Asking and Telling Time

In Portugal, the 12-hour format is used in casual conversations, but the 24-hour clock appears in formal settings like public transport schedules and professional environments. It runs from 00:00 to 23:59, reducing confusion by eliminating the need for AM and PM distinctions.

The time is often written with an ‘h’ for hours, like 12h30 or 10h15. You might see it written as just 2h if it's exactly on the hour.

Before diving into telling time, it's useful to be familiar with the key time-related vocabulary:

• O(s) segundo(s) - the second(s)
• O(s) minuto(s) - the minute(s)
• A(s) hora(s) - the hour(s)
• O quarto [de hora] - the quarter [of an hour]
• A meia [hora] - the half [hour]

Asking for the Time

There are different ways to ask this question. Here are the most common:

• ⌚ Que horas são? (What time is it?)
• ⏱️ Tem horas? / Tens horas? (Do you have the time [formal] / [informal]?)

Telling the Time

To answer the question, we use the verb ‘ser’ (to be):

• We use ‘é’ when referring to ‘uma’ (one), ‘meio-dia’ (midday, noon), and ‘meia-noite’ (midnight).
  • 🕐 É uma hora. (It’s one o’clock.)
  • É meio-dia. (It’s midday.)
  • É meia-noite. (It’s midnight.)
• We use ‘são’ for all the others.
  • São duas horas. (It’s two o’clock.)
  • São cinco horas. (It’s five o’clock.)

Past

To indicate minutes past the hour, we state the hour, followed by ‘e’ (and) and the minutes.

• É uma e vinte. (It's twenty past one.)
• São três e dez. (It's ten past three.)
• … e meia (... and half / half past)
  • É uma e meia. (It's half past one.)
  • São duas e meia. (It's half past two.)
• … e um quarto (...and a quarter / quarter past )

• 🛏️ É uma e um quarto. (It's a quarter past one.)
• 🛏️ São duas e um quarto. (It’s a quarter past two.)

To

To indicate the minutes before the hour, we use two methods: One states the hour followed by 'menos' (minus) and then mentions the minutes remaining until the hour.

• São três menos vinte. (Literally: ‘Are three minus twenty,’ meaning ‘It's twenty to three.’)
• 🛏️ São duas menos um quarto. (Literally: ‘Are two minus a quarter,’ meaning ‘It's a quarter to two.’)

Alternatively, you can mention how much time is left until the hour.

• São vinte para as três. (It's twenty to [the] three.)
• 🛏️ É um quarto para as duas. (It's a quarter to [the] two.)

Asking at what time something it is

• 🕐 A que horas…? (At what time…?)
  • 🩺 A que horas é a consulta? (At what time is the appointment?)
  • 🎼 A que horas começam os concertos? (At what time do the concerts start?)

To say ‘at’ what time something happens, we use contractions of the preposition ‘a’ (at) with different forms of the article ‘the.’

1. À [a + a]
   • With 'uma' (one) and 'meia-noite' (midnight), since they are feminine singular words.
     • 🚶♂️ Saio do trabalho à meia-noite. (I leave work at [the] midnight.)
     • 🍴 Hoje almoço à uma. (Today, I have lunch at [the] one.)
2. Ao [a + o]
   • With 'meio-dia' (midday), because it is a masculine singular word.
     • 🦷 Ao meio-dia tenho dentista. (I have a dentist appointment at [the] midday.)
3. Às [a + as]
   • With all other numbers.
     • ⚽ Às oito vai dar futebol na televisão. (At [the] eight, there will be football on TV.)
     • 🏋️♂️ Às sete e meia tenho treino. (I have training at [the] half past seven.)

Specifying a period of the day

In informal settings, we typically use the 12-hour clock, and if needed, we specify the time of day as morning, afternoon, or evening/night.

• Da manhã (of/in the morning)
  • ☀️ São dez da manhã. (It’s ten in the morning.)
  • 🤕 Acordei à uma da manhã com dores de barriga. (I woke up at one in the morning with stomach pain.)

• Da tarde (of/in the afternoon)
  • 🕓 São quatro da tarde. (It’s four in the afternoon.)
  • 🕕 Encontramo-nos às seis da tarde. (We meet at six in the afternoon.)
• Da noite (of/in the evening or night)
  • 💤 Costumamos ir para a cama às onze da noite. (We usually go to bed at eleven at night.)

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