Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): Eu acordo feliz quando o dia está bom.

Acordo is the first person singular present tense form of the verb acordar, which means “to wake up.” So in the sentence, it translates to “I wake up.”

Why is the adjective feliz used after the verb instead of being turned into an adverb?

In Portuguese, adjectives like feliz are used to describe a state or quality of the subject without needing to be converted into an adverb. Unlike in English—where you might say “happily” to describe the manner of waking—in this sentence feliz directly describes the subject’s emotional condition (“happy”), so it remains an adjective.

What role does quando play in the sentence?

Quando is a temporal conjunction that translates to “when” in English. It introduces a clause that specifies the condition or time—that is, waking up happy happens when the day is good.

Why is está used in o dia está bom instead of é bom?

Portuguese uses two verbs that mean “to be”—ser and estar. In this context, está (from estar) expresses a temporary condition or state. Saying o dia está bom indicates that the day is good at that moment (for example, regarding the weather or the general mood), whereas o dia é bom would imply an inherent quality of the day, which isn’t the intended meaning here.

How would the sentence change if I wanted to talk about someone else, for example, “she”?

When referring to “she,” you need to change the subject and conjugate the verb accordingly. The sentence becomes: Ela acorda feliz quando o dia está bom. Notice that acorda is the third person singular form of acordar, and the structure remains the same.