Questions & Answers about Hoje eu estou de férias.
Yes.
In European Portuguese it is very natural to omit the subject pronoun because the verb ending -ou in estou already shows that the subject is eu.
- Hoje eu estou de férias. – adds a bit of emphasis on I (for example, I am on vacation, not someone else).
- Hoje estou de férias. – more neutral and slightly more common in everyday speech.
Both are correct; the choice is mostly about emphasis or style, not grammar.
Estar de férias is a fixed idiomatic expression meaning to be on vacation / on holiday. Literally it is to be of holidays, but you should treat it as one unit.
Portuguese often uses estar de + noun for temporary roles or states:
- estar de férias – to be on vacation
- estar de serviço – to be on duty
- estar de guarda – to be on guard
Estou em férias is grammatically possible but sounds more formal or unusual in everyday European Portuguese. For normal conversation, always prefer estar de férias.
Férias is one of those nouns that practically only exists in the plural (like scissors or pants in English).
- It is always plural: as férias, umas férias longas, as minhas férias.
- There is no natural singular form a féria in standard usage.
English varies:
- American English usually says vacation (singular).
- British English often says holidays (plural), which is closer to Portuguese férias.
So even for a single trip or break, Portuguese still uses the plural férias.
Portuguese normally uses:
ser for permanent or defining characteristics:
- Sou português. – I am Portuguese.
- Ele é médico. – He is a doctor.
estar for temporary states, locations, or situations:
- Estou cansado. – I am tired.
- Ela está em casa. – She is at home.
Being on vacation is clearly a temporary state, so you must use estar:
- Hoje estou de férias. – Today I am on vacation.
Using sou de férias would be incorrect.
Grammatically, estou is simple present of estar. Portuguese does not need a special continuous form here.
For ongoing actions, Portuguese can mark the progressive explicitly:
- Estou a trabalhar. – I am working.
But for states like being on vacation, the simple present already has a “current state” meaning:
- Estou de férias. – I am on vacation (now / these days).
So Hoje eu estou de férias is simple present in form, but contextually it describes your current temporary state, which overlaps with English I am on vacation today.
Yes. All of these are grammatical; they just sound slightly different in emphasis:
- Hoje estou de férias. – Very natural; neutral.
- Hoje eu estou de férias. – Emphasis on eu (I).
- Eu hoje estou de férias. – Extra emphasis on eu hoje together (Almost: Me, today, I’m on vacation).
- Estou de férias hoje. – Focuses more on today as the particular day of the vacation.
In normal conversation, the two most common are:
- Hoje estou de férias.
- Hoje eu estou de férias.
Negation: put não directly before the verb.
- Hoje não estou de férias. – Today I am not on vacation.
- Hoje eu não estou de férias. – Same meaning, with extra emphasis on eu.
Yes/no question: normally, you keep the same word order and use rising intonation:
- Hoje estou de férias? – Am I / Am I really on vacation today?
- Hoje estás de férias? – Are you on vacation today?
You do not need subject–verb inversion like English Am I…?; Portuguese usually just changes the intonation.
Estar de férias is used in both European and Brazilian Portuguese with the same meaning.
Differences are mostly in pronunciation and informal contractions:
- Portugal: Hoje estou de férias.
- Brazil (informal speech): Hoje eu tô de férias. (tô = spoken contraction of estou).
But the standard written form Hoje estou de férias works perfectly in both varieties.
férias – a vacation / holidays: a longer break from work or school.
- Vou de férias em agosto. – I’m going on vacation in August.
feriado – a public holiday (a specific day or days on the calendar).
- Hoje é feriado. – Today is a public holiday.
So:
- Hoje estou de férias. – I’m on my vacation period.
- Hoje é feriado. – Today is a holiday (e.g. Christmas, national day), but you might or might not be on vacation.
Yes. Férias is feminine plural, so everything that agrees with it must also be feminine plural:
- as férias longas – the long holidays
- umas férias ótimas – some great holidays
- as minhas férias – my holidays
In the expression estar de férias, you normally use férias without an article:
- Estou de férias. – I’m on vacation.
But when you describe or specify them, you add articles and adjectives that agree:
- As minhas férias foram ótimas. – My holidays were great.
Approximate European Portuguese pronunciation (standard Lisbon-like):
- Hoje – /ˈo.ʒɨ/ → roughly OH-zh(uh)
- eu – /ew/ → a bit like ehw (a quick diphthong)
- estou – /ʃˈto(w)/ → the e is reduced and the s sounds like sh, so roughly shtoh
- de – /dɨ/ → a very short, weak d(uh); often almost attached to the next word
- férias – /ˈfɛ.ɾi.ɐʃ/ → FÉ (as in bed), then -ri-, and final -as like -ash
Spoken smoothly, it sounds something like:
OH-zh(uh) ew shtoh d(uh) FÉ-ri-ash.
Yes, but it does not mean the same thing.
- estar de férias – to be on vacation, usually for several days or weeks.
- estar de folga – to have a day off or a free shift from work.
So:
- Hoje estou de férias. – I’m on my holiday period now.
- Hoje estou de folga. – I’m off work today / I’m not working today.
You can be de folga without being de férias (for example, just your regular day off).