In Brazilian Portuguese, we use the verbNo definition set for verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. ser(to be) to say the time, as in:
São cinco horas.
It's five o’clock.
lit. (There) are five hours.
The most common way to tell the time is to use the 12-hour clock system, followed by the expressions da manhã(in the morning), da tarde(in the afternoon), or da noite(in the evening/night).
In this article we’ll cover the most basic ways to give the time, but we’ll also look at some other ways that you can describe times or periods of the day. For example:
Eu trabalho das 8 às 15h.
I work from 8 to 5 pm.
A reunião será às 9h.
The meeting will be at 9.
Are you ready to get to know all these and other time-related expressions in Brazilian Portuguese? Keep reading this post!
In Brazilian Portuguese, the most common way to ask for the time is with the question Que horas são?(What time is it?). The verb ser(to be) is used in this question and again in the answer.
Que horas são?
What time is it?
São três horas.
It’s three o’clock.
When you are giving the time, the verb ser functions as an impersonal verb that more-or-less means “there are” or “it is.” The verb is sometimes singularNo definition set for singularLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and sometimes pluralNo definition set for pluralLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.:
Use the plural form são (are) when the number on the clock is larger than one. This is because the verb agreesNo definition set for agreesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. with the plural noun horas(hours).
São cinco horas.
It’s five o’clock.
lit. (There) are five hours
São sete horas.
It’s seven o’clock.
lit. (There) are seven hours.
Use the singular form of the verb ser, é(is), when the number on the clock is 1 or when you are using the expressions meio-dia(noon) or meia-noite(midnight). This includes times that are exactly on the hour and times that are not exactly on the hour:
On the hour:
É uma hora.
It's one o'clock.
lit. lit. (It) is one hour.
É meio-dia.
It's noon.
É meia-noite.
It's midnight.
lit. (It) is midnight.
Not exactly on the hour:
É uma e vinte.
It’s one twenty.
É meio-dia e dez.
It’s twelve ten.
É meia-noite e quarenta.
It’s twelve forty.
As you can see above, the Brazilian Portuguese words for “noon” and “midnight” are meio-dia(lit. midday)and meia-noite(lit. midnight) . But why do we use meio with one and meia with the other?
It’s because dia(day) is masculine while noite(night) is feminine, and in Brazilian Portuguese adjectives change their forms to agree with the noun they describe. Check out our post on gender and number of adjectives in Brazilian Portuguese if you want to review how this works.
When asking about the time, we most commonly use the plural form são(are), with the plural horas. However, in casual conversation you may hear the singular é(is), with the singular hora, instead:
Que horas são?
What time is it?
lit. What hours are there?
Que hora é?
What time is it?
lit. What hour is it? (informal)
There is another common way to ask the time in Brazilian Portuguese, in which we use the verb ter(to have) instead of ser(to be).
Você tem horas?
Do you know what time it is now?
lit. Do you have time?
The Brazilian Portuguese words hora(s) and tempo can both be translated as “time.” However, we use the word horas to talk about chronological time (hours), but the word tempo(time) refers time in a more abstract sense:
Você tem horas?
Do you know what time it is now?
Você tem um tempo para conversar?
Do you have time to talk?
Additionally, tempo can be used to mean “weather.”
Hoje o tempo está nublado e chuvoso.
Today the weather is cloudy and rainy.
So when you want to know what time it is, you can use the expressions ✅ Que horas são? or ✅ Você tem horas?, but it is not accurate to say ❌ Você tem tempo?
To say the hours and minutes in Brazilian Portuguese, we use this formula: hour number + e(and) + minute number. For example, if the time is 7:20, we might say:
São sete e vinte.
It's seven twenty.
lit. (There) are seven and twenty.
It's also possible to add the words horas(hours) and minutos(minutes) after the numbers above, although omitting these words is more common in everyday spoken language.
São sete horas e vinte minutos.
It's seven hours and twenty minutes.
In Brazilian Portuguese we write the time a bit differently as well. We do not use colons ( : ) but Instead, we write the letter h between the hours and minutes as in:
7h20
7:20
5h15
5:15
6h
6:00
The numbers um(one) and dois(two) have different forms for masculine and feminine in Brazilian Portuguese, which means that they vary according to the gender of the following noun:
Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
1 | um | uma |
2 | dois | duas |
Because the word horas(hours) is a feminine plural noun, and the word minutos(minutes) is a masculine plural noun we would say:
São duas horas e dois minutos. / São duas e dois.
It's 2:02.
lit. It's two hours and two minutes. / It's two and two.
É uma hora e um minuto. / É uma e um.
It’s 1:01.
lit. It’s one hour and one minute. / It’s one and one.
In Brazilian Portuguese, there are three common ways to express the exact time:
State the hour number followed by the word hora(s)(hour(s)):
É uma hora.
It is one o’clock (1:00).
São dez horas.
It is ten o’clock (10:00).
