Good Luck in Portuguese: 50+ Ways to Say It

What "Good Luck" Means in Portuguese (Boa Sorte)

Good luck in Portuguese is boa sorte. That's the whole answer, and it works in Brazil, in Portugal, and in every other place where people speak the language. Say it before an exam, a job interview, a flight, a game, or a first date. Everybody will understand you.

The Cambridge English-Portuguese dictionary gives "boa sorte" for "good luck," and Wiktionary's entry for boa sorte says the same. But the phrase is short, so it's worth taking apart. Two words. Each one teaches you something.

Boa plus sorte

"Sorte" means luck. It's a feminine noun, so you say "a sorte" (the luck). And here's the part that trips up English speakers: the adjective has to match. "Bom" is the masculine form of "good," and "boa" is the feminine one. So it's "boa sorte," never "bom sorte." If the idea of nouns having a gender feels strange, Wikipedia's page on grammatical gender explains how it works across languages. In Portuguese, you just learn it noun by noun, and "sorte" is one of the easy ones because it's always "a sorte," never "o sorte."

The same rule gives you "muita sorte," which means "lots of luck." "Muito" turns into "muita" to match the feminine noun. You'll see that phrase again in a minute.

When do people say it?

You say boa sorte when someone is about to do something where the result isn't fully in their hands. A test. A match. A pitch to a client. A move to a new city. It's a forward-looking wish, so it comes before the event, not after. After the event you switch to parabéns if it went well, or "que pena" (what a pity) if it didn't.

And people say it as a goodbye, too. A coworker heading into a big meeting gets a "boa sorte!" over the shoulder, the same way you might tack it onto a goodbye in Portuguese at the door. English "luck" has a long history of its own, and Etymonline's entry on luck is a fun detour if you're curious. But you don't need it to use the phrase.

The five phrases you actually need

Most of the time, five phrases cover everything. Start here, and read the rest of the post when you want more range.

If you'd rather say these than read them, Comigo is built for that. It's a speak-first app for Brazilian Portuguese: you talk out loud, and Capy the capybara listens and shows you which words you got right in green and which ones need another try in red. Boa sorte makes a great first phrase to practice that way, since it's short and you'll use it this week.

Brazilian Portuguese is the variety this post follows first, and it flags every place where Portugal does it differently. If you want the background on the two, Wikipedia's article on Brazilian Portuguese is a solid starting point.

How to Pronounce Boa Sorte (Brazil vs Portugal)

Say it like this in Brazil: BOH-ah SOR-chee. Two words, four syllables, and the stress falls on "SOR." That's it. You don't have to fight any nasal vowels here. If you've heard that Portuguese nasal sounds are scary, Wikipedia's page on nasal vowels shows what all the fuss is about, and boa sorte has none of them. It's one of the friendlier phrases in the language.

Let's go through it piece by piece.

The "oa" in boa

Boa has two vowels back to back, "o" and "a." Say "boh" and then slide into "ah" without a pause. Some people hear it as one glide, "BWAH," but in careful speech it's two beats. Both work. Don't stress the "a." The first vowel gets the push.

The "ch" sound in sorte

Here's the surprise. In most of Brazil, the "te" at the end of "sorte" sounds like "chee." Wikipedia's article on Portuguese phonology explains that "t" and "d" turn into the sounds [tʃ] and [dʒ] before an "i" sound and at the end of words. In "sorte," the final "e" is pronounced like "ee," so the "t" in front of it becomes "ch." That's why "sorte" comes out as "SOR-chee" and not "SOR-teh."

Same rule, same shift, if you've ever heard "de" come out as "jee," or "parte" as "PAR-chee." Once you catch the pattern, you'll hear it everywhere.

The r in the middle

The "r" in "sorte" sits before a consonant, and Brazilians don't agree on how to say it. In some regions it's a soft "h" sound, close to the English "h" in "hat." In others it's closer to an English "r," and in parts of the interior it's a stronger, curled sound. All of them are understood. You'll notice the differences more as you listen to different speakers. For now, pick one and say it clearly.

