Difference Between Tudo and Todo in Portuguese

What’s the difference between tudo and todo/toda/todos/todas? These are all indefinite pronouns often translated as “all” in English, though tudo is more commonly rendered as “everything.”

But here’s the key difference:

Used abstractly, without referencing any specific noun, tudo never changes form to agree with gender or number.

In contrast, todo/toda/todos/todas always refers to a noun (explicit or implied) and must agree in gender and number.

Tudo

As mentioned earlier, tudo is used abstractly, without directly referencing anything specific. In English, it usually corresponds to “everything,” though it can occasionally be translated as “all.” Here are some examples of its usage:

Está tudo bem?
Is everything all right?

Ele quer sempre tudo.
He always wants everything.

Comigo é tudo ou nada.
It’s all or nothing with me.

Levas tudo contigo?
Are you taking everything with you?

Todo/a(s)

In contrast to tudo, todo/toda/todos/todas always refers to a noun (either implicitly or explicitly) and changes form to agree with its gender and number. In English, it often translates as “all.”

To illustrate, let’s start with the sentence “Levas tudo contigo?” and make it more concrete by specifying the noun (highlighted in italics):

Levas o dinheiro todo contigo? (o dinheiro)
Are you taking all the money with you?

Levas os livros todos contigo? (os livros)
Do you take all your books with you?

Levas a ferramenta toda contigo? (a ferramenta)
Are you taking all your tools with you?

Levas as bicicletas todas contigo? (as bicicletas)
Are you taking all your bikes with you?

In the examples above, the noun is explicitly stated in the sentence. However, keep in mind that todo/toda/todos/todas can also stand alone, depending on the context. For example:

– Vou levar as bicicletas todas comigo?
– Todas?
– Am I taking all the bikes with me?
– All of them?

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