Portuguese · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 9 of 12
Time and dates
Dias e datas
Learn the days and months in Portuguese, say dates, make plans with vou + a verb, and ask and answer why.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say the days of the week and the months
- Give a date and make an arrangement
- Talk about plans with vou + a verb
- Ask why and say because
Listen
In Belém, Larissa invites her friend Diego to her birthday party. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Larissa
Diego, vou fazer uma festa de aniversário. Você vem?
Diego, I'm going to have a birthday party. Are you coming?
Diego
Claro. Que dia é a festa?
Of course. What day is the party?
Larissa
No sábado que vem, dia quinze.
Next Saturday, the fifteenth.
Diego
Sábado? Eu trabalho todo sábado até as seis. Por que não no domingo?
Saturday? I work every Saturday until six. Why not on Sunday?
Larissa
Porque no domingo eu vou almoçar com os meus pais. A festa é às oito da noite.
Because on Sunday I'm going to have lunch with my parents. The party is at eight in the evening.
Diego
Às oito? Tá bom.
At eight? OK.
Larissa
E você vem com a sua namorada?
And are you coming with your girlfriend?
Diego
Venho, sim. Onde é a festa?
Yes, I am. Where's the party?
Larissa
Na minha casa. Sábado, às oito. Combinado?
At my place. Saturday, at eight. Agreed?
Diego
Combinado. Obrigado pelo convite.
Agreed. Thanks for the invitation.
Understand
Days of the week
Monday to Friday are numbered: is the “second day”, the “third”, and so on. In speech, people usually drop -feira: , . Days and months are written with a small letter.
For “on Monday”, say (the weekdays are feminine) but , (masculine). For “on Mondays” or “every Monday”, say or , and or .
| Portuguese | Short form | English |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | ||
| Tuesday | ||
| Wednesday | ||
| Thursday | ||
| Friday | ||
| Saturday | ||
| Sunday |
Months and dates
Dates use ordinary numbers with (day) and : (15 March). Only the first of the month is different: (1 May). Ask (What's the date today?) and answer or .
Useful words: (today), (tomorrow), (the day after tomorrow), (next week), (next Saturday).
| Month | Portuguese | Month | Portuguese |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | July | ||
| February | August | ||
| March | September | ||
| April | October | ||
| May | November | ||
| June | December |
Ir and vir: plans, places, and por que / porque
To talk about plans, use the present of (to go) + a verb in the infinitive, just like “going to” in English: (I'm going to have a party). (to come) is also irregular: (Are you coming?) (Yes, I am.)
+ a place means “to go to”, with (to) joined to the article as in chapter 6: (I'm going to the bank), (I'm going to the party). In relaxed speech you'll also hear : (I'm going home).
In a question, “why” is (two words): “Because” is (one word): On its own, or at the end of a sentence, “why” gets an accent:
| Person | (to go) | (to come) |
|---|---|---|
| / / | ||
| / / |
More in the grammar: Articles and contractions: o, a, no, do, pelo · Numbers · Present tense of irregular verbs · Questions and negation · Telling the time and dates · The future: vou fazer and farei
New words
- a festaparty · feminine
- o aniversáriobirthday · masculine
- virto come · = are you coming?
- claroof course
- o sábadoSaturday · masculine:
- que vemnext · = next Saturday, = next week
- todo sábadoevery Saturday
- por quewhy (in questions) · on its own or at the end of a sentence
- porquebecause
- o domingoSunday · masculine:
- combinadoagreed, it's a deal
- o conviteinvitation · masculine; = thanks for the invitation
- hojetoday
- amanhãtomorrow
Practise
1.“I work at home on Mondays.” Which is right?
2.Complete with : “I'm going to have lunch with my parents.”
I'm going to have lunch with my parents.
3.Answer the question with “because”.
Because I work on Saturday.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.What's the date today?
5.Match the days.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.How do you say “1 May”?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
O meu aniversário é dia vinte de julho.
My birthday is on 20 July.
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.