hoje à tardinha
The English phrase 'tonight' can be translated into Portuguese as hoje à tardinha or hoje à noitinha.
Meaning: during today's evening (adv)
Ways to say it
| Portuguese |
|---|
| hoje à tardinha |
| hoje à noitinha |
These phrases are used to refer to the evening hours of the current day. While esta noite is a noun phrase meaning 'nighttime today', the forms hoje à tardinha and hoje à noitinha function as adverbial expressions.
Which one should you use?
hoje à tardinha refers to the late afternoon, whereas hoje à noitinha refers to the early evening or the onset of night (literally 'today at the little night').
Related words
Did you know?
- In Brazil, using the -inha ending in noitinha can subtly imply that the speaker wants to keep the plan casual or low-pressure, rather than a formal 'night out'.
- The word hoje is a cognate of the French word hui. While hoje is used daily in Portuguese, hui has become archaic in modern French and is mostly found in old idioms.
- The suffixes in tardinha and noitinha are diminutive markers. In this context, they do not make the time 'smaller' but instead add a sense of coziness, affection or informality to the evening.
Examples in context
- Tenho uma reunião importante esta noite.I have an important meeting tonight.
- Vamos ao cinema hoje à noite?Shall we go to the movies tonight?
- Vamos sair para dançar hoje de noite?Shall we go out dancing tonight?
Example conversation
Rodrigo and Camila are planning their evening.
- RodrigoVocê está livre hoje à tardinha?Are you free tonight?
- CamilaSim, por que você quer perguntar?Yes, why do you ask?
- RodrigoEu queria ir ao cinema hoje à tardinha.I wanted to go to the movies tonight.
- CamilaTudo bem, eu vou com você!Alright, I'll go with you!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tonight” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hoje, noitinha, tardinha, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
