Portuguese grammar · Beginner (A1)
Telling the time and dates
How to ask and tell the time, say at what time something happens, and talk about days of the week, months and dates.
What time is it?
To ask the time, say The answer uses for one o'clock, midday and midnight, and for all the other hours: The word is often left out:
Minutes after the hour are added with : (3:10). Half past is , from (half an hour): (12:30). For the minutes before the hour, say how many minutes are missing, with and the next hour: (7:45). Many people simply say .
| Time | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| 1:00 | |
| 2:00 | |
| 3:10 | |
| 4:15 | |
| 5:30 | |
| 7:45 | |
| 8:50 | |
| 12:00 (midday) | |
| 12:30 (midday) | |
| 0:00 (midnight) |
At what time?
To ask when something happens, say The answer uses (at the) before the hour: , . It's for one o'clock and , for midday and midnight.
To say which part of the day, add (in the morning), (in the afternoon) or (in the evening, at night): . The small hours are . Timetables, offices and announcements use the 24-hour clock, written 14h or 14h30: . means “sharp” and “around”.
- A que horas começa a reunião? — Às dez.What time does the meeting start? — At ten.
- Eu almoço ao meio-dia.I have lunch at midday.
- O ônibus sai à uma e quinze.The bus leaves at a quarter past one.
- Chego por volta das sete da noite.I'll arrive around seven in the evening.
- O voo sai às 21h40.The flight leaves at 9:40 pm. · read
Days of the week
Monday to Friday are named with numbers, second to sixth, plus . In speech they're usually shortened: , . Days are written with a small letter. Weekdays are feminine and the weekend days masculine: , .
“On Monday” (this one) is . For something that happens every week, say , or . means “from Monday to Friday”, and the weekend is .
| Full name | Short form | English |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | ||
| Tuesday | ||
| Wednesday | ||
| Thursday | ||
| Friday | ||
| Saturday | ||
| Sunday |
- Na sexta eu vou ao cinema.On Friday I'm going to the cinema.
- Às terças eu jogo futebol.On Tuesdays I play football.
- Trabalho de segunda a sexta.I work Monday to Friday.
Months and dates
Months are masculine and written with a small letter. To say “in March”, use : . Dates use ordinary numbers, often with : (15 March). The first of the month is : . Dates are written day first: 15/03/2026.
To ask the date, say The answer is or Years are said like ordinary numbers: is .
| Month | English | Month | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | July | ||
| February | August | ||
| March | September | ||
| April | October | ||
| May | November | ||
| June | December |
- Meu aniversário é dia 22 de agosto.My birthday is on 22 August.
- A festa é no dia primeiro de dezembro.The party is on 1 December.
- Em janeiro faz muito calor no Rio.In January it's very hot in Rio.
Today, tomorrow, next week
These words help you place things in time. “Next” is after the noun or / before it: , (next week). “Last” is / after the noun: (last month), (last week).
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| today | |
| tomorrow | |
| the day after tomorrow | |
| yesterday | |
| the day before yesterday | |
| tonight | |
| tomorrow morning | |
| next week | |
| next month | |
| last year |
- Você está livre amanhã à tarde?Are you free tomorrow afternoon?
- Na semana que vem eu viajo para Recife.Next week I'm travelling to Recife.