Durante o intervalo, a professora levou outra turma até a secretaria.

Durante o intervalo is a time expression meaning during the break or during recess. Portuguese often puts time expressions at the beginning of the sentence to set the scene first.

You could also say:

A professora levou outra turma até a secretaria durante o intervalo.

That sounds natural too. The original version just highlights the time first.

Both can refer to during the break, but they are slightly different in feel:

• durante o intervalo = more literally during the break
• no intervalo = at break / during break, often a little more casual and common in speech

In many situations, both work. Durante sounds a bit more explicit and slightly more formal.

Portuguese often uses the definite article before a person’s role or profession when talking about a specific person already understood in context.

So:

• a professora = the teacher
• not just teacher in a general sense

This is very normal in Portuguese, even where English would often leave the article out.

Levou is the preterite form of levar.

• levar = to take
• levou = took

The preterite is used for a completed action in the past. So this sentence presents the teacher’s action as a finished event.

If the sentence were describing a repeated or ongoing past action, Portuguese might use the imperfect instead:

• levava = used to take / was taking

Because levar and trazer are not the same:

• levar = to take something or someone somewhere
• trazer = to bring something or someone toward the speaker or reference point

Here, the teacher took another class to the office, so levou is the natural choice.

Turma usually means a class, group of students, or homeroom group, depending on context.

So outra turma means another class or another group.

Outra agrees with turma, which is feminine singular:

• outra = feminine singular
• turma = feminine singular noun

Both are possible, but outra turma is very natural and common.

In Portuguese, outro / outra often works by itself without um / uma:

• outra turma = another class
• uma outra turma = another class, with a bit more emphasis in some contexts

So the sentence sounds completely normal as written.

In a school context, secretaria usually means the school office or administrative office.

It does not mean secretary as a person here.

So in this sentence, the teacher took the class to the office, not to a secretary.

Até often means up to, as far as, or until, but with movement verbs it can mark the destination.

So levou outra turma até a secretaria means the teacher escorted or took the class to the office, with a sense of reaching that place.

In everyday Portuguese, you may also hear:

• para a secretaria

Both are possible, but até can give a slightly stronger sense of going all the way there.

This is a very common question.

After até, both forms can be found:

• até a secretaria
• até à secretaria

In Brazilian Portuguese, até a secretaria without the crase is very common and sounds natural. Many speakers and writers prefer that form.

So the sentence as given is perfectly fine.

Often, yes, in a school context.

Intervalo can mean:

• break
• recess
• intermission

The exact English translation depends on the situation. In a school sentence like this one, break or recess are the most likely meanings.

The word order can change.

The original sentence:

Durante o intervalo, a professora levou outra turma até a secretaria.

A very natural alternative is:

A professora levou outra turma até a secretaria durante o intervalo.

Both mean basically the same thing. Putting Durante o intervalo first just gives that time information more emphasis.