Introduction
Many learners of Brazilian Portuguese struggle with expressing future time because there are several natural ways to say when something will happen. Two common alternatives are Daqui a and Em. Both refer to future moments, but they differ in nuance, structure, and frequency of use in Brazilian Portuguese. This article explains the rules, gives clear examples, and highlights typical usage in Brazil.
- Overview: Daqui a and Em
- When to use Daqui a
- When to use Em
- Direct comparison: when both work
- Grammatical structures with verbs
- Time expressions that pair naturally with each phrase
- Regional and colloquial usage in Brazil
- Special case: futuro composto and temporal clauses
- Common mistakes and how to avoid them
- Tips for learners
- Real-life examples from Brazilian contexts
- Summary table (in words)
- Conclusion
Overview: Daqui a and Em
Both Daqui a and Em can introduce a future time expression. Use them to say how soon something will occur. The main difference is perspective: Daqui a emphasizes a span of time counted from now, while Em is more general and can refer to a point in the future or a duration until that point.
Basic forms and literal meaning
Daqui a literally means from here to, but in practice it means from now a certain amount of time later. It always expresses a time interval starting at the present moment. Example words that follow are minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years.
Em translates to in or on in English. It can be used for points in time, months, years, future days, or after certain durations. Em is more neutral and flexible than Daqui a.
When to use Daqui a
Use Daqui a when you want to stress that something will happen after a specific interval counted from now. Think of it as now plus some time. It often appears with numerical expressions and time units.
Common time units with Daqui a
Common combinations include:
daqui a 5 minutos
daqui a uma hora
daqui a dois dias
daqui a três semanas
daqui a um mês
daqui a cinco anos
Examples and explanation
Daqui a cinco minutos, começamos a reunião.
Explanation: The meeting starts five minutes from now. The emphasis is on the interval of five minutes starting at this moment.
Vou sair daqui a uma hora.
Explanation: I will leave one hour from now.
O show começa daqui a duas semanas.
Explanation: The show starts two weeks from now. The speaker counts forward from the present.
Usage notes
Daqui a is very common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese, especially in informal contexts. It sounds natural when scheduling near-future events or estimating short waiting times. For longer, uncertain futures, speakers may prefer other constructions.
When to use Em
Em is used to indicate a point or period in the future without the strong deictic sense of now. Use Em for months, years, days of the week, or when you refer to a future point that is not expressed as an interval from the present.
Common time units with Em
Typical combinations are:
em 10 minutos
em uma hora
em dois dias
em março
em 2025
em uma semana
Examples and explanation
Chego em 10 minutos.
Explanation: I arrive in 10 minutes. This is a neutral statement about the future time point without explicitly counting from this exact moment, though that is understood.
Vamos viajar em julho.
Explanation: We will travel in July. Use of em with months is standard.
A reunião será em dois dias.
Explanation: The meeting will be in two days. This is a typical form for scheduled events.
Usage notes
Em can sometimes be interchangeable with daqui a, especially for short intervals, but it often sounds more formal or neutral. Native speakers may choose one over the other based on rhythm, emphasis, or regional preference.
Direct comparison: when both work
Many sentences accept either daqui a or em with no major change in meaning. The nuance is subtle: daqui a stresses the counting-from-now perspective, while em simply gives the future moment.
Interchangeable examples
Vou sair daqui a meia hora.
Vou sair em meia hora.
Both mean I will leave in half an hour. Use depends on emphasis and personal style.
O jogo começa daqui a duas horas.
O jogo começa em duas horas.
Both are correct; daqui a might feel slightly more immediate.
When they are not interchangeable
Some contexts favor one preposition strongly. Use daqui a when the present moment is the clear starting point and you want to highlight the interval. Use em for months, years, weekdays, and fixed calendar points.
Vou me aposentar em 2040.
You would not normally say daqui a 2040 for a calendar year; that would be confusing because it implies counting from now to the year 2040 as an interval.
Grammatical structures with verbs
Both daqui a and em are followed by a time expression and then a verb phrase. Brazilian Portuguese commonly uses present tense to talk about near future, or the future tense for more distant or formal contexts.
Present tense for scheduled near future
A aula começa em 20 minutos.
Notice the present indicative começa used to describe a scheduled start.
Daqui a pouco, ele vem.
Here pouco means a short time; present tense vem describes the near future action.
