Hoje é segunda-feira
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Name the days of the week and the months of the year with correct lowercase spelling.
- Say today's date and ask what day or date it is.
- Use formulaic estar to say where and when something takes place.
- Use em and às to talk about days and clock times.
- Tell time using hours and half hours.
- Give and understand basic appointment and schedule information.
Communication Scenario
Camila and Marcos are comparing their weekly class schedules before deciding when to study together. Camila checks her phone calendar and reads off days, dates, and times, while Marcos matches his own schedule against hers. Neither is used to speaking Portuguese about calendars yet, so they keep the exchange short, checking each detail carefully before agreeing on a time.
- You will practice naming days, dates, and clock times in Portuguese, and using them to compare schedules with someone else.
- Days of the week and months of the year are not capitalized in Portuguese, even though they are in English, so pay attention to capitalization as new vocabulary appears.
Core Vocabulary
The words below build on Chapters 1–3. All examples remain in contemporary Brazilian Portuguese, the production model used throughout this course.
| Português | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| segunda-feira | Monday | often shortened to segunda in speech |
| terça-feira | Tuesday | often shortened to terça |
| quarta-feira | Wednesday | often shortened to quarta |
| quinta-feira | Thursday | often shortened to quinta |
| sexta-feira | Friday | often shortened to sexta |
| sábado | Saturday | no -feira ending |
| domingo | Sunday | no -feira ending |
Days of the week are lowercase in Portuguese, even at the start of a sentence about the calendar: hoje é segunda-feira, not a capitalized form.
| Português | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| janeiro, fevereiro, março | January, February, March | lowercase |
| abril, maio, junho | April, May, June | lowercase |
| julho, agosto, setembro | July, August, September | lowercase |
| outubro, novembro, dezembro | October, November, December | lowercase |
| Português | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| a hora | the hour, the time | feminine noun |
| o horário | the schedule, the timetable | masculine noun |
| a aula | the class | feminine noun |
| a reunião | the meeting | feminine noun; nasal vowel |
| o compromisso | the appointment | masculine noun |
| hoje / amanhã / ontem | today / tomorrow / yesterday | amanhã and ontem are recognition items in this chapter |
| de manhã / de tarde / de noite | in the morning / in the afternoon / at night | fixed expressions with de |
| meio-dia / meia-noite | noon / midnight | fixed expressions |
| Português | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Que horas são? | What time is it? | formulaic question |
| É uma hora. | It's one o'clock. | singular hora only for one o'clock |
| São duas horas. | It's two o'clock. | plural horas from two onward |
| São três e meia. | It's three thirty. | e meia for the half hour |
| às dez horas | at ten o'clock | às for clock time |
All vocabulary in these tables is productive: you are expected to recognize it, say it, and write it — with correct diacritics and lowercase spelling — by the end of the chapter, except where a table marks an item as recognition only.
Pronunciation: Stress in Numbers and Days
This chapter reuses the numbers from Chapter 3 for clock times and dates, and introduces compound day names built on -feira.
Words ending in -feira carry their main stress on the first part of the compound, not on -feira itself: SEgunda-feira, TERça-feira. Say the day name, then add -feira without a second strong stress.
- sábado and domingo — stress falls on the second-to-last syllable, as in most Portuguese words without a written accent.
- reunião — nasal diphthong at the end, continuing the nasal patterns from Chapter 3.
- horário — the written accent on á marks the stressed syllable directly.
Reading dates and times aloud slowly, syllable by syllable at first, helps keep the stress in the right place before speeding up.
Language Focus: Estar, Em/Às, and Time Expressions
Purpose: give days, dates, times, and basic appointment information.
4.1 Formulaic estar: hoje é / estamos em
This chapter uses only two fixed, formulaic patterns with estar, without yet teaching its full present-tense conjugation. Hoje é segunda-feira uses ser, already active since Chapter 2, to identify the day. Estamos em outubro is a fixed calendar expression meaning "it is October" (literally "we are in October"), used here as a memorized pattern rather than a productive verb form. The full present tense of estar is scheduled for a later chapter.
| Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Hoje é... | Hoje é sexta-feira. | Today is Friday. |
| Estamos em... | Estamos em outubro. | It's October. (fixed pattern) |
- Que dia é hoje? — Hoje é quarta-feira. What day is today? — Today is Wednesday.
