Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): Preciso buscar minha avó no aeroporto esta noite. - I need to pick up my grandmother at the airport tonight.

Portuguese is a pro-drop language: the subject pronoun (like eu) is often omitted because the verb ending already shows who’s doing the action. Preciso is enough to signal “I need.” You can include eu for emphasis (Eu preciso buscar…), but it’s not required.

What does preciso mean exactly?

Preciso is the first-person singular present of precisar, meaning “I need (to…)”. When followed by another verb, it expresses the need to do something (here, buscar).

Why isn’t there de between preciso and buscar?

When precisar is followed by a noun, you use de (e.g. preciso de água). But when it’s followed by an infinitive verb, you drop de and say precisar + infinitive (e.g. preciso buscar, preciso estudar).

Why is buscar used here? Could I use pegar?

Buscar means “to pick up” or “to fetch someone,” and it’s the most straightforward verb for going somewhere to bring a person back. You’ll hear pegar too (especially in casual speech: vou pegar minha avó no aeroporto), but buscar is clearer when you talk about fetching people.

Can I say preciso ir buscar minha avó instead of preciso buscar minha avó?

Yes. Preciso ir buscar literally adds ir (“to go”), emphasizing the trip: I need to go fetch my grandmother. Both versions are correct; preciso buscar already implies going.

Why is it no aeroporto and not na aeroporto?

No is the contraction of em + o (in/at + the) before a masculine noun. Aeroporto is masculine (o aeroporto), so em + o aeroporto → no aeroporto. If it were a estação, you’d say na estação (em + a).

Why is there no accent on esta in esta noite?

Here esta is a demonstrative adjective meaning “this.” The accented form está is the verb “to be” (3rd person singular). You want esta (no accent) to say “this night” (= tonight). If you wrote está noite, you’d be saying “is night,” which doesn’t make sense in this context.

What’s the difference between esta noite and hoje à noite?

Both mean “tonight.”

Esta noite literally “this night” and can sound a bit more formal or written.
Hoje à noite literally “today at night” and is very common in everyday Brazilian speech.

Could I say a minha avó instead of minha avó?

Yes. Both are correct. In Brazilian Portuguese, it’s common to drop the definite article with family terms (minha avó), but including it (a minha avó) is also perfectly acceptable and sometimes adds emphasis or clarity.