Breakdown of O consultório abre tanto de manhã como à tarde.
de
of
a manhã
the morning
abrir
to open
a tarde
the afternoon
à
at
tanto ... como
both ... and
o consultório
the doctor’s office
Questions & Answers about O consultório abre tanto de manhã como à tarde.
What does the structure tanto … como do in this sentence?
It’s a correlative pair meaning “both … and …”. It adds two elements of equal weight: here, “morning” and “afternoon.” Near equivalents:
- de manhã e à tarde
- não só … mas também (not only … but also)
- quer … quer … (whether … or …; in practice it often reads as “both … and …”)
Can I just say O consultório abre de manhã e à tarde?
Yes. That’s perfectly natural and slightly simpler. The meaning stays the same.
Why is it de manhã but à tarde? Can I use the same preposition with both?
- de manhã is a fixed expression in European Portuguese. You don’t say à manhã.
- For “afternoon,” both à tarde and de tarde are accepted in Portugal. In this context there’s no real difference in meaning.
- If you want symmetry, you can say: de manhã e de tarde. (You can’t do “à manhã e à tarde,” because à manhã is not idiomatic.)
Is de tarde correct in Portugal?
Yes. de tarde is common and fine. à tarde is also very common. In this sentence, either works.
What’s the grave accent in à (in à tarde)?
It marks a contraction of the preposition a + the feminine article a = à (this contraction is called “crase” in Portuguese). You’ll see it before many feminine time expressions: à tarde, à noite, à segunda (on Mondays), etc. Without the accent, a tarde means “the afternoon” as a noun (e.g., A tarde foi longa.).
Why not na manhã?
na manhã (“on the morning”) is used when you specify a particular morning:
- na manhã de terça-feira (on Tuesday morning)
- na manhã do dia 5 (on the morning of the 5th) For the general time-of-day “in the morning,” European Portuguese uses de manhã.
Can I say pela manhã or pela tarde?
- pela manhã exists in Portugal but sounds more formal/literary or it means “during the morning/at some point in the morning.” For routine schedules, de manhã is more idiomatic.
- pela tarde is uncommon for simple scheduling. You might hear the plural for habitual actions: pelas tardes (in the afternoons).
What’s the difference between abre and está aberto here?
- abre (opens) uses the simple present for habitual schedules: “It opens/is open (on a regular basis) both morning and afternoon.”
- está aberto (is open) states the state: O consultório está aberto de manhã e à tarde is also correct and common on notices or info pages.
Does the present tense abre also cover timetabled future events?
Yes. Portuguese often uses the present for scheduled events: O consultório abre amanhã às 9.
What exactly is a consultório? Why not clínica or escritório?
- consultório: a doctor’s/dentist’s office or room where patients are seen.
- clínica: a clinic (the institution/facility), often larger than a single room.
- escritório: an office in the general/business sense (not medical). Choose based on what you mean: a single practitioner’s office (consultório) vs a clinic (clínica).
Do I need the article O in O consultório?
Yes, in normal sentences European Portuguese typically uses the definite article with a specific known noun: O consultório…. Dropping it (e.g., Consultório abre…) sounds like a headline or sign, not standard prose.
Can I say O consultório abre tanto de manhã como de tarde?
Yes. That’s a neat way to keep the same preposition on both sides of tanto … como. It’s fully natural.
Is tanto … quanto the same as tanto … como?
In Portugal, tanto … como is the default for “both … and …”. tanto … quanto is understood and correct, but it’s less idiomatic in this additive sense in European Portuguese (it’s more common in Brazil and in comparative structures).
How do I say the negative “neither … nor …” version?
Use nem … nem, and keep não before the verb:
- O consultório não abre nem de manhã nem à tarde.
Any punctuation or word-order tips with tanto … como?
- No comma is needed: … tanto de manhã como à tarde.
- You can front the phrase for emphasis: Tanto de manhã como à tarde, o consultório abre. (Comma after the fronted phrase is fine.)
How do I pronounce the tricky bits in European Portuguese?
- consultório: stress on tó; the ó is open (like “o” in “off”): [kõ-suɫ-TÓ-ryu].
- abre: final e is a light, reduced vowel: [Á-bre(ɨ)].
- manhã: nh = “ny” and final ã is nasal: [mɐ-NHYÃ].
- tarde: final e is often a reduced sound: [TAR-d(ɨ)].
- The single r in tarde is a quick tap, not a strong English “r.”
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