In Portugal, it's very common to greet someone and bid them farewell based on the time of day:


Bom dia - Good morning

Boa tarde - Good afternoon

Boa noite - Good night

While Good night as a ‘hello’ and Good afternoon/morning as a ‘goodbye’ would be unusual in English, the Portuguese expressions can be used for both! For example, before leaving a shop, you could say to the cashier: Obrigado. Boa tarde! (Thank you. Good afternoon!)

For a casual goodbye, you'll often hear Tchau! (Bye!), and there are also many options to express something like See you soon, such as:

Até já - Very soon, within a few hours

Até logo - Later, within the same day

Até breve - Soon, but no clear time frame

Até amanhã - See you tomorrow

The word até means until, so it’s like saying Until later, Until tomorrow, etc.

To add extra well-wishes, a common option in Portugal is Continuação de um bom dia, which translates literally to Continuation of a good day, i.e. Have a good day! You could also say Fica bem (Take care / Stay well).

Close friends and family members may end a conversation with Beijinhos!, which means Little kisses! This is especially common in emails and phone calls, since you can’t give the beijinhos (a kiss on each cheek) in person.


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