Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): A aplicação atualiza automaticamente à noite, se houver algo novo. - The app updates automatically at night if there’s something new.

Because it’s the contraction of the preposition a (to/at) + the feminine article a (the). The merged form is à (the crase). With parts of the day in Portuguese you often get:

à noite, à tarde, à segunda-feira For masculine nouns it becomes ao (a + o), e.g., ao domingo.

Can I say de noite instead of à noite?

Yes. Both are correct.

à noite = at night (as a habitual time period).
de noite = at night, often in contrast with de dia (“by day”). In most contexts in Portugal, à noite feels a bit more neutral for routine scheduling.

Why is it se houver and not se há?

After se when you’re talking about a future or hypothetical condition, Portuguese uses the future subjunctive. Houver is the future subjunctive of haver. Se há states a present fact (“if there is [indeed]”), while se houver means “if there happens to be” (potential/unknown).

Is haver impersonal here?

Yes. With the meaning “there is/are,” haver is impersonal and always stays in the 3rd person singular:

há, houve, havia, haja, houver Even with plural nouns, keep it singular: Se houver novidades, not “se houverem novidades.”

Could I use existir or ter instead of haver?

existir: fine and common. Agree in number: se existir algo novo / se existirem novidades.
ter: works if the app is the subject (“if it has…”): se a aplicação tiver algo novo. Using ter impersonally (“se tiver algo novo”) is very Brazilian; in Portugal se houver is the natural existential choice.

Should it be atualiza-se rather than atualiza?

In European Portuguese, many prefer the pronominal form for “updates itself”: A aplicação atualiza-se automaticamente…
Without -se, atualizar is normally transitive (“updates [something]”), so A aplicação atualiza automaticamente can feel elliptical unless you add the object (os dados, a lista, etc.). You can also use the passive: é atualizada automaticamente.

Is the comma before se houver necessary?

No. When the conditional clause comes after the main clause, the comma is optional and often omitted:

No comma (neutral): A aplicação … à noite se houver algo novo.
Comma (pause/emphasis): A aplicação … à noite, se houver algo novo. If the conditional clause comes first, use a comma: Se houver algo novo, a aplicação…

Where do automaticamente and à noite go?

Adverb placement is flexible. Natural options include:

A aplicação atualiza(-se) automaticamente à noite.
À noite, a aplicação atualiza(-se) automaticamente. Putting the time phrase first adds emphasis to the time.

Is algo novo the most idiomatic way to say “something new”?

It’s correct, but many speakers would say novidades in this context:

… se houver novidades. You can also say algo de novo. All are fine:
algo novo = “something that is new.”
algo de novo = very idiomatic “anything/something new.”
novidades = “updates/news,” very natural with apps.

What’s the difference between algo novo and algo de novo?

Both mean “something new.” The pattern algo de + adjective is a common idiomatic way to say “something [adj]” (e.g., algo de estranho). With novo, both are common; algo de novo often sounds especially natural in everyday speech.

Can I use alguma coisa instead of algo?

Yes: se houver alguma coisa nova. Algo is shorter and a touch more formal/neutral; alguma coisa is more colloquial.

Does novo need to agree with anything after algo?

After algo, adjectives usually appear in the default masculine singular: algo novo, algo útil, algo importante, regardless of the actual (unknown) gender/number of the “something.”

Why not na noite?

na = em + a (“in/on the”). Na noite points to a specific night (e.g., na noite de sexta-feira). For the general time period “at night,” Portuguese uses à noite.

Pronunciation tips?

aplicação: stress on the last syllable; -ção has a nasal “-sown” sound; ç = “s.”
atualiza: “a-tua-LI-za,” with /z/ in “-za.”
à: plain “ah.”
noite: “NOY-t(ɨ)” in European Portuguese; final “e” is very reduced.
houver: silent “h”; roughly “o-VER,” with an open “e.”

Any Portugal–Brazil differences here?

Spelling: modern standard is atualiza (no “c”). Older European texts may show actualiza.
Lexicon: Brazil commonly uses aplicativo for “app”; Portugal uses aplicação or simply app.

Can I use quando houver instead of se houver?

Yes, but it changes meaning:

se houver = if there is (it may or may not happen).
quando houver = when(ever) there is (you expect it will happen at some point).