Durante vs. Enquanto in Portuguese: Say ‘During’ or ‘While’
Durante a reunião and enquanto eu trabalhava express similar time relationships but follow different grammar patterns.
Real Life Portuguese · 5 min read · Updated October 15, 2026
The short answer
Durante means during and is followed by a noun phrase, such as durante a aula (during class) or durante a viagem (during the trip). It does not introduce a full subject-and-verb clause by itself.
Use durante before a noun
Não use o celular durante a reunião.
Don’t use your phone during the meeting.
Choveu durante a viagem para o litoral.
It rained during the trip to the coast.
Use enquanto to connect two actions
Enquanto often means while and introduces a clause with a subject and verb. The two actions can happen at the same time. If the subject is the same, Brazilian Portuguese may omit it in the second clause when the meaning stays clear.
Enquanto eu cozinhava, meu irmão lavava a louça.
While I was cooking, my brother was washing the dishes.
Ela ouviu um podcast enquanto caminhava.
She listened to a podcast while walking.
Choose by looking at what comes next
If the next words name an event or period, use durante. If they include a person or thing doing an action, use enquanto. This noun-versus-clause check is more reliable than translating “during” or “while” word for word.
Durante o almoço, falamos sobre a mudança.
During lunch, we talked about the move.
Enquanto almoçávamos, conversamos sobre a mudança.
While we were having lunch, we talked about the move.
Put it into practice
Use durante + noun, and enquanto + clause with an action.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “It rained during the trip to the coast”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
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