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How to Say ‘It was for half past eight’ in Portuguese

Era para as oito e meia

EH-rah PAH-ruh azh OY-too ee MAY-uh

[EH-rah PAH-ruh azh OY-too ee MAY-uh]

💬 Usage Tip: Times take as "the" because horas "hours" is understood: as oito "eight o'clock". Era "it was" softens a confirmation politely, the same way English says "it was for..." about a future booking.

Phrase Breakdown

Era para

EH-rah PAH-ruh

It was for

Using 'era' (past tense) is a polite, softened way to refer to a booking. 'Para' often sounds like 'pra'.

Example

Era para hoje.

It was for today.

Words in this phrase

Era

[EH-rah]

it was

Imperfect past of 'ser' (to be), third person singular.

Example

Era uma casa bonita.

It was a pretty house.

para

[PAH-ruh]

for

Preposition used to show who something matters to.

Example

Este tipo de ambiente é ideal para quem gosta de colaborar.

This type of environment is ideal for someone who likes collaborating.

as oito e meia

azh OY-too ee MAY-uh

half past eight

Link 'as oito' with a 'z' sound: 'a-zoito'. 'E meia' means 'and a half'. Say 'MEI-a'.

Example

O filme começa às oito e meia.

The film starts at half past eight.

Words in this phrase

as

[azh]

the

Plural feminine definite article, used before feminine plural nouns.

Example

As pessoas parecem abertas a perguntas no evento.

The people seem open to questions at the event.

oito

[OY-too]

eight

The number 8; with 'as' it refers to eight o'clock.

Example

Chegamos às oito.

We arrive at eight.

e

[ee]

and

A simple connector joining two qualities or ideas.

Example

Procuro um ambiente aberto e humano.

I am looking for an open and human environment.

meia

[MAY-uh]

half

Feminine form of 'meio'; used for 'half past' when telling the time.

Example

É uma e meia.

It's half past one.

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