How do Brazilians use tá bom?
Brazilians use tá bom to say yes to a plan, to accept an answer, or to wrap up; tagged on at the end of a request, tá bom? checks that you agree. These are real lines from the course's scenes:
| Portuguese | Meaning | In CiaoSpeak |
|---|---|---|
| Tá bom. | OK. (Bia, at a pay-by-weight lunch place) | Speak: Pay-by-weight lunch |
| Tá bom, combinado. | OK, it's a deal. | Speak: Pousada, next morning |
| Tá bom, valeu! | OK, thanks! | Speak: Language exchange |
| Tá bom, meu bem. | OK, dear. (Dona Lúcia at the street market) | Speak: Street market |
| Tá bom. Vou dar uma olhada. | OK. I'll take a look. | Speak: Phone repair |
| Me manda uma mensagem quando você chegar em casa, tá bom? | Send me a message when you get home, OK? | Speak: Language exchange |
What does tá mean?
Tá is how Brazilians say está ("is") in everyday speech: tá bom is está bom, tá certo is está certo. You write está in formal texts, and you'll hear tá everywhere else. Literally, está bom still means "it's good", for food or a fit:
| Portuguese | Meaning | In CiaoSpeak |
|---|---|---|
| Quanto tá o quilo? | How much is a kilo? | Unit 8 |
| Está bom, sim! Uma delícia. | Yes, it's just right! Delicious. | Speak: Sunday lunch |
| Tá certo. | All right. | Speak: Street market |
Can tá bom sound rude?
Not usually: said quickly and warmly, tá bom is a friendly OK. Said slowly with a sigh, Tá bom… can mean "fine, whatever" or "yeah, right", just like in English, so the tone matters more than the words.
| Who you're talking to | Can you say it? |
|---|---|
| Friends, family | Yes |
| Coworkers, your boss | Yes |
| Staff, drivers, older people | Yes |
| Answering a complaint | Careful: a flat tá bom… sounds dismissive |
What else can you say instead of tá bom?
Other everyday ways to say OK are beleza ("cool"), combinado ("agreed", for a plan), fechou ("deal", casual) and tudo bem ("it's fine", when someone apologizes).
| Portuguese | Meaning | In CiaoSpeak |
|---|---|---|
| Beleza. | OK, cool. | Speak: Ride-app car |
| Combinado! | Agreed! It's settled. | Unit 11 |
| Fechou. | Got it. (Literally "closed": deal.) | Speak: Ride-app car |
| Tudo bem! | All good! No worries! (your answer when someone apologizes) | Speak: Language exchange |
More on the first one: what beleza means.
How can you practice Brazilian Portuguese out loud?
Practice it in short, real exchanges, out loud. CiaoSpeak's Brazilian Portuguese course teaches everyday words like tá bom and beleza with a recording in a Brazilian accent, and in the Speak tab people across Brazil (a São Paulo baker, a Rio ride-app driver, your language-exchange partner Ana) ask you one question at a time. You answer by voice or typing, and the app tells you whether a Brazilian would understand you. Lessons are free; in the Speak tab, today's questions (up to five a day) are free too, and CiaoSpeak+ adds practice in any scene whenever you like. More words like this one: the Brazilian slang list.