
Hello there! Have you ever been in a situation where you need to draw attention to yourself, but perhaps you don’t know the person’s name? Or maybe you need to call the waiter to pay your meal? Today we are going to learn how to use psiu in Portuguese! Psiu is an onomatopoeia used when Brazilians need to call someone’s attention. I am sure you know by now we use lots of onomatopoeias!
Foreigners think that psiu! is not very polite, because it might sound as if we were calling a dog. However, here in Brazil, this is not something considered impolite or rude. So, you will see this a lot when you come learn Portuguese in Brazil with us!
When to Use Psiu in Portuguese
Call someone’s attention
Claudia: CΓ‘ssio, onde vocΓͺ estΓ‘? | Claudia: CΓ‘ssio, where are you? |
CΓ‘ssio: Oi, Claudia! Tudo bem? Eu tΓ΄ aqui na praΓ§a. | CΓ‘ssio: Hi, Claudia! How are you? I’m here at the park. |
Claudia: PSIU! CΓ‘ssio! Estou aqui! | Claudia: PSIU! CΓ‘ssio, over here! |
Call Someone You Don’t Know the Name
We can use it when we want to call someone but we don’t know their name.
Claudia: Ei. Psiu! VocΓͺ mesmo! | Claudia: Hey. Psiu! You there! |
Jorge: Eu? | Jorge: Me? |
Claudia: Sim, pode me informar as horas? | Claudia: Yes, can you tell me the time? |
Call the Waiter
We can also use psiu to call the waiter at a place. Take a look:
Claudia: PSIU! Pode trazer a conta, por favor? | Claudia: PSIU! Can you bring me the bill, please? |
GarΓ§om: Claro, aqui estΓ‘! | Waiter: Sure, here it is! |
Claudia: Obrigada! | Claudia: Thank you! |
Review Psiu in Portuguese
Since you are ready to use psiu everywhere, let’s review it with one of our students, Claudia! I hope you enjoy the video and don’t forget to subscribe on our YouTube Channel.
Exercises About Psiu in Portuguese
Choose which phrases would be proper to use psiu beforehand:
- (_) VocΓͺ sabe as horas?
- (_) Minha mΓ£e anda tΓ£o doente!
- (_) VocΓͺ nΓ£o estuda comigo na Rio & Learn?
- (_) Jennifer nΓ£o quis me ligar ontem.
- (_) Pode me trazer a conta, por favor?
- (_) VocΓͺ aΓ! Me ajude com as sacolas, por favor!
- (_) Marcos! Estou aqui!
- (_) Eu liguei mas ele nΓ£o atendeu.
- (_) VocΓͺ estuda portuguΓͺs em Copacabana?
- (_) Senhor! Sua carteira caiu no chΓ£o!
Psiu! Hey! You there! Have you enjoyed our class? We’ll see you in our next Dica for sure!
Bye!
Click on the links below to see more related Dicas
Eu, hein! in Portuguese
TΓ΄ Nem AΓ Expression
Informal Expressions in Portuguese
Answers
- Psiu! VocΓͺ sabe as horas?
- Minha mΓ£e anda tΓ£o doente!
- Psiu! VocΓͺ nΓ£o estuda comigo na Rio & Learn?
- Jennifer nΓ£o quis me ligar ontem.
- Psiu! Pode me trazer a conta, por favor?
- Psiu! VocΓͺ aΓ! Me ajude com as sacolas, por favor!
- Psiu! Marcos! Estou aqui!
- Eu liguei mas ele nΓ£o atendeu.
- Psiu! VocΓͺ estuda portuguΓͺs em Copacabana?
- Psiu! Senhor! Sua carteira caiu no chΓ£o!