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Daqui a uma hora, eu vou estudar português.

Daqui a uma hora, eu vou estudar português.
In an hour, I am going to study Portuguese.
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Questions & Answers about Daqui a uma hora, eu vou estudar português.

What does “daqui a uma hora” literally mean, and why is there an “a” there?

Literally, “daqui a uma hora” is:

  • daqui = from here (in time or space)
  • a = to / until (a preposition indicating distance)
  • uma hora = one hour

So the idea is “from now to one hour”, which is understood as “in one hour / one hour from now.”

The little “a” is needed because in Portuguese you’re saying “from here to one hour (ahead)”. Leaving it out sounds incorrect in standard Portuguese.

Can I say “em uma hora” instead of “daqui a uma hora”? What’s the difference?

Both are used, but there’s a nuance:

  • Daqui a uma hora = “one hour from now” (more explicitly tied to now as the reference point).
  • Em uma hora = “in an hour”, which can also mean “it takes one hour” in some contexts.

In this sentence:

  • Daqui a uma hora, eu vou estudar português.
    = Exactly one hour from now, I will start studying Portuguese.

  • Em uma hora, eu vou estudar português.
    = Often understood the same way, but can sometimes sound more like “at some point within an hour” depending on context and intonation.

For a clear “one hour from now,” “daqui a uma hora” is the safest and most natural.

Why is it “eu vou estudar” instead of simply “estudarei” for the future tense?

Portuguese has two common ways to talk about the future:

  1. Ir + infinitive (periphrastic future):

    • eu vou estudar = I am going to study / I will study
    • Very common in everyday speech.

  2. Simple future (futuro do presente):

    • eu estudarei = I will study
    • Grammatically correct, but sounds more formal, written, or sometimes slightly distant.

In Brazilian Portuguese, people use “vou + infinitive” much more in conversation.
So:

  • Daqui a uma hora, eu vou estudar português. (very natural, everyday speech)
  • Daqui a uma hora, eu estudarei português. (correct, but more formal / bookish)
Is the subject “eu” necessary here, or could I say “Daqui a uma hora, vou estudar português”?

You can omit “eu”:

  • Daqui a uma hora, eu vou estudar português.
  • Daqui a uma hora, vou estudar português.

Both are correct.

In Portuguese, the verb form “vou” already tells you the subject is “eu” (I). Including “eu” is optional and is often used:

  • for emphasis: Eu vou estudar (I, not someone else)
  • for clarity in longer or more complex sentences.

In neutral, simple sentences, omitting “eu” is very natural.

Can I change the word order to “Eu vou estudar português daqui a uma hora”?

Yes. Both are correct:

  • Daqui a uma hora, eu vou estudar português.
  • Eu vou estudar português daqui a uma hora.

The meaning is the same. The difference is just emphasis:

  • Starting with “Daqui a uma hora” puts more focus on when it will happen.
  • Starting with “Eu vou estudar...” is more neutral and focuses first on what you’ll do.

In speech, both orders are very common.

Why is “português” not capitalized here?

In Portuguese:

  • Languages are not capitalized:
    • português, inglês, espanhol, francês.
  • Nationalities/adjectives are also not capitalized:
    • brasileiro, português (meaning “Portuguese person”), americano.

Capital letters are used for country names and other proper nouns:

  • Brasil, Portugal, Estados Unidos.

So “estudar português” correctly uses a lowercase p.

Why is there no article, like “o português”? Could I say “eu vou estudar o português”?

In this context:

  • Eu vou estudar português.
    is the normal way to say “I’m going to study Portuguese (the language).”

You generally omit the article when talking about languages after verbs like:

  • estudar, falar, aprender, ensinar, saber, etc.
    • estudar inglês, falar espanhol, aprender francês.

You can say “o português” but it usually adds a slightly different feel, for example:

  • Vou estudar o português falado em Portugal.
    (I’m going to study the Portuguese spoken in Portugal.)
  • Vou estudar o português em profundidade.
    (I’m going to study Portuguese in depth.)

So in your simple sentence, no article is more natural: “vou estudar português.”

Is it correct to say “Daqui uma hora” without the “a”?

In standard Portuguese, the correct form is:

  • Daqui a uma hora

You might hear some Brazilians drop the “a” in casual speech (“Daqui uma hora”), but this is considered colloquial / non-standard and is not recommended for learners, especially in writing.

So: stick with “daqui a uma hora”.

What’s the difference between “daqui a uma hora” and “há uma hora”?

They talk about time in opposite directions:

  • Daqui a uma hora = one hour from now (future)

    • Daqui a uma hora, eu vou estudar português.
      = In one hour, I will study Portuguese.

  • Há uma hora (or faz uma hora) = one hour ago (past)

    • Eu estudei português há uma hora.
      = I studied Portuguese an hour ago.

So “daqui a” points forward in time, “há” (or “faz”) points backward.

Is the simple future form “estudarei” actually used in Brazil, or is it always “vou estudar”?

“Estudarei” is grammatically correct and understood, but:

  • In everyday spoken Brazilian Portuguese, people almost always use “vou estudar”.
  • “Estudarei” sounds more formal, written, or rhetorical, and you’ll see it in:
    • formal speeches
    • official announcements
    • legal / bureaucratic texts
    • some song lyrics or very careful speech

So you can say:

  • Daqui a uma hora, eu estudarei português.

But for natural, conversational Brazilian Portuguese, “Daqui a uma hora, eu vou estudar português” is much more common.

Does “português” here mean specifically Brazilian Portuguese, or just Portuguese in general? How would I say “Brazilian Portuguese”?

On its own, “português” just means the Portuguese language in general.

If you want to be specific:

  • português brasileiro = Brazilian Portuguese
  • português europeu = European Portuguese

Examples:

  • Daqui a uma hora, eu vou estudar português brasileiro.
    = In an hour, I’m going to study Brazilian Portuguese.
  • Eu estudo português europeu.
    = I study European Portuguese.

But in many contexts, simply “português” is enough, and people will assume you mean the local variety (in Brazil: Brazilian Portuguese).

Is there any difference in meaning between “vou estudar português” and “vou estar estudando português”?

Yes, there is a nuance:

  1. Vou estudar português.

    • Simple future action: I will study / I’m going to study Portuguese.
    • Focus on the decision or plan.

  2. Vou estar estudando português.

    • Future progressive: I will be studying Portuguese.
    • Focus on the ongoing activity at a certain time in the future.

In your original sentence, for a normal plan, “vou estudar português” is the best and most natural.

“Vou estar estudando português” is used when you emphasize that at that specific time you will be in the middle of the action, for example:

  • Daqui a uma hora, eu vou estar estudando português, então não posso falar ao telefone.
    = In an hour, I’ll be studying Portuguese, so I can’t talk on the phone.
How do you pronounce the phrase “Daqui a uma hora, eu vou estudar português”?

In Brazilian Portuguese (neutral accent), roughly:

  • Daqui – dah-KEE
  • a – ah (very short)
  • uma – OO-mah
  • hora – Ó-rah (the h is silent)
  • eu – like English “eh-oo” blended, or close to “ehw”
  • vou – like English “voh” (similar to “vote” without the final t)
  • estudar – ehs-too-DAR (stress on the last syllable)
  • português – por-too-GÊIZ (the final -ês sounds like English “aze” in “maze,” with the tongue high and front)

Connected speech will link vowels:

  • Daqui a uma hora often sounds like dah-KEE-ah-oo-ma-Ó-rah (quite smooth).