A jornada de trabalho começa às oito.

A is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

It is used because jornada is a feminine singular noun:

• a jornada = the workday / the working day / the work shift

In Portuguese, articles usually match the gender and number of the noun.

Jornada de trabalho is a common expression that refers to a workday, working hours, or a work shift, depending on context.

Word by word:

• jornada = journey, period, shift, day’s activity
• de trabalho = of work / for work

Together, it means the period during which someone works.

De trabalho means of work or work-related in a general sense.

• jornada de trabalho = work schedule / workday in general
• jornada do trabalho would sound unusual here and would suggest the workday of the work or something overly specific

Portuguese often uses de + noun to describe the type or purpose of something:

• roupa de festa = party clothes
• copo de vidro = glass cup
• horário de trabalho = work schedule

So jornada de trabalho is the natural fixed expression.

Começa means begins or starts.

It is the third person singular form of the verb começar in the present tense:

• eu começo = I start
• você/ele/ela começa = you/he/she starts
• a jornada começa = the workday starts

The subject is a jornada de trabalho, which is singular, so começa is singular too.

The ç in começa keeps the s sound before a.

Without the cedilla, c before a would sound like a hard k sound. So:

• começa is pronounced roughly like ko-MEH-sa
• comeca would suggest the wrong pronunciation

In Portuguese, ç is used before a, o, and u to give the soft s sound.

Às means at the when talking about clock time.

It is a contraction of:

• a
  • as = às

This is used because Portuguese normally says time with an article:

• as oito = the eight
• às oito = at eight

So:

• começa às oito = starts at eight

The accent marks that às is a contraction, not just the article as.

Compare:

• as oito = the eight
• às oito = at eight

This accent is called a grave accent and often appears when one a combines with another a/as.

Because the time expression uses the plural article as with hours.

Portuguese treats clock hours like:

• uma hora = one hour
• duas horas = two hours
• oito horas = eight hours

So:

• a + as oito = às oito

But with one o’clock, you usually get the singular:

• à uma = at one

Examples:

• A aula começa à uma.
• A aula começa às duas.

Both are possible.

• às oito = at eight
• às oito horas = at eight o’clock

In everyday Portuguese, horas is often omitted because the meaning is already clear.

So this sentence sounds completely natural as it is.

A natural pronunciation is roughly:

a zhor-NA-da dji tra-BA-lyu ko-MEH-sa az OY-tu

A few notes:

• j in jornada sounds like the s in measure
• de often sounds like dji in many Brazilian accents
• lh in trabalho is a palatal sound, somewhat like ly
• às oito often links smoothly in speech

Pronunciation varies a bit across Brazil, but this approximation is useful for learners.

Yes, but começa is more common and natural in everyday speech.

• A jornada de trabalho começa às oito. = very natural
• A jornada de trabalho inicia às oito. = understandable, slightly more formal or less common in conversation

In most situations, começar is the safest everyday choice.

Yes, but the meaning shifts a little.

• A jornada de trabalho começa às oito focuses on the workday / shift / working period
• O trabalho começa às oito can mean work starts at eight, which is simpler and often fine, but it may sound broader or less specific

So both are possible, but jornada de trabalho is more precise if you want to talk about the official work schedule.

The word order is very standard:

• A jornada de trabalho = subject
• começa = verb
• às oito = time expression

So the pattern is:

Subject + verb + time

This is the most neutral and common way to say it in Portuguese.