a + os/as = aos/às

Contraction Aos/Às

Level 1

Aos and Às are mandatory contractions in Portuguese used to say 'to the', 'at the', or 'on the' when referring to plural nouns.

How It Works

These contractions are essential for basic communication and appear in several contexts:

1. Destinations and Directions
When moving toward plural places: Vou aos Estados Unidos (I am going to the United States). In Brazil, para is often preferred for long-term or permanent stays.

2. Indirect Objects
We use these contractions to show who receives an action with verbs like dar (to give) or dizer (to say): Eu dou flores às meninas (I give flowers to the girls).

3. Telling Time (Plural Hours)
In Portuguese, we use às to indicate 'at' for all hours except one o'clock, noon, and midnight: A aula é às duas horas (The class is at two o'clock).

4. Recurring Events
To say you do something 'on' specific days: Trabalho aos sábados (I work on Saturdays). Use aos for masculine days (weekends) and às for feminine days (weekdays like segundas-feiras).

5. The Grave Accent (Crase)
The accent on às is called the acento grave. It signals the crase (the fusion of two 'a' sounds). Without this accent, as is just the article 'the'. With the accent, às means 'to the' or 'at the'.

Note: These contractions are obligatory when os and as are definite articles.

Examples (5)

  1. Nós vamos aos museus amanhã.

    We are going to the museums tomorrow.

    Word by Word: We go to-the museums tomorrow.

    Here, 'aos' combines the preposition 'a' (to) with the masculine plural article 'os' (the).

  2. Ela acorda às sete da manhã.

    She wakes up at seven in the morning.

    Word by Word: She wakes-up at-the seven of-the morning.

    We use 'às' for hours because 'horas' (hours) is a feminine plural noun.

  3. Eu entrego os relatórios às gerentes.

    I deliver the reports to the managers.

    Word by Word: I deliver the reports to-the managers (feminine).

    The verb 'entregar' requires the preposition 'a' to indicate who receives the object.

  4. Eles jogam futebol aos domingos.

    They play soccer on Sundays.

    Word by Word: They play soccer on-the Sundays.

    We use 'aos' for masculine days (sábado, domingo) and 'às' for feminine weekdays (segunda-feira, etc.) to show recurring habits.

  5. Às vezes, eu prefiro caminhar.

    Sometimes, I prefer to walk.

    Word by Word: At-the times, I prefer to-walk.

    'Às vezes' is a fixed adverbial expression meaning 'sometimes'.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the grave accent (crase) in time expressions or fixed phrases.

    Eu saio as oito horas.
    Eu saio às oito horas.

    Without the accent, 'as' just means 'the'. To say 'at the', you must use the grave accent: 'às'.

  • Using 'às' before masculine nouns.

    Vou às parques.
    Vou aos parques.

    'Às' is only for feminine nouns. For masculine plural nouns like 'parques', you must use 'aos'.

  • Confusing 'às' (at the) with 'ás' (ace/expert).

    Ele é um às do volante.
    Ele é um ás do volante.

    The acute accent (ás) refers to an 'ace' or 'pro'. The grave accent (às) is the contraction of 'a + as'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

a + os/as = aos/àsLevel 1Contraction Aos/Às

Learn This First

To understand the contractions 'aos' and 'às', you first need to be familiar with the preposition 'a' and the plural definite articles 'os' and 'as'. It is also helpful to understand how the singular versions ('ao' and 'à') are formed, as the plural follows the same grammatical logic.

Words in This Pattern

às