Discovering Brazil

In the case of flooding, a common occurrence in some regions, be aware of if your home or work is located in a high flood area or near mountains or hills that are susceptible to mud slides. For droughts, it is often common for the city or state to develop limitations to conserve water and the cities resources. In either of these scenarios, the important thing is to remain calm and take all necessary precautions. Time Zones Brazil uses four standard time zones. The main time zone is Brasília time, or BRT (UTC-03), and all other time zones are an offset of BRT, ranging in time from UTC-02 through UTC-05. Daylight Savings Time (DST) Each Brazilian state is given the ability to determine whether or not it chooses to follow daylight savings. Many regions in Brazil do follow the time change and lose an hour in February, while gaining an hour in October. The time change tends to occur on a Sunday, although the date may change each year. Telling Time Telling time in Portuguese is very similar to English. There are only a few exceptions and some key phrases to know:  Time at the start of an hour: Use the phrases, São nove horas or São nove horas em ponto , meaning, “It is nine o’clock,” or “It is nine o’clock sharp.”  Time within the first 30 minutes: Refer to the hour number first, and then the word “e”, followed by the minute number. For example, São nove e quinze. “It is nine fifteen.”  Time after the first 30 minutes: Refer to the remaining time until the next hour using the phrase, “para as.” São quinze para as dez. “It's fifteen to ten.”  For half hours: Use the expression “e meia” in place of “and a half.” São nove e meia . “It is nine thirty.”

 Midnight and midday in Portuguese:

É meia-noite . “It is midnight”

É meio-dia . “It is noon”

 Using morning (a.m.), afternoon (p.m.), and night: Use the expressions “da manhã,” “da tarde” and “da noite” with specific time. For example, A reunião começa às 9:00 da manhã . “The meeting starts at nine a.m.”  When an event begins and ends there are two structures:  “From (hour) to (hour)”, or “das (horas) às (horas)”. A cerimônia será das 10:00 às 11:00. “The ceremony will be from 10 to 11.”  Or, “From (hour) until (hour)” the structure is “das (horas) até as (horas)”. A cerimônia será das 10:00 até as 11:00 . “The ceremony will be from 10 until 11.”

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Discovering Brazil

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