você = tu you
o senhor you (mark of respect - male person)
a senhora you (mark of respect - female person)
ele he/it
ela she/it
nós = a gente we
vocês you
eles they
elas they
Remark:
Você and tu (you) have the same meaning in Brazil, but você is more frequently used than tu throughout Brazil. In most regions tu is rarely heard. Use você because it is easier. Tu introduces a new verb form.
Você (you) is informal and it is widely used in almost any situation while o senhor/a senhora (you) is more formal and it is used as a mark of respect, normally when addressing to older people (including parents), important people or people you do not know, but mainly in really formal situations.
A gente (we) is a colloquial form and it is usually used in the spoken language instead of nós (we). Even though it means we, it is a singular form and therefore followed by a singular verb. In Portuguese there is also the female plural form of elas (they), which is used only to replace feminine noun (women/animal/things).
Example:
Você fuma? Do you smoke?
O senhor mora aqui? Do you live here? (mark of respect)
when you start learn to speak portuguese, you not only get to use it Portugal but also other places; especially in South Africa and South America. Given that there are an estimated 250 million people worldwide, speaking the language, there is a definite potential for growth here after you learn foreign language like Portuguese.
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