Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Ao fim de semana, reservo tempo de lazer para ler romances. - On weekends, I set aside leisure time to read novels.

ao = a + o (the contraction of the preposition a “to/at” + the masculine singular article o “the”).
So literally, “ao fim de semana” is “at the end of the week”, which corresponds to the weekend.

It’s a fixed expression in European Portuguese used for regular weekend habits:

Ao fim de semana, reservo tempo de lazer…
“On weekends, I set aside leisure time…”

Why is it “Ao fim de semana” and not “No fim de semana” here?

Both exist, but the nuance is:

Ao fim de semana
→ tends to mean “on weekends (in general), as a habit / routine”.
It’s generic and habitual.
No fim de semana (em Portugal)
→ more often refers to a specific weekend:
No fim de semana vou à casa dos meus pais.
“This/that weekend I’m going to my parents’ house.”

In Brazil, “no fim de semana” is also commonly used for a habitual idea, but in European Portuguese, “ao fim de semana” is a very natural choice for routines.

What’s the difference between “Ao fim de semana” and “Aos fins de semana”?

Both are correct in European Portuguese and both can mean “on weekends”:

Ao fim de semana
- Literally: “at the end of (the) week”.
- Used generically for habitual actions.
Aos fins de semana
- a + os = aos and fins is plural → “at the ends of weeks”.
- Also means “on weekends (generally)”.

In practice:

Ao fim de semana, vou ao ginásio.
Aos fins de semana, vou ao ginásio.

Both sound natural. The plural version can feel slightly more explicit about repetition, but the meaning is essentially the same.

Is “fim de semana” masculine or feminine, and why don’t we see the article “o” in the sentence?

“Fim de semana” is masculine:

o fim de semana – the weekend
um fim de semana – a weekend

In “Ao fim de semana”, you do have the article; it’s just hidden inside the contraction:

a + o fim de semana → ao fim de semana

So the article o is there; it’s just merged with a to form ao.

Why is it “tempo de lazer” and not “o tempo de lazer”?

Here, “tempo de lazer” means “leisure time” in a general, uncountable sense, not a specific block of time already defined.

Reservo tempo de lazer…
→ “I set aside (some) leisure time…”

If you say:

Reservo o tempo de lazer para ler romances.
It sounds like you mean “the leisure time (that I have)” in a more specific, already known sense. It’s grammatically possible, but less natural in this generic statement.

Leaving out the article makes it sound like an indefinite amount of time devoted to leisure.

What does “tempo de lazer” mean compared to “tempo livre” or just “lazer”?

All are related but not identical:

tempo de lazer
→ literally “leisure time”; focus on time dedicated to leisure activities.
tempo livre
→ “free time”; time when you’re not working or studying. You might or might not use it for leisure.
lazer
→ the concept of “leisure” itself, or leisure activities in general.
E.g. instalações de lazer = leisure facilities.

In this sentence, “tempo de lazer” emphasizes the time intentionally reserved for leisure.

Why is it “tempo de lazer” and not “tempo para lazer”?

In Portuguese, “tempo de + noun” is a common pattern meaning “time for [something]”:

tempo de lazer – time for leisure
tempo de estudo – study time
tempo de qualidade – quality time

So “de” here doesn’t mean “of” in a literal possessive sense; it’s more like “time for [purpose]”.

“tempo para lazer” is not wrong, but it sounds less idiomatic. Native speakers strongly prefer “tempo de lazer” in this context.

Why is “reservo” in the simple present and not a continuous form like English “I am reserving”?

Portuguese uses the simple present very often to express habits and routines, where English also uses the simple present:

Reservo tempo de lazer…
= “I (usually) set aside leisure time…”

There is a continuous form in Portuguese (estou a reservar, in European Portuguese), but:

Estou a reservar tempo de lazer…
would mean “I’m (currently) reserving leisure time…” (right now, in progress), which is not the idea here.

So “reservo” is the correct tense for a habitual action.

Why is it “para ler romances” and not “a ler romances”?

Both “para + infinitive” and “a + infinitive” exist, but they’re used differently:

para ler romances
→ purpose / intention: “in order to read novels”.
This fits perfectly here: you reserve leisure time *so that you can read*.
a ler romances
→ more often used with estar:
- Estou a ler romances. – I’m reading novels.
  Or in some other structures describing an ongoing activity, not the purpose.

So “para ler romances” correctly expresses the purpose of reserving time.

Does “romances” mean “romances” (love stories) in English?

This is a classic false friend.

In European and Brazilian Portuguese:

romance / romances = novel / novels (any genre of long fiction).

It does not automatically mean “romantic love stories”. It can be crime, sci‑fi, historical, etc.

So “ler romances” = “to read novels”, not specifically romance novels.

Could you say “ler livros” instead of “ler romances”? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can, but there’s a nuance:

ler livros – “to read books” (very general: non‑fiction, textbooks, manuals, anything).
ler romances – “to read novels” (specifically long works of fiction).

The original sentence is more specific: it tells you the person is reading novels, not just any kind of book.

Can the word order change, for example: “Reservo tempo de lazer para ler romances ao fim de semana”?

Yes. Both are grammatically correct:

Ao fim de semana, reservo tempo de lazer para ler romances.
Reservo tempo de lazer para ler romances ao fim de semana.

Differences:

Putting “Ao fim de semana” at the beginning emphasizes the time frame (weekends) first.
Putting it at the end sounds slightly more neutral and is also very natural.

The comma after “Ao fim de semana” at the beginning is standard because it’s an introductory adverbial phrase.

I’ve seen “fim‑de‑semana” with hyphens. Is “fim de semana” without hyphens correct in European Portuguese?

Yes. After the Portuguese spelling reform (Acordo Ortográfico):

The modern, standard spelling is “fim de semana” (no hyphens) in both Portugal and Brazil.

Older texts or some people’s habits may still show “fim‑de‑semana”, but “fim de semana” is the correct current form.