Should you say “obrigado” or “obrigada”?
In Portuguese, men say “obrigado” and women say “obrigada” when saying “thank you”. The word literally means “I am obliged”, so it agrees with the gender of the person speaking.
Is obrigado Brazilian or Portuguese?
Both Brazil and Portugal use obrigado/obrigada to say thank you, but the pronunciation is different.
How do you pronounce obrigado in Portuguese?
In European Portuguese, obrigado is often pronounced something like:
uh-bree-GAH-doo
However, in fast speech, many Portuguese speakers shorten it to something closer to:
’brigad
This happens because Portuguese is a stress-timed language, and unstressed vowels are often reduced or dropped in everyday speech.
Video – Obrigado vs Obrigada
How is obrigado or obrigada used?
- When obrigado is used as an adjective (description):
When “obrigado” is an adjective, it means “obligated” or “forced”, and thus has four variants. And they are:
- obrigado (masculine singular)
- obrigada (feminine singular)
- obrigado (masculine plural)
- obrigadas (feminine plural).
This happens because it doesn’t relate to who is saying it, but it relates to who we’re talking about (who is being forced). For example:
“Elas foram obrigadas a voltar para casa.” (They were forced to go home, and not “they were thankful to go home”).
So how does “thank you” fit into this use?
It fits because, traditionally, when thanking someone in Portuguese, one becomes indebted or obligated to reciprocate the act of kindness or favour. By doing so, the adjective “obrigado” can function as “thank you” as it would be synonymous with “grato” (grateful) or “agradecido” (thankful).
So a female should say “obrigada” and a male should say “obrigado”. Because it depends on who is feeling indebted or obligated.
But don’t misunderstand. This is only in this context as a DIRECT “thank you” to someone else. (I thank you/I am obligated/indebted to you). In other words, it’s not a verb like in English.
- When obrigado is used as a verb (action):
If I conjugate the verb “obrigar” (to obligate), I will only get the meaning of obligating and forcing. And because it’s an action, it doesn’t matter who is saying it. Verbs and conjugations don’t have gender in Portuguese, even though they can end in “o” or “a”. (Eu obrigo, Tu obrigas, Ele obriga…etc)
For example, “Ele obrigou o irmão a vir.” (He made/forced his brother to come – and not – he thanked his brother for coming)
- When Obrigado is used as an interjection (expression):
Lastly, it is also possible to consider “obrigado” as an interjection when used in isolation. Interjections are invariable, meaning that they don’t change. They are an expression in and of themselves. So, in this sense, “thank you” is always “obrigado” no matter who is saying it.
Frequently Asked Questions about this Topic
In conclusion
So to sum all this up, a woman can say “obrigada”, and she’s grammatically correct by using it as an adjective that agrees with her gender, or she can say “obrigado” by using it as an interjection, and she would also be grammatically correct.
Men, on the other hand, can and should only say “obrigado” as it’s both the masculine singular form if used as an adjective and the interjection form in and of itself.
Why do some men say “obrigada”?
Many learners notice that sometimes men say “obrigada” when thanking someone. This is generally considered a common mistake because the word should agree with the gender of the speaker, not the person being thanked. So a man should always say “obrigado” and a woman “obrigada”. You may hear the incorrect usage in some regions, but it is not grammatically correct.
Perhaps you’d like to learn a few alternatives to saying obrigado in Portuguese?
Related Portuguese Lessons for Further Learning
- 7 Alternative Ways to Say Thank You in Portuguese
- International Thank You Day
- How do you respond to Obrigado?
- Courtesy Expressions in Portuguese
- Por Favor or Se Faz Favor
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