Signification
Refers to the period between midday and evening.
Contexte culturel
The 'Boa tarde' greeting starts exactly at 12:00 PM, even if you haven't had lunch yet. In some regions, 'de tarde' is used more often in speech than 'à tarde'. Afternoon tea (lanche) is a significant tradition. People often meet 'à tarde' specifically for this meal around 4:00 PM or 5:00 PM. In African Lusophone countries, 'à tarde' is often the time when the community gathers after the peak midday heat has passed.
The Crase Rule
If you are talking about a time of day (morning, afternoon, night), morning uses 'de', but afternoon and night use 'à'.
Don't forget the accent
In written Portuguese, omitting the crase in 'à tarde' is a very common spelling error even for natives, but it's grammatically incorrect.
Signification
Refers to the period between midday and evening.
The Crase Rule
If you are talking about a time of day (morning, afternoon, night), morning uses 'de', but afternoon and night use 'à'.
Don't forget the accent
In written Portuguese, omitting the crase in 'à tarde' is a very common spelling error even for natives, but it's grammatically incorrect.
Professionalism
In business emails, always use 'à tarde' or 'no período da tarde' to sound more professional than 'de tarde'.
Teste-toi
Choose the correct form to say 'I work in the afternoon'.
Eu trabalho ___.
The expression 'à tarde' requires the grave accent (crase).
Complete the sentence with the correct time expression.
Não gosto de acordar cedo, prefiro estudar ____.
The context of 'not waking up early' implies the afternoon.
Match the time to the expression.
15:00
15:00 (3 PM) is in the afternoon.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Você está livre hoje? B: Sim, estou livre ___.
The adverbial phrase of time needs the crase.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Formal vs Informal
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesEu trabalho ___.
The expression 'à tarde' requires the grave accent (crase).
Não gosto de acordar cedo, prefiro estudar ____.
The context of 'not waking up early' implies the afternoon.
15:00
15:00 (3 PM) is in the afternoon.
A: Você está livre hoje? B: Sim, estou livre ___.
The adverbial phrase of time needs the crase.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
6 questionsBoth are correct! 'À tarde' is more formal and standard, while 'de tarde' is very common in informal Brazilian Portuguese.
It's a contraction of the preposition 'a' (at) and the article 'a' (the). The accent (crase) shows they combined.
Exactly at 12:00 PM. As soon as the clock hits noon, you say 'Boa tarde'.
Usually only if you specify which afternoon, like 'na tarde de sábado' (on Saturday afternoon).
No, 'late' is 'tarde' or 'atrasado'. 'À tarde' only refers to the time of day.
On most keyboards, hold the 'a' key or use the backtick key (`) followed by 'a'.
Expressions liées
De manhã
contrastIn the morning
À noite
contrastAt night
Boa tarde
builds onGood afternoon
Tarde demais
similarToo late
