Introduction
Learning numbers in Brazilian Portuguese is essential for everyday life, from telling your age to reading schedules and prices. This article teaches numbers through clear age and time examples so beginners can practice vocabulary, pronunciation patterns, and common phrases useful in real situations.
Why learn numbers through age and time?
Numbers are everywhere: on clocks, tickets, menus, and forms. Learning them with age and time makes the vocabulary memorable because these are things you use every day. Age examples teach counting, ordinal forms, and possession. Time examples teach telling hours, minutes, and basic scheduling vocabulary.
Key vocabulary: cardinal numbers (0–20)
Start with the basics. The most important cardinals for beginners are 0 to 20. Learn both the word and how native speakers often contract or speed up pronunciation.
zero — zero
um — one
dois — two
três — three
quatro — four
cinco — five
seis — six
sete — seven
oito — eight
nove — nine
dez — ten
onze — eleven
doze — twelve
treze — thirteen
quatorze or catorze — fourteen (both used, but quatorze common in Brazil)
quinze — fifteen
dezesseis — sixteen
dezessete — seventeen
dezoito — eighteen
dezenove — nineteen
vinte — twenty
Basic rules and pronunciation tips
Portuguese numbers have a few pronunciation patterns to notice. The vowel sounds at the end of words can be nasal or oral. For example, um is nasal, similar to the French un. The letter s at the end often sounds like s or sh depending on regional accent; in Brazil it is usually s. Listen to native speakers to internalize rhythms.
Practice: Talking about age
Age is a practical context to practice numbers and simple sentence structure with the verb ter, which means to have and is used to indicate age in Portuguese.
Basic sentence structure
To say how old someone is, use the pattern: eu tenho X anos for I am X years old. For other people: ele/ela tem X anos.
Eu tenho vinte e cinco anos
I am 25 years old.
Ele tem trinta anos
He is 30 years old.
Ela tem dez anos
She is 10 years old.
Examples for practice
Quantos anos você tem?
How old are you?
Tenho vinte anos.
I am 20 years old.
Meu irmão tem dois anos.
My brother is two years old.
Minha avó tem setenta e cinco anos.
My grandmother is 75 years old.
Useful variations and vocabulary
idade — age
aniversário — birthday
faixa etária — age group
nasci em + year — I was born in + year: Nasci em dois mil e um.
I was born in 2001.
When saying years, use the full cardinal pattern: 1990 is mil novecentos e noventa, 2000 is dois mil, and 2021 is dois mil e vinte e um.
Practice: Telling time
Time is one of the most useful topics after age. Brazilian Portuguese uses both 12-hour and 24-hour formats informally, but for beginners it is easiest to learn the 12-hour clock with manhã (morning), tarde (afternoon), and noite (evening/night).
Basic clock vocabulary
hora — hour/o’clock
minuto — minute
meia — used in expressions like meia hora or meia-noite but for telling time say meia for half past
meia-noite — midnight
meio-dia — noon
da manhã — in the morning
da tarde — in the afternoon
da noite — in the evening/night
Telling the hour (basic patterns)
To say the hour on the hour, use são for plural hours and é for one o’clock.
É uma hora.
It’s one o’clock.
São duas horas.
It’s two o’clock.
For half past, use e meia.
São três e meia.
It’s half past three (3:30).
For minutes, use e and the minute number.
São quatro e quinze.
It’s 4:15.
São nove e quarenta e cinco.
It’s 9:45.
Common time expressions and examples
A que horas? — At what time?
Que horas são? — What time is it?
O ônibus chega às oito da manhã.
The bus arrives at 8 in the morning.
Minha aula começa às dez e meia.
My class starts at 10:30.
O filme começa às vinte horas.
The movie starts at 20:00 (8 PM).
Using age and time together: practical scenarios
Combine age and time vocabulary for realistic situations: doctor’s forms, ticket booths, scheduling appointments, and small talk. These scenarios show how numbers appear in context and which phrases are commonly used.
Doctor’s form example
Nome: Maria Silva
Idade: trinta anos
Data de nascimento: vinte e cinco de maio de mil novecentos e noventa e cinco
On forms you will see idade, data de nascimento, and telefone — practice reading and writing numbers for dates and phone numbers.
Booking an appointment
Eu gostaria de marcar uma consulta às quatorze horas, por favor.
I would like to schedule an appointment at 2 PM, please.
Você tem horário às dez e quinze?
Do you have a time at 10:15?
Note how times might be given in 24-hour format in formal contexts like hospitals: 14:00 is quatorze horas.
Buying a ticket
Quero um bilhete para o trem das dez da manhã.
I want a ticket for the 10 AM train.
Tickets and schedules frequently use both cardinal numbers and the word horas. Learning to read both 12-hour and 24-hour formats helps avoid confusion.
Numbers beyond 20: tens and hundreds
After 20, Portuguese builds tens similarly to English with a few differences. Learn 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 and combine them with lower numbers.
trinta — 30
quarenta — 40
cinquenta — 50
sessenta — 60
setenta — 70
oitenta — 80
noventa — 90
cem — 100 (use cem alone; cento is used for 101–199)
Combine tens with e for numbers like 31: trinta e um. For 75: setenta e cinco.
Practical examples with larger numbers
Tenho cento e vinte e três anos (brincadeira).
I am 123 years old (joke).
O voo parte às quinze horas e trinta minutos.
The flight departs at 15:30.
O evento começa às dezenove e quinze.
The event starts at 19:15.
Beginner tips and common mistakes
Beginners often mix up ter and ser for age; remember Brazilians use ter for age. Also, watch out for the position of numbers in dates: day comes before month in Portuguese dates. Practice listening to native speech to learn reductions like vinte e um often sounding like vinteum.
Tip: When reading time in informal speech you might hear expressions like meia hora for half an hour or quinze para as oito for quarter to eight. Quinze para as oito means 7:45.
Common mistake: Translating literally from English structures. For example, do not say eu sou 25 anos; say eu tenho 25 anos. Another mistake is using English-year reading for dates; 03/07/2023 is três de julho de dois mil e vinte e três, not March 7 unless context indicates otherwise.
Short practice drills
Read out loud: São oito horas, São oito e quinze, São oito e meia, São oito e quarenta e cinco.
Ask and answer: Quantos anos você tem? — Tenho vinte e oito anos.
Convert a schedule: 14:30 — quatorze horas e trinta or duas e meia da tarde.
Conclusion
Learning Portuguese numbers through age and time makes the vocabulary practical and immediately useful. Focus on cardinals, tell time patterns, and the verb ter for age. Practice with realistic phrases like asking someone’s age, booking appointments, and reading schedules. Consistent short drills with these contexts will build confidence quickly.