What changes in Portugal

European Portuguese does something different with the ending. It shortens or swallows unstressed vowels, so "sorte" sounds closer to "SORT" with a very light, almost silent final vowel. The whole phrase comes out clipped: roughly "BO-ah SORT." The Wikipedia article on European Portuguese covers the wider pattern of vowel reduction.

Reading a phonetic guide only gets you halfway, so use audio. Speechling has a page with the phrase spoken by a native speaker, and you can play it a few times and copy the rhythm. If you're wondering whether the language as a whole is a mountain or a hill, the post on whether Portuguese is hard to learn gives an honest answer, and pronunciation is usually the part beginners fear most and get past fastest.

Try this: say "boa sorte" ten times, out loud, slowly. Then five times at normal speed. That's about thirty seconds. It beats reading the word twenty times in your head.

Basic Good Luck Phrases You Can Use Today

Boa sorte is the base. But Portuguese speakers stretch it, shorten it, and swap it out depending on who's in front of them. Here's a working set you can use right now, with the tone for each.

Let's go over what's in that table, because a few of the rows hide something useful.

You, you all, and the pronoun trap

"You" is a slippery word in Portuguese. In most of Brazil, you talk to one person as "você" and to a group as "vocês." Spoken Brazilian Portuguese also shortens "para" to "pra," so "boa sorte pra você" is how it usually sounds out loud. In Portugal, the everyday "you" for a friend is "tu," and you'll hear "boa sorte para ti" or just "boa sorte." The pronoun "te" ("to you") is the same in both places, but it sits in a different spot in the sentence, which is the "Te desejo" versus "Desejo-te" difference in the table. Both mean "I wish you." Brazil puts "te" before the verb. Portugal puts it after, with a hyphen.

The nice thing is that plain "boa sorte" needs none of that. No pronoun, no problem. If you're not sure which "you" to use with someone, just say "boa sorte" and you're safe with a stranger, a boss, or your best friend. If you want to see how the different "yous" show up in a very common phrase, the guide on how are you in Portuguese walks through the same choice.

Casual versus formal

The formal version is "desejo-lhe boa sorte." You'll see it in emails, cards to older relatives, and letters to clients. Say it out loud to a friend and they'll laugh, kindly. In speech, most people stick with "boa sorte" or "te desejo boa sorte."

To add warmth without going stiff, tack a small polite touch onto the wish, like "boa sorte, viu?" or "boa sorte, tá?" between friends. And if you need the gentler register more broadly, the post on saying please in Portuguese shows the polite forms that sit next to any wish.

Phrases that carry hope, not just luck

Look at "Que dê tudo certo" and "Vai dar tudo certo." Neither one has "sorte" in it, and both do the same job. "Dar certo" means "to work out." So "que dê tudo certo" is "may everything work out," and it uses the subjunctive mood (that's why the verb is "dê" and not "dá"). Wikipedia's article on the subjunctive mood explains the idea in general terms, and you'll meet it constantly in wishes like this one. You don't have to master it today. Just learn the phrase as one chunk.

The other half, "vai dar tudo certo," is a plain statement in the future: "it's going to work out." It sounds a lot like the person is holding your hand. It's the phrase you'd say to a friend who can't stop pacing.

Where to hear more variety

No single list holds every phrase. If you want to compare notes, How To Say Guide's page on good luck in Portuguese, Linguee's example sentences, and Glosbe's entry for good luck all show real usage from different sources. And if you're brand new to the language, the post on basic words in Portuguese is a good companion to keep open, because you'll want the small words around these wishes: "com," "na," "pra," "e."

Sorte, Azar, and Other Luck Words

Let's pull the phrase apart. "Sorte" is the word doing the work, and it shows up in a lot of other places.

