Féria vs. férias
Although the Portuguese words féria and férias are nearly identical, differing only by an s, they have completely different and unrelated meanings. One is singular and refers to money, while the other is always plural and refers to a period of rest.
Féria
B2The word féria is a singular noun that refers to the money earned in a single day by a business or a self-employed person. It translates to daily earnings, takings, or daily revenue.
A féria de hoje na padaria foi excelente.
(Today's takings at the bakery were excellent.)
O vendedor ambulante conta a sua féria no final da tarde.
(The street vendor counts his daily earnings at the end of the afternoon.)
Com o feriado, a féria da loja triplicou.
(With the public holiday, the store's daily revenue tripled.)
Ele precisa depositar a féria do restaurante no banco.
(He needs to deposit the restaurant's daily earnings in the bank.)
A chuva forte prejudicou a féria do mercado ao ar livre.
(The heavy rain harmed the earnings of the open-air market.)
Férias
A1The word férias is a noun that is always used in the plural form. It means vacation or holidays, referring to a period of time away from work or school.
Estou a planear as minhas próximas férias para o Japão.
(I am planning my next vacation to Japan.)
As crianças entram em férias escolares em dezembro.
(The children start their school holidays in December.)
Depois de tanto trabalhar, ele merece umas longas férias.
(After working so much, he deserves a long vacation.)
Onde você vai passar as suas férias de verão?
(Where are you going to spend your summer holidays?)
Recebi o subsídio de férias este mês.
(I received the holiday bonus this month.)
Summary
In summary, the key difference is simple: féria (singular) is the money a business makes in one day, meaning daily takings. In contrast, férias (always plural) is the time off from work or school, meaning vacation or holidays. The presence of the final s completely changes the word's meaning from money to time.