Let me show you 3 ways to say you are welcome in Portuguese in Brazil in reply to thank you. I will also explain why this is what we say. Knowing the meaning behind the words will help you remember it.
Imagine that you are walking down the street and you drop your wallet without realizing so. A stranger stops you and returns your wallet. You feel genuinely grateful and you express your feelings with a heartfelt “Thank you so much!”, to which the stranger replies: For nothing.
What would you think? Well, I have seen puzzled looks in response to “For nothing”. That is what happens when Brazilians translate literally from Portuguese to English. If you have ever wondered what those crazy Brazilians mean by that, here is the answer.
“For nothing” is the literal translation of “De nada” or “Por nada”, which is what we say in response to “thank you” in Brazil.
- De nada.
- Por nada.
- Não há de quê.
And of course I have a lesson on how to say thank you in Portuguese. Check that one out too.
The video below is old; it is one of the first videos that I created for YouTube over a decade ago. But you get to hear the pronunciation of the expressions above 🙂
Oi Lucia…Thank you for explaining…this is a phrase i am getting use to hearing…If i had to relate it to english I would say it is like using the word "hey" as in "hey!..how's it going?" or "hey, check that guy/girl out over there"..
Don't you think? Let me know if you agree/disagree
-Matue