Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): Meu cartão quase expirou, então pedi outro ao banco. - My card almost expired, so I asked the bank for another one.

In Portuguese, quase is an adverb of degree that typically precedes the verb it modifies. Placing it before expirou gives the natural meaning “almost expired.” Putting it at the end (e.g. expirou quase) sounds unnatural in Brazilian Portuguese.

What’s the difference between expirar and vencer when talking about cards or deadlines?

Both verbs can mean “to expire,” but in Brazil vencer is more common for things like cards, bills and subscriptions.
• O cartão vence em maio. (The card expires in May.)
Meanwhile expirar is understood and used, but it’s a bit more formal or technical (e.g. legal documents, passports).

Why do we say pedi outro ao banco instead of pedi outro no banco or pedi outro para o banco?

• Ao banco = “to the bank” (contraction of a + o), indicating who you asked.
• No banco would stress where you asked (inside the bank branch).
• Para o banco could imply you’re doing a favor for the bank, not requesting something from it.

Why isn’t there an explicit subject pronoun before pedi (like eu pedi)?

Portuguese normally drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person. Pedi (ending in -i) unambiguously means “I asked.” You can include eu for emphasis (Eu pedi outro), but in everyday speech it’s optional and often omitted.

Could I say o meu cartão instead of meu cartão? Why is the article missing here?

Yes, both are correct. Omitting the article (meu cartão) is very common in Brazilian Portuguese when the context is clear. Including o (o meu cartão) adds a touch of emphasis or formality but isn’t required.

Is it okay to replace então with por isso or logo in this sentence?

Absolutely. All three link cause and effect:
• por isso pedi outro ao banco – slightly more formal
• logo pedi outro ao banco – can sound a bit more literary/concise
• então pedi outro ao banco – neutral, conversational

Why is expirou in the simple past (pretérito perfeito) instead of the imperfect (pretérito imperfeito)?

Expirar describes an instantaneous event (the moment the card stopped being valid). For completed actions or single events in the past, we use pretérito perfeito (expirou). The imperfect (expirava) is for ongoing or habitual past actions and wouldn’t fit here.

Why doesn’t the sentence repeat cartão after pedi outro?

Once you mention meu cartão, Portuguese allows you to drop the repeated noun and use outro alone (ellipsis). It’s a common way to avoid redundancy: “I asked for another (card).”

Could I say meu cartão estava quase expirado instead? What’s the nuance?

Yes, you can.
• Meu cartão estava quase expirado emphasizes the card’s state at that moment.
• Meu cartão quase expirou focuses more on the action/event of it almost expiring.
Both are correct; the original is more direct and idiomatic in everyday speech.