Time adverbs (advérbios de tempo) tell you when an action happens. In Portuguese, the category is built around a small core — hoje, ontem, amanhã, agora, já, ainda, sempre, nunca, cedo, tarde — plus a family of useful phrases (há pouco, daqui a pouco, entretanto, de vez em quando).
The core list is short and memorable. What makes time adverbs tricky for English speakers is not the vocabulary but the semantics: já is one of the most polyvalent words in Portuguese, ainda does not map one-to-one with "still" or "yet," and logo in PT-PT usually means "later today" rather than "immediately." Getting these three right is a huge part of sounding natural.
The core time adverbs
| Adverb | Main meaning | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| hoje | today | Hoje está calor. — It's hot today. |
| ontem | yesterday | Ontem choveu. — It rained yesterday. |
| amanhã | tomorrow | Amanhã vou ao Porto. — Tomorrow I'm going to Porto. |
| anteontem | day before yesterday | Vi-o anteontem. — I saw him the day before yesterday. |
| depois de amanhã | day after tomorrow | Partimos depois de amanhã. — We leave the day after tomorrow. |
| agora | now, right now | Estou a jantar agora. — I'm having dinner now. |
| já | already / now / right away / no longer (in já não) | Já acabei. — I've already finished. |
| ainda | still / yet (in ainda não) | Ainda estou aqui. — I'm still here. |
| logo | later (PT-PT: often "later today") | Vemo-nos logo! — See you later! |
| depois | afterwards, later | Falamos depois. — We'll talk later. |
| antes | before, earlier | Chegou antes de mim. — He arrived before me. |
| cedo | early | Acordo cedo. — I wake up early. |
| tarde | late | Cheguei tarde. — I arrived late. |
| sempre | always | Sempre gostei de música. — I've always liked music. |
| nunca | never | Nunca lá fui. — I've never been there. |
| jamais | never (emphatic, literary) | Jamais o esquecerei. — I'll never forget him. |
| entretanto | meanwhile | Entretanto, preparei o jantar. — Meanwhile, I made dinner. |
The three tricky ones: já, ainda, logo
Já — the Swiss-army-knife adverb
Já is the single most polyvalent time word in Portuguese. It shifts meaning with tense and with what follows it.
Meaning 1: already (with a completed action)
Já jantei, obrigado.
I've already had dinner, thanks.
Já viste o novo filme do Almodóvar?
Have you already seen the new Almodóvar film?
Meaning 2: right now / right away (with a present or future action — urgency)
Já vou!
I'm coming right now!
Vem cá, já!
Come here, right now!
Já te ligo.
I'll call you right back.
Meaning 3: no longer (in já não)
Já não moro em Lisboa — mudei-me para o Porto.
I no longer live in Lisbon — I moved to Porto.
Ele já não trabalha aqui.
He doesn't work here anymore.
Meaning 4: since, given that (in the connector já que)
Meaning 5: emphasis marker
Isto já é demais!
This is really too much!
Ainda — still, yet, even
Ainda is lingering — the other side of já's anticipatory force.
Meaning 1: still
Ele ainda está a dormir.
He's still asleep.
Ainda vives no mesmo apartamento?
Do you still live in the same apartment?
Meaning 2: yet (in ainda não)
Ainda não jantei.
I haven't had dinner yet.
O comboio ainda não chegou.
The train hasn't arrived yet.
Meaning 3: even (intensifier — comparative or additional)
Ela é alta, mas o irmão é ainda mais alto.
She's tall, but her brother is even taller.
Ainda por cima, estava a chover!
On top of that, it was raining!
Meaning 4: again, also (less common, slightly literary)
Ainda ontem o vi no café.
Just yesterday I saw him at the café.
Já vs Ainda — the axis of anticipation
The easiest way to feel the contrast is to put them against each other:
Já chegaste? — Ainda não.
Have you arrived yet? — Not yet.
