Talking about Time by Fernanda L. Ferreira, Ph.D.
Que horas são? is the expression used to ask what time is it in Portuguese.
If you are answering about a singular time (that is, if it's a certain hour, on the dot), you should say São _____ horas. We use the verb são (are) because the noun horas (hours) is in the plural form. But between 1:00 P.M. and 1:59 P.M. you should say É uma hora plus any minutes. Also use É if the time is noon or midnight.
Here are some examples.
TRACK 45
Telling Time in Portuguese
English |
Portuguese |
It's (twelve) noon. |
É meio-dia. |
It's (twelve) midnight. |
É meia-noite. |
It's 1:00 p.m. |
É uma hora (em ponto). |
It's 2:00 p.m. |
São duas horas. |
It's 2:15 p.m. |
São duas e quinze. |
It's 2:20 p.m. |
São duas e vinte. |
It's 6:30 p.m. |
São seis e meia./São seis e trinta. |
It's 6:40 p.m. |
São vinte para as sete./São seis e quarenta. |
It's 6:45 p.m. |
São quinze para as sete./São seis e quarenta e cinco. |
Notice that it is not necessary to say horas or minutos when telling time. In order to say that it's the time “on the dot,” say em ponto. In addition, it is possible to say either “it's twenty minutes to four” or “it's three forty”; both ways are acceptable in colloquial speech. In Portuguese, speakers do not use the symbols A.M. and P.M., so they need to indicate the time of the day by using some extra words.
da manhã (in the morning)
da tarde (in the afternoon)
da noite (in the evening)
da madrugada (in the small hours of the morning)
It is also very common to use the 24-hour clock, or what is commonly known as “military time,” instead of the added phrases de manhã, da tarde, and so on, in order to avoid confusion between morning, afternoon, and evening hours. Here are some examples:
The concert starts at 2200. (O concerto começa às vinte e duas horas.
The movie starts at 3:30 P.M. (O filme começa às quinze e trinta.)
The class ends at 5:45 P.M. (A aula termina às dezessete e quarenta e cinco.)
As you can see from these examples, to say when something ends or starts you have to use the contraction às (at) plus the time. If it's one o'clock, use the singular à (at) plus the time. For example, to answer the question Quando começa a peça de teatro? (When does the play start?) a person might answer Começa às vinte horas (It starts at 8 P.M.).
