Introduction
Knowing how to explain when a problem started is essential for everyday conversations, customer service, and medical or repair situations. This article teaches beginner-friendly Brazilian Portuguese phrases and vocabulary to say when something began, ask follow-up questions, and give clear time information.
- Why this topic matters
- Key time words and expressions
- Basic verbs to describe problems
- Simple sentence patterns to say when a problem started
- Explain with specific times and durations
- Questions to ask when someone describes a problem
- Common replies a beginner can use
- Practical examples in everyday contexts
- Useful phrases for specifying cause or context
- Common beginner mistakes and how to avoid them
- Quick reference phrase bank
- Short practice dialogues for beginners
- Tips for sounding natural
- Where you’ll use these phrases
- Conclusion
Why this topic matters
When you report a problem—at a store, with your phone, or when talking to a doctor—you often need to say when the issue began. Clear timing helps people understand urgency and find solutions faster. Learning a few simple structures in Brazilian Portuguese makes these situations less stressful.
Key time words and expressions
Below are basic time words you will use frequently. The first occurrence of each main Portuguese term is highlighted.
agora — now
ontem — yesterday
hoje — today
amanhã — tomorrow
ontem de manhã — yesterday morning
essa manhã — this morning
há — ago (used with time expressions)
desde — since (a specific point in time)
desde que — since (followed by a clause)
desde ontem — since yesterday
faz — ago (alternative to há, common in speech)
há uns dias — a few days ago
Basic verbs to describe problems
Here are verbs you will need when explaining an issue. First appearances are emphasized.
começar — to start
parar — to stop
funcionar — to work/function
quebrar — to break
vazar — to leak
dar problema — to have a problem
Simple sentence patterns to say when a problem started
You can combine time words with verbs. These patterns are beginner-friendly and common in Brazilian Portuguese speech.
O problema começou ontem.
O problema começou ontem de manhã.
Começou faz dois dias.
Começou faz uma semana.
Está dando problema desde hoje de manhã.
Está dando problema desde ontem.
Parou de funcionar agora.
Parou de funcionar à noite.
Explain with specific times and durations
Beginners can keep it simple: use hours, days, or vague durations. Use há or faz with numbers.
Há duas horas.
Há três dias.
Faz cinco minutos.
Faz uma semana.
Examples with clock times:
Começou às 8 horas.
Começou por volta das 14h.
Desde as 9 da manhã.
Questions to ask when someone describes a problem
When you need clarification, use these simple questions to get the time information you need.
Quando começou? — When did it start?
Há quanto tempo? — How long ago? / For how long?
Desde quando? — Since when?
Quando você percebeu? — When did you notice?
Foi hoje ou ontem? — Was it today or yesterday?
Common replies a beginner can use
Short replies are very useful in shops, clinics, or with help desks. Use these when you are not ready to explain more.
Começou ontem.
Começou hoje pela manhã.
Há umas duas horas.
Desde ontem à noite.
Percebi agora.
Practical examples in everyday contexts
Here are short, realistic dialogues you might encounter. Dialogues use Brazilian Portuguese and beginner-friendly language.
Shop counter — reporting a phone problem
Atendente: O que aconteceu com o seu celular?
Cliente: Ele parou de funcionar ontem à noite. Não liga mais.
Mechanic — car issue
Mecânico: Desde quando você percebeu o barulho?
Motorista: Começou faz três dias, depois da viagem.
Apartment manager — leak
Síndico: Quando começou o vazamento?
Morador: Começou hoje de manhã, está pingando na cozinha.
Doctor reception — symptom start
Recepcionista: Há quanto tempo você está com dor de cabeça?
Paciente: Desde ontem. A dor começou à tarde.
Useful phrases for specifying cause or context
Often you want to add a short reason or context. These connectors are easy and common.
Depois de — after
Durante — during
Enquanto — while
Quando — when
Examples:
Começou depois de eu atualizar o aplicativo.
Começou durante a chuva.
Começou enquanto eu dirigia.
Parou de funcionar quando caiu no chão.
Common beginner mistakes and how to avoid them
Here are pitfalls learners often make, and simple fixes.
Mistake: Using literal English order. Fix: Follow Portuguese order: O problema começou ontem, not ontem o problema começou.
Mistake: Confusing há and desde. Fix: Use há or faz with durations (há duas horas). Use desde with points in time (desde ontem).
Mistake: Forgetting prepositions for times. Fix: Use às for clock times (às 7 horas) and em for parts of the day only when needed (em abril). For parts of day prefer de manhã/à noite.
Quick reference phrase bank
Keep these short phrases handy when you need to explain when a problem started.
Começou ontem.
Começou hoje de manhã.
Começou há três dias.
Começou faz uma semana.
Está dando problema desde ontem.
Parou de funcionar agora.
Percebi agora.
Desde as 10h.
Short practice dialogues for beginners
Use these two-line dialogues to rehearse timing phrases aloud.
Dialog 1:
Pessoa A: Quando começou o problema?
Pessoa B: Começou ontem à noite.
Dialog 2:
Pessoa A: Há quanto tempo você tem a falha?
Pessoa B: Há duas semanas.
Dialog 3:
Pessoa A: Desde quando o computador não liga?
Pessoa B: Desde que caiu da mesa.
Tips for sounding natural
Small habits will help you sound like a native speaker in these situations.
Tip 1: Use contractions and natural speech like faz instead of há in casual talk.
Tip 2: Add a little context when possible: Começou ontem depois da chuva sounds more natural than just ontem.
Tip 3: If unsure, keep it short and clear: Começou hoje pela manhã is safe and useful.
Where you’ll use these phrases
These expressions are useful in many real-world contexts: reporting a device malfunction at a store, explaining symptoms at a clinic, telling a landlord about a leak, or describing a problem for technical support over the phone.
Conclusion
Learning to say when a problem started in Brazilian Portuguese is simple with a few key verbs and time words. Practice short sentences like Começou ontem and questions like Quando começou? to communicate clearly in common situations. With these phrases you can confidently report issues at stores, clinics, or with services.
