Portuguese Phrase
Foi bom te ver.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘It was good to see you.’ It conveys a pleasant feeling about a recent encounter, whether it was a face‑to‑face meeting, a video call, or even a brief passing.
When to use
Use this phrase right after you part ways with someone you’ve just met or re‑met, especially in informal contexts. It works well after a coffee, a quick chat, or a video call.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Foibomtever
Foi (pretérito perfeito de ser/estar)
‘Foi’ is the third‑person singular past tense of ‘ser’/‘estar’, used here to describe a completed event in the past.
bom (adjetivo)
‘bom’ means ‘good’ and agrees in gender and number with the implied subject (the experience).
te (pronome objeto átono)
‘te’ is the informal second‑person singular object pronoun, equivalent to ‘you’ in English.
ver (infinitivo)
The infinitive ‘ver’ follows the adjective ‘bom’ to express the action that was good.
🗨In Conversation
Foi bom te ver.
It was good to see you.
Igualmente, foi ótimo!
Likewise, it was great!
✕Common Mistakes
Foi bom ver você.
‘Você’ is correct but sounds more formal; using ‘te’ matches the informal tone of the original phrase.
Foi bom te‑ver.
Do not hyphenate the infinitive; Portuguese infinitives stay separate from object pronouns.
Foi bom te ver
Missing the period is fine in speech, but written Portuguese usually ends the sentence with a period.
↔Alternatives
Foi ótimo te ver.
It was great to see you.
Fiquei feliz em te ver.
I was happy to see you.
Foi bom encontrar você.
It was good to meet you.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil the informal pronoun ‘te’ is used with friends, family, or peers. In more formal situations you would say ‘Foi bom vê‑lo/‑la’ or ‘Foi bom ver o senhor/a senhora’. Also, Brazilians often add a warm smile or a hug after saying this phrase, reinforcing the friendly tone.