Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Quando o lembrete toca, fecho as redes sociais e abro o caderno. - When the reminder goes off, I close social networks and open my notebook.

Quando o lembrete toca, fecho as redes sociais…
literally: When the reminder rings, I close social media…
but in context it usually means: When(ever) the reminder goes off, I (will) close social media…

You could use a future tense (Quando o lembrete tocar) but in everyday speech the present is perfectly natural and very common, especially when talking about routines and repeated actions.

Compare with English:

English needs a present too: When the reminder goes off, I close social media.
So Portuguese and English actually behave similarly here.

Why do we say o lembrete and not just Quando lembrete toca?

In Portuguese, singular countable nouns almost always need an article (definite or indefinite) unless there’s a special reason not to use one.

o lembrete = the reminder
um lembrete = a reminder

Saying Quando lembrete toca is ungrammatical; the noun lembrete needs a determiner.

Here o lembrete refers to a specific reminder the speaker already has set (on their phone, for example). That’s why it’s the definite article (o), not um.

Does toca in o lembrete toca literally mean touches? What does tocar mean here?

The verb tocar is very flexible. It can mean:

to touch
- tocar na mesa – to touch the table
to play (an instrument)
- tocar piano – to play the piano
to ring / to go off / to sound (bells, alarms, phones, reminders)
- O telemóvel toca. – The phone rings.
- O alarme toca. – The alarm goes off.
- O lembrete toca. – The reminder goes off / rings.

In this sentence, toca clearly has the “ring / go off” meaning, not “touch”.

Why is eu not used? Why don’t we say eu fecho as redes sociais e abro o caderno?

Portuguese is a “pro‑drop” language: the subject pronoun (like eu, I) is often omitted because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

fecho = I close
abro = I open

So:

Eu fecho as redes sociais e abro o caderno.
Fecho as redes sociais e abro o caderno.

Both are correct, but the second is more natural in neutral conversation because eu is not needed for clarity.

You would include eu if you want to emphasize the contrast:

Eu fecho as redes sociais, mas tu continuas nelas.
I close social media, but you stay on it.

Why is it fecho as redes sociais? Can fechar really mean to close an app or social media?

Yes. In Portuguese, fechar (to close) is used not only for physical things (doors, windows) but also for programs, tabs, and apps.

Typical uses:

fechar a porta – to close the door
fechar o livro – to close the book
fechar o navegador – to close the browser
fechar o Facebook / o Instagram – to close Facebook / Instagram

So fecho as redes sociais naturally means I close social media (tabs/apps/sites). It suggests you’re actively shutting them down, not just ignoring them.

Why is it as redes sociais (plural) and not singular like English social media?

In Portuguese, people usually talk about social networks in the plural:

as redes sociais = literally the social networks

This refers collectively to platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, etc. English uses “social media” (uncountable, often treated as singular), but Portuguese conceptualizes them as multiple networks, so it’s plural.

Grammar detail:

rede – network (feminine singular)
redes – networks (feminine plural)
social – social (adjective, singular)
sociais – social (adjective, plural)

Hence:

a rede social – the social network
as redes sociais – the social networks

Why is there a comma in Quando o lembrete toca, fecho as redes sociais…? Can I put the time clause at the end instead?

Yes, you can change the order:

Quando o lembrete toca, fecho as redes sociais e abro o caderno.
Fecho as redes sociais e abro o caderno quando o lembrete toca.

Both are grammatically correct and natural.

About the comma:

When the dependent clause (Quando o lembrete toca) comes first, it is normally followed by a comma.
When it comes after the main clause, a comma is usually not used in a neutral sentence.

So:

Quando o lembrete toca, fecho as redes sociais… ✅
Fecho as redes sociais… quando o lembrete toca. ✅ (no comma needed before quando)

Why is it o caderno and not o meu caderno if the meaning is I open my notebook?

In Portuguese, it’s very common to omit the possessive (meu, my) when it’s obvious from context whose object it is.

abro o caderno – I open the notebook (context usually = my notebook)
abro o meu caderno – I open my notebook (more explicit, slightly more emphatic)

In situations where only your notebook is relevant (e.g. talking about your study routine), o caderno is naturally understood as your own. Using o meu caderno is also correct; it just feels slightly more explicit or personal.

Is caderno a paper notebook, or can it also mean a laptop (like English notebook)?

In European Portuguese:

caderno = paper notebook, exercise book
portátil = laptop computer

So in this sentence, o caderno clearly means a physical notebook, not a laptop. If you wanted to say I open my laptop, you would normally say:

abro o portátil

Can I replace lembrete with alarme? Is there a difference between lembrete and alarme?

You can say:

Quando o alarme toca, fecho as redes sociais e abro o caderno.

This is perfectly correct.

Nuance:

lembrete = reminder
Often used for phone/app reminders, notes to self, things that remind you of a task.
alarme = alarm
Often used for wake‑up alarms, fire alarms, burglar alarms, etc., but also for phone alarms.

In practice, for a phone or digital notification, both can be used, but:

lembrete focuses more on “this is to remind me of something”
alarme focuses more on “this rings / makes noise at a set time”

Could we use the future tense Quando o lembrete tocar instead of Quando o lembrete toca? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

Quando o lembrete tocar, fecho as redes sociais e abro o caderno.

Difference in feel:

Quando o lembrete toca…
– Very common, especially when talking about habits and routines.
– Can also refer to something that always happens whenever the reminder rings.
Quando o lembrete tocar…
– Uses the future subjunctive (tocar).
– Slightly more formal or precise for a specific future event.
– Common in instructions, rules, or more careful speech/writing.

Both are correct; in everyday spoken European Portuguese, the original Quando o lembrete toca is very natural in a “this is my routine” context.

Is as in as redes sociais just the feminine plural form of o? How does the article agree here?

Yes. The definite article must agree in gender and number with the noun:

Singular masculine: o livro – the book
Plural masculine: os livros – the books
Singular feminine: a rede – the network
Plural feminine: as redes – the networks

Since rede is feminine singular, its plural redes is feminine plural, so the article and adjective also go to feminine plural:

a rede social – the social network
as redes sociais – the social networks

Could I say Fecho as redes sociais e abro o caderno quando o lembrete toca without changing the meaning?

Yes. The meaning is essentially the same; you’re just changing the emphasis and rhythm.

Quando o lembrete toca, fecho as redes sociais e abro o caderno.
– Slight emphasis on the time condition first: When the reminder goes off, I…
Fecho as redes sociais e abro o caderno quando o lembrete toca.
– Slight emphasis on the actions first, and then you say when you do them.

In normal conversation, both word orders are fine and natural.