Obrigado or obrigada? It depends on you, not on who you thank

It's one of the first words most people learn in Portuguese, and one of the first mistakes they make. Here's the simple rule, and the story behind it.

The rule

Obrigado agrees with the person who is speaking. A man says obrigado; a woman says obrigada. It doesn't matter whether you're thanking a man, a woman or a whole group.

Why? Because it's an adjective

Obrigado literally means “obliged”, like the old-fashioned English “much obliged”. When you say obrigado, you're really saying “I am obliged to you”, so the word describes you, and like most adjectives in Portuguese it agrees with the person it describes.

Useful variations

Muito obrigado / muito obrigada = thank you very much. In informal situations, with friends or in shops and cafés, you'll also hear the friendly obrigadinho / obrigadinha. When you thank someone on behalf of a group, you may also hear obrigados / obrigadas. To answer, the usual reply is de nada (you're welcome).