Eu quero cantar uma canção agora.

I want to sing a song now.

Breakdown of Eu quero cantar uma canção agora.

• eu: I
• agora: now
• querer: to want
• uma: a
• cantar: to sing
• a canção: the song

Questions & Answers about Eu quero cantar uma canção agora.

Why do we use uma instead of um before canção?

In Portuguese, canção is a feminine noun. Consequently, you must use the feminine article uma rather than the masculine article um.

What’s the difference between canção and música in Portuguese?

Both words can mean song, but canção often carries a slightly more poetic or formal connotation, while música can also refer to music in a broader sense. In everyday speech, música is sometimes used to mean “song,” but canção can emphasize the idea of a single piece or track, especially in a lyric context.

Why do we say Eu quero cantar instead of Eu quero cantar agora at the end? Could I say it differently?

Yes, you could place agora in different positions. In Portuguese, agora (meaning "now") can be placed at the beginning or end of the sentence or right after the verb. For example:
• Agora eu quero cantar uma canção.
• Eu quero agora cantar uma canção.
• Eu quero cantar uma canção agora.

All of these are acceptable, though the most common position is usually at the end or the beginning.

Is quero the only way to express “I want” in Portuguese?

Quero is the first-person present-tense form of the verb querer (to want). You could also say gostaria de (“I would like to”), which is more polite or indirect. For example, Eu gostaria de cantar uma canção agora.

Can I drop the subject Eu in Portuguese?

Yes, in Portuguese you can often omit the subject because the verb form already indicates who is speaking. For instance, Quero cantar uma canção agora is still completely understandable and grammatically correct.