Eu preciso falar com o gerente hoje à tarde.

I need to speak with the manager this afternoon.

Breakdown of Eu preciso falar com o gerente hoje à tarde.

• eu: I
• falar: to speak
• com: with
• precisar: to need
• o gerente: the manager
• hoje à tarde: this afternoon

Questions & Answers about Eu preciso falar com o gerente hoje à tarde.

Why is there no de after preciso in Eu preciso falar com o gerente?

When precisar is followed by another verb, you drop any preposition and use the infinitive directly.

• Correct: preciso falar (I need to speak)
• With nouns you do use de: preciso de ajuda (I need help).

Can I say Eu preciso de falar com o gerente?

No. In Brazilian Portuguese, preciso de is only used with nouns and pronouns. With verbs you always say preciso + infinitive:

• ✅ preciso falar com o gerente
• ❌ preciso de falar com o gerente

If you really want a preposition, use ter que: Eu tenho que falar com o gerente.

Why do we say falar com instead of falar para?

Falar com means “to have a conversation with” someone. You use falar para only when you mean “to address an audience” or “to deliver a message to someone”:

• Eu falo com o gerente = I talk with the manager.
• Eu falo para o gerente = I speak to the manager (implying a one-way message).

Why is there an article o before gerente? Can I drop it?

In Portuguese, professional titles and roles almost always take an article:

• Eu preciso falar com o gerente (definite article)
• Eu preciso falar com um gerente (indefinite article)

Dropping the article (falar com gerente) sounds unnatural in Brazilian Portuguese.

What is the function of hoje à tarde and why is there an accent on à?

Hoje à tarde means “this afternoon.” The accent on à marks a crase, the fusion of the preposition a (to) + the feminine article a (the).

• Preposition: estou me referindo a tarde
• Article: a tarde
• Juntando: a + a → à

So hoje à tarde = “today in the afternoon.”

Can I use esta tarde instead of hoje à tarde?

Yes. Both are correct, but there’s a nuance:

• hoje à tarde is very common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese.
• esta tarde is slightly more formal or written.
  You can also say hoje de tarde in informal speech, though grammatically the crase form is preferred.

Can I move hoje à tarde to the front of the sentence?

Absolutely. Portuguese allows flexible word order for time-place expressions:

• Hoje à tarde eu preciso falar com o gerente.
• Eu preciso falar com o gerente hoje à tarde.
  Both are correct; the emphasis slightly changes but the meaning stays the same.

How do I pronounce Eu preciso falar com o gerente hoje à tarde?

A rough pronunciation key (Brazilian accent):
eh-oo preh-SEE-zu fah-LAHR kohng oo zheh-REN-chee OH-zhee ah TAR-djee
Breakdown:

• Eu = “eh-oo”
• preciso = “preh-SEE-zu”
• falar = “fah-LAHR”
• com o gerente = “kohng oo zheh-REN-chee”
• hoje = “OH-zhee”
• à tarde = “ah TAR-djee”

Is there any other way to express obligation or necessity like preciso?

Yes. Common alternatives:
• ter que: Eu tenho que falar com o gerente.
• dever (more formal): Eu devo falar com o gerente.
• necessitar de (very formal): Eu necessito de falar com o gerente.