The dictionaries agree on the basics. Cambridge's Portuguese-English entry for sorte gives "luck," and Brazilian dictionaries like Dicio, Michaelis and Portugal's Priberam give fuller entries with more example uses. It's a small word with a wide job.

Sorte, boa sorte, and muita sorte

These three don't mean the same thing, and the difference is useful.

"Sorte" alone is a noun. If someone says "Sorte!" in reply to your news, they usually mean "lucky you" or "what luck." They're not wishing you anything. That's a trap for English speakers who'd expect "Sorte!" to work like a short "Good luck!" Sometimes it can, between friends, but the safer, clearer wish is always "boa sorte."

"Boa sorte" is the wish. And "muita sorte" is the wish with the volume turned up. You say it when the moment is big.

Where the word comes from

Portuguese "sorte" comes from Latin. Wiktionary's entry for sorte traces it to the Latin "sors," so check that page if you like word history. It's the same root behind Spanish "suerte," and the Wiktionary entry for suerte shows the link. If you speak Spanish, you already know this word with a slightly different shape. "Buena suerte" and "boa sorte" match up almost piece for piece, and the "ue" in "suerte" is the main thing that changed.

There's also "fortuna," which looks like English "fortune" and has a similar feeling, but in Portuguese it often means wealth or fate more than day-to-day luck. The Romans even had a goddess of luck named Fortuna, and Wikipedia's page on Fortuna tells her story, while Etymonline on the word fortune shows how the English word grew from the same source. For everyday chat, though, Portuguese speakers reach for "sorte."

The opposite: azar

Every luck word needs a bad-luck twin, and this one is "azar." Wiktionary's entry for azar covers the meaning, and both Dicio and Priberam list it as bad luck or misfortune. Use it after something goes wrong: "Que azar!" (What bad luck!).

Here's a working vocabulary table. Each row has an example you can steal.

Two of these are worth a second look. "Sorte de principiante" is the Portuguese version of beginner's luck, the idea that a first-timer wins by accident. And "pé-quente" versus "pé-frio" is a very Brazilian way to sort people. Literally it's "hot foot" and "cold foot." A "pé-quente" brings good things wherever they go. A "pé-frio" gets blamed when the team loses.

Notice how often "que" starts these reactions: "que sorte," "que azar." The same pattern gives you "que bom" and other quick exclamations, and if you want more of those in one place, the post on saying "very good" in Portuguese is a good next stop.

Good Luck for Specific Situations

"Boa sorte" fits everywhere. But native speakers often use something built for the moment. It sounds warmer, and it shows you know what the person is going through. This table gives you a phrase for each situation, with the Portugal difference marked where there is one.

Let's go through the big ones.

Exams and tests

This is the situation that brings most English speakers to this page. In Brazil, the quick, natural wish is "boa prova!" It's short, it's friendly, and it literally means "good test." You can also say "boa sorte na prova." Wiktionary's entry for prova lists the meanings, including test and proof, and a Brazilian speaker in a HiNative thread about wishing luck on an exam shows how people put it in real life.

In Portugal, "exame" is the common word, so you'd say "bom exame!" And notice that Brazilians use "na" (in the) before "prova": "boa sorte na prova." Skipping "na" and saying "boa sorte prova" would sound like broken speech.

Big Brazilian exams have names you may hear. ENEM is the national high school exam, and the vestibular is the university entrance exam. Wish someone luck on either one with "boa sorte no ENEM!" or "boa sorte no vestibular!"

Job interviews

Interviews have their own tension, and "boa sorte na entrevista!" hits the right note. If you're the one preparing, the Caminhos guide to job interviews in Brazil is a useful look at the customs on the other side of the desk. Then practice your own answers out loud. That's the part that makes people freeze. With Comigo, you speak to Capy in real voice conversations and see word by word what landed and what didn't, so by interview day the words already live in your mouth.

