Lisbon or Rio? Maputo or São Paulo? It’s surprising how where you are makes all the difference when speaking Portuguese. The word “you”! Something that should be so simple “Você meaning”, somehow turns out to be complicated.
Why is this language like this, again? What the hell is the difference between tu and você in Portuguese? It’s tricky because the direct translation of both tu and você from Portuguese to English is the same: “you”.
But it’s okay! Relax! Today we’re going to talk about você in Portuguese. We’ll also tell you where you’ll hear it more often and where and how you’ll hear tu in Portuguese. So get a hold of your world and Brazil map, and let’s go!
Você meaning
“Você” is one of the ways to say “you” in Portuguese. It’s like the English word “you” when talking to someone in a semi-formal or informal context.
Difference Between Tu and Você in Portuguese
Much like most other European languages, such as Spanish or French, Portuguese has two different second-person singular pronouns: você (formal) and tu (informal). As it spread around the globe, however, the language began to change in each region it entered. In Brazil, for example, tu fell into disuse in most of the country, and você became the standard.
But wait a second, does that mean that Brazilians are always formal with each other? No, of course not! If a carioca cannot even wear proper shoes instead of havaianas to go to the supermarket, do you think we would bother being formal? Você meaning in Portuguese lost its formal tones, and it began to be used to address everybody, regardless of social hierarchy.
When to use “você”
Use “você” when you’re talking to:
- Someone you just met but feel comfortable with.
- Acquaintances or colleagues (depending on the company culture).
- People older than you but in a relaxed setting.
- In general, when you want to be polite but not too formal.
How to use “você”
When you use “você,” the verb conjugation changes. Here’s a quick comparison:
| Pronoun | Verb (to speak) | Conjugation | ||
| Eu | Falar | Eu falo | ||
| Você | Falar | Você fala | ||
| Tu | Falar | Tu falas | ||
| Ele/Ela | Falar | Ele/Ela fala |
Examples
Você:
- Você gosta de música? (Do you like music?)
- Você quer sair hoje à noite? (Do you want to go out tonight?)
Tu:
- Tu gostas de música? (Do you like music?)
- Tu queres sair hoje à noite? (Do you want to go out tonight?)
Notice the verb endings! “Você” uses the same verb ending as “ele/ela” (he/she).
Quick Tips
- If in doubt, especially in Brazil, “você” is a safe bet.
- Listen to how locals speak and follow their lead. Language is all about fitting in and making connections!
Do We Only Use Você in Portuguese?
Here comes the confusing part! We do use tu in Portuguese! However, it is used differently according to the region. Outside of Brazil, in the rest of the Portuguese-speaking world, for example, the difference between tu and você still holds, and both are still used with their original connotation. That is, você is formal and tu is informal. Other countries even have an extra pronoun: vós. That means they need to use two extra verb conjugations: one for tu and one for vós!
Você and Tu Conjugation Examples
Are you curious about this new conjugation you’ve never heard of? Well, here it is — this is the correct conjugation of some verbs for tu and você in Portuguese:
| Verbo | Tu | Você | |||
| ser | és | é | |||
| estar | estás | está | |||
| ir | vais | vai | |||
| falar | falas | fala | |||
| partir | partes | parte | |||
| fazer | fazes | faz |
Examples of Você in Portuguese

Como você se chama?
What is your name?
Você sabe onde estão os meus óculos?
Do you know where my glasses are?
Você sempre dorme muito cedo!
You always sleep very early!
Você comeu um PF e ainda tá com fome? Que isso!
You ate a pile of food and you’re still hungry? What even!
Examples of Tu in Portuguese
Still, Brazilians are not exempt from using tu. In Rio Grande do Sul people refer to others with the pronoun tu. You will probably hear people conjugating verbs in two forms: correct grammatical and incorrect forms using the third singular person (the same conjugation as você in Portuguese). It depends from person to person. When conjugated incorrectly, even cariocas are fine using tu informally. Check out some examples in this video made by some Portuguese teachers and students from Rio & Learn:

Tu tá maluco? Quase me matou do coração!
Are you crazy? You almost gave me a heart attack!
Tu tá quieto, cara. Tá tudo bem?
You‘re quiet, man. Are you alright?
Tu viu a treta no BBB ontem?
Did you see the fight on Big Brother Brazil yesterday?
Tu nunca sequer comeu paçoca, e quer falar que é ruim?
You‘ve never even eaten paçoca, and you want to say it’s bad?
Now it’s your turn!
Now that you know você meaning, Rewrite the sentences to say them as most Brazilians would (with você or the “incorrect” conjugation of tu)!
- Tu bebes muita caipirinha no fim de semana.
- Tu és moçambicano e tu moras em Maputo.
- Tu tens vontade de aprender português no Brasil?
- Tu estás cansado depois de trabalhar tanto.
- Tu sabes onde fica o banheiro?
- Tu gostas de praticar esportes.
- Tu vais na RioLIVE de amanhã?
- Tu fazes amigos muito facilmente.
- Tu dormes cedo demais.
- Tu falas espanhol, inglês, francês e tu ainda aprendes português online!
If you want to learn more things in Portuguese, subscribe to our YouTube channel!
Hugs from Rio & Learn.
Click on the links below to see more related Dicas
Personal Pronouns in Portuguese
Countries that speak Portuguese in the world
States and Regions of Brazil
Answers
- Você/tu bebe muita caipirinha no fim de semana.
- Você/tu é moçambicano e você/tu mora em Maputo.
- Você/tu tem vontade de aprender português no Brasil?
- Você/tu está cansado depois de trabalhar tanto.
- Você/tu sabe onde fica o banheiro?
- Você/tu gosta de praticar esportes.
- Você/tu vai na RioLIVE de amanhã?
- Você/tu faz amigos muito facilmente.
- Você/tu dorme cedo demais.
- Você/tu fala espanhol, inglês, francês e você/tu ainda aprende português online!
Online Academic Coordinator at Rio & Learn Portuguese School.
Experienced educational coordinator and teacher since 2007, adept in curriculum development, creating physical and digital educational materials, and leveraging online platforms to enhance learning outcomes