Breakdown of Na segunda-feira eu normalmente acordo cedo para trabalhar.
Questions & Answers about Na segunda-feira eu normalmente acordo cedo para trabalhar.
Na is the contraction of em + a (in/on + the), and segunda-feira is feminine, so:
- em + a segunda-feira → na segunda-feira
In Brazilian Portuguese, to say “on Monday” (a specific or typical Monday), the most natural version is:
- na segunda-feira = on Monday
You can also hear:
- na segunda (informal, dropping -feira)
- segunda-feira eu acordo cedo (without na; more like “Monday I wake up early” – common in speech)
But em segunda-feira is not used in this context; you almost always contract it to na.
They refer to the same day: Monday.
- segunda-feira – the full, more formal or neutral form.
- segunda – shorter, very common in everyday speech.
Examples:
- Na segunda-feira eu trabalho.
- Na segunda eu trabalho.
Both are fine; the second sounds more casual.
Days of the week like segunda-feira, terça-feira, quarta-feira are traditionally written with a hyphen in Portuguese.
- Correct: segunda-feira
- Informal/wrong in standard writing: segunda feira, segunda feira
In text messages or very informal writing, people sometimes skip the hyphen, but in correct Portuguese you should keep it: segunda-feira.
You don’t have to use eu. Portuguese verb endings already show the subject:
- eu acordo = I wake up
- acordo (with no subject explicitly) still means I wake up from context.
So both are correct:
- Na segunda-feira eu normalmente acordo cedo para trabalhar.
- Na segunda-feira normalmente acordo cedo para trabalhar.
Including eu can add a bit of emphasis on I (as opposed to someone else), but it’s very common and feels natural either way.
The simple present in Portuguese is used a lot for habits and routines, just like in English:
- Eu acordo cedo. = I wake up early (habit)
- Eu sempre acordo às 7. = I always wake up at 7.
You only use vou acordar (I’m going to wake up) when you want to emphasize a future plan or decision, not a general routine:
- Amanhã vou acordar cedo. = Tomorrow I’m going to wake up early (a specific case).
In Brazilian Portuguese, the usual way to say “I wake up” is eu acordo, without a reflexive pronoun.
- Eu acordo cedo. = I wake up early.
The reflexive form acordar-se (e.g., eu me acordo) exists, but in Brazil:
- It sounds unusual or regional for “wake up”.
- Most Brazilians will just say eu acordo cedo.
In European Portuguese, reflexive forms like eu acordo-me cedo are more common. For Brazilian Portuguese, stick with eu acordo.
They refer to different moments in the morning:
acordar = to wake up (stop sleeping)
- Eu acordo às 6. = I wake up at six.
levantar or levantar-se = to get up (get out of bed)
- Eu me levanto às 6:15. = I get up at 6:15.
So eu acordo cedo = I wake up early, not necessarily that you get out of bed immediately.
Yes, adverbs like normalmente are quite flexible. All of these are grammatically correct:
- Eu normalmente acordo cedo.
- Normalmente eu acordo cedo.
- Eu acordo normalmente cedo. (possible, but less common / less natural)
The most natural options in everyday speech are:
- Normalmente eu acordo cedo.
- Eu normalmente acordo cedo.
Changing the position shifts the emphasis slightly, but the meaning stays the same.
Cedo is an adverb (“early”), and adverbs in Portuguese often come right after the verb:
- Eu acordo cedo.
You can move cedo for emphasis, but the standard and most natural order is:
- Na segunda-feira eu normalmente acordo cedo.
Something like Eu cedo acordo is possible in very literary/poetic style, but sounds strange in normal conversation.
Here para introduces a purpose, just like “to” or “in order to” in English:
- acordo cedo para trabalhar
= I wake up early to work / in order to work.
Structure:
- para + infinitive = to do something (purpose)
- Estudo para aprender. = I study to learn.
- Trabalho para ganhar dinheiro. = I work to earn money.
So para trabalhar = “(in order) to work”.
No, not in this sentence. To express purpose (“in order to”), Portuguese uses para, not por:
- acordo cedo para trabalhar ✅ (purpose)
- acordo cedo por trabalhar ❌ (not idiomatic)
Por is used in other meanings, like cause or reason:
- Estou cansado por trabalhar demais.
= I’m tired because of working too much.
But for “I wake up early to work,” you must use para.
In para trabalhar, trabalhar is a verb in the infinitive, not a noun, so it doesn’t take an article:
- para trabalhar = to work
- There is no article (no o, a, etc.) before an infinitive functioning like this.
Compare:
- Gosto de trabalhar. = I like to work.
- Gosto do trabalho. = I like the work / the job. (here trabalho is a noun and needs the article o → do = de + o)
By itself, it can mean:
- a specific upcoming Monday (“This Monday, I usually wake up early to work” – understood from context), or
- a general routine on Mondays.
Often context tells you which one is meant.
If you clearly want to express a habit on all Mondays, you can also say:
- Às segundas-feiras eu normalmente acordo cedo para trabalhar.
= On Mondays (every Monday) I usually wake up early to work.
But in normal conversation, Na segunda-feira eu normalmente acordo cedo para trabalhar is frequently understood as “On Mondays I usually wake up early to work,” especially if you’re talking about your weekly routine.