que horas
/ki ˈɔ.ɾɐs/word by word
In Portuguese, 'what time' is said as que horas.
This phrase is used to ask for the current time of day. When responding to a question about the time, speakers often omit the word 'horas' for brevity and simply say the number, such as São três.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase que horas literally translates to 'what hours'.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are asking about a scheduled event (for example, 'At what time does it close?'), you must use the preposition 'a' before the phrase, resulting in a que horas.
How do you pronounce it?
The phrase consists of 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable: /ki ˈɔ.ɾɐs/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the singular verb é when asking for the time, such as in the incorrect phrase Que horas é? Instead, always use the plural são.
Did you know?
- The word que in que horas shares a common ancestor with the English word 'who', both tracing back to the same Proto-Indo-European root.
- In some regional dialects of Portugal, you might hear the phrase quantas horas são?, using the word for 'how many' instead of 'what'.
- While que horas asks for the clock time, using the word tempo instead of horas changes the meaning to 'weather' or 'duration'.
Examples in context
- Que horas são lá?What time is it there?This sentence shows how to ask for the time in a different location using que horas.Tatoeba #3074559 by carlosalberto, translation #1169543 by cruzedu73
- A que horas fecha?What time does it close?This sentence uses the prepositional form a que horas to ask about a scheduled event.Tatoeba #892292 by alexmarcelo, translation #24546 by CK
- Que horas devo vir?What time shall I come?This sentence demonstrates asking for a specific time to arrive using que horas.Tatoeba #1571840 by paula_guisard, translation #24594 by CK
- Que horas são, por favor?What time is it, please?
- Desculpe-me, mas você poderia me dizer as horas?Excuse me, could you tell me the time?
- Que horas são?What time is it?
- Você sabe que horas são?Do you know what time it is?
- São três horas.It's three o'clock.
- São nove e meia.It's half past nine.
- São duas e quinze.It's two fifteen.
- 332 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Juliana are at a bus stop.
- GabrielJuliana, que horas são?Juliana, what time is it?
- JulianaSão exatamente três horas.It is exactly three o'clock.
- GabrielO ônibus passa que horas?What time does the bus pass?
- JulianaEle passa daqui a pouco.It passes in a little bit.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (que, horas) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
