Breakdown of Eu preciso revisar o relatório antes da reunião.
eu
I
precisar
to need
antes de
before
a reunião
the meeting
o relatório
the report
revisar
to review
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Questions & Answers about Eu preciso revisar o relatório antes da reunião.
Why isn’t there a de after preciso?
Preciso is the first-person singular present of precisar (“to need”). When precisar is followed by an infinitive verb (here revisar), you do not use de. You simply say precisar + infinitive to mean “need to [do something].” You only add de when precisar is followed by a noun (“need something”), e.g. preciso de um café (“I need a coffee”).
What is the role of o in o relatório, and can I omit it?
The definite article o before relatório marks it as “the report,” i.e. a specific one. In Portuguese, you generally keep the article even if English would skip “the.” Omitting it (preciso revisar relatório) makes it sound more like “I need to review reports (in general).” If you want a general sense, you’d likely pluralize: preciso revisar relatórios (“I need to review reports”).
Why is it antes da reunião and not antes de reunião?
Antes de is the preposition for “before.” When it comes before a feminine singular noun (a reunião), de + a contracts to da (antes da reunião). Dropping the article (a) is unusual here because you’re talking about a specific upcoming meeting.
Why is revisar in the infinitive form?
After modal or semi-auxiliary verbs like precisar, Portuguese uses the infinitive for the next verb. So you say preciso revisar, not preciso reviso or any other conjugated form.
Is the pronoun eu necessary in this sentence?
No. Portuguese verb endings indicate the subject, so preciso revisar o relatório already implies “I need to review the report.” You can include eu (Eu preciso…) for emphasis or clarity, but it’s not grammatically required.
Can I start with Antes da reunião instead, like Antes da reunião, (eu) preciso revisar o relatório?
Yes. You can front-load the time phrase:
• Antes da reunião, preciso revisar o relatório.
• Antes da reunião, eu preciso revisar o relatório.
Adding a comma after reunião is common. The meaning stays the same.
What is the difference between revisar and ler or ver in this context?
• Revisar means to review, proofread, or check in detail.
• Ler simply means to read.
• Ver is more like “see” or “look at.”
If you say ler o relatório, you imply just reading it. Revisar o relatório suggests a careful check—looking for errors, making corrections, or analyzing content.