In Brazilian Portuguese, we say the date in the format: day + de + month + de + year. Notice that the day precedes the month. For example, we say:
There are some other differences between Brazilian Portuguese and English when talking about dates as well. For instance, did you know that in Brazilian Portuguese we don't capitalize months and days of the week? If you want to learn more about date-related expressions in Brazilian Portuguese, like how to talk about longer time periods like decades and centuries, how to discuss important holidays, or how to use the most important adverbs and prepositions related to dates, keep reading this post!
How to say and write the date in Brazilian Portuguese?
To say and write the date in Brazilian Portuguese, we use the format day / month / year, with each element connected by the preposition de meaning from, of.
Including the word dia meaning day is optional, as you can see in the example above. Adding it brings a slightly more formal tone to the sentence.
When writing the date, we can also use only numbers to express a date, as long as we keep the same format of day / month / year.
Now let's see how to talk more specifically about days, months, and years!
How to say the days of the week in Brazilian Portuguese?
See the days of the week in Brazilian Portuguese below and notice that they are not capitalized the way they are in English:
domingo meaning Sunday
segunda-feira meaning Monday
terça-feira meaning Tuesday
quarta-feira meaning Wednesday
quinta-feira meaning Thursday
sexta-feira meaning Friday
sábado meaning Saturday
The “working days” are Monday to Friday (segunda a sexta). These are known as the dias úteis, and the names of all of these days are feminine words These days are each composed of an ordinal number followed by the word feira.
In everyday language, it is very common to omit the word feira meaning fair from the working days.
João não vai ao trabalho na quinta(-feira).Translation: João does not go to work on Thursday.We normally use the full name in formal work situations or for making appointments. In more informal situations, or if you are speaking with friends or family, it's more common to use the abbreviation quinta.
We can also indicate the days of the week (but never weekends) with the symbols ᵃ/ᵃˢ for feminine ordinal numbers.
Teremos reunião na 2a, 4a e 6a. Na 3a e na 5a, trabalharemos de casa.Translation: We will have a meeting on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday we will work from home.The “weekend” is the fim de semana, and it includes Saturday and Sunday (sábado e domingo, which are both masculine words). In Brazilian Portuguese, domingo meaning Sunday is considered the first day of the week, which is why the day after Sunday is called segunda-feira.
How to describe something that regularly happens on a certain day of the week?
To talk about an activity that regularly happens on a certain day of the week, we say the day of the week in its plural form, preceded by the contraction of the preposition a + plural definite article. For example:
- Roberta estuda português às terças-feiras.Translation: Roberta studies Portuguese on Tuesdays.
- Rodrigo visita a família aos sábados.Translation: Rodrigo visits his family on Saturdays.
This means that you will use àsis used for working days, as they are feminine nouns, and aos for for sábado meaning Saturday and domingo meaning Sunday, as they are masculine.
How to say the days of the month in Brazilian Portuguese?
In Brazilian Portuguese, we use cardinal numbers (one, two, three, ...) to refer to the day of the month. This is different from English, which uses ordinal numbers (first, second, third).
OR
It's common to add the word dia meaning day if you only mention the day, as in the example above.
It’s important to know the numbers when talking about dates, so take a closer look at our post about numbers in Brazilian Portuguese for a quick refresher!
How to talk about the months in Brazilian Portuguese?
The Brazilian Portuguese word for “month” is mês (plural: meses), and you can see the name of each of the months in the chart below. You’ll see that the names of the months are similar to those used in many other languages!
janeiro Translation: January | fevereiro Translation: February | março Translation: March | abril Translation: April | maio Translation: May | junho Translation: June |
julho Translation: July | agosto Translation: August | setembro Translation: September | outubro Translation: October | novembro Translation: November | dezembro Translation: December |
Just like in English, in Brazilian Portuguese we most often use em meaning in before the name of a month to describe something that happens during that month.
It’s difficult to talk about the months of the year without also talking about as estações do ano meaning the seasons of the year! Let’s take a look at how to say the four seasons in Brazilian Portuguese, as well as when they occur:
| Season | Months |
|---|---|
a primavera Translation: spring | setembro a novembro Translation: September to November |
o verão Translation: summer | dezembro a fevereiro Translation: December to February |
o outono Translation: autumn | março a maio Translation: March to May |
o inverno Translation: winter | junho a agosto Translation: June to August |
All the seasons are masculine nouns, except for a primavera meaning spring.
To review the months and seasons of the year in Brazilian Portuguese, check out our handy chart!
How to say the years in Brazilian Portuguese?