Use the expression em ponto(sharp) after the number.
É uma em ponto.
It is one sharp.
São dez em ponto.
It is ten sharp.
Combine the two structures above, using the word hora , followed by the expression em ponto(sharp) after the number.
É uma hora em ponto.
It is one o'clock sharp.
São dez horas em ponto.
It is ten o'clock sharp.
All the forms above are common and frequent in Brazilian Portuguese.
Though usually we give the time in Brazilian Portuguese with the hours + e + minutes format there are some other ways to say the time as well. It’s a bit like how, in English, you can say 5:45 either as “five forty-five” or as “quarter to six.” Let’s take a look at some of the other ways to say the time in Brazilian Portuguese:
Use the word meia(half) for Xh30:
9h30 = nove e meia
9:30
lit. nine and half
2h30 = duas e meia (hora)
2:30
lit. two and half
We use this much like you would use “half past” + hour in English:
5h30 = cinco e meia (hora)
5:30 = half past five
10h30 = dez e meia (hora)
half past ten
Sometimes, in more formal contexts, it's also possible to use the word horas(hours).
2h30 = duas horas e meia (hora)
2:30 = half past two
10h30 = dez horas e meia (hora)
10:30 = half past ten
Notice that meia(half) is the feminine form of the word meio(half). We always say meia in the feminine singular form because it agrees with the implicit feminine and singular noun hora(hour), as in: meia hora(half an hour). See that in all these cases above, the implied word hora(hour) is omitted after meia.
There is no expression in Brazilian Portuguese that is equivalent to the English “a quarter past (some hour)”. We only give the time using the number quinze(fifteen) to represent fifteen minutes past the hour.
10h15 → São dez e quinze
10:15 → It’s ten and fifteen / It’s a quarter past ten.
Using the preposition para(to):
It’s common to use the prepositionNo definition set for prepositionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. para(from, to) in order to indicate that there is a certain amount of time left before the hour.
Most commonly, this is used in the expression quinze para as/a/o(a quarter to...), as in:
7h45 → São quinze para as oito.
7:45 → It’s a quarter to eight.
But we can use the same construction with para as/a/o to refer to other increments of time before the next hour:
7h40 = vinte para as oito
7:40 = twenty to eight
7h50 = dez para as oito
7:50 = ten to eight
7h55 = cinco para as oito
7:55 = five to eight
11h55 = cinco para o meio-dia
11:55 = five to noon
All these forms with para as/a/o are common in everyday language in Brazilian Portuguese.
In everyday spoken language, the construction para as(to) is often contracted to , due to its faster pronunciation.
7h45 =
São quinze para as oito.
OR
São quinze pras oito.
It's a quarter to eight.
When giving the time remaining before the hour, we often use the verb faltar(to lack) instead of using ser(to be).
7h45 → Faltam quinze para as oito.
7:45 → lit. It lacks a quarter to eight.
We’ll talk more about the use of the preposition para(from, to) and the verb faltar(to lack) to refer to deadlines soon. Stay tuned!
In Brazilian Portuguese, we do not use the expressions “am” or “pm” and instead use the expressions da manhã, da tarde(in the afternoon), or da noite(in the evening/night).
São onze da noite e o ônibus ainda não passou.
It’s eleven at night and the bus hasn't come yet.
Você vai sair agora? São cinco da manhã!
Are you going out now? It's five in the morning!
You can also use the expression da madrugada to refer to some “am” times in Brazilian Portuguese. For example:
Você vai sair agora? São cinco da madrugada!
Are you going out now? It's five in the morning!
Both expressions da manhã and da madrugada refer to the “am” period, but they have slightly different meanings.
Da manhã refers to the period of time between sunrise and noon.
Da madrugada refers to the period of time between midnight and dawn.
You might have come across these three similar-sounding words in Brazilian Portuguese: da manhã, de manhã, and amanhã, but we'll see now that they actually have quite different meanings and uses.
Da manhã means “in the morning,” and as we saw in the examples above, it is used to refer to a specific time of the day, as in:
Eu tomei uma vitamina às sete da manhã.
I had a smoothie at seven in the morning.
De manhã is also translated into “in the morning” in English, but it refers to a period of the day, and not when giving a specific time, as in:
Eu sempre tomo uma vitamina de manhã.
I always have a smoothie in the morning.
Amanhã means “tomorrow” and refers to the day after today, as in:
Não vou tomar uma vitamina hoje, vou tomar amanhã.
I’m not going to have a smoothie today, I’m going to have a smoothie tomorrow
Depending on whether you’re speaking formally or informally in Brazilian Portuguese, you’ll want to express the time differently to fit the social context.
Informal way:
In Brazilian Portuguese, the most common way to tell the time is by using the 12-hour clock system, which is also considered the informal way.
São onze horas e preciso dormir.
It's eleven o’clock and I need to sleep.
