Turn this distinction into automatic recall
Falando teaches Brazilian Portuguese through grammar, vocabulary, audio, examples, and spaced review, so confusing pairs stop feeling like guesses.
Quick answer
Hora measures clock time. Vez counts occasions or turns.
A reliable test is to identify the job of the word before translating from English.
What each word does
hora
hour or clock time
Use hora for time on the clock or a period measured in hours.
vez
time, occasion, or turn
Use vez for one occurrence or someone’s turn in a sequence.
How to choose
- hora: Choose hora if the sentence points to time on the clock or a period measured in hours.
- vez: Choose vez if the sentence points to one occurrence or someone’s turn in a sequence.
Examples
Que horas são?
What time is it?
Agora é a minha vez.
Now it is my turn.
Common trap
English “time” hides the difference: uma hora is one hour, while uma vez is once or one occasion.
Practice it in context
Pick one sentence from your real life and write it twice: once with hora, then once with vez. If both versions feel possible, name the meaning shift.
Turn this distinction into automatic recall
Falando teaches Brazilian Portuguese through grammar, vocabulary, audio, examples, and spaced review, so confusing pairs stop feeling like guesses.