For a friend starting a new job, add a bit of warmth: "Boa sorte no novo trabalho! Você vai arrasar." That last sentence means "you're going to crush it," and Brazilians say it all the time.

A trip

Here you don't say "boa sorte" at all. You say boa viagem! It means "have a good trip," and it's the right phrase at an airport, a bus station, or before a road trip. Wiktionary's entry for viagem shows the word, and if you know English, it's the same idea as bon voyage. Same in Brazil and Portugal.

Moving, sports, and other big moments

A move gets "boa sorte na mudança!" A match gets "boa sorte no jogo!" And a friend at the starting line of a race gets "vai com tudo!" (go all in). These are easy to build: "boa sorte" plus "no" or "na" plus the thing. "No" goes with masculine nouns (jogo, trabalho), and "na" goes with feminine ones (prova, entrevista, mudança). It's the same gender habit as before.

If someone is heading into surgery or a hard medical test, skip "boa sorte." It can sound like you think it's a coin flip. Go for "vai dar tudo certo" or "estou com você" (I'm with you). And "melhoras" is what you say after, to someone who is sick or recovering. It means "get well," not "good luck."

Celebrations and life events

Some events get their own wishes instead. For a wedding, you'd wish the couple a happy life, and the guide to wedding in Portuguese has the full set. For New Year, the wish is "feliz ano novo," and you'll find it in the post on happy new year in Portuguese. And for a birthday, how to say happy birthday in Portuguese has what you need. In each case, "boa sorte" is fine as an extra, but the occasion phrase comes first.

"Muita Merda": How Actors Wish Each Other Luck

Now for the strange one. In theatre, Portuguese speakers don't say "boa sorte." They say muita merda, which literally means "a lot of s***." Yes, really.

It's the Portuguese cousin of English "break a leg." Wikipedia's article on break a leg lists "muita merda" as what Portuguese speakers say, next to French "merde" for dancers. The reason all these odd wishes exist is a stage superstition: many performers avoid plain "good luck" because they believe it jinxes the show. Wikipedia's page on theatrical superstitions has more of these habits. So actors wish each other something rude and backwards instead. It's a joke, and it's also a ritual.

The word itself is a plain vulgar word for excrement, and Wiktionary's entry for merda shows how it's used. In the theatre it's not an insult. It's a tradition.

The origin story

Nobody knows for sure where it started, so treat every version as "the most popular story." The one you'll read most often goes like this: in the old days, audiences came to the theatre in horse-drawn carriages. The bigger the crowd, the more horses. More horses meant more manure on the street outside. So a lot of manure meant a full house, and a full house was exactly what every actor wanted. Brazilian sites tell this story too, including Portal Litoral Sul and Mais Platéia's piece on why artists wish "merda" before going on stage. Teatro em Escala tells the carriage story as well, and adds a second one about a nervous actor.

If you want a look at how English does the same thing, YourDictionary's article on "break a leg" covers the idiom, and a University of Wisconsin thesis on theatre superstitions goes deeper on the habits of the stage. Curious about how Brazilians talk about it in casual chat? A HiNative thread on how to say break a leg in Brazilian Portuguese has native speakers weighing in.

Who says it, and when

The etiquette

Here's what Teatro em Escala says about it. Don't say thank you when someone tells you "muita merda." Thanking them is treated as bad manners in the tradition. You stay silent, or you send the wish back with "muita merda pra você também." So the reply to "muita merda" is not "obrigado." (You'll want that word plenty of other times, and the post on how to say thank you in Portuguese covers all of them.)

Outside the theatre

Keep this one inside the theatre. Said to a friend before an exam, "muita merda" would just sound rude. It's a vulgar word everywhere else, and a stage joke only works on a stage. If you want to see how rough Portuguese can get in normal use, and where the line falls, the guide to bad words in Portuguese is a good map. For an actor friend, though? Say it with a big grin. They'll love it.

