Here’s how we refer to the present day, the day before, and the next day:
hojetoday
ontemyesterday
amanhãtomorrow
Now let’s put them into context:
Hoje é sexta(-feira) .Today is Friday.
O jogo foi ontem às quatro da tarde (16h00) .The game was yesterday at 4 (in the afternoon) .
O inverno começa amanhã.Winter starts tomorrow.
By combining the terms antesbefore and depoisafter with ontem and amanhã, you can also form expressions to refer to the day before yesterday and the day after tomorrow.
- antes + ontem = anteontem(the day) before yesterday (Note: antes de ontem is also a commonly used alternative)
A encomenda chegou anteontem.The order arrived the day before yesterday.
- depois + amanhã = depois de amanhã(the day) after tomorrow
A nossa reunião é depois de amanhã.Our meeting is the day after tomorrow.
Enjoying but finding the exact pronunciation difficult at times
you are not alone. On the algarve ei seems to be pronounced differently, that is ay rather than aye, if that makes sense.
Hi Catherine. I’ve found the same over a long time of learning. If it helps I don’t think there is such a thing as an ‘exact’ pronunciation. I live in the north of Portugal and most of the native people here pronounce things quite differently. Pronunciation even varies between different translation apps!
The thing I find challenging is how FAST people speak.
Good luck. 🙂
Exactly!
Even in these lessons the variation in pronunciation is legion.
To me the goal is to use these “baby pronunciations” to begin speaking Portuguese and be understood.
It will be a LONG TIME before we will begin to understand most Portuguese people in daily conversation, let alone the regional pronunciations.
Exactly. A wise teacher once told me that the goal is not perfection, but to be able to communicate effectively in whatever foreign language you’re learning.