Você está cansado?

you

Breakdown of Você está cansado?

• estar: to be
• cansado: tired

Questions & Answers about Você está cansado?

Why is the verb está used instead of é in Você está cansado?

In Portuguese, está is the third-person singular form of the verb estar, which is used to talk about temporary states or conditions—like being tired or hungry. É, on the other hand, comes from the verb ser, often used for permanent or more lasting characteristics. So, asking Você está cansado? refers to your current state of feeling tired, not a permanent trait.

When should I use cansado vs. cansada?

Portuguese adjectives usually match the gender of the person they describe. Cansado is masculine, and cansada is feminine. If you’re talking to (or about) a male who is tired, you use cansado. If you’re talking to (or about) a female, you use cansada.

Do I have to say Você each time when asking if someone is tired?

It’s common in Brazilian Portuguese to keep você, especially for clarity. However, in informal speech, people often drop the subject pronoun and simply say Está cansado? because the context usually tells you who is being addressed. Either form is perfectly okay in daily conversation.

Is there a difference between using você and tu in this question?

In many parts of Brazil, você is the most common way to address someone. Tu is still used in some regions (like Rio Grande do Sul or the Northeast), but it comes with different conjugations (for example, Tu estás cansado?). Both are correct, but if you’re learning standard Brazilian Portuguese, you’ll mostly hear and say você.

Does cansado only mean physically tired?

Not necessarily. Cansado can also refer to a mental or emotional state of exhaustion. In everyday speech, however, it usually implies you're either physically worn out or generally tired. If you want to specify mental fatigue, you might say something like Estou mentalmente cansado.

Are there other ways to ask Você está cansado? in Brazilian Portuguese?

Yes! You might hear:
• Tá cansado? – an informal shortened version of Está cansado?
• Você tá morto de cansaço? – literally "Are you dead from tiredness?" (colloquial way to emphasize how tired someone is)
• Tá exausto? – means "Are you exhausted?" and is another way to convey strong tiredness.