Encouragement Phrases That Beat a Plain "Good Luck"

Sometimes "boa sorte" is too small. Your friend isn't about to roll dice. She's about to run a marathon, give a speech, or walk into the hardest week of her year. Luck is something that happens to a person. Encouragement is something you hand over.

Portuguese has a whole shelf of phrases for that second job, and Brazilians use them all day long. Here are the ones worth learning first.

Push Phrases: "You Can Do This"

These are short, punchy, and full of energy. Say them fast, with a smile.

Notice the verbs. "Vai," "manda," "arrasa," "confia," "mostra." They're all commands, and they all sound friendly, not bossy. Portuguese uses the imperative for warmth all the time. In Portugal, the same phrases shift to "tu": "Tu consegues!" and "Confia em ti!" instead of "você consegue" and "confia em você."

Support Phrases: "I'm on Your Side"

These say something different. They don't push. They stand next to the person.

The verb "torcer" is the fun one. It literally means "to twist," and the Wiktionary entry for torcer lists the sports and hoping sense too. The Dicio entry on torcer shows the everyday Brazilian uses. And Priberam's torcer entry is a Portugal-based dictionary if you want a second opinion. In Portugal you'll often hear "estou a torcer por ti" instead of "estou torcendo por você."

Hope and Faith Phrases

Now we get to the phrases that carry a little more feeling. Some of them are religious in origin. That's not a problem, and here's why: in Brazil, many people who don't practice any religion still say them every day, the same way English speakers say "bless you" after a sneeze.

"Tomara" is worth a closer look. The Wiktionary page for tomara and the Dicio entry both describe it as a way to express a hope. It usually comes with "que," and after "tomara que" the verb goes into the subjunctive. That's why you say "tomara que dê certo" and not "tomara que dá certo." If the subjunctive mood still feels like a mystery, don't worry. For this phrase you only need to memorize "dê" and move on.

Then there's "se Deus quiser," which literally means "if God wants." You'll hear it constantly. Wiktionary's entry on se Deus quiser gives you the meaning and the sense of "God willing." A Brazilian friend might say it about lunch on Saturday, a job offer, or the weather. It carries a soft humility: I'll try, and the rest is out of my hands.

Use these three ideas together and you sound like a person who really means it: "Você consegue, eu estou torcendo por você, e se Deus quiser vai dar tudo certo." That's a complete pep talk in one breath.

How to Reply When Someone Wishes You Luck

This part gets ignored in most guides. You learn to say "boa sorte," and then a Brazilian says it to you, and your brain goes blank. What do you say back?

The good news is that the answer is short. Most of the time, a warm "obrigado" or "obrigada" does the whole job. And the two forms depend on you, not on the person who wished you luck. A man says "obrigado." A woman says "obrigada." If you want the full breakdown, the guide on how to say thank you in Portuguese covers it.

But you have more options, and some of them sound much more natural.

A few notes. "Valeu" is Brazilian slang for thanks, and it's great with friends and coworkers you know well. Don't use it with your boss's boss. "Vou precisar" is the reply people give when they're nervous and want to laugh about it. And "Pra você também" only works if the other person has something coming up too.

"Deus te ouça" is a lovely reply when someone says something hopeful. It means "may God hear you," as in "I hope you're right." It fits especially well after "vai dar tudo certo." Use it with people you feel close to.

A Quick Dialogue

There's one big exception. If someone wishes you "muita merda" before a show, do not say thank you. In the theatre, thanking the person is bad form. Stay quiet, smile, or send the wish right back. That's the whole rule.

And if you want to practice these replies out loud until they come out without thinking, Comigo is built for that. You speak with Capy the capybara, and you get feedback on each word you said, so "vou precisar" and "Deus te ouça" stop feeling like text on a screen.

Brazil vs Portugal: Good Luck Differences

The good news first. "Boa sorte" is exactly the same in both countries. So is "boa viagem," so is "muita sorte," and so is the meaning of every luck word we've covered. If you only remember one phrase, you're safe on both sides of the Atlantic.

