Ela sempre acredita em mim quando eu explico o problema.

She always believes me when I explain the problem.

Breakdown of Ela sempre acredita em mim quando eu explico o problema.

• eu: I
• sempre: always
• quando: when
• ela: she
• mim: me
• explicar: to explain
• o problema: the problem
• acreditar em: to believe in

Questions & Answers about Ela sempre acredita em mim quando eu explico o problema.

Why is it “acredita em mim” and not just “acredita mim”, since English says “believes me”?

In Portuguese, acreditar when it means to believe in (someone/something) almost always takes the preposition em:

• acreditar em alguém = to believe in someone
• acreditar em mim = to believe in me
• acreditar em Deus = to believe in God

Without em, acreditar usually takes a clause with que:

• Ela acredita que eu digo a verdade.
  She believes (that) I tell the truth.

So:

• ✅ Ela acredita em mim.
• ❌ Ela acredita mim. (incorrect)

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Why is it “em mim” and not “em eu”?

After a preposition (like em, de, para, por, etc.), Portuguese uses the object (stressed) pronouns, not the subject pronouns:

• eu → mim (after preposition)
• tu → ti
• ele/ela → ele/ela (same form, but function changes)
• nós → nós
• vocês → vocês
• eles/elas → eles/elas

So:

• ✅ em mim (in me)
• ❌ em eu

Examples:

• Ela sempre pensa em mim. – She always thinks of me.
• Ele falou de mim. – He spoke about me.
• Isso depende de ti. – That depends on you.

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Could it also be “Ela sempre acredita em mim quando explico o problema” without “eu”?

Yes. In Brazilian Portuguese, subject pronouns (eu, você, ele, ela, etc.) are often dropped when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• quando explico o problema clearly shows eu from the verb form explico.

So both are correct:

• Ela sempre acredita em mim quando eu explico o problema.
• Ela sempre acredita em mim quando explico o problema.

The version with eu can sound a bit more explicit or emphatic, but in everyday speech many people drop it.

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Why is it present indicative (“quando eu explico”) and not subjunctive (“quando eu explicar”)?

In this sentence, we’re talking about a habit:

She always believes in me when I explain the problem. (Whenever I explain it, as a general rule.)

For habits and repeated actions, Portuguese uses the present indicative in the quando clause:

• Ela sempre chora quando assiste a esse filme.
  She always cries when she watches that movie.

The future subjunctive (quando eu explicar) is used when you’re talking about a future event that hasn’t happened yet, often a one-time or unknown future situation:

• Ela vai acreditar em mim quando eu explicar o problema.
  She will believe me when I explain the problem.

So in your sentence (a habitual action), “quando eu explico” is the natural choice.

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Could I say “Ela sempre me acredita” instead of “acredita em mim”?

No. That sounds wrong in Portuguese.

Unlike English “believe me”, Portuguese does not normally use acreditar with a direct object pronoun like that. You either:

1. Use em

   • pronoun/noun:
   • acreditar em mim / em você / no João / na Ana

2. Or use que

   • clause:
   • Ela acredita que eu estou dizendo a verdade.

So you say:

• ✅ Ela sempre acredita em mim.
• ❌ Ela sempre me acredita.

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Can “sempre” go in other positions, like “Ela acredita sempre em mim…”?

Yes. Sempre (always) is quite flexible in position, though some positions sound more natural in everyday speech.

All of these are grammatically possible:

• Ela sempre acredita em mim quando eu explico o problema. (most common)
• Ela acredita sempre em mim quando eu explico o problema. (a bit more marked/emphatic)
• Ela acredita em mim sempre que eu explico o problema. (slightly different wording: “whenever”)

The default, most neutral position is before the main verb:

• Ela sempre acredita em mim…

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What’s the difference between “acreditar em mim” and “confiar em mim”?

