Precisamos trabalhar para ter sucesso.

Precisamos comes from the verb precisar, which usually means to need.

Here it means we need.

It is the 1st person plural form (we) in the present tense:

• eu preciso = I need
• você precisa = you need
• nós precisamos = we need

So Precisamos trabalhar = We need to work.

Portuguese often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

In precisamos, the ending -amos tells you the subject is nós (we). So:

• Precisamos trabalhar
• Nós precisamos trabalhar

Both are correct. The version without nós is very normal and natural in Brazilian Portuguese.

After verbs like precisar (to need), Portuguese often uses another verb in the infinitive.

So:

• precisamos trabalhar = we need to work

This is similar to English:

• We need + to work

In Portuguese, the second verb does not need a word like to before it in this structure. The infinitive itself does the job:

• trabalhar = to work
• estudar = to study
• aprender = to learn

Examples:

• Precisamos estudar. = We need to study.
• Precisamos aprender português. = We need to learn Portuguese.

Here para expresses purpose or goal. It often means in order to or so that.

So:

• trabalhar para ter sucesso
  literally: to work in order to have success

In smoother English, that becomes:

• to work to succeed
• to work in order to be successful

This is a very common Portuguese pattern:

• Estudo para aprender. = I study to learn.
• Ele economiza para viajar. = He saves money to travel.

Literally, ter sucesso means to have success.

Yes, it is natural Portuguese. It is a common way to express the idea of succeeding or being successful.

Depending on context, English may translate it as:

• to succeed
• to be successful
• to achieve success

So Precisamos trabalhar para ter sucesso can be understood as:

• We need to work to succeed
• We need to work in order to be successful

Yes. A few natural alternatives are:

• Precisamos trabalhar para sermos bem-sucedidos.
  = We need to work to be successful.

• Precisamos trabalhar para conseguir sucesso.
  = We need to work to achieve success.

• Temos que trabalhar para ter sucesso.
  = We have to work to succeed.

The original sentence is simple, natural, and easy to understand.

In Brazilian Portuguese, when precisar is followed by another verb, it is very common to use it without de:

• Precisamos trabalhar.

This is the normal Brazilian pattern.

You may sometimes see precisar de before a noun:

• Precisamos de ajuda. = We need help.
• Preciso de dinheiro. = I need money.

With an infinitive verb, Brazilian Portuguese usually prefers:

• precisar + infinitive

So:

• Precisamos trabalhar = standard Brazilian Portuguese

Both can mean We need to work or We have to work, but there is a small difference in tone.

• Precisamos trabalhar = we need to work
  This can sound a bit more like it is necessary.

• Temos que trabalhar = we have to work
  This can sound a bit more direct or everyday.

In many situations, they are interchangeable.

Examples:

• Precisamos estudar mais. = We need to study more.
• Temos que estudar mais. = We have to study more.

A simple approximate pronunciation for an English speaker is:

preh-see-ZAH-moos trah-bah-LYAR PAH-rah ter soo-SEH-soh

A few helpful notes:

• precisamos: the stress is on za
• trabalhar: the lh sounds like the lli in million for many learners
• para in careful speech is PAH-ra, though in everyday Brazilian speech it may sound more like pra
• sucesso: stress on ces

A more natural spoken version may sound close to:

preh-see-ZAH-mus trah-bah-LYAR pra ter soo-SEH-su

Usually, yes, but the usage is not always identical in every context.

In this sentence, sucesso clearly means success in the general sense of doing well or achieving good results.

Examples:

• Ela teve muito sucesso na carreira. = She had a lot of success in her career.
• O filme fez sucesso. = The movie was a success / The movie became very popular.

So sucesso can refer to:

• personal or professional success
• a successful result
• popularity or public success, depending on context

Yes. Formally, precisamos can be either:

• present tense: we need
• preterite past: we needed

The form is the same, so context tells you which meaning is intended.

For example:

• Precisamos trabalhar para ter sucesso.
  = We need to work to succeed.
  Here it is clearly present.

A past example:

• Ontem precisamos sair cedo.
  = Yesterday we needed to leave early.

In your sentence, the meaning is definitely we need.