The differences are small, but they're real. If you want the big picture, the Wikipedia pages on Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese explain how the two varieties grew apart. Here's what it means for luck wishes.

The "sorte" row deserves a quick note. In most of Brazil, a "t" before an "i" sound or at the end of a word turns into a "ch" sound, which is why "sorte" ends like "chee." The Wikipedia article on Portuguese phonology lays out that rule. European Portuguese swallows the last vowel, so your ear catches something closer to "SORT."

Prova or Exame?

If you're wishing someone luck on a test, this is the one word to get right. The Wiktionary entry for prova lists it as a test or trial, and it's the everyday Brazilian word for a school test. In Portugal, "exame" is the usual choice. Both are understood everywhere, though. A Portuguese friend won't blink at "boa prova."

Portuguese in Africa

Portuguese is an official language well beyond these two countries. If you want to see which ones, the post on countries in Africa that speak Portuguese lists them. Speakers there will understand "boa sorte" without any trouble. For everything else, the Portuguese language overview is a good place to see how the language spread.

Which One Should You Learn?

Pick the country where your friends, family, or travel plans are. If you're not sure, the guide to learning Brazilian Portuguese in Brazil shows how learners get started there. This post is Brazilian first, and it flags every Portugal difference as we go.

Portuguese Superstitions and Lucky Charms

Now for the fun stuff. Every culture has small rituals people do to invite luck, and Portuguese speakers have many of them. A Wikipedia article on superstition gives the general idea. Here are the Portuguese-flavored versions.

Things That Bring Luck

The figa is the most Portuguese of them all. The Wikipedia article on the fig sign says the gesture is used in Portugal, Brazil, and parts of Spain as a wish of good luck and to ward off the evil eye. It traces the gesture back to ancient Rome. Hand-shaped figa amulets are worn as protective charms too. The Wiktionary page for figa and the Dicio entry give the word's meanings. In Brazil, "mau-olhado" is the evil eye, and the Wikipedia page on the evil eye shows how widespread the idea is.

Crossed fingers work much as they do in English, and the Wikipedia article on crossed fingers covers the gesture worldwide.

Knocking on wood is called "bater na madeira." The Matraca Cultural post on bater na madeira explains it in Portuguese. The Wikipedia page on knocking on wood covers the idea in general. The Sounds of Portuguese list says that in Portugal people knock on wood three times to repel bad spirits.

The four-leaf clover is known worldwide, and Wikipedia's four-leaf clover article covers the history. The rabbit's foot has its own page too. And if you're wondering about the Bonfim ribbons, Profesora Mara's guide lists them next to the figa and the four-leaf clover as Brazilian luck traditions. The English word "talisman" has its own backstory, which you can see in the Etymonline entry.

Things That Bring Bad Luck

That list comes from The Sounds of Portuguese, which covers 13 superstitions in Portugal. Another good read is the RTP list of the superstitions people believe in most. And the Substack post on Portuguese superstitions and sayings adds a few sayings to go with them. Friday the 13th is a widely known unlucky day too, and Wikipedia's page on Friday the 13th tells the story. In Portuguese it's "sexta-feira 13."

New Year's Eve in Brazil

New Year's Eve is when luck rituals get big. The Wikipedia page on Iemanjá says millions of people dress in white and gather on the beach, throw white flowers and offerings into the sea, and jump over seven waves. It's a way to ask for a good year.

The Mega da Virada is a special draw of the Brazilian lottery. The Mega-Sena article on Wikipedia explains that it's run by Caixa Econômica Federal, and that unlike regular draws its jackpot does not roll over. If nobody gets all six numbers, it goes to the people with five. For the full New Year's vocabulary, check the guide on how to say happy new year in Portuguese, and for the holiday itself, the Wikipedia page on New Year's Eve gives context.

