Talk About Your Workday in Brazilian Portuguese: Tasks, Meetings, and Breaks
Use present-tense verbs and everyday workplace phrases to explain what you do during a typical day at work.
Real Life Portuguese · 8 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Use trabalhar (to work), começar (to start), and terminar (to finish) to frame a typical workday. The present tense can describe routines: começo às nove (I start at nine). Add a time or frequency word to make the schedule specific.
Start with a simple description of your routine
Brazilian speakers often use a gente to mean “we” in conversation; it takes a third-person singular verb, such as a gente começa. Use eu when you want to describe your own routine clearly.
Eu trabalho de casa três vezes por semana.
I work from home three times a week.
Começo às oito e termino às cinco.
I start at eight and finish at five.
A gente almoça perto do escritório.
We have lunch near the office.
Name tasks, meetings, and deadlines
Useful workday verbs include participar de (to take part in), preparar (to prepare), revisar (to review), and entregar (to submit or deliver). Use a task noun after each verb: revisar um relatório, participar de uma reunião, entregar um projeto.
For a deadline, até means by or until depending on the sentence. Add a date or time: preciso enviar o arquivo até sexta (I need to send the file by Friday). If a deadline is uncertain, ask directly rather than treating a guess as a commitment.
Tenho uma reunião com a equipe às dez.
I have a meeting with the team at ten.
Estou preparando uma apresentação para amanhã.
I’m preparing a presentation for tomorrow.
Você consegue revisar o relatório até sexta?
Can you review the report by Friday?
Talk about what is happening today
To describe an action in progress, use estar + gerund: estou trabalhando, estou revisando, estou participando. Brazilians use this pattern frequently in conversation to explain what they are doing right now or during a current period.
You can add a brief status update and a next step. The phrase ainda estou… means “I’m still…,” while já terminei means “I’ve already finished.” Keep the update concrete so colleagues know what is complete and what remains.
Estou terminando uma tarefa antes do almoço.
I’m finishing a task before lunch.
Ainda estou esperando a resposta do cliente.
I’m still waiting for the client’s reply.
Já terminei o primeiro rascunho.
I’ve already finished the first draft.
Ask a colleague about their day and make a natural reply
A useful opening is Como está sendo seu dia? (How is your day going?). You can answer with one task, one challenge, and a plan for later. In a professional setting, polite requests such as você pode…? keep a question direct and friendly.
For more workplace conversation, continue with Real Life Portuguese guides to polite requests and scheduling. I Speak Portuguese teachers can role-play a stand-up meeting or an informal coffee break. Use the language that fits your team; regional habits and levels of formality vary.
Como está sendo seu dia no trabalho?
How is your day at work going?
Está corrido, mas vou conseguir terminar o relatório.
It’s busy, but I’ll be able to finish the report.
Você pode me atualizar depois da reunião?
Could you update me after the meeting?
Put it into practice
Describe routines with the present tense, current tasks with estar + gerund, and deadlines with a clear date or time. Add one concrete task when someone asks about your day.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “Could you update me after the meeting”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
Build on this guide with everyday expressions and native Brazilian audio. Choose iPhone, Android, or the web app.