BR vs PT · BR vs PT Word Differences

Look up any Duolingo word — find out how it differs between Brazilian and European Portuguese

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Is the word toda the same in Brazilian and European Portuguese?

No.

The difference is not in the spelling or the fundamental definition, but in the grammatical usage of the definite article and syntax.

In Brazilian Portuguese, there is a functional distinction between using the word with or without an article: "toda" (without an article) is used to mean "every" (e.g., toda semana = every week), whereas "toda a" (with an article) is used to mean "the whole" (e.g., toda a semana = the whole week).

In Continental Portuguese, the definite article is much more common when expressing recurrence (e.g., toda a semana), and the word order is frequently inverted—placing the noun before "toda"—to emphasize the entirety of a period (e.g., a noite toda instead of toda a noite).

Brazilian Portuguese Examples

  1. Toda vez que eu viajo, eu fico cansado. (Every time I travel, I get tired.)
  2. Eu comi toda a pizza sozinho. (I ate the whole pizza alone.)
  3. Toda criança precisa de carinho. (Every child needs affection.)
  4. Ela estudou toda a noite. (She studied the whole night.)
  5. Toda semana eu vou à academia. (Every week I go to the gym.)

European Portuguese Examples

  1. Todas as vezes que eu viajo, eu fico cansado. (Every time I travel, I get tired.)
  2. Eu comi a pizza toda sozinho. (I ate the whole pizza alone.)
  3. Todas as crianças precisam de carinho. (All children need affection.)
  4. Ela estudou a noite toda. (She studied the whole night.)
  5. Toda a semana eu vou ao ginásio. (Every week I go to the gym.)