Log inSign up

Ele às vezes estuda à noite.

Ele às vezes estuda à noite.
He sometimes studies at night.
From Lesson 26:Asking about time (quando, a que horas)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Ele às vezes estuda à noite.

ele
he
estudar
to study
à noite
at night
às vezes
sometimes

Questions & Answers about Ele às vezes estuda à noite.

If this sentence is the answer, would the question use quando or a que horas?
The question would use quando (when), such as: Quando é que ele estuda? (When does he study?). This is because à noite gives a general time of day. If you asked A que horas (At what time), the answer would usually require a specific clock time, like às nove (at nine).
What does às vezes literally mean, and why does the a have a backward accent?
It means "sometimes", but literally translates to "at the times". The backward accent (called a grave accent) shows that two words have merged together: the preposition a (at/to) and the plural feminine word for "the", which is as. Together, a + as becomes às.
Does the accent in à noite work the exact same way?
Yes! It combines the preposition a (at/in) and the singular feminine article a (the) before the feminine word noite. À noite is the standard, everyday way to say "at night" or "in the evening" when describing when an action takes place.
Could I put às vezes at the end of the sentence instead?
Yes, Portuguese word order for time expressions is very flexible. You can say Ele estuda à noite às vezes or even put it at the very beginning: Às vezes ele estuda à noite. All of these are perfectly natural and mean the same thing.

Learn Ele às vezes estuda à noite and more in Portuguese

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Portuguese →