To clarify whether it is 11 am or pm, you can add the expressions da manhã(in the morning), da tarde(in the afternoon), or da noite(in the evening/night).
São onze horas da noite e preciso dormir.
It's eleven o’clock at night and I need to sleep.
Formal way:
If you want to sound formal when telling the time, you can use the 24-hour clock system, which appears in more specific contexts, such as in the healthcare and hospitality sectors.
São dezessete e trinta e o médico ainda não chegou ao hospital.
It’s seventeen thirty and the doctor still hasn't arrived at the hospital.
The way of telling the time as above is used in situations in which you want to be more precise and avoid any confusion between am and pm.
When saying the time in the formal way, we tend to not use the word meia(half) to refer to half an hour.
❌ São dezessete e meia.
✅ São dezessete e trinta.
It's five thirty pm.
lit. It’s seventeen thirty.
To talk about the exact time of a scheduled event in Brazilian Portuguese, we use the contraction between the preposition a + the article before the time expressed.
Most often, this means that the time is preceded by the word às(at):
A aula de português é às sete horas.
The Portuguese class is at seven o’clock.
lit. The Portuguese class is at the seven hours
The contraction às is the most common before a time because it is a contraction between the preposition a(at) and the feminine plural article as. Because the noun horas(hours) is almost always in the plural form, and most times of day are built around this word, we will usually use às before the time of an event.
The “grave accent” ( ` ), distinguishes as(the, f. pl.) from às(at the, f. pl.).
However, there are a few situations in which we use the feminine or masculine singular article in a contraction with the preposition a. For example:
Feminine singular: a + a = à
à uma hora
at one o’clock
à meia noite
at midnight
Don’t forget to add the grave accent ( ` ), over à(at the, f. sg.) as well!
Masculine singular: a + o = ao
ao meio-dia
at noon
Check out this chart of the contractions between a and the article!
Most of the time, we simply use às to talk about scheduled events or actions. However, when an event or action is postponed or has a scheduled change, we normally use the verb ficar(to stay), followed by the construction para as(to): ficar + para as.
às + time | para as + time |
|---|---|
A aula de português será às sete horas. The Portuguese class will be at seven o’clock. | A aula de português ficará para as sete horas. The Portuguese class will be postponed to seven o’clock. |
The first sentence simply indicates that the Portuguese class has been scheduled for seven o'clock, and it will happen at that time. On the other hand, the second sentence implies that the class may have been originally scheduled for another time, but it will now take place at seven pm.
When you want to talk about periods of time, such as stating that an event or action begins and ends at a certain time, you use the structure das…às…(from... to...)or das…até as…(from... until...).
O jogo será das sete às nove.
The game will be from seven to nine.
O jogo será das sete até as nove.
The game will be from seven until nine.
Both constructions das…às and das…até as are correct in Brazilian Portuguese, but das…às is used more often. Das…até as emphasizes the duration of the action slightly.
João trabalha das dez às onze da noite.
João works from 10 am to 11 pm.
João trabalha das dez até as onze da noite.
João works from 10 am until 11 pm.
Das is a contraction of the preposition de(of, from) with the feminine article as(the).
de
as
das
Notice that, again, we also use the plural form because the plural noun horas(hours) is implied from the context.
Take a look at the full list of contractions in Brazilian Portuguese if you want a refresher on this topic. You can also review your knowledge about definite articles in our post!
You can also use adverbs of time to more precisely indicate when an action or event occurs in Brazilian Portuguese.
Vamos embora, está tarde!
Let's go, it’s late!
Eu vou chegar por volta das oito horas.
I will arrive at around eight o’clock.
Here are a few common Brazilian Portuguese adverbs of time for talking about the time of day:
agora(now)
depois(after)
daqui a pouco(soon)
tarde(afternoon)
mais tarde(later)
cedo(early)
mais cedo(earlier)
For some more information on adverbs in Brazilian Portuguese, take a look at our post on the topic!
When expressing the time in Brazilian Portuguese, keep these tips in mind:
We usually use the verb ser(to be) to talk about the current time. It’s more common to use ser in the plural form, but there are a few exceptions in which we use the singular form.
We can use the expression em ponto(sharp) to say the exact hour.
We can say meia(half) instead of trinta(thirty) to refer to thirty minutes: meia hora(half an hour).
It’s also possible to use the preposition quinze para as/a/o to express “a quarter to,” as in São quinze para as dez(It's a quarter to ten).
The expressions da manhã, da tarde, and da noite are used to indicate the periods of the day, and it has similar meaning to the English expressions am/pm.
In Brazilian Portuguese, it is common to use the 12-hour clock system, although the 24-hour clock system appears in formal contexts or when it’s necessary to say the time very accurately.
Scheduled events or actions are indicated with the contraction às before the time expressed.
To express a period of time, we use the construction das…às…(from... to...) or das…até às…(from…until…).
Are you ready to practice telling the time in Brazilian Portuguese?
