Telling time in Portuguese

To ask what time it is in Portuguese, say Que horas são? (literally “what hours are they?”). The answer starts with the verb ser, and which form you use depends on the hour.

É is for one o'clock, midday and midnight: é uma hora, é meio-dia, é meia-noite, and é uma e meia. São is for every other hour, because they are plural: são duas, são três e quinze, são onze e meia.

• Você sabe que horas são?

  Do you know what time it is?

• Que horas são aí?

  What time is it there? (on a call to another time zone)

• Tem horas?

  Have you got the time? (to a stranger)

Hours in Portuguese are feminine, because hora is: uma hora, duas horas, and on the 24-hour clock vinte e uma and vinte e duas. Minutes in Portuguese are masculine, because minuto is, so the same numbers after the hour change back: duas e vinte e um (minutos), dez e trinta e dois.

Each hour on the twelve-hour clock, and the same hour after midday on the 24-hour clock.

On the hour, add horas: são três horas. With minutes it is usually left out: são três e dez. Em ponto means “on the dot”: às oito em ponto.

• 2h21 São duas e vinte e um
• 21h São vinte e uma horas
• 22h São vinte e duas horas
• 10h32 São dez e trinta e dois

In conversation Brazilians use the twelve-hour clock and say which part of the day they mean, where English says a.m. and p.m.

• da madrugada in the small hours: from just after midnight until it gets light.

  Cheguei às 3h da madrugada.

  Said: “Cheguei às três da madrugada.”

  I got home at three in the morning.

• da manhã in the morning: from about six until midday.

  Acordo às 7h da manhã.

  Said: “Acordo às sete da manhã.”

  I wake up at seven in the morning.

• da tarde in the afternoon: from midday until it gets dark, so six o'clock is still seis da tarde.

  A reunião é às 3h da tarde.

  Said: “A reunião é às três da tarde.”

  The meeting is at three in the afternoon.

• da noite in the evening, at night: from about seven until midnight.

  O jogo começa às 9h da noite.

  Said: “O jogo começa às nove da noite.”

  The game starts at nine at night.

Schedules, tickets, invitations and TV use the 24-hour clock. In conversation the same time is said on the twelve-hour clock with da tarde or da noite: a train at 20h is às oito da noite to a friend, and às vinte horas on the station's announcement.

Brazilians write the time with an h for horas: 14h30, and 9h on the hour. 14:30 is just as common on screens and tickets; 14h30min is the formal written form. There is no a.m. or p.m.

• 14h30 São catorze e trinta
• 9h São nove horas
• 20h São vinte horas
• 18h15 São dezoito e quinze

• O voo sai às 14h30.

  Said: “O voo sai às catorze e trinta.”

  The flight leaves at 14:30.

• Aberto das 9h às 18h.

  Said: “Aberto das nove às dezoito horas.”

  Open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• A novela começa às 21h.

  Said: “A novela começa às vinte e uma horas.”

  The soap opera starts at 9 p.m.

• Chego às 20h.

  Said: “Chego às oito da noite.”

  I'll be there at eight in the evening.

To ask when something happens, say A que horas…? (in everyday Brazilian, often just Que horas…?). The answer takes às, which is a (at) and as (the hours) joined together.

• A que horas começa o filme?

  What time does the film start?

• Às três.

  At three.

• À uma.

  At one. (a + a = à: one hour, so one a)

• Ao meio-dia.

  At midday. (a + o = ao: meio-dia is masculine)

• À meia-noite.

  At midnight.

• Por volta das oito.

  At around eight.

Às and à take a grave accent (crase), because two a's have merged into one. With meio-dia, which is masculine, the a meets o and becomes ao.

Ten rounds. In one, pick the sentence that matches the clock; in the next, listen and set the clock to the time you hear. Nothing is saved.

Keep going

• Numbers in Portuguese: count from um to um milhão
• The days of the week in Portuguese
• The months in Portuguese, and how to say the date