❓🧑‍🦱🪪

How to Say ‘Are you a member, sir?’ in Portuguese

O senhor é irmão?

oo seh-NYOR eh eer-MOWN

[oo seh-NYOR eh eer-MOWN]

💬 Usage Tip: o senhor is the polite way to say "you" to a man, and it takes the same verb as "he": é, not és. For a woman, use a senhora.

🇵🇹 In Portugal: Brotherhood members call each other irmão "brother", so asking if someone is an irmão means asking if they belong. With an older stranger, o senhor is the respectful default.

Phrase Breakdown

O senhor

oo seh-NYOR

You (polite, to a man)

This is the polite way to say 'you' to a man. 'O' sounds like 'u', and the 'e' in 'senhor' is almost silent: 'u s'NHOR'.

Example

O senhor precisa de ajuda?

Do you need help, sir?

Words in this phrase

[oo]

the

A masculine singular definite article used before nouns.

Example

O prazer de participar foi grande.

The pleasure of taking part was great.

senhor

[seh-NYOR]

you (polite, to a man); sir

Polite way to address a man as 'you', preceded by 'o'.

Example

O senhor é daqui?

Are you from here, sir?

é irmão?

eh eer-MOWN

are a brother (member)?

'É' is an open 'eh'. 'Irmão' ends in the nasal 'ão', like 'ir-MÃU'. Here it means a member of the brotherhood. Raise your voice for the question.

Example

Ele é irmão da Maria.

He is Maria's brother.

Words in this phrase

[eh]

you are

Polite 'you' form of 'ser', to be.

Example

A senhora é de Lisboa?

Are you from Lisbon?

irmão

[eer-MOWN]

member (brother)

Here a member of a religious brotherhood, not a sibling.

Example

Ele é irmão da confraria.

He is a member of the confraternity.

Guides for Portuguese learners

The Portuguese You Actually Need in Your First Month in PortugalThe European Portuguese phrases for your first weeks in Portugal: paperwork, renting a flat, the bank, the health centre, cafés, trains and your new neighbours.

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