How to Say Goodbye in Portuguese (Without Sounding Like a Textbook)

So you want to know how to say goodbye in Portuguese. You've probably already googled "goodbye in Portuguese" and found adeus. Maybe you've even used it.

Here's the thing: if you said adeus to a Brazilian, they might have looked at you a little funny. And if you're wondering why—that's exactly what this post is about.

Portuguese goodbyes are weirdly specific. The word you use depends on when you'll see that person again, how formal the situation is, and whether you're in Brazil or Portugal. Use the wrong one, and you might accidentally tell someone you're never coming back.

Let me break down the different ways to say goodbye in Portuguese so you actually sound like you know what you're doing.

The One You'll Use 90% of the Time: Tchau

Tchau (pronounced like "chow") is the most common way to say bye in Portuguese. It works in almost every casual situation—with friends, family, coworkers, the person at the coffee shop, basically anyone you're not trying to impress with formality.

It came from the Italian ciao back when tons of Italians immigrated to Brazil in the early 1900s. But here's something that trips people up: unlike Italian, where ciao works as both hello AND goodbye, tchau only works for goodbye. You cannot use it to greet someone. Don't try.

Some variations you'll hear:

You can also say tchau when ending a phone call or text. It's the default. When in doubt, tchau is your friend.

The One That's More Complicated: Adeus

Okay, so adeus is the "official" translation of goodbye in Portuguese. It literally means "to God" (a + Deus), similar to the French adieu or Spanish adiós.

But here's where it gets interesting.

In Portugal: Adeus is totally normal. People use it in everyday conversation without any dramatic undertones. It's somewhat formal, sure, but you can say it to the cashier at the grocery store and nobody will blink.

In Brazil: Different story. Brazilians almost never use adeus casually. When a Brazilian says adeus, it implies you might not see the other person again for a very long time—or ever. It's the kind of word you'd use in a dramatic farewell scene, or when you're genuinely pissed off and want to slam a door (figuratively or literally).

One Portuguese teacher put it this way: "Culturally speaking, Brazilian people don't like to use adeus. We use tchau because we have the idea that we are going to see the person in the future."

So if you're learning Brazilian Portuguese specifically, save adeus for actual goodbyes—the permanent kind. For everything else, stick with tchau.

(There's also adeusinho, the diminutive form, which softens it and makes it sound cute or ironic. Brazilians sometimes use this one humorously.)

The "See You" Family: Até + Whatever

The word até means "until," and it's the base for a whole bunch of Portuguese farewells. These are useful because they let you specify when you expect to see the person again.

Here's the breakdown:

The nice thing about até is you can combine it with basically any time reference. Até segunda (see you Monday), até para a semana (see you next week), até lá (see you then). Super flexible.

You can also just say Até! by itself—kind of like saying "Later!" in English. In casual texting, Brazilians sometimes write t+ because the plus sign is read as mais in Portuguese. Clever, right?

Portuguese Greetings That Double as Farewells

Here's something that confuses English speakers: in Portuguese, the time-of-day greetings work as BOTH hello AND goodbye.

In English, saying "Good night" as a greeting would be weird. But in Portuguese, you can walk into a restaurant at 8pm and say Boa noite to the host, and then say Boa noite again when you leave. Same phrase, both contexts.

The boundaries between these are a bit fuzzy too. Bom dia is generally before noon, boa tarde is afternoon until it gets dark, and boa noite kicks in once the sun sets. But people aren't checking their watches—they kind of just feel it out depending on the context and how dark it is outside.

If you want to add some warmth, you can say Tenha um bom dia (Have a good day) or Tenha uma boa noite (Have a good night) when parting.

The Affectionate Ones: Beijos and Abraços

Portuguese speakers—especially Brazilians—are affectionate. Like, really affectionate. It's totally normal to end a conversation (even a casual one) with verbal expressions of physical affection.

Um beijo (a kiss) and um abraço (a hug) are common ways to bid farewell, even if you're not actually kissing or hugging the person. It's more about expressing warmth.

The general rule:

You'll see these a lot at the end of emails and texts too. Beijos (kisses, plural) and beijinhos (little kisses) are common sign-offs. Abração is the augmentative—a "big hug."

There's also saudades, which doesn't translate directly into English. It's that bittersweet feeling of missing someone or something. Brazilians love ending messages with Saudades! to express that they'll miss you.

Brazilian Slang Farewells

If you're specifically learning Brazilian Portuguese and want to sound more natural, here are some informal options native speakers actually use:

These are all super informal. Don't use them with your boss or in professional contexts. Save them for friends.

The Religious Ones

Given the strong Catholic heritage in Portuguese-speaking countries, you'll also hear some religious farewells:

These are more common in Brazil than Portugal, and you'll hear them more from older speakers or in certain regions. But they're not weird or outdated—just a bit more traditional.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using adeus casually in Brazil. I keep coming back to this because it's probably the most common mistake. In Brazil, adeus sounds dramatic. Stick with tchau.

Using tchau as a greeting. Unlike Italian ciao, Portuguese tchau is goodbye-only. If you walk into a room and say tchau, people will think you're leaving.

Mixing up até pronto and até logo. If you speak Spanish, you might accidentally say até pronto thinking it means "see you soon." It doesn't. Pronto in Portuguese means "ready," not "soon." That's Spanish bleeding over.

Using boa noite during the day. It's an evening/night expression only. Wait until the sun goes down.

Being too formal in casual situations. If you're at a bar with new Brazilian friends and you say adeus when leaving, they might think you're upset or that something's wrong. Just say tchau, maybe throw in an até mais, and you're good.

Quick Reference: Which Goodbye to Use When

Actually Learning These (Not Just Reading About Them)

Look, reading a list of Portuguese goodbye phrases is one thing. Actually being able to use them naturally is something else entirely.

The tricky part isn't memorizing that tchau means bye—that takes about three seconds. The hard part is knowing WHEN to use which farewell, picking up on the subtle differences in formality, and understanding how native speakers actually use these in context.

This is where watching real Portuguese content makes such a difference. When you hear Brazilians saying tchau tchau at the end of a phone call, or watch a Portuguese drama where someone dramatically says adeus, you start to internalize when each expression fits. It's the difference between knowing vocabulary and actually understanding how the language works.

Same goes for Portuguese greetings and farewells that do double duty—like how boa noite works as both hello and goodbye. You can read about it, but until you see it happen naturally in a conversation, it feels weird. Once you've heard it a dozen times in actual shows or conversations, it clicks.

If you're serious about Portuguese, spending time with authentic content is going to get you further than any phrase list. And if you're still in the earlier stages of language learning, building up your vocabulary through context—rather than isolated flashcards—makes everything stick better.

And hey, while you're at it, you might want to brush up on Portuguese numbers too. Because nothing says "tourist" like confidently saying tchau and then fumbling through counting to ten.

Anyway, if you want to actually practice Portuguese with real content—shows, YouTube videos, whatever you're into—Migaku's browser extension makes it way easier. You can hover over words you don't know, get instant definitions, and save vocabulary to review later with spaced repetition. It turns passive watching into actual learning.

The mobile app syncs everything too, so you can review your words anywhere. And honestly, hearing native speakers use até logo or valeu in context is worth more than memorizing a hundred phrase lists.

There's a 10-day free trial if you want to try it out.

Até a próxima! 👋

Learn Portuguese With Migaku