!
  - Oi!

EU

"Eu" literally means "I", and we use it when someone says a name out loud and we want to let them know it's us, like saying "here!" when the teacher takes attendance or in a doctor's waiting room.

• - Rogerio!
  - Eu!

Article in Portuguese: Como Fazer Perguntas com Educação: Boas Práticas e Coisas Para Evitar em uma Conversa

QUE / QUE É / QUE FOI

Keep in mind that you should only answer someone with "que", "que é" or "que foi" if you're close to that person.

QUE

"Que?" is the good old "what?", short and direct. Among friends it's fine, but said flatly to your parents or your boss it can sound rude, just like a blunt "what?" does in English.

• - Danilo!
  - Que?

O QUE É (UKIÉ)

"O que é?" means "what's up?" or "what do you want?", and when we Brazilians speak fast we pronounce it "ukié". It usually sounds a bit impatient, like when someone calls you for the third time in the same afternoon.

• - Daniela!
  - O que é?

O QUE FOI (UKIFOI)

"O que foi?" means "what happened?" and in fast speech it's pronounced "ukifoi". Depending on the tone, it shows concern or annoyance, which is why it's one of the ways to respond in Portuguese that changes the most with intonation.

• - Mauro!
  - O que foi?

Abbreviations and contractions in Portuguese (Part 1)

SÓ UM MINUTO / SÓ UM MINUTINHO

"Só um minuto" is "just a minute", and with the diminutive "só um minutinho" it sounds softer and friendlier, a bit like "just a quick sec". It's the most polite way to ask someone to wait, ideal at work or with people you don't know well.

• - Laura!
  - Só um minutinho!

GUENTA AÍ / AGUENTA AÍ

You'll hear "guenta" a lot in Portuguese. For example, you ask someone to hold something, they're already tired and say "ei, ajuda aqui", and the other person answers "guenta aí", something like "hang in there a little longer".

• - Marcos, abre aqui a porta!
  - Guenta aí que já vou!

How to say yes in Portuguese when someone asks you something

Yes in Portuguese is "sim", but in everyday life we Brazilians almost always answer by repeating the verb from the question, or with short words like "é", "claro" or "uhum". That makes you sound way more natural than a flat "sim".

• - Você vem amanhã?
  - Venho!
• - Tá com fome?
  - Tô!
• - Esse é o seu carro?
  - É, sim.
• - Posso sentar aqui?
  - Claro!
• - Você entendeu?
  - Uhum.

Careful with "uhum" and "aham": they're very informal, perfect with friends, but in a job interview it's better to say "sim, claro" or repeat the verb. And on WhatsApp a lot of Brazilians just type "ss". If you also want to know what "blz", "tmj" or "flw" mean, check out my guide to Brazilian Portuguese texting slang.

EXTRA

These expressions aren't ways to respond, but they show up in the video and you'll hear them a lot in Brazil. I'm leaving them here as a bonus so you keep adding everyday vocabulary.

FAZER O QUE DER NA TELHA

An expression used to say that someone always does whatever pops into their head.

• Não vou dar nem minha opinião aqui porque já sei que você sempre faz o que dá na telha.

"Liberdade é fazer o que der na telha, desde que a telha não se torne insuportável."

The 30 most common expressions in Brazil

MÓ

Saying "Mó" means the same as "Maior / Muito" (a big / a lot of).

• Nossa, você tem mó casa!
• Tinha mó galera esperando por você aqui.
• Foi mó satisfação poder participar desse evento.
• Isso gerou mó problema entre os funcionários.

SENHO / SENHORA

Used to show respect when an older person calls someone younger.

• - Raquel!
  - Senhora!?

I recorded a separate video explaining when to use "Senhor" and "Senhora" as a formal way of saying "you".

Tu, Você, O senhor, A senhora: how to use them

When you don't know the person's name

In Portuguese there are several ways to call out to someone when you don't know their name.

20 ways to call someone whose name you don't know