Breakdown of À noite, o shopping fica mais lotado do que de manhã.
do que
than
ficar
to become
à noite
at night
de manhã
in the morning
Questions & Answers about À noite, o shopping fica mais lotado do que de manhã.
What does à noite mean, and why is it à?
À noite means at night or in the evening, depending on context.
The à is a contraction of:
- a = the preposition at / to
- a = the feminine definite article the
So:
- a + a = à
This expression is fixed and very common in Portuguese:
- de manhã = in the morning
- à tarde = in the afternoon
- à noite = at night / in the evening
The grave accent on à is important because it shows that contraction.
Why is it de manhã, but à noite?
This is mostly just how these time expressions are conventionally used in Portuguese.
The standard pairings are:
- de manhã = in the morning
- à tarde = in the afternoon
- à noite = at night / in the evening
So even though English uses a similar pattern for all three (in the morning / in the afternoon / at night), Portuguese uses different prepositions here.
This is something learners usually just memorize as set expressions.
Could I say de noite instead of à noite?