Both can be translated as “to trust / believe in me”, but there’s a nuance:

• acreditar em mim – believe in me, have faith that what I say or do is right/true.
• confiar em mim – trust me, rely on me; often stronger in the sense of dependable, trustworthy.

Examples:

• Ela acredita em mim quando eu explico o problema.
  She believes me when I explain the problem. (She thinks I’m right / honest.)

• Ela confia em mim com os segredos dela.
  She trusts me with her secrets. (She relies on my discretion.)

In many contexts they overlap, but confiar em is more about personal trust, acreditar em about belief/faith.

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Why is it “o problema” (masculine) even though “problema” ends in -a?

Some Portuguese nouns ending in -a are masculine, especially many words of Greek origin, like:

• o problema – the problem
• o sistema – the system
• o tema – the theme/topic
• o programa – the program

So you must use o (not a) and masculine adjectives:

• um problema sério – a serious problem
• os problemas grandes – the big problems

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Can I drop the article and say “quando eu explico problema”?

Normally, no. For a specific problem (the one you’re talking about), Portuguese prefers the definite article:

• ✅ quando eu explico o problema – when I explain the problem

Leaving out the article here sounds unnatural in Brazilian Portuguese:

• ❌ quando eu explico problema

You could drop the article with a more general, non-specific meaning, but then you’d usually change the sentence:

• quando eu explico problemas – when I explain problems (problems in general)

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Is there a contracted form of “em mim” like there is “nele / nela” for “em ele / em ela”?

No. For mim and ti, there is no contraction with em:

• em mim (not emim or nim)
• em ti (not emti or nti)

But with definite articles and some third-person pronouns, em does contract:

• em + o → no (no carro, no problema)
• em + a → na (na casa, na escola)
• em + eles → neles
• em + elas → nelas

So:

• ✅ Ela acredita em mim.
• ✅ Ela acredita nele.
• ❌ Ela acredita nim. (doesn’t exist)

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How is this sentence pronounced in Brazilian Portuguese? Any tricky parts for an English speaker?

Rough, simplified guide (São Paulo/Rio type accent):

• Ela → “EH-lah” (open E, clear l, short a)
• sempre → “SEHM-preh”
  
  • sem- is nasal (like “seh̃m”) because of the m before p
• acredita → “ah-kre-JEE-tah”
  
  • stress on di: a-cre-DI-ta
• em → nasal “ẽ”, like French en
• mim → nasal “meeng” but shorter, not a full “ng”
• quando → “KWAN-doo” (nasal quan)
• eu → roughly “eh-oo” blended, like “ehw”
• explico → “es-PLEE-coo” (stress on pli)
• o problema → “oo pro-BLEH-mah”
  
  • pro like English “pro” but shorter
  • stress on BLE: pro-BLE-ma

Linking is natural:

• acredita_em_mim → the a and em can flow together
• quando_eu → sounds like “KWAN-dew”

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Could I say “quando eu estou explicando o problema” instead of “quando eu explico o problema”?

Yes, but there’s a subtle difference:

• quando eu explico o problema
  – more habitual: whenever I explain the problem (as a routine).

• quando eu estou explicando o problema
  – focuses more on the ongoing action at that moment: while I am in the middle of explaining it.

Both are grammatically correct; in many real contexts they can be interchangeable, but present simple is the default for general habits.

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Why is the subject pronoun “Ela” used here? Can it be dropped like “Ela” → Ø?

It can be dropped:

• Ela sempre acredita em mim…
• Sempre acredita em mim…

Portuguese allows null subjects when the verb form makes it clear who the subject is. However:

• With ela and ele, speakers often keep the pronoun more than with eu/nós, because the verb forms for ele/ela are the same and sometimes context is needed.
• In a standalone sentence (no previous context), Ela helps you know we’re talking about a she, not a he, you, etc.

So:

• ✅ Ela sempre acredita em mim quando eu explico o problema.
• ✅ Sempre acredita em mim quando eu explico o problema. (grammatical but missing context for who “she” is unless known)