Portuguese Phrase
Você me ouve bem?
Meaning
Literally ‘Do you hear me well?’, this question is used to check whether the other person can hear you clearly, especially during phone or video calls. It can also be a polite way to ask if the speaker’s voice is audible enough for the listener.
When to use
Use this phrase at the start of a call, after a period of silence, or whenever you suspect the audio quality is poor. It works in both formal and informal contexts, but you may soften it with ‘por favor’ if you want extra politeness.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Vocêmeouvebem?
Você
Second‑person singular pronoun (formal or neutral) used for 'you'. In Brazil it’s the default form of address.
me
Clitic pronoun for the first‑person singular direct object, meaning 'me' (as in 'you hear me').
ouve
Third‑person singular present indicative of the verb ouvir ‘to hear’. The ending -e marks present tense for ‘ele/ela/você’.
bem
Adverb meaning ‘well’, placed after the verb to modify how the action is performed.
Question mark
In Portuguese, the interrogative sentence is marked only with the closing ‘?’; the opening ‘?’ is optional in informal writing.
🗨In Conversation
Você me ouve bem?
Can you hear me well?
Sim, está ótimo! Mas se precisar, aumente o volume.
Yes, it’s great! But if you need, turn the volume up.
✕Common Mistakes
Você me ouvi bem?
‘Ouvi’ is the first‑person singular past (eu ouvi). Use ‘ouve’ for ‘you hear’ in the present.
Você bem me ouve?
Placing ‘bem’ before the verb changes the meaning; the adverb should follow the verb in this construction.
Você ouve bem?
Do not drop the object pronoun; ‘Você ouve bem?’ asks about the act of hearing in general, not specifically ‘me’.
↔Alternatives
Você está me ouvindo bem?
Are you hearing me well?
Consegue me ouvir?
Can you hear me?
Está me ouvindo bem?
Is my voice coming through clearly?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, ‘você’ is the standard way to address someone you don’t know well or in a professional setting. If you’re speaking with a close friend in the South, you might hear the informal ‘tu’ and the verb form ‘ouves’. Also, Brazilians often add ‘por favor’ or a brief apology (‘Desculpa, você me ouve bem?’) to sound extra courteous when checking audio.