Portuguese Phrase
A gente se encontra uma vez por mês.
Meaning
Literally, “We meet once a month.” The phrase uses the informal pronoun “a gente” and a reflexive verb to express a regular, recurring meeting.
When to use
Use this sentence when you want to talk about a regular monthly gathering—like a book club, a language‑exchange group, or a friends’ dinner—especially in casual conversation.
✦Grammar Breakdown
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A gente
Colloquial first‑person plural pronoun meaning “we”. Used in informal spoken Portuguese; in formal writing replace with “nós”.
se
Reflexive pronoun that makes the verb reciprocal: “encontrar‑se” = “to meet each other”.
encontra
Third‑person singular present of “encontrar”. With “a gente” the verb stays in 3rd‑person singular.
uma vez
Literally “one time”, the standard way to say “once”.
por mês
Prepositional phrase meaning “per month” or “a month”.
🗨In Conversation
A gente se encontra uma vez por mês, né?
We meet once a month, right?
Sim, sempre na primeira sexta‑feira.
Yes, always on the first Friday.
✕Common Mistakes
Nos encontramos uma vez por mês.
When using “a gente”, the verb must stay in 3rd‑person singular; “nos encontramos” mixes pronouns.
A gente encontra uma vez por mês.
Without the reflexive pronoun the sentence loses the reciprocal meaning.
A gente se encontra uma vez por meses.
The correct expression for a regular monthly frequency is “por mês”, not the plural “por meses”.
↔Alternatives
Nós nos encontramos uma vez por mês.
We meet once a month.
A gente se reúne uma vez por mês.
We get together once a month.
Nos vemos uma vez por mês.
We see each other once a month.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, “a gente” dominates everyday speech and sounds friendly. However, avoid it in formal emails, academic papers, or official documents where “nós” is preferred. Also, monthly meetings are often scheduled on a fixed weekday (e.g., the first Friday) rather than a specific date, so you may hear “na primeira sexta‑feira de cada mês”.