Portuguese · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 7 of 12
My day
Meu dia
Tell the time in Portuguese, talk about your daily routine and use the present tense of regular verbs and me levanto.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Ask and tell the time
- Say at what time you do things
- Describe your day with regular verbs in the present
Listen
Beatriz and Gustavo work in the same office in Brasília. They chat over a coffee in the morning. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Beatriz
Bom dia, Gustavo. A que horas você acorda?
Good morning, Gustavo. What time do you wake up?
Gustavo
Às seis. Eu me levanto, tomo banho e depois tomo café da manhã em casa.
At six. I get up, have a shower and then have breakfast at home.
Beatriz
Que cedo! Eu acordo às sete e meia.
That's early! I wake up at half past seven.
Gustavo
E você toma café da manhã em casa?
And do you have breakfast at home?
Beatriz
Não, eu tomo aqui no trabalho. Eu moro longe e pego o ônibus às oito e quinze.
No, I have it here at work. I live far away and I catch the bus at a quarter past eight.
Gustavo
Eu moro aqui perto. E você almoça aqui?
I live near here. And do you have lunch here?
Beatriz
Almoço, sim, ao meio-dia. E você?
Yes, I do, at midday. And you?
Gustavo
Eu almoço em casa, à uma. Beatriz, que horas são?
I have lunch at home, at one. Beatriz, what time is it?
Beatriz
São quinze para as dez.
It's a quarter to ten.
Gustavo
Tenho uma reunião às dez. Até logo.
I have a meeting at ten. See you later.
Understand
Telling the time
Ask (What time is it?). For one o'clock, midday and midnight, say …: , , . For all other hours, say …: , . The word is often left out.
Add minutes with : (2:10), (2:15), (2:30). Before the hour, say how many minutes are left (to) the next hour: (7:45). Many Brazilians also just say .
To say at what time something happens, use or ( + the article, from the table in chapter 6): , , but . Add (in the morning), (in the afternoon) or (in the evening, at night) when it isn't clear: .
| Time | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| 1:00 | |
| 2:00 | |
| 12:00 | |
| 3:10 | |
| 4:15 | |
| 5:30 | |
| 7:45 | |
| 8:50 |
The present tense of regular verbs
Portuguese verbs end in -ar, -er or -ir in the dictionary form, the “infinitive”: (to work), (to eat), (to open). To use a verb, take off the ending and add a new one that shows who is doing the action.
The present is for facts and habits, like English “I work”: (I live in Brasília). is the verb for living somewhere. For what is happening right now (“I'm working”), Brazilians use a different form, which you'll learn in A2.
| Person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| / / | |||
| / / |
Eu me levanto: verbs with me and se
Some verbs have a little word before them: , or . In the dictionary they end in -se: (to get up, literally “to raise yourself”). They are called “reflexive” verbs. You already know one: (my name is).
In Brazil, the little word goes before the verb: In writing and in Portugal you will also see it after the verb:
| Person | |
|---|---|
| / / | |
| / / |
More in the grammar: Present tense of regular verbs · Reflexive verbs: me chamo, me levanto · Telling the time and dates
New words
- acordarto wake up
- eu me levantoI get up · from
- tomar banhoto have a shower
- depoisthen, afterwards
- tomar café da manhãto have breakfast · = breakfast; in Portugal
- em casaat home
- cedo / tardeearly / late
- morarto live (somewhere)
- o trabalhowork · masculine; = at work
- pegar o ônibusto catch the bus · in Portugal
- almoçar / jantarto have lunch / to have dinner
- o meio-diamidday · = midnight
- Que horas são?What time is it?
- a reuniãomeeting · feminine
Practise
1.It's 8:30. What do you say?
2.Complete with : “I live in Brasília.”
I live in Brasília.
3.Complete with : “I get up at seven.”
I get up at seven.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I catch the bus at eight.
5.Match the times.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.Choose the right verb form: “Nós … no restaurante.”
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Que horas são?
What time is it?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.