Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Ele trabalha de madrugada no hospital. - He works in the early hours at the hospital.

Madrugada covers the very early hours of the morning, generally from around midnight or 1:00 AM until sunrise. While English speakers often call this "the middle of the night" or "the early hours", Portuguese uses this single specific noun.

Why does the sentence use de madrugada instead of na madrugada?

When talking about a habitual action that happens during a general part of the day, Portuguese usually uses the preposition de. Just like de manhã (in the morning) or de noite (at night), you use de madrugada to mean the action happens during those early hours.

Why is it no hospital rather than just em hospital?

In Portuguese, most physical locations and institutions require a definite article, even in contexts where English might drop it. Because hospital is a masculine word, the preposition em (in/at) combines with the masculine article o (the) to form no.

Does hospital sound the same in Portuguese as it does in English?

Not quite! In Portuguese, the letter h at the beginning of a word is always completely silent. Additionally, the spoken stress falls heavily on the final syllable (tal), rather than on the first syllable like it does in English.