Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): No Natal, a nossa tradição mais antiga é cantar em família antes do jantar. - At Christmas, our oldest tradition is to sing as a family before dinner.

No Natal literally = em + o Natal → in/at the Christmas → at Christmas.
In Portuguese, names of many holidays take the definite article:
- no Natal, na Páscoa, no Carnaval.

You would not normally say em Natal to mean at Christmas; the article is natural and the contraction no is obligatory in normal speech: em o Natal sounds wrong, you must contract to no.

So:

✅ No Natal, a nossa tradição…
❌ Em Natal, a nossa tradição… (sounds incorrect in European Portuguese in this sense).

Why is there a comma after No Natal? Could we leave it out?

No Natal is a time expression placed at the beginning of the sentence. In Portuguese, when you front an adverbial phrase like this, you generally separate it with a comma:

No Natal, a nossa tradição mais antiga é…

If you put the time expression later, you don’t usually need the comma:

A nossa tradição mais antiga no Natal é cantar em família antes do jantar.

So:

With No Natal at the start → comma is standard and preferred.
With no Natal in the middle → normally no comma.

Why do we say a nossa tradição and not just nossa tradição? Do we always need the article before a possessive?

In European Portuguese, you normally use the definite article before possessive adjectives:

a nossa tradição = our tradition
o meu amigo = my friend
a tua casa = your house

Omitting the article (nossa tradição) is much more common in Brazilian Portuguese. In Portugal, a nossa tradição sounds natural and is what you should learn as the default.

There are some cases where the article is dropped (especially in vocatives and certain fixed expressions), but as a learner of European Portuguese, assume:

article + possessive + noun → a nossa tradição, o meu carro, as suas filhas.

What is the role of mais antiga in a nossa tradição mais antiga? Why antiga and not velha?

Mais antiga works as a comparative/superlative phrase modifying tradição:

antiga = old (in the sense of long‑standing)
mais antiga = older / oldest

In context, a nossa tradição mais antiga is understood as our oldest tradition.

Why antiga and not velha?

antigo/antiga is the normal adjective for old when talking about traditions, buildings, customs, institutions, etc. It sounds neutral or even positive.
velho/velha can sound more physical or even slightly negative (old, worn out, aged), especially for people.

So:

✅ a nossa tradição mais antiga (natural, idiomatic)
❌ a nossa tradição mais velha (sounds odd or even a bit pejorative for a tradition).

Notice agreement:

tradição is feminine singular → antiga (not antigo).

Why do we use é cantar and not é cantando? Isn’t -ing usually translated with -ndo in Portuguese?

In Portuguese, when a verb acts as the subject or complement of ser (to be), you normally use the infinitive (dictionary form), not the gerund:

A nossa tradição mais antiga é cantar em família.
- literally: Our oldest tradition is to sing as a family.

Using the gerund cantando here would be wrong:

❌ A nossa tradição mais antiga é cantando em família.

The gerúndio (-ndo form, e.g., cantando, comendo) is used mostly to express an action in progress or two actions happening at the same time:

Estão a cantar. / Estão cantando. = They are singing.
Andava pela casa cantando. = He/She walked around the house singing.

But after é to define what the tradition is, you must use the infinitive: é cantar.

What does em família mean literally, and how is it different from com a família?

Literally:

em família = in family, but idiomatically: as a family / with the family.

Nuance:

em família often focuses on being in a family setting, in a private, intimate group of close relatives.
- cantar em família = sing together as a family unit.
com a família is more literal: with the family. It’s also correct but can sound a bit more neutral.

In this sentence, cantar em família is the most idiomatic way to say to sing as a family. Both are understandable, but em família is a very common fixed expression.

Why is there do in antes do jantar? What is it made of?

Do is the contraction of de + o:

antes de = before
o jantar = the dinner
antes de + o jantar → antes do jantar

So the structure is:

antes de
- noun with article → contract de + o / a / os / as.

Examples:

antes do almoço (de + o) = before lunch
antes da reunião (de + a) = before the meeting
antes dos exames (de + os) = before the exams
antes das férias (de + as) = before the holidays

What is the difference between antes do jantar and antes de jantar? Can I use both?

Yes, you can use both, but the structure is different:

antes do jantar
- jantar is a noun: the dinner.
- Literally: before the dinner.
- Focus is on the meal as an event.
antes de jantar
- jantar is a verb in the infinitive: to dine / to have dinner.
- Literally: before dining / before having dinner.

In many everyday contexts, both are possible and the meaning is almost the same:

Cantamos em família antes do jantar.
Cantamos em família antes de jantar.

In this specific sentence, antes do jantar fits very naturally because o jantar is the specific Christmas dinner.

Why is it em família without an article, but do jantar with an article?

Two different things are happening:

em família
- This is a fixed expression meaning as a family / in a family setting.
- It normally appears without an article:
  - jantar em família = to have dinner as a family
  - passar o fim de semana em família = to spend the weekend with family
do jantar
- Here jantar is a specific, concrete meal (the Christmas dinner), so it takes the definite article: o jantar.
- After antes de, when followed by a specific noun, you include the article and contract: de + o → do.

So:

Fixed expression → em família (no article).
Regular noun phrase referring to a specific event → o jantar → do jantar.

Could we change the word order and say A nossa tradição mais antiga no Natal é cantar em família antes do jantar? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, you can say that, and it is grammatical. The nuance changes slightly:

No Natal, a nossa tradição mais antiga é cantar…
- First frames time: At Christmas, our oldest tradition is to sing…
- Emphasises the Christmas time as the setting.
A nossa tradição mais antiga no Natal é cantar…
- First frames the tradition itself: Our oldest tradition at Christmas is to sing…
- Slightly more focused on distinguishing this tradition from possible other Christmas traditions.

Both are fine; the original sounds very natural and a bit more neutral.

How do you pronounce Natal, tradição, família and jantar in European Portuguese?

Approximate European Portuguese pronunciations (stress in bold):

Natal → [nɐˈtaɫ]
- na-TAL (final l is dark, like in British English ball, but stronger)
tradição → [tɾɐðiˈsɐ̃w̃]
- tra-di-SÃO (nasal ão like in French bon, but diphthong -ão)
família → [fɐˈmiʎjɐ]
- fa-MI‑lya
- lh = [ʎ], similar to the lli in million said very clearly
jantar → [ʒɐ̃ˈtaɾ]
- zhan-TAR (ʒ like the j in je in French; an is nasal)

Compared to Brazilian Portuguese, European pronunciation is generally more reduced and less open in unstressed vowels.

Is Natal always used with the article o? When can I say just Natal without o?

You see both with and without the article, depending on the structure:

With article (o Natal):

After prepositions like em, de, para, etc., talking about the holiday as a time:
- no Natal (em + o) = at Christmas
- até ao Natal (a + o) = until Christmas
- depois do Natal (de + o) = after Christmas

Without article (Natal):

When used more like a name or in certain set phrases:
- O Natal é em dezembro. (subject position; no article before Natal itself)
- Gosto muito do Natal. (here do Natal has the article; Natal as a concept)
- Natal é uma época especial. (no o before Natal here; somewhat more formal/literary)

In the time-expression no Natal meaning at Christmas, the article is standard in European Portuguese.