Quanto Antes, Melhor: Ask for Something as Soon as Possible
Quanto antes means ‘as soon as possible’ or ‘the sooner’; quanto antes, melhor means ‘the sooner, the better.’
Real Life Portuguese · 4 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Quanto antes means ‘as soon as possible’ or ‘the sooner.’ It is a concise phrase for asking that something happen at the earliest practical moment: preciso receber o documento quanto antes (I need to receive the document as soon as possible). It does not give a specific deadline by itself.
Use quanto antes for the earliest practical time
The phrase quanto antes, melhor means ‘the sooner, the better.’ It can describe an action without sounding like a command, but workplace tone and context still affect how urgent it feels.
Você pode me responder quanto antes?
Could you reply as soon as possible?
Quanto antes resolvermos isso, melhor.
The sooner we sort this out, the better.
Quero marcar a consulta quanto antes.
I want to schedule the appointment as soon as possible.
Replace vague urgency with a date when needed
If a task affects someone else’s schedule, add an exact day or time: até amanhã às dez (by tomorrow at ten), ainda hoje (today), or assim que puder (as soon as you can). Specific timing helps the other person prioritize and reduces misunderstandings.
Use quanto antes when the earliest available moment is the goal. Use o quanto antes as a common expanded variant, and include por favor if you are making a direct request.
Envie o comprovante quanto antes, por favor.
Please send the receipt as soon as possible.
Pode confirmar até as cinco de hoje?
Could you confirm by five today?
Assim que puder, me avise se o horário mudou.
Let me know as soon as you can if the time changed.
Put it into practice
Use quanto antes for the earliest practical time and quanto antes, melhor for ‘the sooner, the better.’ Add a specific deadline when timing needs to be clear.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “Could you confirm by five today”?
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