De Manhã, À Tarde, À Noite: Time-of-Day Phrases in Portuguese — Practice

Learn the three time-of-day chunks

Brazilian Portuguese commonly uses de manhã (in the morning), à tarde (in the afternoon), and à noite (in the evening or at night). Learn each as a complete phrase: the preposition changes, so translating ‘in’ word by word will not produce one repeated pattern.

De manhã is the usual general form. Many speakers also say de tarde in conversation; à tarde is also common and is a safe choice in writing. Both identify an afternoon time, with regional and personal variation.

Add a day or clock time

Put a day before the time phrase to say when something happens: na segunda-feira de manhã (on Monday morning). For a clock time, use às: às oito da manhã, às quatro da tarde, and às nove da noite.

Portuguese uses da manhã, da tarde, or da noite after the hour. In às oito, às is the contraction of a + as; learn it with the clock-time pattern.

Remember: Use de manhã, à tarde (or conversational de tarde), and à noite for broad periods. Use às + clock time + da manhã/da tarde/da noite for a specific hour.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. I work in the morning and study in the afternoon.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Trabalho de manhã e estudo à tarde.

2. We usually go for a walk in the evening.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A gente costuma caminhar à noite.

3. In the afternoon, the park gets busier.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   De tarde, o parque fica mais cheio.

4. I have a meeting on Tuesday morning.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Tenho uma reunião na terça-feira de manhã.

5. The bus leaves at six in the afternoon.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   O ônibus sai às seis da tarde.

6. Can you call me tomorrow evening?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você pode me ligar amanhã à noite?

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Use de manhã, à tarde (or conversational de tarde), and à noite for broad periods. Use às + clock time + da manhã/da tarde/da noite for a specific hour.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our De Manhã, À Tarde, À Noite: Time-of-Day Phrases in Portuguese lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.