4.2 Em and às for days and clock times
Portuguese uses different prepositions for different kinds of time. Em combines with days of the week to mean "on": na segunda-feira ("on Monday") uses the contraction na (em + a), which you will study formally as a contraction in a later chapter. Às combines with clock time to mean "at": às dez horas ("at ten o'clock"). These two patterns should not be confused, since English "at" and "on" do not map onto Portuguese the same way.
| Português | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| na segunda-feira | on + day of the week | A aula é na segunda-feira. |
| às dez horas | at + clock time | A reunião é às dez horas. |
- Minha aula de português é na terça-feira, às nove horas. My Portuguese class is on Tuesday, at nine o'clock.
4.3 Telling time
Use é only for one o'clock and são for all other hours. Add e meia for the half hour. Numbers you already know from Chapter 3 are reused here for clock times.
| Português | English |
|---|---|
| É uma hora. | It's one o'clock. |
| São quatro horas. | It's four o'clock. |
| São sete e meia. | It's seven thirty. |
| É meio-dia. | It's noon. |
Numbers above thirty and minute-by-minute time expressions are not required in this chapter; they return with prices and quantities in Chapter 9.
Model Dialogue: Que horas você tem aula?
Context: Camila and Marcos compare their weekly schedules before class.
Camila checks the calendar on her phone.
Notice não tenho compromisso, reusing ter from Chapter 3 with the negation não already active since Chapter 1.
Listening Practice
If no audio recording is available, ask a partner, instructor, or text-to-speech tool to read the lines below aloud, or read them aloud to yourself slowly.
- Listen to (or read aloud) the script above, then state the day, the month, and both times mentioned.
- Listen for na and às. Which one comes before a day of the week? Which one comes before a clock time?
- Listen for the stress pattern in quinta-feira and sexta-feira.
Speaking Practice
Prática controlada — Controlled practice: complete the sentence
Say each sentence aloud, filling the blank with your own information: Hoje é ______. (day) Minha aula de português é na ______, às ______ horas. (day, time) Eu tenho um compromisso na ______. (day)
Tarefa comunicativa — Communicative task: compare schedules
With a partner, name three things on your weekly schedule (a class, a meeting, an appointment), each with a day and a time. Your partner should ask que horas for at least one item and repeat it back to check.
Prática individual — Solo alternative
Record yourself stating today's day and month, then describing two items on your schedule with a day and a time each. Listen back and check that every day name is lowercase in your written notes.
Reading Practice
O horário de Sônia — Sônia's schedule
Hoje é terça-feira. Estamos em outubro. Sônia tem aula de português na segunda e na quarta, às oito horas. Ela tem uma reunião na sexta-feira, às onze horas. De tarde, ela não tem compromisso.
Tarefa de leitura — Reading task:
- What day and month does the passage mention?
- On which days does Sônia have Portuguese class, and at what time?
- What does Sônia have on Friday, and at what time?
Writing Workshop
Complete the following linked writing tasks in order.
Tarefa 1 — Days and months practice: Write the day that comes after each one given: segunda-feira → ______; quinta-feira → ______; sábado → ______. Then write the current month in Portuguese, in lowercase.
Tarefa 2 — Preposition practice: Choose na or às for each blank: A aula é ______ segunda-feira.; A reunião é ______ dez horas.; Eu tenho um compromisso ______ sexta-feira.
Tarefa 3 — Short written schedule: Write five short sentences describing your own weekly schedule, including at least two days, two clock times, and one appointment or class.
- Complete the days and months practice first. This checks your control of the calendar vocabulary before you write full sentences.
- Complete the preposition practice. Check every blank against whether it names a day or a clock time.
- Fill in the blank paragraph. Confirm that the day and month you choose are lowercase.
- Draft your five-sentence schedule. Keep every word within this chapter's vocabulary plus Chapters 1–3.
- Check every day, month, and time expression against the vocabulary tables. Correct any capitalization or preposition that does not match the pattern taught.
