How to ask “What time is it?” in Portuguese simply

Introduction

Learning to ask the time is one of the first practical skills for beginners in Brazilian Portuguese. This article explains simple, everyday ways to ask what time it is, the most common responses, useful vocabulary, and realistic examples you can use immediately in Brazil or when practicing with friends.

Basic phrase to ask the time

The easiest and most direct way to ask the time in Brazilian Portuguese is Que horas são?

This phrase translates to What time is it? and works in almost any situation: on the street, in a shop, or when calling a friend. It is polite and neutral.

Short variations and polite forms

Beginners should learn a few short variations that appear often in conversation or on messages.

Que horas são? — Standard and most common.

Que horas é? — Used when referring to a single event or time, for example Que horas é a reunião? meaning What time is the meeting?

Você sabe que horas são? — A slightly more polite or conversational way: Do you know what time it is?

Tem hora? — Very informal: Got the time? Often used among friends.

How to respond: telling the time

When someone asks Que horas são?, responses can be simple. Use numbers and the word horas for hours, and minutos for minutes.

Basic pattern: hour + horas + minutes

Examples:

São duas horas.

São três e quinze.
Or São três e um quarto. (3:15)

São quatro e meia.
Use meia to say half past the hour (4:30).

É meio-dia.
Use meio-dia for noon (12:00) and meia-noite for midnight: É meia-noite.

São sete e cinquenta.
For minutes after the hour, say the number: 7:50.

Faltam dez para as oito.
To say minutes to the hour: It is ten to eight.

Numbers you should know

To tell and understand time, learn these numbers.

Horas (hours): uma, duas, três, quatro, cinco, seis, sete, oito, nove, dez, onze, doze

Minutos (minutes): um, dois, três, quatro, cinco, dez, quinze, vinte, vinte e cinco, trinta, quarenta, cinquenta

Useful words: hora, horas, minuto, minutos, meio-dia, meia-noite, meia (half)

Common time expressions

These short phrases are used frequently in Brazil when talking about time.

Da manhã — in the morning (use with hours from 1:00 to 11:59)

Da tarde — in the afternoon (use with hours from 12:00 to 17:59)

Da noite — in the evening/night (use with hours from 18:00 onward)

Agora — now

Daqui a pouco — in a little while

Mais tarde — later

Putting it together: full examples

Practical dialogues and sentences you might use or hear in real situations.

Asking a passerby:
Que horas são?

Reply:
São três e vinte. (It is 3:20)

Asking about a bus schedule:
Que horas sai o ônibus para o centro?

Reply:
O ônibus sai às oito e quinze. (The bus leaves at 8:15)

Confirming a meeting time:
Que horas é a reunião amanhã?

Reply:
A reunião é às nove da manhã. (The meeting is at 9 in the morning)

Text message:
Que horas você chega?

Reply:
Chego por volta das sete e meia. (I arrive around 7:30)

Politeness and tone

Beginners should match tone to the situation. Que horas são? is neutral and fine for shops or strangers. When speaking to service staff or asking for confirmation, add por favor at the end: Que horas são, por favor?

In informal contexts among friends, short forms work: Tem horas? or Que horas cê tem? Cê is informal speech for você and is common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese.

Reading digital and analog clocks

On digital displays, times are read similarly to English but often using a 24-hour style in schedules: 14:30 is read as quatorze e trinta or quatorze e meia; for casual speech, 2 e meia da tarde is common.

On analog clocks, Brazilians use the same structures: Sao quatro e quinze, quatro e meia, or cinco menos vinte (five minus twenty) to indicate 4:40.

Common beginner mistakes to avoid

Using hora instead of horas for most times. Say São duas horas not São duas hora.

Mixing European Portuguese words or spellings. Stick to Brazilian forms like meia-noite and meio-dia and colloquial contractions like cê if you use them in speech.

Forgetting to use às when referring to scheduled events. Say A reunião é às dez, not A reunião é dez.

Translating literally from English structure. For example, avoid literal I have 2:30; instead say São duas e meia or É duas e meia when referring to an appointment use A aula é às duas e meia.

Practice tips for beginners

Focus on listening and repeating short dialogues like the examples above. Practice with a language partner: one asks Que horas são?, the other answers using numbers and da manhã/da tarde/da noite.

Use public signs and timetables: read bus or train schedules and say them out loud in Portuguese. Example: O próximo trem sai às quinze e vinte. (The next train leaves at 15:20)

Record yourself asking and answering times. Compare pronunciation and speed to native speakers from Brazilian audio resources.

Mini vocabulary list for quick reference

Que horas são? — What time is it?

Que horas é? — What time is [an event]?

Que horas você chega? — What time will you arrive?

São… — It is… (with time)

Meio-dia / meia-noite — Noon / midnight

Meia — Half past

Faltam… — There are … minutes until (used for minutes to the hour)

Da manhã / da tarde / da noite — In the morning / afternoon / evening

Additional realistic situations

At a café:
Que horas fecha o café?
Reply: Fecha às oito da noite.

At work:
Que horas começa a reunião?
Reply: Começa às dez em ponto. (Use em ponto to mean exactly on the hour)

On public transport:
Que horas chega no próximo ponto?
Reply: Chega às seis e cinco.

Pronunciation notes

Brazilian Portuguese pronounces r at the start or between vowels differently by region, but for time phrases this rarely changes meaning. Meia sounds like MAY-ah, duas sounds like DWAHZ, and horas like OH-ras. Listen to native speakers for rhythm and stress.

Simple exercises

Exercise 1: Look at a clock and say the time in Portuguese aloud for 10 different times during the day. Use da manhã/da tarde/da noite when appropriate.

Exercise 2: Send a text to a language partner asking Que horas você chega? and practice different responses: Chego às cinco, Chego por volta das seis, Chego mais tarde.

Exercise 3: Turn schedules into sentences: 13:45 = São treze e quarenta e cinco or É uma e quarenta e cinco da tarde in casual speech.

Resources and next steps

After mastering asking and telling time, expand to days of the week, months, and simple scheduling phrases like marcar um horário (to schedule an appointment) and confirmar o horário (to confirm the time).

Use Brazilian Portuguese audio resources and apps that focus on listening and repeating short dialogues to improve natural timing and intonation when asking and answering about time.

Conclusion

Asking What time is it in Brazilian Portuguese is simple and immediately useful. Start with Que horas são?, learn numbers and time expressions, practice with realistic examples, and pay attention to polite forms and common mistakes. With short daily practice you will quickly feel confident asking and understanding the time in real situations.