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How to Say ‘Are you having a nice day?’ in Portuguese

Está a passar bem o dia?

shtah ah pah-SAR BEHNG oo DEE-ah

[shtah ah pah-SAR BEHNG oo DEE-ah]

💬 Usage Tip: In Portugal, "doing something right now" is estar a plus the verb: está a passar "are you spending". Same pattern: estou a comer "I'm eating".

Phrase Breakdown

Está a passar

shtah ah pah-SAR

Are you spending / Is it going

'Estar a' plus an infinitive is how European Portuguese forms the continuous tense. 'Está' is stressed on the last syllable: 'shTÁ'. The first 'e' almost disappears.

Example

Está a passar férias no Algarve.

She's spending her holidays in the Algarve.

Words in this phrase

Está

[shtah]

are (you, formal) / is

Form of 'estar' (to be, for states) used with 'você' or formal address, or for he/she/it.

Example

O senhor está cansado?

Are you tired, sir?

[ah]

(progressive marker)

In European Portuguese, 'estar a + infinitive' means doing something right now.

Example

Estou a comer.

I am eating.

passar

[pah-SAR]

to spend; to pass

Verb meaning to pass; with time, to spend it.

Example

Vamos passar o Natal em casa.

We're going to spend Christmas at home.

bem o dia?

BEHNG oo DEE-ah

the day well?

'Bem' (well) has a nasal ending: 'bãy'. 'O dia' means 'the day'. Let your voice rise at the end for the question.

Example

Correu bem o dia?

Did the day go well?

Words in this phrase

bem

[BEHNG]

well

In a good or satisfactory way.

Example

Ele fez o trabalho muito bem.

He did the job very well.

[oo]

the

A masculine singular definite article used before nouns.

Example

O prazer de participar foi grande.

The pleasure of taking part was great.

dia

[DEE-ah]

day

A common noun meaning 'day'; it can refer to a calendar day or daily life in expressions.

Example

No dia da feira de carreiras, perguntei sobre o ambiente de trabalho.

On the day of the careers fair, I asked about the work environment.

Guides for Portuguese learners

The Portuguese You Actually Need in Your First Month in PortugalThe European Portuguese phrases for your first weeks in Portugal: paperwork, renting a flat, the bank, the health centre, cafés, trains and your new neighbours.

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