Introduction
Confirming arrival times is a basic but essential skill when traveling, meeting friends, taking transportation, or scheduling services in Brazil. This article gives beginner-friendly explanations, 30 useful Portuguese phrases for confirming arrival times, common replies, and short dialogues to help you feel confident in everyday situations.
Why learning arrival-time phrases matters
When you can ask and confirm arrival times clearly, you avoid missed meetings, confusion with drivers or friends, and stressful delays. In Brazilian Portuguese, small words and verbs make big differences, so knowing polite questions, numbers, and time expressions helps you communicate smoothly.
Key vocabulary to know
hora – hour, time
chegar – to arrive
horário – schedule
agora – now
mais tarde – later
já – already
meia – half (as in half past)
menos – to/till (used for minutes before the hour)
aproximadamente – approximately
30 Portuguese phrases for confirming arrival times
Below are 30 practical phrases in Brazilian Portuguese. The first appearance of each main phrase is bolded to highlight it.
Que horas você chega? – What time do you arrive?
Você vai chegar a que horas? – What time are you going to arrive?
Você chega agora? – Are you arriving now?
Você já saiu? – Have you already left?
Quanto tempo falta? – How much time is left?
Você está a caminho? – Are you on your way?
Você está perto? – Are you nearby?
Chego em 10 minutos. – I arrive in 10 minutes.
Vou chegar em meia hora. – I’ll arrive in half an hour.
Devo chegar às 15h. – I should arrive at 3 PM.
Chegarei por volta das 18h. – I will arrive around 6 PM.
Estou preso no trânsito. – I’m stuck in traffic.
O ônibus atrasou. – The bus is late.
O voo chegou antes – The flight arrived early.
Posso confirmar o horário? – Can I confirm the time?
Você pode me avisar quando sair? – Can you let me know when you leave?
A que horas começamos? – At what time do we start?
Até que horas você fica? – Until what time will you stay?
Nos encontramos às 14h, certo? – We meet at 2 PM, right?
Está confirmado para as 19h? – Is it confirmed for 7 PM?
Posso chegar mais cedo? – Can I arrive earlier?
Posso chegar mais tarde? – Can I arrive later?
Você prefere 16h ou 17h? – Do you prefer 4 PM or 5 PM?
Chego entre 11h e 12h. – I will arrive between 11 AM and 12 PM.
Chego no horário marcado. – I’ll arrive at the scheduled time.
Desculpe, vou me atrasar. – Sorry, I’m going to be late.
Qual é o horário de chegada? – What is the arrival time?
Você recebe visita às 10h? – Do you accept visitors at 10 AM?
Confirma para amanhã às 9h? – Confirm for tomorrow at 9 AM?
Explanation of common words and structure
Note that chegar is the verb you will use most for arrival-related phrases. Use chegar + em + time to say when you arrive, for example chego em 15 minutos. For scheduled times, use chegar + às + hour, for example chego às 19h. When asking someone else, start with question words like que horas or a que horas.
Polite ways to confirm and follow up
Politeness matters. Use these simple phrases to confirm without sounding abrupt.
Por favor, pode confirmar o horário? – Please, can you confirm the time?
Obrigado, nos vemos às 10h. – Thanks, see you at 10 AM. (male speaker)
Obrigada, nos vemos às 10h. – Thanks, see you at 10 AM. (female speaker)
Me avise se mudar o horário. – Let me know if the time changes.
Posso ligar se houver atraso? – Can I call if there is a delay?
Common replies to time confirmation
These are typical short responses you will hear or use when confirming arrival times.
Chego às 8h. – I arrive at 8 AM.
Já estou a caminho. – I’m already on my way.
Estou atrasado(a). – I’m late. (add a if the speaker is female)
Estou perto. Chego em 5 minutos. – I’m close. I arrive in 5 minutes.
Posso chegar às 11h? – Can I arrive at 11 AM?
Confirmado! – Confirmed!
Está bem para mim. – That’s fine for me.
Short beginner-friendly dialogues
Dialogue 1: Meeting a friend at a cafe
Você: Que horas você chega?
Amigo: Chego às 15h.
Você: Perfeito, te vejo lá.
Dialogue 2: Taxi or ride-hail arrival
Passageiro: O motorista já saiu?
Amigo: Sim, está a caminho. Chega em 7 minutos.
Dialogue 3: Confirming a delivery
Cliente: Qual é o horário de chegada da entrega?
Entregador: Por volta das 12h30.
Useful numbers and time formats
In Brazil, times are often expressed in 24-hour format in schedules and 12-hour in casual speech. You will hear both. Learn basic numbers: 1-12 (um, dois, três, quatro, cinco, seis, sete, oito, nove, dez, onze, doze) and minutes (cinco, dez, quinze, vinte, vinte e cinco, trinta).
Examples:
14h = 2 PM
7h30 / 7:30 = 7:30 AM or PM depending on context
meia-noite = midnight
meio-dia = noon
Practical tips for beginners
1. Use simple verbs: prefer chegar for arrival and sair for leaving.
2. Always repeat the time back to confirm: say às 16h, certo? to verify.
3. Learn numbers up to 60; minutes matter.
4. For traffic or transport delays, common words are atrasado (late), atraso (delay), and trânsito (traffic).
5. Use polite markers like por favor and obrigado/obrigada when confirming times.
Common beginner mistakes to avoid
1. Forgetting to use às before the clock hour when specifying a time: say chego às 9h, not chego 9h.
2. Mixing up meia (half past) and meia-noite/meio-dia. Meia alone with a number typically means half past an hour as in 7h30 = sete e meia.
3. Using Portugal-specific words or pronunciations. Stick to Brazilian Portuguese vocabulary and pronunciation patterns provided here.
4. Not clarifying AM or PM when the context is unclear; use 24-hour format for schedules when possible, for example 14h.
Where you’ll use these phrases
These expressions are useful in everyday settings: meeting friends at a cafe, scheduling appointments at a store or salon, confirming arrival of deliveries, checking bus or train arrival times, and communicating with drivers for ride services. Real situations you might encounter include ordering a taxi and asking Que horas você chega?, or texting a friend Chego em 20 minutos to let them know your ETA.
Conclusion
Mastering these 30 arrival-time phrases will make everyday Brazilian Portuguese interactions smoother and less stressful for beginners. Focus on learning key verbs like chegar, practicing numbers, and using polite confirmations. With these practical phrases and short dialogues, you will confidently confirm arrival times in real situations across transport, social plans, and services.
