O prazer foi meu.

to be

Breakdown of O prazer foi meu.

• minha: mine
• o prazer: pleasure

Questions & Answers about O prazer foi meu.

What is the literal structure of O prazer foi meu?

Literally, it is:

• O prazer = the pleasure
• foi = was
• meu = mine / my

A very literal English version would be The pleasure was mine.

In Portuguese, meu is standing in for meu prazer. So the full idea is something like The pleasure was my pleasure, but Portuguese naturally leaves the repeated noun out.

Why does it use foi instead of é?

Foi is the past tense of ser (to be), so it means was.

That makes sense because this expression is usually said after an interaction, meeting, conversation, meal, etc. You are referring to the pleasure as something that has just happened.

Compare:

• O prazer é meu = The pleasure is mine
  More immediate, also very common.
• O prazer foi meu = The pleasure was mine
  Looking back on the interaction that just happened.

In real Brazilian Portuguese, both are used, and both sound natural.

Why is it meu and not minha?