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A1 · Beginner

Telling Time & Making Plans

Ask and tell the time in European Portuguese, master 'às três horas', and make (or politely dodge) plans for the week.

📝 Vocabulary

PortugueseEnglishNotes
Que horas são?What time is it?
É uma horaIt's one o'clockSingular for 1:00 only
São três e meiaIt's half past three
São dez e um quartoIt's a quarter past ten
Meio-dia / meia-noiteNoon / midnight
Da manhã / da tarde / da noiteIn the morning / afternoon / evening
A que horas?At what time?
Às três horasAt three o'clock
Estás livre amanhã?Are you free tomorrow?Informal
Combinado!It's a deal! / Agreed!How you seal a plan

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💡 Grammar Notes

É vs. São for Time

Telling time uses ser, and the verb agrees with the hour:

  • "É uma hora." (It's one o'clock.) — singular
  • "São cinco horas." (It's five o'clock.) — plural
  • "É meio-dia." (It's noon.)

"At" a Time: à / às

To say when something happens, use à (1 o'clock) or às (everything else):

  • "A aula é à uma." (The class is at one.)
  • "Encontramo-nos às oito." (We meet at eight.)

Making Plans

The plan-making toolkit:

  • "Queres ir ao cinema?" (Do you want to go to the cinema?)
  • "Pode ser na quinta-feira?" (Could it be on Thursday?)
  • "Fica combinado." (It's settled.)

Portugal mostly uses the 24-hour clock in writing (o comboio das 15h30) but speaks in 12-hour time with da tarde / da noite for context.

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