Portuguese Phrase
Muito obrigado.
Meaning
A polite way to say ‘thank you very much’. It conveys a stronger sense of gratitude than a simple ‘obrigado’, and can be used in both formal and informal situations.
When to use
Use it after receiving a favor, a gift, a service, or any act that you want to acknowledge with extra appreciation. Remember to match the gender of ‘obrigado/obrigada’ with the speaker, not the listener.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Muitoobrigado
Muito (adverb)
‘Muito’ intensifies the following word and works like ‘very’ or ‘a lot’ in English.
Obrigado (past participle used as adjective)
Derived from the verb ‘obrigar’, it means ‘grateful’; it agrees in gender with the speaker (obrigado = male, obrigada = female).
🗨In Conversation
Muito obrigado!
Thank you very much!
De nada.
You’re welcome.
✕Common Mistakes
Muito obrigados.
Use ‘obrigado’ for a single male speaker; ‘obrigados’ is only correct when a group of males (or mixed‑gender group) is speaking together.
Muito obrigado a você.
The preposition ‘a’ is not used after ‘obrigado’; simply say ‘obrigado’ (or ‘muito obrigado’).
Muito obrigada.
Gender agreement follows the speaker, not the listener. A male should say ‘obrigado’, not ‘obrigada’.
↔Alternatives
Obrigado!
Thanks!
Valeu!
Thanks! (very informal)
Agradeço muito.
I appreciate it a lot.
Obrigado pela ajuda.
Thank you for the help.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, gratitude is often expressed with a smile and eye contact. While ‘obrigado’ is universal, you’ll also hear regional variations like ‘brigado’ in the Northeast. In Portugal the phrase is the same, but people may add a polite ‘por favor’ before a request rather than after a thank‑you. Never use ‘obrigado a você’; the preposition ‘a’ is unnecessary.