Portuguese Phrase
Só os passageiros prioritários podem embarcar antes.
Meaning
Only passengers who have priority status are allowed to board the aircraft before everyone else. The sentence is a typical announcement you’ll hear at airports or on a boarding gate.
When to use
Use this phrase when you are a staff member making a boarding announcement, or when you need to explain the boarding order to a fellow traveler. It’s common in airports, cruise ships, and any transport service that offers priority boarding.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Sóospassageirosprioritáriospodemembarcarantes.
Só (only)
Adverb placed before the subject to emphasize exclusivity; can also appear after the verb.
Definite article os
Plural masculine article agreeing with 'passageiros'.
Noun phrase: passageiros prioritários
Adjective 'prioritários' follows the noun, a common order in Portuguese.
Podem (can) – modal verb
Third‑person plural present of poder, used to express ability or permission.
Embarcar (to board)
Infinitive verb that follows the modal verb.
Antes (before/earlier)
Adverb indicating a temporal priority; here it means ‘first’ in the boarding sequence.
🗨In Conversation
Posso embarcar agora?
Can I board now?
Só os passageiros prioritários podem embarcar antes.
Only priority passengers can board first.
✕Common Mistakes
Só os passageiros prioritários podem embarcar primeiro.
‘Primeiro’ is an adjective; after a verb you need the adverb ‘antes’ or the phrase ‘primeiro’ as a noun phrase (e.g., ‘primeiro lugar’).
Só os passageiros prioritário podem embarcar antes.
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun – ‘prioritários’ (plural masculine).
Só os passageiros prioritários pode embarcar antes.
The verb must agree with the plural subject – use ‘podem’, not ‘pode’.
↔Alternatives
Apenas os passageiros com prioridade podem embarcar primeiro.
Only passengers with priority can board first.
Somente os passageiros prioritários têm permissão para embarcar antes dos demais.
Only priority passengers are allowed to board before the rest.
Os passageiros prioritários embarcam antes dos demais.
Priority passengers board before the others.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil and Portugal, airlines often grant priority boarding to frequent‑flyer members, families with children, passengers with reduced mobility, and business class travelers. The announcement is usually made in a clear, polite tone; using ‘Só’ adds a slight sense of restriction, so staff may soften it with ‘Por favor, aguardem até que os passageiros prioritários embarquem primeiro.’