Portuguese Phrase
Quanto tempo vamos ter que esperar hoje à noite?
Meaning
The sentence asks, “How long will we have to wait tonight?” It inquires about the duration of a waiting period that will occur later in the evening.
When to use
Use this question when you’re planning to meet friends, attend an event, or pick someone up and you need to know how long the wait will be later that night.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Quantotempovamosterqueesperarhojeànoite
Quanto tempo
A fixed expression meaning “how long”. It is used with verbs to ask about duration.
vamos + infinitive
Future intention in Portuguese is often expressed with the present tense of ‘ir’ + infinitive. Here ‘vamos ter’ = ‘we will have’.
ter que + infinitive
The construction ‘ter que’ (or ‘ter de’) means ‘to have to/ must’. It is followed by an infinitive verb.
à noite
Preposition ‘a’ contracts with the feminine article ‘a’ to form ‘à’, meaning “at the night” → “tonight”.
🗨In Conversation
Quanto tempo vamos ter que esperar hoje à noite?
How long will we have to wait tonight?
Acho que uns 30 minutos, mas pode demorar um pouco mais se o trânsito estiver ruim.
I think about 30 minutes, but it could take a bit longer if traffic is bad.
✕Common Mistakes
Quanto tempo temos que esperar hoje à noite?
‘Temos’ is the present indicative of ‘ter’; the future intention needs ‘vamos ter’ (we will have).
Quanto tempo vamos ter que esperar hoje noite?
Do not omit the preposition ‘à’; ‘hoje noite’ is ungrammatical.
Quanto tempo vamos ter que esperar‑nos hoje à noite?
Using ‘esperar’ is correct; swapping it with ‘esperar‑nos’ (a reflexive form) would be wrong in this context.
↔Alternatives
Quanto tempo vamos precisar esperar hoje à noite?
How long will we need to wait tonight?
Quanto tempo vamos ficar esperando hoje à noite?
How long will we be waiting tonight?
Quanto tempo vai demorar até chegarmos hoje à noite?
How long will it take until we arrive tonight?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, it’s common to ask about waiting times before confirming plans, especially for events that start late in the evening. Using ‘à noite’ signals that you’re referring to the same night, not the next day. In more formal settings you might replace ‘vamos ter que’ with ‘precisaremos de’ for a slightly more polished tone.