What’s up friends! How are you? Tudo ok? Everything ok? In today’s Dica we’ll learn how to say Ok in Portuguese. Do you know what the word tá means in Portuguese? Let’s find out!
Tá in Portuguese
You probably hear a lot of Brazilians saying tá or tá bom (and other variations…). If you don’t understand the meaning of tá in Portuguese or if you’re too shy to ask someone, we’ll solve your problem! The word tá is an abbreviation that comes from the verb estar (to be) and we use it in different contexts. It is most used in the present tense, let’s see:
| Present | Abbreviations | Present | Contractions |
| Eu estou | Eu tô | I am | I‘m |
| Você está | Você tá | You are | You‘re |
| Ele está | Ele/ ela tá | He/she/it is | He‘s/She‘s/It‘s |
| Nós estamos | Nós tamos | We are | We‘re |
| Vocês estão | Vocês tão | You are | You‘re |
| Eles estão | Eles/ elas tão | They are | They‘re |
Tá in Portuguese with location
For example, today we are going to talk about the word tá in a location context. Here we use it in the literal sense of the verb estar.
A gente tá na Praia de Copacabana.
We are on Copacabana Beach.
A gente tá no Rio de Janeiro.
We are in Rio de Janeiro.
Ela tá na Rio & Learn.
She is at Rio & Learn.
Tá in Portuguese with adjectives
Another way of using the word tá is with an adjective.
João tá feliz.
João is happy.
Marina tá triste.
Marina is sad.
Ela tá animada para aprender Português em 30 dias.
She is excited to learn Portuguese in 30 days.
Tá with acceptance
And we can also use the word tá when agreeing to an idea, acceptance. In this case it is a way of saying Ok! in Portuguese. Let’s take a look at the examples:
João: Amanhã, nós vamos sair cedo, José.
José: Tá!
João: Tomorrow, we are going to leave early, José.
José: Ok!
Anna: Vitória, vou pegar seu copo, tá?
Vitória: Tá bom!
Anna: Vitória, I’ll get your bag, ok?
Vitória: Ok!
Mayra: Vamos ao cinema hoje a noite?
Joel: Tá.
Mayra: Let’s go to the cinema tonight?
Joel: Ok.
Tá bem in Portuguese
When using tá in Portuguese to accept or agree we often use the forms tá bem, tá bom or tá ok. These three forms are used in informal situations and they mean the same thing. Check out the examples:
Marília: Te espero na frente da escola às 20:00.
Joaquim: Tá bem.
Marília: I’ll wait for you in front of the school at 20:00
Joaquim: Ok!
Marcos: Vamos tomar sorvete?
José: Tá ok.
Marcos: Let’s have ice cream?
José: Ok.
One funny curiosity about the form tá ok is that the president Jair Bolsonaro uses it a lot. He uses it so much that it ended up becoming a Brazilian meme. Check out this tá ok meme compilation:
So, this is the usage of Ok and tá. Now you definitely will understand better what your Brazilian friends are saying.
If you have any doubts, come chat with us in our Facebook.
Before you leave, let’s practice the pronunciation of Tá in Portuguese with this bonus Video:
Tá ok, friends?
Big hug to you all!
Bye, bye!
Click on the links below to see more Dicas:
Estar in Portuguese
Excuse me in Portuguese
The expression pois não in Portuguese
What does fofoca mean?
