Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Chegamos sempre a tempo ao trabalho.

In Portuguese you can omit subject pronouns because the verb ending usually tells you who the subject is. The form chegamos clearly shows 1st person plural (we).

Chegamos sempre a tempo ao trabalho.
= (We) always arrive at work on time.

You can add nós for emphasis or contrast, but it isn’t necessary:

Nós chegamos sempre a tempo ao trabalho. (more emphatic: We (as opposed to others) always arrive…)

Is chegamos present or past tense here? Could it also mean “we arrived”?

In this exact sentence, written Chegamos (without an accent), it is present tense in European Portuguese:

chegamos → we arrive (present)
chegámos → we arrived (past, pretérito perfeito)

So:

Chegamos sempre a tempo ao trabalho.
= We always arrive on time at work.
Chegámos sempre a tempo ao trabalho.
= We always arrived on time at work. (talking about a past period)

In speech the difference can be subtle, but in European Portuguese writing the accent in chegámos normally marks the past.

In Brazilian Portuguese, people generally write chegamos for both present and past, and rely more on context.

What does a tempo literally mean, and why does it mean “on time”?

Literally, a tempo is “to time” or “in time”, but as an idiom it means:

a tempo = on time / in time (before a deadline, not late)

So:

Chegamos sempre a tempo ao trabalho.
= We always arrive at work on time (i.e. not late).

You’ll see a tempo used whenever you beat some deadline or avoid being late:

Cheguei a tempo da reunião.
I arrived (in) time for the meeting.
Ainda vamos a tempo.
We’re still in time / It’s not too late.

Can I say em tempo or na hora instead of a tempo?

You can, but they are not exact equivalents, especially in European Portuguese.

a tempo – the most usual and neutral way to say “on time / in time” (not late).
em tempo – exists, but is more formal or literary, like “in due time” or “within the time limit”.
na hora – literally “at the hour / at the time”; in Brazilian Portuguese this is very common for “on time” (chegar na hora), but in Portugal it’s less idiomatic in this sense. In Portugal you’d more often hear:
- a tempo
- a horas (another everyday way to say “on time”)

So, for Portugal:

✅ Chegamos sempre a tempo ao trabalho.
✅ Chegamos sempre a horas ao trabalho.
❓ Chegamos sempre na hora ao trabalho. (understandable, but not the most natural in European Portuguese)

What does ao mean in ao trabalho, and why not a o trabalho?

Ao is a contraction of the preposition a and the masculine singular article o:

a (to) + o (the) → ao (to the)

So:

a + o trabalho → ao trabalho = “to the work” / “to work”

Portuguese regularly contracts a with definite articles:

a + o → ao (to the, masculine singular)
a + a → à (to the, feminine singular)
a + os → aos
a + as → às

Examples:

Vou ao trabalho. – I go to work.
Vou à escola. – I go to (the) school.

What is the difference between ao trabalho, no trabalho, and para o trabalho?

They use different prepositions and express slightly different ideas:

ao trabalho
- literally “to the work” → to work (as a place)
- used with movement / arrival:
  - Chegamos sempre a tempo ao trabalho.
    We always arrive at work on time.
  - Vou ao trabalho de carro.
    I go to work by car.
no trabalho
- em + o trabalho → no trabalho = “at work” / “in work” (location)
- used for being there, not moving there:
  - Estou no trabalho.
    I’m at work.
  - Falamos muito inglês no trabalho.
    We speak a lot of English at work.
para o trabalho
- para often expresses direction or purpose / destination:
  - Vou para o trabalho às oito.
    I go (leave) for work at eight.
- With chegar, in European Portuguese the natural preposition is a:
  - ✅ Chegar ao trabalho (standard in Portugal)
  - ❌ Chegar para o trabalho (sounds odd with this meaning)

In Brazil, everyday speech often uses chegar no trabalho, but in Portugal the standard is chegar ao trabalho.

Does chegar always take the preposition a, like in chegar ao trabalho?

In European Portuguese, yes: with a destination, chegar normally uses a:

chegar a casa – to arrive home
chegar a Lisboa – to arrive in Lisbon
chegar à escola – to arrive at (the) school
chegar ao trabalho – to arrive at work

In Brazilian Portuguese, everyday speech very often uses em / no / na instead:

chegar em casa, chegar no trabalho (very common in Brazil)

But since you’re learning Portuguese from Portugal, you should stick to:

chegar a
- place → chegar ao/à
  - place with article

Can I move sempre to another place in the sentence, like Sempre chegamos a tempo ao trabalho?

Yes, you can move sempre, and the meaning is essentially the same, with slight differences in emphasis.

All of these are grammatically correct in European Portuguese:

Chegamos sempre a tempo ao trabalho.
– Neutral word order; very natural. Focus is on the habit as part of the action.
Sempre chegamos a tempo ao trabalho.
– Emphasizes “always” a bit more, like: We *always arrive on time (we’re never late).*
Chegamos a tempo ao trabalho sempre.
– Possible but less common; sempre at the end sounds more emphatic/colloquial, like “absolutely every single time”.

The most typical version is the one you have: Chegamos sempre a tempo ao trabalho.

How would this sentence change if the subject were “I” or “they” instead of “we”?

You just change the verb form (and the implied subject):

I always arrive on time at work.
Chego sempre a tempo ao trabalho.
- chego = I arrive
They always arrive on time at work.
Chegam sempre a tempo ao trabalho.
- chegam = they arrive

Complete mini-paradigm (present tense of chegar):

eu chego – I arrive
tu chegas – you arrive (informal singular)
ele / ela chega – he / she arrives
nós chegamos – we arrive
eles / elas chegam – they arrive

How do you pronounce Chegamos sempre a tempo ao trabalho in European Portuguese?

Approximate IPA (European Portuguese):

Chegamos sempre a tempo ao trabalho
[ʃɨˈɣɐmuʃ ˈsẽpɾɨ ɐ ˈtẽpu aw tɾɐˈβaʎu]

Some tips:

ch in chegamos = [ʃ], like sh in she.
-amos in chegamos = roughly “uh-moosh” [ɐmuʃ].
Final -e in sempre is very weak, almost like “semp-r(uh)”.
ao is pronounced like “ow” in now [aw].
lh in trabalho = like the lli in million

Said naturally, it flows as one chunk, with stress on:

CheGAmos SEMpre a TEMpo ao traBAlho.

Is this sentence natural in both European and Brazilian Portuguese?

It’s perfectly natural in European Portuguese, which is what you’re learning.

In Brazilian Portuguese it is grammatical, but everyday speech would more commonly change the preposition and maybe the wording a bit, for example:

Sempre chegamos no trabalho na hora.
Sempre chegamos ao trabalho na hora certa.

Key differences:

Portugal: chegar ao trabalho, a tempo / a horas
Brazil (colloquial): chegar no trabalho, na hora

So your sentence:

Chegamos sempre a tempo ao trabalho.

is exactly what you want for Portuguese (Portugal).

Can I drop ao trabalho and just say Chegamos sempre a tempo?

Yes, if the context already makes it clear what you’re talking about.

Chegamos sempre a tempo.
= We always arrive on time / We always get there in time.

In a conversation about work, everyone will understand it means “on time for work”. If you need to be explicit or you’re introducing the idea for the first time, ao trabalho makes it clearer.