Meu português é pior do que o seu.

to be

Breakdown of Meu português é pior do que o seu.

• português: Portuguese
• meu: my
• do que: than
• pior: worse
• o seu: yours

Questions & Answers about Meu português é pior do que o seu.

Why is pior used here instead of something like mais ruim?

In Portuguese, pior is the irregular comparative form of ruim/mau, just like better vs. good in English. You don’t usually say mais ruim, because pior directly means worse.

Why do we say do que o seu instead of just que o seu?

In Portuguese, both forms (pior que and pior do que) are commonly used in comparisons. Using do que is more traditional and still very prevalent, while que on its own is also seen in less formal contexts. Grammatically, do que is often recommended in standard usage.

Is seu referring to your or his/her here?

Seu can mean your, his, her, or even their, depending on the context. In everyday spoken Brazilian Portuguese, it most often means your when speaking directly to someone. Since you’re comparing your Portuguese to someone else’s, it most naturally means your here.

Can I replace o seu with o dele or o dela to say his or her?

Yes. If you’re talking about a third person, you can use dele (his) or dela (her). For example:
Meu português é pior do que o dele. (My Portuguese is worse than his.)

Why is the o before seu necessary?

When using a possessive pronoun in a comparison like this, the o (the definite article) helps clarify that you’re referring to a noun—here, português—that has already been mentioned. It’s simply a common construction in Portuguese, much like saying the one in English.