Breakdown of O portão da escola fecha às oito em ponto.
de
of
fechar
to close
a escola
the school
o portão
the gate
às
at
oito
eight
em ponto
sharp
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Questions & Answers about O portão da escola fecha às oito em ponto.
What does portão mean and how is it different from porta?
Portão means “gate,” typically a large entrance barrier made of metal or wood. It’s usually found at the entrance of a property or building. Porta, on the other hand, means “door” and refers to the smaller openings in walls (e.g. room doors, building doors).
Why is there an o before portão?
Portuguese uses definite articles (o, a, os, as) before most nouns. Here, o marks portão as a specific, known object: “the gate.” Omitting it feels overly general in European Portuguese.
What does da mean in portão da escola?
Da is the contraction of de + a. De indicates origin or possession and a is the feminine singular definite article. Together, portão da escola literally means “gate of the school,” or more naturally, “the school’s gate.”
Why is às used before oito? How does it differ from just a?
When telling time, Portuguese uses the preposition a plus the definite article that agrees with the implied word horas (feminine plural). So a + as becomes às. You can’t say a oito; you must say às oito (at eight o’clock).
Can we omit the s in às or drop the article entirely?
No. Time expressions require the contraction:
- For 1 o’clock: à uma (a + a)
- For other hours: às duas, às três, etc.
Dropping the article or the s would be ungrammatical.
What does em ponto mean?
Em ponto literally means “on the dot” or “sharp.” It emphasizes that the action happens at the exact minute (no minutes before or after).
Do I need to add the word horas in this sentence?
No. It’s perfectly natural to say às oito without horas. The noun horas is implicit. You could say às oito horas if you want, but most speakers omit it.
Why is the verb fecha in the third-person singular form?
Because it agrees with the singular subject o portão. Fecha is the present Indicative, third-person singular of fechar (“to close”).
Why isn’t the sentence “O portão é fechado às oito”?
“O portão é fechado às oito” is the passive voice (“The gate is closed at eight”), implying someone closes it. Intransitive fecha (“closes”) is more idiomatic here, suggesting the gate shuts by itself or as a scheduled event.
How can I specify morning or evening if needed?
You simply add da manhã, da tarde or da noite. For example:
O portão da escola fecha às oito da manhã em ponto.
If omitted, context usually tells you whether it’s AM or PM.