0.3.3 Time

Question 1

Translate to Portuguese:

an hour

Answer 1

uma hora

In Portuguese, hora is a feminine noun. That’s why we say uma hora.

Question 2

Translate to Portuguese:

a half-hour / half an hour

Answer 2

meia hora

In this case, the adjective is meia since hora is feminine. Meia hora literally means “half hour”.

Question 3

Translate to Portuguese:

a minute

Answer 3

um minuto

Question 4

Translate to Portuguese:

two minutes & ten seconds

Answer 4

dois minutos e dez segundos

“seconds” = segundos (m.) (plural)

Singular: segundo

Question 5

Translate to Portuguese:

It’s one o’clock.

Answer 5

É uma hora.

We use uma because hora is a feminine word.

Portuguese has no word for “o’clock.” The hour is said number + hora(s) (“hours”). To be specific and say “one o’clock sharp,” you can say: É uma hora em ponto. (literally, “on the dot”).

Question 6

Translate to Portuguese:

It’s three o’clock.

Answer 6

São três horas.

When the number of hours is more than one, we use são instead of é, since “hours” is plural.

Question 7

Translate to Portuguese:

It’s five thirty.

Answer 7

São cinco e meia.

“five thirty” = cinco e meia

Literally, “it’s five and a half.” This is how Portuguese expresses half hours: “number + and + number”.

e.g., É uma e meia (“It’s one thirty”).

Question 8

Translate to Portuguese:

It’s 11 am.

Answer 8

São 11 da manhã.

Note that Brazilian Portuguese uses the military time (24-hour) clock in writing and formal contexts, while the 12-hour clock is common in everyday speech.

To avoid confusion, hours are often followed by da manhã (“of morning”), da tarde (“afternoon”), or da noite (“of evening/night”).

Question 9

Translate to Portuguese:

It’s noon.

Answer 9

É meio-dia.

Literally translates to “half day”. Meio agrees with dia, which is masculine.

Question 10

Translate to Portuguese:

It’s 12:30.

Answer 10

É meio-dia e meia.

“twelve thirty” = meio-dia e meia

Note that meia agrees with hora (feminine), even after meio-dia. Literally, meio-dia e meia translates to “midday and a half”.

Question 11

Translate to Portuguese:

It’s midnight.

Answer 11

É meia-noite.

Meia agrees with noite, which is feminine.

Question 12

Translate to Portuguese:

What time is it?

Answer 12

Que horas são?

“time” = horas

Note that in this case, hora means “time” (as if you’re saying “What hour is it?”).

There are other contexts of the English word “time” that translate differently in Portuguese, as we’ll study separately.

Question 13

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 13

Homem: Quando?

Mulher: Às quatro da tarde.

Translation:

Man: “When?”

Woman: “At 4 pm.”

Às is used to introduce clock times just like “at”, e.g., às três (“at three”).

Question 14

Translate to Portuguese:

now

Answer 14

agora

Question 15

Translate to Portuguese:

a long time

Answer 15

muito tempo

Here, “time” is used in a general sense and translates to tempo, not horas. Literally meaning: “a lot of time” / “much time”.

Question 16

Translate to Portuguese:

It’s late.

Answer 16

Está tarde.

Note that tarde works both as a noun (“afternoon”) and an adjective (“late”). It’s also common to hear: É tarde.

Question 17

Translate to Portuguese:

later

Answer 17

mais tarde

Depending on context, mais tarde may mean “later on” or “later today”.

Question 18

Translate to Portuguese:

It’s early.

Answer 18

Está cedo.

In Brazil, t’s also common to hear: É cedo.

Question 19

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 19

Mulher: Quando? Agora?

Homem: Sim, daqui a pouco.

Translation:

Woman: “When? Now?”

Man: “Yes, soon.”

Remember that daqui a pouco means “soon”.

Question 20

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 20

Mulher: Quando? Agora?

Homem: Não, mais tarde. Hoje à noite!

Translation:

Woman: “When? Now?”

Man: “No, later. Tonight!”