Quick answer
Bom describes things. Bem describes actions or the state of being well.
A reliable test is to identify the job of the word before translating from English.
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What each word does
bom
good
Use bom for a quality of a noun, such as a good book, good coffee, or a good idea.
bem
well
Use bem for the way an action happens, or a general state of being okay.
How to choose
- bom: Choose bom if the sentence points to a quality of a noun, such as a good book, good coffee, or a good idea.
- bem: Choose bem if the sentence points to the way an action happens, or a general state of being okay.
Examples
O cafe e bom.
The coffee is good.
Ela fala portugues bem.
She speaks Portuguese well.
Common trap
After verbs like falar, cozinhar, dormir, and trabalhar, you usually need bem because you are judging the action.
Practice it in context
Pick one sentence from your real life and write it twice: once with bom, then once with bem. If both versions feel possible, name the meaning shift.
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