Time and number conventions

There are some differences between English and Portuguese when referring to time and numbers.

If you really want a headache try deciphering the following.

"As previously discussed, here are our estimates for the next financial year.
With an investment of 120,3 Mi and an initial return of 123.456 (123,456 mil) over the first week, there should be scope for expansion over the 1ª and 2ª quarters.  International investment calculated at current exchange rates (2,65) should not exceed 12% of initial investment.
Further information can be obtained during our next meeting on 5ª at 15h. "

Logic helps us in context, but many times single snippets of information can lead to confusion.

In English the following "120,3 Mi and an initial return of 123.456 (123,456 mil)" would be 120.3 M or Million and 123,456 (123.456 Thousand) respectively.

"1º and 2º quarters" would be 1st and 2nd quarters, while the exchange rate (2,65) would be (2.65)

And while a little simplistic here, "our next meeting on 5ª at 15h" would read Thu at 15:00.

--ooOO\\//OOoo--

TIME

There are several different ways of using time in English.

The term o´clock is only used for whole hours from 1 to 12. One o´clock, 10 o´clock, 12 o´clock etc.
The labels ´AM´ and ´PM´ are used without the o´clock designation. 10 o´clock = ´10 am´ or ´10 pm´
 (not 10 o´clock am) 
The minutes - 5, 10, 20, 25 are used as in 5 past 10, 10 past 9, 20 past 2. 25 past 7, 25 to 8, 20 to 6, 10 to 12 and 5 to 1 etc.
The minutes - 15 are said as ´a quarter past 10´, ´a quarter to 12´ etc.
The minutes - 30 is only used as ´a half past 10´, ´a half past 2´etc
All minutes can be referred to as 3 minutes past * (5, the hour), 15 minutes past *, 22 minutes past *, 29 mintues past *, 30 minutes past * or 30 minutes to *, 29 minutes to # (6, the hour) (31 minutes past *), 16 minutes to # (44 minutes past *),  10 minutes to # (50 minutes past *) etc.

The twenty-four hour notation seems to be the most difficult method to understand, but is used by most military organizations and is favoured as a way of reducing confusion and removing the necessity of using ´AM´or ´PM´

Look at these examples;
00:25  -  zero twenty-five        
01:00  -  zero one hundred        uma hora
11:30  -  eleven thirty (hours)     onze horas e trinta minutos or onze e meia
13:43  -  thirteen forty-three       treze horas e quarenta e tres (minutos) 13horas e 43..
17:55  -  seventeen fifty-five       desessete horas e cinquenta e cinco (minutos) 17h e 55.
19:00  -  nineteen hundred         dezenove horas 19horas or 19h
23:59  -  twenty-three fifty-nine. vinte tres horas e cinquenta e nove (minutos) 23horas e 59

Notes
Sometimes the ´zero´ is replaced with ´oh´ as in 01:00 - oh one hundred (hours)
In English, we NEVER say 11:30 - eleven and thirty.

--ooOO\\//OOoo--

NUMBERS

The most obvious number difference is probably the use of the comma and decimal point. In Brazil, the comma is used to separate the whole numbers from the decimals. The decimal point is no longer a decimal and separates thousands.

1.203 in Portuguese is actually one thousand two hundred and three. In English, it would be 1,203.

123,456 in Portuguese is actually one hundred and twenty-three, comma (decimal point) four hundred and fifty-six. In English, it would be 123.456 one hundred and twenty-three, point four, five, six.

Decimal notation in English is quite strict where the numbers after the decimal point are read individually unless they represent a number of objects such as in Money where we refer to pence or cents. R$12.34 would be twelve reais and thirty-four cents. 

A percentage, 12.34%, would be twelve point three four percent. In Portuguese, it is common for Brazilians to use 12,34%. twelve comma (virgula) thirty-four percent   

When using Ordinal numbers, English is quite clear in its usage. With 1st (first), 2nd (second), 3rd (third), 4th (fourth), 5th (fifth), 6th (sixth) and so on. 11th is Eleventh, 12 is twelfth, 13th is thirteenth 20th is twentieth while 21st (twenty-first) continues the sequence of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc. Even when we get to larger numbers, it is the last number that determines the Ordinal notation.

Portuguese requires Ordinal notation on all parts of numbers not just the last number.

When written there is a unique symbol as is shown above. 1º, 2º and 5º are spoken as primeiro, segundo and quinto or 1ª, 2ª and 5ª are spoken as primeira, segunda and quinta. The feminine and masculine cases need to be respected. 

Where the cardinal numbers 21 twenty-one or vinte e um (in Portuguese) continue in their own relative sequences, 22, 23, 30, 33, 54, 121, 122, 130, 133, 154 etc, Ordinal numbers take on a very different face.

Cardinal                                                                     Ordinal 

  22  twenty two, vinte e dois                                     twenty second, vigésimo segundo

  23  twenty-three, vinte e três                                   twenty third, vigésimo terceiro

  30  thirty, trinta                                                       thirtieth, trigésimo

  33  thirty-three, trinta e três                                    thirty third, trigésimo terceiro

  34  thirty-four, trinta e quatro                                thirty fourth, trigésimo quarto 

121  one hudred and twenty-one, cento e vinte e um

        one hundred and twenty first, centésimo vigésimo primeiro 

122  one hundred and twenty two, cento e vinte e dois

        one hundred and twenty second, centésimo vigésimo segundo

130  one hundred and thirty, cento e trinta  

        one hundred and thirtieth, centesimo trigésimo

133  one hundred and thirty-three, cento e trinta e três

        one hundred and thirty third, centésimo trigésimo terceiro. 

154  one hundred and fifty-four, cento e cinquenta e quatro

        one hundred and fifty fourth, centésimo qinquagésimo ducentésimo trigésimo quarto

1,234,567 one million, two hundred and thirty-four thousand, five hundred and sixty-seven, um milhão, duzentos e trinta e quatro mil, quinhentos e sessenta e sete.  

          one million, two hundred and thirty-four thousand, five hundred and sixty-seventh,

Milionésimo ducentésimo trigésimo quarto milésimo quingentésimo sexagésimo sétimo

Special thanks to Marcelo Oshiro for his help in correcting and adding to the Portuguese ordinal numbers.
Thanks too to Lucio Olivier for some final touches