O churrasqueiro fica no quintal, nem que a fumaça entre.

Here, churrasqueiro means the person in charge of the barbecue — the one grilling the meat.

In Brazilian Portuguese, it usually refers to:

• the barbecue cook
• the grill master
• the person who handles the churrasco

Be careful not to confuse it with churrasqueira, which is the barbecue grill / barbecue pit itself.

Ficar has several meanings, and this is one of the most common things learners notice.

In this sentence, fica means something like:

• stays
• remains
• is staying
• sometimes even is located, depending on context

So O churrasqueiro fica no quintal means:

• The grill master stays in the backyard
• or The grill master remains in the backyard

It is not the become meaning here.

Common meanings of ficar include:

• to stay/remain
• to become
• to be located
• to end up

Context tells you which one is meant.

Good question. Both can be possible in different contexts, but they give slightly different ideas.

• está no quintal = is in the backyard
  This simply states location at the moment.

• fica no quintal = stays/remains in the backyard
  This suggests a decision, habit, or continued situation.

In this sentence, fica sounds more like:

• he stays there
• he remains there
• that is where he is going to be, despite the smoke issue

So fica works better because the second part, nem que a fumaça entre, adds the idea of sticking with that choice no matter what.

Quintal usually means yard or backyard, especially the outdoor area behind or around a house.

Depending on the situation, it can be translated as:

• backyard
• yard
• sometimes back court or outdoor area

In Brazilian Portuguese, quintal often suggests a more homey outdoor space at a house, not just any garden.

Also, no quintal is a contraction:

• em + o = no

So:

• no quintal = in the backyard / in the yard

Nem que is a very useful expression. Here it means:

• even if
• even if it means that...
• no matter whether...
• even if that causes...

So:

• O churrasqueiro fica no quintal, nem que a fumaça entre.

has the idea:

• The grill master stays in the backyard, even if the smoke comes in.

This structure often expresses determination or accepting an undesirable consequence.

Examples:

• Vou, nem que chova. = I’m going, even if it rains.
• Ele termina isso, nem que vire a noite. = He’ll finish this, even if he has to stay up all night.

Because nem que normally triggers the subjunctive.

So:

• entra = present indicative
• entre = present subjunctive

The verb here is entrar:

• que a fumaça entra would sound wrong in this structure
• que a fumaça entre is the correct form after nem que

Why the subjunctive? Because the clause expresses something:

• hypothetical
• possible
• not presented as a plain fact
• accepted as a condition/consequence

So nem que a fumaça entre means:

• even if the smoke comes in
• not the smoke comes in as a simple statement of fact

For entrar, the present subjunctive forms are:

• eu entre
• você/ele/ela entre
• nós entremos
• vocês/eles/elas entrem

So in this sentence:

• a fumaça is third-person singular
• therefore the form is entre

Compare:

Present indicative:

• a fumaça entra = the smoke enters / comes in

Present subjunctive:

• que a fumaça entre = that the smoke enter / comes in in a hypothetical or dependent clause

This is one of those cases where Portuguese uses the subjunctive in places where English often just says comes in.

A fumaça means the smoke and it is the subject of entre.

So the structure is:

• a fumaça = subject
• entre = verb

Literally:

• even if the smoke enters / comes in

In natural English, you might say:

• even if smoke gets inside
• even if the smoke comes in

The comma separates the main clause from the subordinate clause.

Main clause:

• O churrasqueiro fica no quintal

Subordinate clause:

• nem que a fumaça entre

This is very natural punctuation in Portuguese because the second part adds a concessive idea:

• even if...
• even if that means...

It helps show the pause and the relationship between the two ideas.

Yes, it is understandable and natural enough, especially in a context where someone insists on keeping the barbecue setup in the yard.

It has a slightly emphatic tone because nem que sounds determined:

• he’s staying there, even if smoke comes inside

A Brazilian might also say similar things like:

• O churrasqueiro fica no quintal, mesmo que a fumaça entre.
• O churrasqueiro vai ficar no quintal, mesmo que a fumaça entre.

The original sentence feels a bit stronger and more stubborn because nem que often carries that tone of regardless of the inconvenience.

Yes, often you can, but the nuance changes a little.

• mesmo que = even if
• nem que = even if, but often with more force, determination, or willingness to accept a bad consequence

So:

• mesmo que a fumaça entre sounds a bit more neutral
• nem que a fumaça entre sounds more like
  even if the smoke comes in, we’re doing it anyway

Both take the subjunctive:

• mesmo que a fumaça entre
• nem que a fumaça entre

Grammatically, ficar can mean to be located, but in this sentence that is probably not the best interpretation.

Why? Because O churrasqueiro here is a person. With a person, ficar no quintal usually suggests:

• stays in the backyard
• remains in the backyard
• will be in the backyard

If the subject were a place or object, a location reading would be more likely:

• A churrasqueira fica no quintal. = The grill is in the backyard / is located in the backyard.

So with churrasqueiro as a person, the idea is about where he stays.

Both are possible translations, but come in sounds more natural in English here.

So:

• a fumaça entre = the smoke comes in
• literally also possible: the smoke enters

In everyday English, people usually say:

• the smoke comes in
• smoke gets inside

So come in is probably the best natural translation choice.