O consultório abre tanto de manhã como à tarde.

The doctor’s office opens both in the morning and in the afternoon.

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.”