O jogo de tabuleiro usa o tabuleiro.

Because o is the masculine singular definite article, equivalent to the.

• o jogo = the game
• o tabuleiro = the board

Both jogo and tabuleiro are masculine singular nouns, so both take o.

Portuguese uses definite articles very often, sometimes more often than English does.

De here is part of a noun expression meaning board game.

• jogo de tabuleiro literally looks like game of board
• but naturally it means board game

This is the normal fixed expression in Portuguese. Using do tabuleiro would sound like game of the board, which is a different idea and not the standard term for board game.

In this sentence, de connects jogo and tabuleiro to form a category: jogo de tabuleiro.

It often corresponds to English of, but in natural translation it is part of the expression board game.

So:

• jogo = game
• tabuleiro = board
• jogo de tabuleiro = board game

Usa is the third-person singular form of the verb usar = to use.

The subject is o jogo de tabuleiro, which is singular, so the verb must also be singular:

• eu uso = I use
• você usa = you use
• ele/ela usa = he/she uses
• o jogo usa = the game uses

So usa matches the singular subject o jogo de tabuleiro.

Portuguese usually does not need an extra helping verb in simple present statements.

English:

• The board game uses the board

Portuguese:

• O jogo de tabuleiro usa o tabuleiro

The verb usa already contains the information needed. There is no separate word like does in this kind of affirmative sentence.

In this sentence, it is singular.

• o jogo de tabuleiro = the board game
• os jogos de tabuleiro = the board games

Notice that in the plural, the main noun jogo changes to jogos. Usually tabuleiro stays singular in this type of expression:

• jogos de tabuleiro

That is the normal way to say board games.

Yes, you could. It would still be grammatical, but the meaning changes slightly.

• O jogo de tabuleiro usa o tabuleiro sounds more definite or generic, depending on context.
• Um jogo de tabuleiro usa um tabuleiro means a board game uses a board, which sounds more indefinite and general.

So the choice between o and um depends on whether you mean the or a.

It is grammatical, but it can sound a little repetitive because tabuleiro appears twice:

• once inside jogo de tabuleiro
• once again as the object o tabuleiro

A native speaker might still understand it easily, but in real conversation they might rephrase it depending on context. For example, they might avoid repeating the word if the board has already been mentioned.

Still, as a learning sentence, it is perfectly fine.

Both are masculine nouns, which is why they take o.

• o jogo
• o tabuleiro

There is not always a perfect rule for guessing gender, but many nouns ending in -o are masculine. That pattern works here.

A helpful approximation is:

ta-boo-LYE-roo

A bit more carefully:

• ta as in tah
• bu like boo
• lei sounds roughly like lay
• ro in Brazilian Portuguese is often a light r sound, depending on accent

So tabuleiro is roughly tah-boo-LAY-roo, with the stress on lei.

No. Tabuleiro can mean different kinds of boards or trays depending on context.

For example, it can refer to:

• a game board
• a tray
• a board-like surface

In jogo de tabuleiro, it clearly means a game board. Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Because Portuguese often uses the same basic order as English in simple statements:

subject + verb + object

So:

• O jogo de tabuleiro = subject
• usa = verb
• o tabuleiro = object

That makes this sentence quite straightforward for an English speaker.