Should we say “todos os dias,” “todo dia,” or “todo o dia”?
What is the correct form?
The three forms are used in Brazil, but not in exactly the same way.
In this lesson, you’re going to learn when and how to use the terms “tudo” and “todo,” and how to use of the word “todo” in a few different contexts.
👉 This lesson comes with a free worksheet with the summary of the lesson, many examples in sentences, and exercises for you to practice. Click here to download your worksheet.
How to use the word “tudo”
“Tudo” means the totality of things. It’s an invariable indefinite pronoun. In other words, it doesn’t change for gender (feminine or masculine) or number (singular or plural).
Let’s see some examples in sentences:
Eu entendi tudo o que ela disse. (I understood everything she said.)
João comeu tudo o que estava no prato. (João ate everything that was on the plate.)
Saúde é tudo. (Health is everything.)
Tudo vai dar certo. (Everything is going to be fine.)
“Tudo” means the opposite of “nada.” For example:
Eu entendi tudo. (I understood everything.)
Eu não entendi nada. (I didn’t understand anything.)
How to use the word “todo”
The term “todo” has more uses and meanings than the word “tudo.”
“Todo” can mean “entire,” “complete,” “any,” or “each.”
It can function as an indefinite pronoun or an adjective, and it’s a variable term, which changes for gender and number: “todo,” “toda,” “todos,” and “todas.”
Generally, the word “todo” comes accompanied by a noun and needs to agree in gender and number with this noun.
Here are some examples in sentences:
Ana estuda português todos os dias. (Ana studies Portuguese every day.)
Joana estudou todas as lições. (Joana studied all the lessons.)
Paulo comeu todo o bolo. (Paulo ate the whole cake.)
Carlos comeu toda a pizza. (Carlos ate the whole pizza.)
Common questions with the word “todo”
1. Should we say “todo dia” or “todos os dias”?
Both forms are used and have exactly the same meaning. We can say:
Ana estuda todos os dias. (Ana studies every day.)
Ana estuda todo dia. (Ana studies every day.)
The meaning of the two sentences is exactly the same. The shorter singular form, “todo dia,” is more used in colloquial language, while the form “todos os dias” is considered more formal.
This applies to many similar sentences that indicate frequency.
Todo dia = todos os dias (Every day)
Toda semana = todas as semanas (Every week)
Todo mês = todos os meses (Every month)
Todo ano = todos os anos (Every year)
2. What is the difference between “todo dia” and “todo o dia”?
“Todo dia,” without the article, indicates frequency, something you do every day, from Monday to Friday, for example.
“Todo o dia” means the whole day. Here we are referring to a single day.
For example:
Ana estuda todo dia, de segunda a sexta. (Ana studies every day, from Monday to Friday.)
Ana estudou ontem todo o dia, da manhã à noite. (Ana studied all day yesterday, from morning to night.)
3. Should the word “todo” come before or after the noun?
It depends. When the word “todo” means “any” or “each,” it should come before the noun. For example:
Todos os convidados chegaram. (All the guests arrived.)
Eu vou à academia toda semana. (I go to the gym every week.)
When the word “todo” means “entire” or “complete,” it can change position in the sentence. For example, we can say:
Ana estudou todo o dia. (Ana studied the whole day.)
Ana estudou o dia todo. (Ana studied the whole day.)
A festa durou toda a noite. (The party lasted the whole night.)
A festa durou a noite toda. (The party lasted the whole night.)
4. Can the word “todo” be used without a noun?
Almost always the word “todo” accompanies a noun, but there are some exceptions. For example, the term “todos,” in the masculine plural, can carry the meaning of “all people,” and in this case, it doesn’t need to accompany a noun. For example:
Todos aplaudiram o discurso. (Everyone applauded the speech.)
A lei é igual para todos. (The law is the same for everyone.)
5. When should we say “todo” or “cada”?
I’ve already made a video about this topic. Click here to learn about it.
Tudo vs Todo
To summarize, “tudo” means the opposite of “nada” and is an invariable term. “Todo” means “any,” “each,” or “whole” and changes for gender and number. While the word “tudo” refers to the totality of things, the word “todo” refers to a noun within the sentence.
Free worksheet!
👉 This lesson comes with a free worksheet with the summary of the lesson, many examples in sentences, and exercises for you to practice. Click here to download your worksheet.
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