The preposition por can carry several meanings in Portuguese, and one of its less obvious uses is to express a sense of uncertainty or approximation. This use appears both in relation to time and space. Let’s look at how it works in each case.
Quick recap: contractions with por
Before diving in, remember that por combines with definite articles:
- por + a → pela
- por + as → pelas
- por + o → pelo
- por + os → pelos
Temporal uncertainty (when something happens)
When por refers to time, it often means “around” or “about:”
- Nós chegamos hoje ao Porto pelas 15h.
- We are arriving in Porto around 3 p.m.
Here, pelas 15h indicates that the arrival time is approximate — not exactly at three o’clock. You could also say por volta das 15h, which means the same thing.
Another example:
- O almoço é pelo meio-dia.
- Lunch is around noon.
Again, this expresses approximation — not a precise time.
Spatial uncertainty (where something happens)
We also use por to indicate vagueness in location:
- Eu acho que ele vive pelo Algarve.
- I think he lives somewhere in the Algarve.
In this case, pelo Algarve suggests an imprecise location — we know the general area but not exactly where. Notice that we wouldn’t say por volta do Algarve here; that sounds incorrect.
Another example:
- A Filipa trabalha lá pelos países nórdicos, não sei se é Suécia ou Dinamarca.
- Filipa works somewhere in the Nordic countries — I’m not sure if it’s Sweden or Denmark.
Time and space combined
Finally, por can express uncertainty in both dimensions at once:
- O Joel anda a viajar pela Ásia e volta a Portugal pelo Natal.
- Joel is travelling around Asia and will return to Portugal around Christmas.
Até já,
