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Questions & Answers about A reunião é na sexta‑feira.
Why is it é and not vai ser if the meeting is in the future?
Portuguese often uses the present of ser for scheduled events. A reunião é na sexta‑feira means it’s scheduled for Friday. Vai ser is also correct and slightly more explicit about futurity or tentativeness: A reunião vai ser na sexta‑feira, se todos concordarem.
What exactly is na here?
It’s the contraction of em + a (in/on + the). Because sexta‑feira is feminine, you get na. For masculine days you use no (em + o): no sábado, no domingo.
Can I drop na and just say A reunião é sexta‑feira?
Yes. Both A reunião é sexta‑feira and A reunião é na sexta‑feira are natural in Portugal. With na, it sounds a touch more explicit/formal. You can also shorten the day: A reunião é na sexta.
Should sexta‑feira be capitalized?
No. Weekdays are written in lower case in European Portuguese unless they begin a sentence: segunda‑feira, terça‑feira, quarta‑feira, quinta‑feira, sexta‑feira, sábado, domingo.
Do I need the hyphen in sexta‑feira?
Yes. The weekdays ending in ‑feira keep the hyphen under the Orthographic Agreement: segunda‑feira … sexta‑feira. Sábado and domingo are single words.
Why is it feminine (na)? Aren’t weekdays masculine?
The ‑feira weekdays are feminine: a segunda‑feira … a sexta‑feira. Only o sábado and o domingo are masculine. Hence na sexta‑feira, but no sábado.
How do I pronounce the sentence?
- A reunião: initial r is guttural in Portugal; eu ≈ eh‑oo; final ‑ão is nasal (≈ OWN, nasalized).
- é: open eh.
- sexta: x = sh → approx. SESH‑tuh.
- feira: FAY‑rah, with a tapped r. Together: A reunião é na sexta‑feira ≈ ah eh‑oo‑nee‑OWN eh nah SESH‑tuh FAY‑rah.
Does na sexta‑feira mean this coming Friday, next Friday, or any Friday?
By default (with present é), it usually means the upcoming Friday. To be precise:
- Upcoming: na próxima sexta‑feira or nesta sexta‑feira.
- Past: na sexta‑feira passada.
- Habitual: às sextas‑feiras.
- Specific date: na sexta‑feira, dia 12.
How do I say “on Fridays” (every Friday)?
Use às sextas‑feiras (plural with crasis). Example: As aulas são às sextas‑feiras. Singular is also heard, but plural is more common in Portugal.
How do I add a time?
Use às before the hour:
- A reunião é na sexta‑feira às 15h. (Portugal commonly uses the 24‑hour clock.)
- Informally: … às 3 da tarde or simply … às três.
Why ser and not estar for events?
Time and place of events take ser: A reunião é na sexta‑feira; O concerto é no Coliseu. Estar is for temporary states/locations of people or things: O Coliseu está cheio.
Is reunião the usual word for a meeting?
Yes. reunião is the standard term for a work or formal meeting. encontro tends to mean a meet‑up, date, or informal gathering. Context can overlap, but reunião is the safe default for business.
Can I just say sexta instead of sexta‑feira?
Yes. sexta is common and a bit more informal: A reunião é na sexta. In formal writing, sexta‑feira is safer.