In Brazilian Portuguese, we typically say the year as a four-digit number. We use the conjunction e meaning and between the number in the hundreds place, tens place, and ones place, but we don't use the e meaning and between thousands and hundreds. For example:
- 1852:mil oitocentos e cinquenta e doisTranslation: one thousand eight hundred fifty twoLiterally: one thousand eight hundred and fifty and two
- 1990:mil novecentos e noventaTranslation: one thousand nine hundred ninetyLiterally: one thousand nine hundred and ninety
We could also add the word ano meaning year to the name of the year, but this brings a more formal tone to the answer. In everyday language, it's more common to omit the word ano.
Similar to English, when the century is already implied in the conversation, you can abbreviate it:
How to talk about decades, centuries, and millennia in Brazilian Portuguese?
The rules for naming decades, centuries, and millenia are a bit different in Brazilian Portuguese than in English. Here are the rules:
Decades:
In Brazilian Portuguese, the word década meaning decade refers to a period of 10 years. Anytime you want to refer to a decade in particular, you can do so by saying década de + starting year of the decade, as below:
Patrícia adora escutar música da década de 80.Translation: Patrícia loves listening to music from the 80s.It’s even more common to use the expression os anos 80 meaning the 80s to refer to the same period:
Patrícia adora escutar música dos anos 80.Translation: Patrícia loves listening to music from the 80s.Centuries:
The most common way to refer to a century in Brazilian Portuguese is by using the word século meaning century followed by Roman numerals.
- Muitos italianos imigraram para o Brasil no início do século XIX.Translation: Many Italians immigrated to Brazil in the early 19th century.
- A Internet surgiu no século XX.Translation: The internet emerged in the 20th century.
Notice that, unlike in English, these Roman numerals are read as cardinal numbers, not ordinal numbers:
século XIX → século dezenoveTranslation: the 19th century → (lit.) the nineteen centuryMillennia:
To name a milênio meaning millenium in Brazilian Portuguese, just put the appropriate ordinal number before the word milênio.
- Muitas civilizações foram fundadas no primeiro milênio.Translation: Many civilizations were founded in the first millennium.
- A industrialização surgiu no segundo milênio.Translation: Industrialization emerged in the second millennium.
How to use prepositions to introduce dates in Brazilian Portuguese?
In Brazilian Portuguese, we often use the prepositions of time em meaning in, on, at, para meaning for, and de… a meaning from... to to introduce dates into a sentence.
Let’s look at each one individually.
How to use ‘em’ to introduce dates?
You can use the preposition em to introduce the exact day when something occurs, as you might use “on” in English.
You can also use em before the month or year when something occurs (as you might use “in” in English).
- O Carnaval é em fevereiro.Translation: Carnival is in February.You may know that Carnival is a very important holiday in Brazil, but do you know how to say the name of other holidays? Check out our list of Brazilian Portuguese holidays!
- Gisele morou na França em 2019.Translation: Gisele lived in France in 2019.
How to use ‘para’ to talk about dates?
You may also see the preposition para meaning for to introduce a projected date or deadline, much like you might use “for” in English:
- A reunião está programada para o dia 10 de maio.Translation: The meeting is scheduled for May 10.
- O show foi marcado para o dia 20 de julho.Translation: The concert was scheduled for July 20th.
How to use ‘de… a’ with dates?
Sometimes we want to say the duration of an event or an action. In this case, we typically use the construction de… a… meaning from... to.... For example:
- A loja está aberta de segunda a sábado.Translation: The store is open from Monday to Saturday.
- Os alunos estarão de férias de junho a agosto.Translation: Students will be on vacation from June to August.
We could also use the same structure to refer to the days of the month and years.
How to use adverbs of time to talk about dates in Brazilian Portuguese?
There are several adverbs that can be used to refer to dates, days of the week, months, and years to more precisely indicate when an action or event occurs.
- Hoje é sexta!Translation: Today is Friday!
- Patrícia terminará o mestrado no ano que vem.Translation: Patrícia will finish her master's degree next year.
Take a look at this list with other useful adverbs to express dates!
In summary
When talking about dates in Brazilian Portuguese, keep these tips in mind:
We say dates in Brazilian Portuguese by using the format "day + month + year" connected by the preposition de meaning from, of.
Use cardinal numbers (1, 2, 3, …) to refer to dates in Brazilian Portuguese.
Months and days of the week are not capitalized, unless they are at the beginning of a sentence.
Década meaning decade, século meaning century, and milênio meaning millennium are words related to years.
The most common preposition for introducing a date em meaning in, on, at or its contractions no, na, nos, nas meaning in the, but the prepositions and para meaning for and de... a meaning from... to can also be used.
There are also some adverbs that can indicate precisely when an action or event occurs.
Are you ready to practice what you learned about saying dates?
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