Luck Idioms and Sayings

Portuguese is full of sayings about luck. Some are jokes, some are proverbs your grandmother would say, and some are just everyday phrases. If you like this side of the language, the post on common sayings in Portuguese has over a hundred more. Here are the luck ones.

Let's unpack the ones that need it.

"Vira essa boca pra lá!" is one of the best. Brazilians say it when someone makes a gloomy prediction, like "I'll probably fail" or "it might rain." It means "turn that mouth away," so the bad words go somewhere else. Say it and you cancel the jinx. It works a lot like knocking on wood in English.

"Sorte no jogo, azar no amor" is a joke. It's what you say to a friend who wins at cards but has a terrible love life. Many English speakers know the version "lucky at cards, unlucky in love."

"Tirar a sorte grande" means to draw the big prize. Use it for a big lottery win or for anything that feels like one, like a great boss or a lucky break. Brazil also has a famous numbers game called the jogo do bicho, which has its own Wikipedia page. The English word "lottery" has a history too, in the Etymonline entry.

"Cada um faz a sua sorte" and "a sorte protege os audazes" share an idea: you can shape your luck with effort and courage. The Romans gave luck a face, the goddess Fortuna. The English word fortune on Etymonline is worth a look if you like word history.

"Sorte de principiante" is beginner's luck, and the Wikipedia article on beginner's luck has a nice write-up of the idea. Say it when a first-timer wins. It can sound a bit teasing, so watch your tone.

The Opposite Side: Azar

Bad luck is "azar." A dry, sad "que azar!" means "what bad luck!" Check the definitions in Wiktionary's azar page, the Dicio entry on azar, and Priberam's entry. Someone who has a run of bad luck is "azarado" (or "azarada"). Someone with a knack for winning is "pé-quente," and the unlucky one is "pé-frio."

Good Luck Messages for Texts, Cards, and Social Media

Real life happens on WhatsApp. Most good luck wishes you'll ever send are text messages, and they should sound like you. Short. Warm. A little playful.

Here's a set of ready-to-send messages. Copy them, change the names, and go.

A few notes on how to use them. "Saudade" is that famous Portuguese word for missing someone or something. The Wikipedia article on saudade covers why people love it so much. In a text to a friend who's moving away, "vou sentir saudade" is exactly what you want.

Writing to a friend? The words in how to say friend in Portuguese and the post on friendship in Portuguese give you nice ways to open the message. Before a bedtime wish, you can pair your text with a line from goodnight in Portuguese. And if the friend you're texting is a new one, start with how are you in Portuguese and lead into your luck wish.

You can also send a voice note. A short audio message with "Boa sorte, amiga! Você consegue!" carries more warmth than any text, and it makes you practice the sounds too. Brazilians send voice notes all the time, so nobody will think it's strange.

Common Mistakes English Speakers Make

Most mistakes here are tiny. But a few will make a native speaker smile, and a couple can cause real confusion. Here are the ones to avoid.

Let's go through the bigger ones.

Gender. Every noun in Portuguese has a gender. "Sorte" is feminine, so the adjective has to be feminine: "boa." This is the same rule as with "casa" (house) and "boa casa." The Wikipedia page on grammatical gender explains the idea from scratch if English never asked you to think about it.

"Break a leg." Say it in Portuguese and you'll get a blank look, or a worried one. There's no leg. There's only "muita merda," and only in theatres. If you're curious about why, the section on "muita merda" earlier in this post covers it. Outside a show, that phrase is just vulgar, and the post on bad words in Portuguese shows how strong these words can feel.

The subjunctive. "Tomara que" always takes the subjunctive. It's the biggest grammar trap in this post. The Wikipedia page on Portuguese verb conjugation is a good reference. For now, just memorize "tomara que dê certo," "tomara que passe," and "tomara que ganhe."

The "sorte" sound. In Brazil, the ending is "chee." In Portugal, it's almost swallowed. Neither one uses a hard English "t" plus "e" like in "sort-ay." Say it out loud a few times and you'll fix it fast.

