Introduction
Learning how to say times of day in Brazilian Portuguese helps beginners navigate schedules, ask and answer simple questions, and understand signs and timetables. This article introduces common vocabulary, sentence patterns, and realistic examples you can use right away in daily conversations, transport, appointments, and messages.
Basic vocabulary for times of day
Start with the simple words that label parts of the day. These are used in everyday speech and on signs.
manhã — morning
tarde — afternoon
noite — night / evening
madrugada — early morning / pre-dawn hours
dia — day
hora — hour / time
Quick note on pronunciation
Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation tips for beginners: manhã sounds like man-YAH; tarde sounds like TAR-jee (but the d is softer); noite sounds like NOY-chee; madrugada sounds like mah-droo-GAH-dah. Listening and repeating helps solidify these sounds.
Telling time: basic structure
The most common way to say the hour in Brazilian Portuguese is using the verb ser for the hour and minutos for minutes. For full hours use é or são depending on the hour number.
É uma hora — It is one o’clock
São duas horas — It is two o’clock
For times with minutes, use é/ são + number + e + minutes.
São três e quinze — It is 3:15
São oito e meia — It is 8:30 (meia means half past)
Which verb: é vs são
Use é for 1:00 because hora is singular: É uma hora. Use são for any other hour: São duas horas, São cinco horas. For times with minutes the verb still matches the hour number: São oito e vinte.
Adding times of day to sentences
To be specific about when something happens, add manhã, tarde, noite, or madrugada after the time or before a verb. Placement is flexible but common patterns help you sound natural.
Examples with time first:
São sete da manhã. — It is seven in the morning.
São quatro da tarde. — It is four in the afternoon.
São dez da noite. — It is ten at night.
Examples with time of day first:
De manhã eu trabalho. — In the morning I work.
À noite eu estudo. — At night I study.
Using prepositions: de, da, das, do
When saying an hour plus part of day, use de + definite article: da manhã, da tarde, da noite. For plural forms or certain expressions you might see das or do, but for times stick to da manhã/tarde/noite.
São nove da manhã. — It is 9 in the morning.
Practical beginner sentences
Below are short, realistic sentences a beginner can use or see on signs, schedules, messages, and in conversation. Each one includes a simple translation and uses Brazilian Portuguese vocabulary.
Que horas são? — What time is it?
Que horas você acorda? — What time do you wake up?
Eu acordo às seis da manhã. — I wake up at 6 in the morning.
O filme começa às oito da noite. — The movie starts at 8 at night.
O restaurante abre às onze da manhã. — The restaurant opens at 11 in the morning.
Tenho uma reunião às três da tarde. — I have a meeting at 3 in the afternoon.
O ônibus chega de manhã cedo. — The bus arrives early in the morning.
Vou ao mercado à tarde. — I will go to the market in the afternoon.
Estudo português à noite. — I study Portuguese at night.
Expressions for different parts of the day
Use these to be more natural and specific when talking about routines or plans.
de manhã cedo — early in the morning
de manhã — in the morning
no início da tarde — early afternoon
no meio da tarde — mid-afternoon
de tarde — in the afternoon
à noite — in the evening / at night
de madrugada — in the early hours / late night to early morning
Asking and answering about schedules
Common question forms and short answers you can use in real situations like shops, appointments, or travel.
A que horas fecha a loja? — What time does the store close?
Fecha às oito da noite. — It closes at 8 at night.
A que horas abre a estação? — What time does the station open?
Abre às cinco da manhã. — It opens at 5 in the morning.
Quando é o evento? — When is the event?
É na tarde de sábado. — It is on Saturday afternoon.
Reading timetables and menus
On timetables you will often see 24-hour format. Beginners should recognize 13:00 as 1:00 da tarde, 18:00 as 6:00 da tarde, 21:00 as 9:00 da noite.
Exemplo de horário: 07:30 — 07:30 da manhã
13:15 — 01:15 da tarde
22:00 — 10:00 da noite
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Beginners often make a few predictable errors when talking about times of day. Learn these to sound more natural.
Mistake: Saying sono instead of manhã for morning. Sono means sleepiness. Use manhã for morning time expressions.
Mistake: Using the wrong verb with one o’clock. Remember É uma hora, not São uma hora.
Mistake: Directly translating the English structure at night into Portuguese without the article. Use da noite after the hour: 10 da noite, not 10 noite.
Mistake: Confusing tarde and noite around sunset. If in doubt, use da tarde until it is clearly evening and people say da noite.
Beginner tips to practice
Label items in your morning routine with time phrases: ex. Escovar os dentes às sete da manhã. This builds muscle memory for time expressions.
Set alarms in Portuguese on your phone with short sentences: ex. Acordar às seis da manhã. Reading your own schedule in Portuguese helps retention.
Practice simple Q&A with friends or language partners: Que horas você janta? Eu janto às oito da noite. Short exchanges are more effective than long drills.
Mini practice dialogues
Short dialogues that repeat key structures are useful for beginners in real-life situations like cafes, transport, and appointments.
Na cafeteria: Olá, que horas vocês abrem? Abrimos às sete da manhã.
No ônibus: A que horas chega o próximo? Chega às três da tarde.
No consultório: A consulta é às dez da manhã? Sim, às dez da manhã.
Using times in messages and signs
In text messages Brazilians often write the time numerically and add the part of day for clarity: 8h30 da noite or 20h30. For informal messages you may see só às 9 da noite meaning only at 9 PM.
Common sign examples: HORÁRIO DE ATENDIMENTO: 08:00 às 17:00 — Atendimento de segunda a sexta, manhã e tarde.
Useful verbs related to time
To make natural sentences learn a few verbs that commonly pair with times of day.
chegar — to arrive. Example: O voo chega às seis da manhã.
sair — to leave. Example: Eu saio de casa às sete e meia.
começar — to start. Example: A aula começa às duas da tarde.
terminar — to finish. Example: O show termina à meia-noite.
acordar — to wake up. Example: Eu acordo às cinco da manhã.
Practice activities for beginners
Activity 1: Create a simple daily schedule in Portuguese with five items. Include times and parts of day. Example: 06:30 — Acordar de manhã; 08:00 — Trabalho de manhã; 12:00 — Almoço ao meio-dia; 15:00 — Reunião à tarde; 20:00 — Jantar à noite.
Activity 2: Label a clock face with Portuguese time phrases for every three hours: meia-noite, manhã, tarde, noite, madrugada. Saying each aloud reinforces vocabulary.
Activity 3: Listen to short Brazilian Portuguese audio or podcasts aimed at beginners and write down any time expressions you hear. Pause and repeat those sentences using your own times.
Conclusion
Mastering times of day in Brazilian Portuguese gives you practical power to manage appointments, understand schedules, and communicate daily routines. Focus on the basic vocabulary manhã, tarde, noite, madrugada, and practice simple sentence patterns like São + hour + da + parte do dia. Use the sample sentences and mini dialogues here to build confidence in real situations.
