meia-noite
/ˌmej.ɐˈnoj.t͡ʃi/feminine
The English phrase midnight is meia-noite in Portuguese.
meia-noite means 12 o'clock at night exactly. When you want to state the exact time, use à before meia-noite.
Meaning: 12 o'clock at night exactly (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term meia-noite literally translates to "half-night", which refers to the midpoint of the night.
Which one should you use?
While meia-noite (half-night) refers to midnight, the term meio-dia (half-day) is used to refer to noon.
How does it change in a sentence?
meia-noite is a feminine noun. It does not have a plural form when referring to the specific time of 12:00 AM. When saying "at midnight", the contraction à (a + a) is used because meia-noite is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 4 syllables, and the stress is on the 3rd syllable. The IPA is /ˌmej.ɐˈnoj.tʃi/.
Did you know?
- In Portuguese, the word meia used in meia-noite is the same word for a 'sock'.
- In some regional dialects of Brazil, people might say meia-noite e meia to mean 12:30 AM, using the word 'half' twice in one phrase.
- While meia-noite refers to the time, the expression até meia-noite is often used in Brazilian nightlife to indicate the end of 'happy hour' or specific promotional pricing.
Examples in context
- Tens até a meia-noite.You have until midnight.Tatoeba #7895895 by piterkeo, translation #2835749 by CK
- Ele chegou à meia-noite.He arrived at midnight.Tatoeba #875702 by alexmarcelo, translation #875701 by CM
- Já passou da meia-noite.It's past midnight.Tatoeba #7895889 by piterkeo, translation #2249155 by CK
- O evento irá terminar à meia-noite.The event will end at midnight.
- à meia-noite em pontoExactly at midnight
- 95 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Juliana and Felipe are planning a movie marathon.
- JulianaO filme começa à meia-noite.The movie starts at midnight.
- FelipeIsso é muito tarde para mim.That is too late for me.
- JulianaPodemos assistir a outro antes.We can watch another one before.
- FelipeTudo bem, eu aceito.All right, I agree.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “midnight” translations and entries meia-noite, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