One more useful thing. If you want to tell someone "good luck with your Portuguese," say "Boa sorte com o seu português!" And if you're the learner, and you need to say you're still learning, the post on I don't speak Portuguese has the right lines, and do you speak Portuguese covers the question they'll ask back.

Say It Out Loud: How to Make These Phrases Stick

Here's the truth about phrases like these. You can read "boa sorte" twenty times and still freeze when a Brazilian friend says "tenho uma entrevista amanhã." Reading builds recognition. Speaking builds recall. They're two different skills.

So say the words. Out loud. Right now, if you can. Try this one: "Boa sorte com o seu português!" That's "good luck with your Portuguese," and you're allowed to say it to yourself.

Your mouth needs reps. The "ch" in "sorte," the nasal sounds, the way "pra você" runs together, all of that only lives in your mouth once you've said it many times. The Wikipedia article on nasal vowels explains why Portuguese sounds feel odd at first. But no article can replace saying it.

A Small Daily Routine

You don't need an hour. You need a habit.

That's about five minutes a day. Do it for a few weeks and these phrases stop being something you look up and become something you say.

Where to Go Next

If you're wondering how hard all of this is, the post on whether Portuguese is hard to learn gives you an honest answer. And if you want to start with zero budget, how to learn Portuguese for free lists real options.

Want a place where speaking is the whole point? Comigo teaches Brazilian Portuguese from English, and you talk out loud from the very first lesson. Capy the capybara guides you through spoken lessons and voice conversations, and you see which words you said right in green and which need work in red. Capy never judges. Say it wrong, try again, and say it better.

So next time someone has a big day ahead, you'll know just what to say. Boa sorte. E você vai se sair muito bem.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say good luck in Portuguese?

The standard phrase is boa sorte. It works in Brazil and Portugal, with friends, coworkers, and strangers. For a stronger wish, say "muita sorte," which means "lots of luck." The Linguee entry for good luck shows it in real sentences.

Is "boa sorte" formal or informal?

Neither. It's neutral, so it fits every situation. You can say it to your boss or to your best friend. To adjust the tone, change what comes around it: "Desejo-lhe boa sorte" is formal, and "Boa sorte, hein!" is casual.

How do you say good luck in Brazilian Portuguese vs European Portuguese?

The phrase is the same: "boa sorte." The changes are around it. Brazilians say "te desejo boa sorte" and "boa sorte pra você," while Portuguese speakers say "desejo-te boa sorte" and "boa sorte para ti." For a test, Brazilians say "boa prova" and Portuguese speakers say "bom exame."

What is "break a leg" in Portuguese?

In the theatre, it's muita merda, which literally means "a lot of manure." The most popular origin story says it comes from horse-drawn carriages piling up outside a full theatre. Use it only with actors before a show, and never say thank you back. In any other setting, say "boa sorte."

How do you say good luck on your exam in Portuguese?

Say "boa prova!" in Brazil or "bom exame!" in Portugal. You can also say "boa sorte na prova!" For a big test like the ENEM or the vestibular, add "vai dar tudo certo!" to show you believe in them.

What do you say back when someone says boa sorte?

Most people say "obrigado" (man) or "obrigada" (woman). With friends, "valeu" is a casual Brazilian option. And if the other person has something big coming up too, say "pra você também" or "igualmente."

How do you say "fingers crossed" in Portuguese?

Say cruzo os dedos ("I'm crossing my fingers") or "estou cruzando os dedos." You can also say "tomara que dê certo," which means "I hope it works out." The old idiom is "fazer figas," which uses the fig gesture.

How do you say "good luck charm" in Portuguese?

The common phrase is amuleto da sorte. Brazilians also talk about a "figa," a hand-shaped charm, or a "trevo de quatro folhas," a four-leaf clover. To say something brings luck, use "dar sorte": "Esse anel dá sorte."