Futuro do presente (future tense)
Ele chegará em duas horas.
This uses the future tense chegará for a future event. Using future tense adds formality or distance.
Daqui a um ano, estaremos morando no exterior.
Estaremos is the future subjunctive of estar, used here to describe a future situation.
Time expressions that pair naturally with each phrase
Certain adverbs and expressions collocate more naturally with either daqui a or em. Memorizing these patterns helps fluency.
Natural with daqui a
um minuto, meia hora, uma hora, dois dias, três semanas, um mês, cinco anos, pouco, já, logo
Examples:
Daqui a pouco volto.
Daqui a uma semana teremos novidades.
Natural with em
um minuto, meia hora, uma hora, dois dias, janeiro, março, 2026, amanhã, terça-feira
Examples:
Em janeiro, volto ao Brasil.
A festa será em terça-feira.
Regional and colloquial usage in Brazil
Brazilian Portuguese is diverse. In conversational Brazilian Portuguese, speakers often prefer shorter, more direct expressions. Both daqui a and em appear frequently, but some regions or age groups may favor one.
Informal speech
In informal contexts, people use contractions and short phrases. Daqui a pouco becomes daqui a pouco or daqui a pouco mesmo, while em meia hora is spoken as em meia hora or daqui meia hora in very casual speech, though the latter is less standard.
Formal and written Portuguese
For formal written Portuguese, em with structured time expressions is common. Legal, academic, and formal announcements often use em + date or em + period. Daqui a is less common in formal writing unless the text emphasizes immediacy.
Special case: futuro composto and temporal clauses
When combining future time expressions with subordinate clauses, Brazilian Portuguese uses the future subjunctive for actions dependent on future conditions. The choice between daqui a and em affects the clause structure.
Future subjunctive examples
Daqui a um mês, quando eu estiver de férias, vou viajar.
Explanation: The clause quando eu estiver de férias uses the future subjunctive because it refers to a future condition.
Em dois anos, se ele conseguir o emprego, mudaremos para São Paulo.
Here se ele conseguir uses the present subjunctive or future subjunctive structure depending on nuance; the whole sentence deals with future contingencies.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Beginners often confuse the perspective or use literal translations from English. Common errors include using daqui a with calendar years or using em where emphasis on counting from now is important.
Mistake 1: Daqui a with a calendar year
Incorrect: Vou me aposentar daqui a 2040.
Correct: Vou me aposentar em 2040.
Reason: Use em for calendar years and dates.
Mistake 2: Overusing em for immediacy
Less natural: Em cinco minutos, volto.
More natural: Daqui a cinco minutos, volto.
Reason: For immediate intervals, daqui a often sounds more natural in spoken Portuguese.
Mistake 3: Literal translations from English
Incorrect: From now five minutes I’ll arrive.
Correct Portuguese: Daqui a cinco minutos eu chego. or Chego em cinco minutos.
Reason: Portuguese prefers specific prepositions and idiomatic expressions; translate meaning, not words.
Tips for learners
Practice listening to native speakers in different contexts. Notice which form appears in conversations, news, and announcements. Pay attention to months and years with em and short intervals with daqui a. Also try to internalize the present tense for scheduled events and the future tense for more distant plans.
Quick reference
Use daqui a when you want to emphasize an interval counted from now. Use em for months, years, weekdays, dates, and neutral future points. For short intervals both often work, with subtle differences in emphasis.
Real-life examples from Brazilian contexts
Public announcements, transportation, and everyday conversation illustrate typical usage.
Bus announcement: O ônibus sai em cinco minutos.
This is a neutral, informational use with em.
Friend: Daqui a pouco a gente chega.
A casual conversation emphasizing immediacy uses daqui a pouco.
TV news: Em 2024, as eleições acontecerão em outubro.
Formal reporting uses em with the year and month.
Summary table (in words)
Daqui a = from now + interval. Em = in/on or at a future point. Both can be used for short intervals but remember to use em with calendar dates and years. Choose based on emphasis: immediacy and counting-from-now for daqui a; neutrality and calendar points for em.
Conclusion
Mastering the difference between Daqui a and Em will help you sound more natural in Brazilian Portuguese. Use daqui a to count intervals from the present and to convey immediacy. Use em for neutral future points, months, years, and formal contexts. Listening to native speech and practicing common expressions will make choosing the right phrase feel intuitive.
