Hello everyone, whenever I see Portuguese people say in a shop or in my village, they will say, tudo bem. Two things. I never know what to answer and secondly, why don’t they say como esta instead which is how I greet people?
Regarding pois, it’s about the one word I pick up in conversations 
when I hear people talking and it seems to be said at the end of sentences or end of conversations. What does it mean and why is it used so regularly?
Olá, @htcrimmer. “Tudo bem” is an extremely common greeting, even more so than “como está” You can answer in a number of ways, but the simplest one is probably just a “Tudo”. This is usually combined with either a thanks and/or with returning the question to them.
Pois is a common filler in conversation. It just means “right”, “I see”, “yes…”.
Ola Muito obrigada. Very helpful. I will now try to get out of the habit of saying como esta and use pois a bit more.
Doesn’t pois also mean ‘because’?
@lannybezant, yes, it does Not at the end of sentences/conversations, though. Here are some examples of use:
It’s not often used in the sense of because in everyday conversation (we usually just say porque), so you’re much more likely to hear it as a filler.
Many thanks Joseph once again for your prompt and clear explanations. Your help is invaluable 
Hi, I’m a bit late on this feed! But for all it’s worth, I heard someone say “tudo ótimo” in response to “tudo bem?” Its got a nice ring but I admit I’ve never used it!