Não importa se está chovendo, eu vou caminhar na cidade.

Não importa is an impersonal expression meaning it doesn’t matter. Portuguese often uses the verb in the 3rd person singular for this kind of structure.

What comes after it, se está chovendo, is a whole clause, and Portuguese treats that whole idea as one thing:

Não importa se está chovendo.
= It doesn’t matter whether it’s raining.

So importa stays singular.

Here, se means if or whether.

In this sentence, it introduces the idea that follows:

se está chovendo
= if / whether it is raining

It is not the reflexive se here. It is just a conjunction linking the two parts of the sentence.

Está chovendo is the structure estar + gerund, which expresses an action happening right now or in progress.

So:

chover = to rain
está chovendo = is raining

This is very common in Brazilian Portuguese, especially in everyday speech.

Because chover is an impersonal weather verb. Portuguese does not use a dummy subject like English it in it is raining.

So English says:

It is raining

But Portuguese simply says:

Está chovendo

The same happens with other weather expressions, such as:

Está ventando = It is windy / The wind is blowing
Nevou = It snowed

This is a very good question.

Both can appear, but they are not exactly the same in feel.

Se está chovendo sounds like:
whether it is raining or if it happens to be raining

Se estiver chovendo sounds more clearly like a future or hypothetical condition, which often fits well with eu vou caminhar.

So a very natural alternative would be:

Não importa se estiver chovendo, eu vou caminhar na cidade.

That said, the original sentence is understandable and possible, especially if the speaker is talking about the current situation.

In Brazilian Portuguese, ir + infinitive is extremely common for talking about the future.

So:

eu vou caminhar = I am going to walk / I will walk

The simple future also exists:

caminharei

But that sounds more formal, literary, or less common in everyday conversation.

For normal spoken Brazilian Portuguese, vou caminhar is usually the most natural choice.

Not always.

Portuguese often drops subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear. So you could say:

Não importa se está chovendo, vou caminhar na cidade.

That sounds perfectly natural.

Using eu adds a little more emphasis or clarity, especially if the speaker wants to stress I.

Na cidade is a contraction of:

em + a = na

So:

na cidade = in the city / in town

It refers to location, not movement toward the city.
If you wanted to the city, you would normally use something like para a cidade.

In context, caminhar na cidade means walking in the city area.

Sometimes, yes.

There is a small nuance:

caminhar na cidade = walk in the city, be in the city while walking
caminhar pela cidade = walk around the city / through the city

If the idea is moving around town, many speakers might prefer:

vou caminhar pela cidade

So the original sentence is fine, but pela cidade can sound a bit more idiomatic depending on the intended meaning.

Both can relate to walking, but they are not identical.

Caminhar often sounds a little more specific and deliberate, such as walking for exercise or walking as an activity.

Andar is broader. It can mean:

• to walk
• to go around
• to move
• even to function, in some contexts

So:

vou caminhar = I’m going to walk
vou andar pela cidade = I’m going to walk around the city

In this sentence, caminhar is a good choice if the focus is specifically on the act of walking.

The comma separates the introductory clause from the main clause:

Não importa se está chovendo, eu vou caminhar na cidade.

The first part sets up the situation, and the second part gives the main action.

In writing, this comma helps readability. In speech, there is usually a pause there too.

Yes, it is understandable and fairly natural, but a Brazilian speaker might also say it in slightly different ways depending on nuance.

Some very natural alternatives are:

Não importa se estiver chovendo, eu vou caminhar pela cidade.
Mesmo se estiver chovendo, eu vou caminhar pela cidade.
Mesmo com chuva, eu vou caminhar pela cidade.

These alternatives may sound a little smoother or more idiomatic, especially if the idea is even if it rains or even if it’s raining.

In Brazilian Portuguese, ch is usually pronounced like sh in English.

So chovendo begins roughly like:

sho-

A very rough approximation would be:

sho-VEN-doo

But keep in mind:

• the o in the first syllable is not exactly like English oh
• the final o in Brazilian Portuguese often sounds closer to oo

Also, não has a nasal sound, which is important to practice because English does not have an exact equivalent.