neste momento/naquela época

Demonstratives for Time

Level 3

Portuguese uses three distinct demonstratives to locate events in time: neste (now/current), nesse (recent/mentioned), and naquele (distant past).

How It Works

Portuguese speakers categorize time based on its distance from the present moment:

  • Neste / Nesta (Present): Refers to the current time unit the speaker is in.
    Example: neste ano (this year), nesta semana (this week), neste momento (right now).
  • Nesse / Nessa (Recent Past/Future, Mentioned Time, or Listener's Time): Refers to a time relatively close to the present, a time already established in the conversation, or a time period associated with the person you are talking to.
    Example: Como estão as coisas nessa semana? (How are things going in that week of yours?).
  • Naquele / Naquela (Distant Past): Refers to a remote time, often a different era or life stage.
    Example: naquela época (in those days/in that era).

Regional Note: In Brazil, nesse/nessa is often used colloquially for the present. However, in European Portuguese, the distinction between neste (my time) and nesse (your time/recent time) remains very strong in daily speech.

Note on Contractions: In Portuguese, combining em with these demonstratives is mandatory. You should never say 'em este', 'em esse', or 'em aquele'; you must use neste, nesse, and naquele.

Examples (5)

  1. Neste momento, não posso falar porque estou em uma reunião.

    At this moment, I can't talk because I am in a meeting.

    Word by Word: In-this moment, not I-can to-talk because I-am in a meeting.

    Uses 'neste' because it refers to the immediate present moment.

  2. Eu viajei em 2010. Nesse ano, conheci o meu marido.

    I traveled in 2010. In that year, I met my husband.

    Word by Word: I traveled in 2010. In-that year, I-met the my husband.

    Uses 'nesse' to refer back to a specific year (2010) that was just mentioned in the previous sentence.

  3. Naquela época, as crianças brincavam mais na rua.

    In those days, children used to play more in the street.

    Word by Word: In-that era, the children played more in-the street.

    Uses 'naquela' to refer to a distant, nostalgic past era.

  4. Nesta semana, tenho muito trabalho para fazer.

    This week, I have a lot of work to do.

    Word by Word: In-this week, I-have much work for to-do.

    Uses 'nesta' (feminine) to agree with 'semana', referring to the current week.

  5. Naquele século, a vida era muito diferente.

    In that century, life was very different.

    Word by Word: In-that century, the life was very different.

    Uses 'naquele' because a century ago is considered a distant point in time.

Common Mistakes

  • Failing to contract the preposition 'em' with the demonstrative.

    Eu morava lá em aquela época.
    Eu morava lá naquela época.

    In Portuguese, the contraction of 'em' + 'aquele/este/esse' is mandatory. Using the uncontracted form sounds very unnatural.

  • Using 'nesse' for a very distant historical period.

    Nesse século XV, as navegações começaram.
    Naquele século XV, as navegações começaram.

    For distant history (like the 15th century), 'naquele' is preferred to emphasize the temporal distance from the speaker.

How It Connects

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

neste momento/naquela épocaLevel 3Demonstratives for Time

Learn This First

To use 'neste momento' and 'naquela época', learners must first understand how the preposition 'em' (in/at) contracts with demonstrative adjectives (este, aquele). They also need to understand the conceptual difference between 'este' (near/present) and 'aquele' (far/past) to correctly locate events in time.

Words in This Pattern

nestenaquela