Lista de revisão — Editing checklist:
- Days of the week and months are written in lowercase.
- na is used before a day of the week, and às is used before a clock time.
- é is used only for one o'clock; são is used for all other hours.
- The formulaic patterns hoje é and estamos em are used correctly and not altered as if they were fully conjugated.
- All diacritics, including nasal vowels, are preserved.
Culture and Communication
Portuguese writes dates and calendar words differently from English. Days of the week and months are never capitalized in ordinary writing, and dates are commonly written day before month. Digital calendars and appointment apps in Brazil generally follow these same lowercase and day-first conventions, so recognizing them helps with everyday reading, not only classroom exercises.
The é/são pattern for clock time and the twelve-hour system with de manhã, de tarde, and de noite are common across Lusophone communities. Some formal, institutional, or written contexts use the twenty-four-hour clock instead; this course treats the twelve-hour spoken pattern as the standard production form for this level.
Common Mistakes
Error: Writing Segunda-feira or Outubro with a capital letter, modeled on English capitalization.
Correction: Portuguese days and months are lowercase: segunda-feira, outubro, even at the start of a sentence about the calendar unless the sentence itself begins with that word for another grammatical reason.
Error: Saying às segunda-feira or na dez horas, mixing up which preposition goes with days and which goes with clock times.
Correction: Use na with days of the week and às with clock times: na segunda-feira, às dez horas.
Error: Saying é quatro horas, using the singular form for an hour other than one o'clock.
Correction: Use é only for one o'clock and são for every other hour: são quatro horas.
Chapter Review
Parte A — Compreensão (Comprehension)
1. Return to the Model Dialogue, and answer these short questions.
- On which two days does Marcos have Portuguese class, and at what time?
- What day and time is Camila's meeting?
Parte B — Escrita (Writing)
1. Write the seven days of the week in order, in lowercase.
2. Write two sentences telling time: one for one o'clock and one for another hour.
Parte C — Leitura (Reading)
1. Return to Sônia's schedule passage in Reading Practice, and identify every day and time mentioned.
Parte D — Fala (Speaking)
1. Tell a partner today's day and month, and describe one item on your schedule with a day and a time.
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 4 Practical Check
Que horas você tem aula?: Giving Days, Dates, and Times
Complete the following connected tasks, in order, treating them as one small schedule exchange.
- Read the model dialogue and Sônia's passage. Answer the comprehension questions above before continuing.
- Prepare and deliver a spoken schedule. State today's day and month, then describe two items on your own schedule with a day and a clock time each.
- Interview a classmate or imagined partner. Ask que horas and que dia about one item on their schedule.
- Write your five-sentence schedule. Apply the editing checklist from the Writing Workshop.
- Check every day, month, and preposition. Confirm lowercase spelling and the correct choice between na and às.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Days and months | The learner names days and months accurately and in lowercase. |
| Na / às choice | The learner selects na for days and às for clock times. |
| Telling time | The learner uses é for one o'clock and são for other hours. |
| Formulaic estar | The learner uses estamos em as a fixed pattern without attempting unscheduled conjugation. |
| Diacritics and lowercase spelling | The learner preserves diacritics and lowercase day/month spelling throughout. |
This checkpoint uses only material introduced in this chapter and Chapters 1–3. No item on this rubric requires a system that has not yet been taught.
Answer Key
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Marcos has Portuguese class on Monday and Wednesday (segunda e quarta), at nine o'clock (às nove horas).
- Camila's meeting is on Friday (sexta-feira), at ten o'clock (às dez horas).
Writing
- segunda-feira, terça-feira, quarta-feira, quinta-feira, sexta-feira, sábado, domingo
- Sample: É uma hora. / São seis horas. (other accurate sentences following the same pattern are also correct)
Reading
- The passage mentions terça-feira (Tuesday) and outubro (October); Sônia has Portuguese class on Monday and Wednesday at eight o'clock, and a meeting on Friday at eleven o'clock.
Looking Ahead
O que você já sabe fazer — What you can do now
You can greet, introduce yourself, state your origin and role, and describe family and friends from Chapters 1–3, and now also give days, dates, and clock times, and share basic appointment information.