Já comeste? — Não, ainda estou a cozinhar.
Have you eaten? — No, I'm still cooking.
Já não como carne. Ainda não percebi a pergunta.
I no longer eat meat. I haven't understood the question yet.
Já looks forward to a completion (has it happened yet, has it finally arrived). Ainda looks sideways at a continuation (is it still going, is it not yet here). In negative sentences, they are mirror images: já não = no longer; ainda não = not yet.
Logo — a false friend for English speakers
In PT-PT, logo most often means later today or in a bit — not "immediately" (that is imediatamente or já). The farewell Até logo! or Vemo-nos logo! implies "we'll see each other later today."
Vemo-nos logo à noite.
See you later tonight.
Liga-me logo, quando tiveres tempo.
Call me later, when you have time.
Logo!
Bye, see you later! (very common informal farewell)
Logo can also work as a connector meaning "therefore, consequently," especially in formal or logical contexts: Penso, logo existo (I think, therefore I am). This is a carryover from Latin.
Não tinha dinheiro, logo não pôde comprar o bilhete.
He had no money, therefore he couldn't buy the ticket.
And logo que is a conjunction meaning "as soon as":
Logo que chegares, liga-me.
As soon as you arrive, call me.
Useful time phrases
Immediacy
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| agora mesmo | right now, this instant |
| neste momento | at this moment |
| agora há pouco | just now, a moment ago |
| há pouco | a little while ago |
| há bocado | a little while ago (colloquial PT-PT) |
| daqui a pouco | in a little while (from now) |
| daqui a bocado | in a little while (from now, colloquial) |
Agora mesmo! Não posso esperar mais.
Right now! I can't wait any longer.
Há bocado vi a Marta no mercado.
A little while ago I saw Marta at the market.
Daqui a pouco vou sair.
I'll be going out in a little while.
Entretanto — the PT-PT sense
In PT-PT, entretanto primarily means meanwhile, in the meantime. (In PT-BR, entretanto is more often used for "however.") Do not confuse them.
Vou começar a cozinhar; entretanto, põe a mesa.
I'll start cooking; meanwhile, you set the table.
Voltei para casa para ir buscar o casaco. Entretanto, começou a chover.
I went back home to get my coat. In the meantime, it started raining.
For "however" in PT-PT, use contudo, no entanto, porém, or todavia.
Frequency overlap
Two time adverbs also function as frequency markers and deserve a mention:
Sempre que o vejo, sorri.
Every time I see him, he smiles.
Nunca fui a Madrid, mas gostava.
I've never been to Madrid, but I'd like to go.
For a full treatment of how often things happen, see the adverbs of frequency page.
Position — where time adverbs go
Time adverbs are flexible. The usual positions are:
Sentence-final — the default for concrete time markers:
Vou ao ginásio hoje.
I'm going to the gym today.
Sentence-initial — topicalises the time, sets the scene:
Hoje vou ao ginásio.
Today I'm going to the gym.
After the verb — for single-word adverbs like já, ainda, sempre, nunca:
Eu sempre gostei de ler.
I've always liked reading.
Ele ainda não chegou.
He hasn't arrived yet.
Between auxiliary and main verb in compound tenses:
Tenho sempre comido fruta ao pequeno-almoço.
I've always eaten fruit for breakfast.
The double negation rule
Portuguese, like Spanish, uses negative concord. When a negative adverb like nunca or jamais appears after the verb, não must appear before it.
Nunca vou lá.
I never go there. (adverb before verb — no *não* needed)
Não vou lá nunca.
I never go there. (adverb after verb — *não* required)
Jamais o farei.
I'll never do it. (literary; adverb before verb)
Não farei isso jamais.
I will never do that. (adverb after verb)
Using nunca after the verb without não (❌ vou lá nunca) is ungrammatical. If in doubt, put nunca in front: it behaves like English "never" there.
Common mistakes
❌ Eu logo venho (to mean 'I'm coming right away').
