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Eu detesto acordar cedo ao domingo.

Eu detesto acordar cedo ao domingo.
I hate waking up early on Sundays.

Breakdown of Eu detesto acordar cedo ao domingo.

eu
I
cedo
early
acordar
to wake up
o domingo
the Sunday
ao
on
detestar
to hate
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Questions & Answers about Eu detesto acordar cedo ao domingo.

Do I really need to say Eu, or can I just say Detesto acordar cedo ao domingo?

You don’t need to say Eu.

Portuguese is a “null-subject” language, so the verb ending in detesto already shows the subject is eu.

  • Eu detesto acordar cedo ao domingo. – perfectly correct
  • Detesto acordar cedo ao domingo. – also perfectly correct and very natural

Including Eu gives a bit more emphasis or contrast, like:

  • Eu detesto acordar cedo ao domingo (but maybe other people don’t).
Why is acordar in the infinitive and not conjugated, like “Eu detesto acordo…”?

After verbs such as detestar, odiar, amar, querer, Portuguese uses the infinitive when you have another action:

  • Eu detesto acordar cedo. – I hate to wake up early / I hate waking up early.
  • Eu quero dormir. – I want to sleep.
  • Eu gosto de ler. – I like to read.

So you always say:

  • detesto acordar, detesto trabalhar, detesto cozinhar, etc.

You never conjugate the second verb there (“detesto acordo” is wrong).

Why is there no de after detesto? In other verbs I often see de + infinitive.

It depends on the verb:

  • gostar de – gosto de acordar cedo
  • precisar de – preciso de estudar mais

But detestar does not take de:

  • ✅ detesto acordar cedo
  • ❌ detesto de acordar cedo

Similarly:

  • odeio acordar cedo (not odeio de acordar)
  • não suporto acordar cedo (not não suporto de acordar)
Shouldn’t it be acordar-me (reflexive), like “Eu detesto acordar-me cedo ao domingo”?

In European Portuguese, acordar is very often used without a reflexive pronoun when it means “to wake up”:

  • Acordo às sete. – I wake up at seven.
  • Detesto acordar cedo.

The reflexive form acordar-se also exists:

  • Eu acordo-me às sete.

This is grammatically correct, and some speakers use it more, but the non‑reflexive form is extremely common and often feels more natural in Portugal.

So:

  • Eu detesto acordar cedo ao domingo. – most natural
  • Eu detesto acordar-me cedo ao domingo. – correct, but used less
What exactly does ao domingo mean, and how is it formed?

Ao is the contraction of:

  • a (preposition) + o (definite article, masculine singular)

So:

  • a + o domingo → ao domingo

Literally it’s something like “at/on the Sunday”, but in usage it means “on Sundays” in general, as a habit.

Examples:

  • Ao domingo, vou sempre almoçar com os meus pais.
    On Sundays I always have lunch with my parents.
  • Eu detesto acordar cedo ao domingo.
    I hate waking up early on Sundays.
What’s the difference between ao domingo and aos domingos?

Both can mean “on Sundays (in general)”, and both are correct in European Portuguese.

  • ao domingo – singular
  • aos domingos – plural (a + os domingos)

They both express a habitual action:

  • Eu detesto acordar cedo ao domingo.
  • Eu detesto acordar cedo aos domingos.

Nuance:

  • ao domingo can sound a bit more “European Portuguese” / slightly more formal or literary to some ears.
  • aos domingos is also very common and maybe a bit more transparent for learners because it literally looks like “on Sundays”.

In everyday speech in Portugal, you’ll hear both.

Can I say no domingo instead of ao domingo?

You can, but the meaning usually changes.

  • ao domingo / aos domingos
    → normally means “on Sundays (as a habit / generally)”

  • no domingo (em + o domingo)
    → often refers to one specific Sunday, like “on Sunday (this/that Sunday)”

For a habitual sentence like yours, in European Portuguese, the most natural options are:

  • Eu detesto acordar cedo ao domingo.
  • Eu detesto acordar cedo aos domingos.

No domingo would be more like:

  • No domingo, acordei muito cedo. – On Sunday, I woke up very early (that particular day).
Why is domingo singular in ao domingo if it means “on Sundays” (plural) in English?

Portuguese has two ways to express habitual days:

  1. Preposition + singular day:

    • ao domingo, à segunda, à sexta-feira
      These can all mean “on Sundays / on Mondays / on Fridays” in general.

  2. Preposition + plural day:

    • aos domingos, às segundas, às sextas-feiras

Both patterns are used, especially in European Portuguese. English always uses plural for the habitual meaning (on Sundays), but Portuguese can use singular or plural with this preposition.

So the singular domingo here is a grammatical pattern, not a literal “one Sunday” in this context.

Where can I put cedo? Is something like “Eu cedo detesto acordar ao domingo” possible?

In this kind of sentence, the most natural place for cedo is right after the verb it modifies:

  • ✅ Eu detesto acordar cedo ao domingo.

Other possibilities:

  • Eu detesto acordar cedo, ao domingo.
    (small pause; “on Sundays” feels like an extra piece of information)

Putting cedo before detesto is not natural:

  • ❌ Eu cedo detesto acordar ao domingo.

You could move cedo for special emphasis, but it starts to sound marked or odd:

  • Cedo, eu detesto acordar ao domingo. – sounds strange, not something you’d normally say.

For everyday, neutral speech: keep cedo just after acordar.

Is detesto very strong? What’s the difference between detesto, odeio and não gosto de?

All three can be used, but they differ in intensity:

  • não gosto de acordar cedo – I don’t like waking up early
    → mild dislike

  • detesto acordar cedo – I really hate waking up early
    → strong dislike, but still common and natural in everyday speech

  • odeio acordar cedo – I hate / I absolutely hate waking up early
    → often felt as a bit stronger, more emotional

In many contexts detesto and odeio can be used almost interchangeably; detesto tends to sound slightly less dramatic.

Can I say Eu detesto levantar-me cedo ao domingo? What’s the difference between acordar and levantar-me?

Yes, you can say:

  • Eu detesto levantar-me cedo ao domingo.

The difference in meaning:

  • acordar = to wake up, to stop sleeping
  • levantar-se = to get up (physically get out of bed or stand up)

So:

  • Eu detesto acordar cedo ao domingo.
    → I hate waking up early on Sunday (even if I stay in bed).

  • Eu detesto levantar-me cedo ao domingo.
    → I hate getting out of bed early on Sunday.

Both are natural; choose the one that matches what you really mean.

Is this sentence specifically European Portuguese? How would Brazilians tend to say it?

The verb forms are the same in Brazil, but the expression with the day is different.

In Brazil, ao domingo sounds unusual. Brazilians would more likely say:

  • Eu detesto acordar cedo no domingo.
  • Eu detesto acordar cedo aos domingos.

So:

  • Portugal:

    • Eu detesto acordar cedo ao domingo / aos domingos.

  • Brazil:

    • Eu detesto acordar cedo no domingo / aos domingos.

Your original sentence is particularly natural in Portuguese from Portugal.