Learn Portuguese (Portugal): A reunião é mais tarde.

A reunião é mais tarde.

The meeting is later on.

Breakdown of A reunião é mais tarde.

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Questions & Answers about A reunião é mais tarde.

Why do we use é instead of está? The time of a meeting feels like a temporary thing.

It is true that we usually use the verb estar for temporary states. However, there is a special rule for events. When we talk about an event (like a meeting, a party, or a class) taking place at a certain time or location, we always use the verb ser. That is why we use é here.

How does mais tarde mean "later on"?

In Portuguese, the word mais means "more" and tarde means "late". Portuguese does not have an exact equivalent to the English "-er" ending to make words like "later". Instead, you put mais in front of the describing word, literally saying "more late".

How would I ask the questions that lead to this answer, using this lesson's question words?

To ask "When is the meeting?", you would say Quando é a reunião?. If you want to know the exact time instead of just "later", you would ask A que horas é a reunião? (At what time is the meeting?).

Wait, does the word tarde also mean "afternoon"?

Yes, exactly! As a noun, a tarde means "the afternoon", which you already know from the greeting boa tarde (good afternoon). But tarde is also the word for "late", which is how it is being used in this sentence.