In PT-PT, *logo* usually means 'later,' not 'immediately.' For 'right away,' use *já* or *imediatamente*.
✅ Eu já venho. / Venho imediatamente.
I'm coming right away.
❌ Ainda eu comi.
To say 'I've already eaten,' you want *já*, not *ainda*.
✅ Já comi.
I've already eaten.
❌ Já não eu fui a Paris.
*Já não* means 'no longer' (I don't go anymore) — not 'I haven't yet.' For 'I haven't yet,' use *ainda não*.
✅ Ainda não fui a Paris. / Já não vou a Paris (para significar 'eu costumava ir, mas já não vou').
Choose *ainda não* for 'not yet,' *já não* for 'no longer.'
❌ Vou lá nunca.
*Nunca* after the verb requires *não* before it.
✅ Não vou lá nunca. / Nunca vou lá.
I never go there.
❌ Entretanto, ele é muito simpático. (as a PT-BR 'however')
In PT-PT, *entretanto* = 'meanwhile.' For 'however,' use *contudo, porém, no entanto, todavia*.
✅ Contudo, ele é muito simpático.
However, he is very nice.
❌ Eu vi-o agora mesmo há uma hora.
*Agora mesmo* means 'right now, this very second,' which is incompatible with 'an hour ago.' Use *há pouco* or *há uma hora* instead.
✅ Eu vi-o há uma hora. / Vi-o há pouco.
I saw him an hour ago. / I saw him a little while ago.
❌ Ele trabalha aqui já não.
The fixed phrase is *já não*, placed before the verb.
✅ Ele já não trabalha aqui.
He no longer works here.
❌ Cedo, cheguei ao trabalho (to mean 'I arrived early to work').
Sentence-initial *cedo* for emphasis is fine but uncommon; the natural position is after the verb.
✅ Cheguei cedo ao trabalho.
I arrived early at work.
Key takeaways
- The core PT-PT time adverbs: hoje, ontem, amanhã, agora, já, ainda, logo, depois, antes, cedo, tarde, sempre, nunca, entretanto.
- Já is polyvalent: "already" (já comi), "right now" (já vou), "no longer" (in já não), "since" (in já que).
- Ainda is anticipatory's mirror: "still" (ainda estou aqui) and "not yet" (ainda não).
- Logo in PT-PT usually means "later today" — not "immediately" as sometimes in PT-BR. For "right away," use já or imediatamente.
- Entretanto in PT-PT = "meanwhile" (not "however"). For "however," use contudo, porém, no entanto, todavia.
- Portuguese uses negative concord: não
- nunca / jamais when the negative adverb follows the verb.
- Time adverbs are positionally flexible. Default is after the verb or clause-final; front-loading them topicalises the time.
Related Topics
- Adverbs OverviewA2 — Introduction to Portuguese adverbs — what they are, the main semantic classes, how they are formed, and how European Portuguese adverbs differ from their English equivalents.
- Adverbs of FrequencyA2 — How often — sempre, nunca, às vezes, por vezes, frequentemente, raramente, de vez em quando, and the double negation that trips up English speakers.
- Adverbs of PlaceA1 — Portuguese adverbs that locate things in space — aqui, aí, ali, lá, cá, and the locative system that is richer than English here/there.
- Adverbial PhrasesB1 — Multi-word adverbial expressions (locuções adverbiais) in European Portuguese — how they are built, the most common ones by category, when they replace -mente adverbs, and the colloquial reflex that makes PT-PT speech sound native.
- Adverb Placement RulesA2 — Where Portuguese adverbs actually go, organised by type — manner, frequency, time, place, degree, and sentence adverbs — with the practical defaults, the allowed alternatives, and the mistakes English speakers make most often.
- Time ExpressionsA1 — Telling time in European Portuguese — clock time, general time words, frequency, duration, dates, and the PT-PT idioms for 'late at night' and 'running out of time'.