Time & Dates in Portuguese

As Horas e a Data

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Overview

Time & Dates (As Horas e a Data) is a beginner (CEFR A1) topic in Portuguese grammar. Telling time (Que horas são? É uma hora. São duas horas.), days of the week, months, expressing dates. Uses definite article with days and months.

Understanding time & dates is essential for building correct Portuguese sentences and communicating effectively. This concept is introduced at the A1 level and forms part of the foundation for more advanced grammar structures.

Whether you are learning Brazilian or European Portuguese, mastering time & dates will significantly improve your ability to express yourself naturally and accurately in a variety of contexts.

How It Works

Telling time:

Portuguese	English
Que horas sao?	What time is it?
E uma hora.	It is 1:00. (singular ser)
Sao duas horas.	It is 2:00. (plural ser)
Sao tres e meia.	It is 3:30.
Sao cinco menos um quarto.	It is 4:45.

Days of the week: segunda-feira (Mon), terca-feira (Tue), quarta-feira (Wed), quinta-feira (Thu), sexta-feira (Fri), sabado (Sat), domingo (Sun). Not capitalized. -feira often dropped casually.

Dates: Cardinal numbers with article: o 15 de agosto. Exception: o primeiro de janeiro (ordinal for 1st).

Examples in Context

Portuguese	English	Note
São três e meia.	It's half past three.
na segunda-feira	on Monday
o 15 de agosto	August 15th
A que horas sais?	What time do you leave?
A que horas sais?	What time do you leave?
Sao oito e vinte.	It is 8:20.
Ao meio-dia.	At noon.
Na quarta-feira.	On Wednesday.
Em janeiro.	In January.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect form usage

Wrong: Applying rules from English or other languages directly
Right: Follow Portuguese-specific patterns for time & dates
Why: Portuguese has its own rules that do not always align with English or other Romance languages.

Forgetting agreement rules

Wrong: Not matching gender, number, or person correctly
Right: Ensure all elements in the sentence agree with each other
Why: Portuguese requires strict agreement between subjects, verbs, articles, adjectives, and pronouns.

Mixing formal and informal registers

Wrong: Using tu forms with voce verb conjugations, or vice versa
Right: Be consistent with your chosen register throughout a conversation
Why: Register consistency is important for natural-sounding Portuguese.

Usage Notes

This concept appears across both Brazilian and European Portuguese, though specific usage patterns may differ between the two variants. At the A1 level, focus on understanding the core patterns before worrying about regional differences.

In everyday conversation, time & dates is used frequently in both formal and informal contexts. Pay attention to how native speakers use it in the media you consume, and note any differences between Brazilian and Portuguese sources.

Practice Tips

Practice time & dates with authentic Portuguese texts, listening for how native speakers use these forms in context.
Create flashcards with complete example sentences rather than isolated words to reinforce natural patterns.
Write short paragraphs using time & dates and compare them with native-written texts to identify areas for improvement.