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'Às vezes', 'à pressa' and other fixed expressions with 'à'

Portuguese has a set of everyday expressions that always contain à or às: às vezes (sometimes), à direita (on the right), à pressa (in a hurry), à primeira vista (at first glance). That little word with the grave accent is the preposition a fused with the feminine article a or as. The expressions are fixed, so you learn them as whole chunks.

English speakers trip over them because the English versions give no hint that a preposition and an article are hiding inside. Nothing in sometimes or hurriedly suggests a second word, so learners write *as vezes without the accent, or drop the à altogether and say *vire direita.

Word list
às vezesA1 sometimes às vezes = sometimes hoje à noiteA1 tonight hoje à noite = tonight (à noite = at night) à frente deA2 in front of à frente de = in front of à pinhamA2 crowded à pinha = packed (EP, informal) direitafA2 right à direita = on the right, to the right esquerdafA2 left à esquerda = on the left, to the left tocar à campainhaA2 to ring the doorbell tocar à campainha = to ring the doorbell (EP; BR tocar a campainha) à borlaB1 for free à borla = for free (EP, informal) estar à procuraB1 to search estar à procura de = to be looking for ir às comprasB1 to shop ir às compras = to go shopping pôr à provaB1 to test pôr à prova = to put to the test à parteB2 separate à parte = separate à pressaB2 hurriedly à pressa = in a hurry (EP) à primeira vistaB2 at first glance à primeira vista = at first glance amor à primeira vistamB2 love at first sight amor à primeira vista = love at first sight às pressasB2 hurriedly às pressas = in a hurry (BR) dar à luzB2 to give birth dar à luz = to give birth dar marcha à réB2 to reverse dar marcha à ré = to reverse (BR) tração à cordafB2 tug of war tração à corda = tug of war (EP; BR cabo de guerra) encontro às cegasmC1 blind date encontro às cegas = blind date ir à falênciaC1 to go bankrupt ir à falência = to go bankrupt à prova de balaC2 bulletproof à prova de bala = bulletproof (EP) à prova de balasC2 bulletproof à prova de balas = bulletproof (BR) colete à prova de balamC2 bulletproof vest colete à prova de bala = bulletproof vest (EP) colete à prova de balasmC2 bulletproof vest colete à prova de balas = bulletproof vest (BR)
How it works

The grave accent marks a merger: a + a = à and a + as = às. In these expressions it is simply part of the spelling, so you do not need to work out the grammar each time. If the noun is plural, as in vezes, pressas or cegas, the form is às. Otherwise it is à.

Two spelling points are worth remembering. The accent is always grave (à), never acute (á). Without it you get a different word: as vezes is just the article plus a noun, not the adverb. In European Portuguese you can also hear the difference, because à has an open vowel, like the a in father, while the plain article a is reduced and short. In Brazil the two usually sound alike, so the spelling is what matters.

Rule of thumb: when an English adverb or adjective turns into a short Portuguese phrase built on a feminine noun, expect à or às at the front.

The words
Everyday basics

Às vezes is one of the first adverbs you learn, and it often appears together with à pressa, the European way of saying "in a hurry". Brazilians say às pressas, with the plural.

Às vezes janto à pressa.
(Sometimes I have dinner in a hurry.)
Saímos de casa às pressas para não perder o ônibus.
(We left home in a hurry so as not to miss the bus.)
Directions and position

Direita and esquerda are nouns, but for "on the right" or "turn left" you need à direita and à esquerda. The same goes for à frente de, "in front of".

Na segunda rua, vire à direita.
(Turn right at the second street.)
A farmácia fica à esquerda, mesmo à frente do banco.
(The pharmacy is on the left, right in front of the bank.)
Informal European expressions

In Portugal, à borla means "for free" and à pinha means "packed". Both are casual.

O concerto era à borla, por isso a sala estava à pinha.
(The concert was free, so the hall was packed.)
Describing things

À parte means "separate". À primeira vista is "at first glance", and it also appears in amor à primeira vista. Europeans say à prova de bala for "bulletproof", and Brazilians say à prova de balas.

Isso é uma questão à parte.
(That's a separate issue.)
À primeira vista, não gostei dele, mas para ela foi amor à primeira vista.
(At first glance I didn't like him, but for her it was love at first sight.)
O presidente viaja num carro à prova de bala.
(The president travels in a bulletproof car.)
Inside verb phrases

Several verbs take a fixed à phrase: estar à procura (to be looking for), dar à luz (to give birth), pôr à prova (to put to the test), ir à falência (to go bankrupt) and the Brazilian dar marcha à ré (to reverse). A blind date is an encontro às cegas.

Estou à procura das minhas chaves.
(I'm looking for my keys.)
A minha irmã deu à luz uma menina.
(My sister gave birth to a baby girl.)
Este trabalho põe à prova a minha paciência.
(This job puts my patience to the test.)
A loja do meu tio foi à falência.
(My uncle's shop went bankrupt.)
Ele deu marcha à ré e bateu no poste.
(He reversed and hit the post.)
O meu primeiro encontro às cegas correu muito mal.
(My first blind date went really badly.)
Watch out

The most common mistakes are leaving out the accent (*as vezes, *a pressa), using the wrong accent (*á direita), and dropping the whole word (*vire esquerda). Remember that à pressa without the accent means something else: a pressa is "the hurry", as in a pressa é inimiga da perfeição (haste is the enemy of perfection).

Watch the singular and plural pairs too: Portugal prefers à pressa and à prova de bala, while Brazil prefers às pressas and à prova de balas. Many other phrases follow the same pattern, such as à mão (by hand), à vontade (at ease), às escuras (in the dark) and à noite (at night).

Summary

Learn these expressions as fixed chunks with à already built in: à before a singular feminine noun and às before a plural one, always with a grave accent. If English uses a single adverb or adjective like "sometimes", "left" or "bulletproof", the Portuguese version may still need à, so never drop it.