Tu or Você in Portuguese? How to Say You, Informal and Formal

How do you say "you" in Portuguese? The short answer is você: that's what we say in Brazil in almost every everyday conversation, so it's the go-to way to say you in Brazilian Portuguese. The pronoun tu also exists, but its use depends a lot on the region, and in many places we conjugate it as if it were "você", saying "tu vai" instead of the textbook "tu vais".

If you're figuring out how to say you in Portuguese and can't decide in the tu vs você debate, my advice is to start with "você": you'll hear it in Brazilian soap operas, songs and in any city in Brazil, and it works with friends and with people you just met. Watch the spelling: it's written "você", with a circumflex accent on the E, not "vose" or "voçe". And to ask "and you?" in Portuguese, just say "e você?".

What about the formal you in Portuguese? When we want to show respect, we Brazilians use "o senhor" for a man and "a senhora" for a woman, which works a lot like saying "sir" or "ma'am" in English. In this lesson I'll walk you through the differences between tu, você, o senhor and a senhora with a video and example sentences, plus a detail that trips up a lot of learners: how to say someone is older or younger.

Video: Should I Use TU or VOCÊ in Portuguese?

The easiest way to decide between tu and você in Portuguese is to hear how we Brazilians say them in a real conversation. In this video I show you the pronunciation and the context of each pronoun, so you know which one to use depending on the person and the region of Brazil you're in.

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Example Sentences with Tu, Você, O Senhor and A Senhora

In Brazilian Portuguese there are four main ways to say "you": tu, você, o senhor and a senhora. Below you'll find example sentences with each one so you can see how the tone shifts, from the most casual to the most respectful.

TU

"Tu" is the informal way to say you in Portuguese, and you'll hear it a lot in southern Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro and in several states in the North and Northeast. In everyday speech we almost always use it with the verb conjugated like "você", as in these examples.

• Tu quer o quê?
• Tu tá gostando desse vídeo?

In some regions of Brazil, we conjugate "tu" the same way as "você", with the verb in the third person, which breaks the traditional grammar rules. It's a great example of how the language changes depending on which part of Brazil you're in.

For example:

Following the grammar: Tu vais viajar amanhã?

What you'll usually hear: Tu vai viajar amanhã? Você vai viajar amanhã?

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VOCÊ

What does você mean? "Você" is the most common way to say you in Brazilian Portuguese: it works with friends, family and strangers, and the verb goes in the third person, just like with "he" or "she" (ele/ela). The plural is "vocês" (you all, or y'all), and in text messages you'll see it written as "vc". Heads-up: "você" can also work as a generic "you" or "one", as I explain in how to use a gente and as pessoas.

• Você tá gostando desse vídeo?
• Ela me disse que você era a pessoa responsável pela loja.

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O SENHOR

To use the formal you in Portuguese when you're talking to a man, in Brazil we say "o senhor", with the verb in the third person. It's what you'll hear with customers, bosses, older people or in any customer service situation.

• O senhor gostou desse vídeo?

In Portuguese, "o senhor" is a formal way to address someone. Think of it as "sir" in English, except that in Portuguese it also works as the pronoun "you" itself.

It's used to show respect and courtesy toward the person you're talking to. It doesn't have to be an older person: it's common in more professional or formal situations, or when you're addressing someone who deserves respectful treatment because of their position, age or status.

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A SENHORA

"A senhora" is the feminine version of "o senhor" and it's how you address a woman formally, a bit like "ma'am" in English. A little detail from us Brazilians: with older women it's also very common to say "dona" before their first name, as in "dona Maria".

• A senhora gostou desse vídeo?

You can even use "senhora" twice in the same sentence with two different meanings.

• A senhora (you) conseguiu falar com a senhora (the lady) que tava esperando aí fora?

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Mais velho / Mais novo

To say someone is older or younger, in Brazil we say "mais velho" (older) or "mais novo" (younger).

Be careful with "maior" and "menor": they mean bigger and smaller, so they describe a person's size, not their age.

• Você é o irmão mais velho ou mais novo?
• Ela é a filha caçula. (the youngest of all the daughters)

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