Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): Eu quero corrigir meus erros.

Portuguese verb endings already show the person (quero = I want), so the subject pronoun (eu) is often omitted unless you want to emphasize I (for contrast, stress, or clarity).

Why is it quero and not querer in this sentence?

Quero is the conjugated form (present tense, 1st person singular) of the verb querer.

querer = to want (infinitive)
eu quero = I want

In a normal sentence with a subject, the first verb must be conjugated:

Eu quero corrigir… = I want to correct…
Not Eu querer corrigir… (incorrect in this context).

Quer er – presente do indicativo (present simple):

eu quero – I want
você/ele/ela quer – you/he/she wants
nós queremos – we want
vocês/eles/elas querem – you all/they want

Why is corrigir in the infinitive here?

Portuguese often uses [conjugated verb] + [infinitive] just like English uses want + to + verb.

Eu quero corrigir meus erros.
= I want to correct my mistakes.

Here:

quero is conjugated (I want),
corrigir stays in the infinitive (to correct).

Other similar patterns:

Eu preciso estudar. – I need to study.
Eu gosto de ler. – I like to read.
Eu vou viajar. – I’m going to travel.

Is quero polite, or does it sound too strong/bossy?

Quero is neutral when talking about your own wishes, as in Eu quero corrigir meus erros. It doesn’t sound rude here.

It can sound a bit direct in requests, especially with people you don’t know well:

Eu quero um café. – can sound a bit demanding.

More polite / softer alternatives:

Eu gostaria de corrigir meus erros. – I would like to correct my mistakes.
Eu queria corrigir meus erros. – Literally: I wanted to correct my mistakes (often used as a polite, softer present).

How do you pronounce Eu quero corrigir meus erros?

In Brazilian Portuguese (general approximation):

Eu ≈ “eh-oo” (often almost like “ew” in English)
quero ≈ “KEH-roo”
- r in quero is a soft flap, like the tt in American “butter”
corrigir ≈ “ko-hee-ZHEER” (in many accents)
- rr is a strong h/kh sound in most of Brazil (like in “Rio”).
- Final -gir often sounds like “zheer” / “zheeh”
meus ≈ “meus” (like English “mayo” but shorter, ending with s)
erros ≈ “EH-hoos” or “EH-hus”
- Initial e is open, like “e” in “bet”.
- rr again is that strong h/kh sound.

So roughly: “ew KEH-roo ko-hee-ZHEER meus EH-hoos” (varies by region).

Why is it meus erros and not minhas erros?

Because erro is masculine in Portuguese.

Possessive adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun, not with the owner.

For eu (I), the forms are:

meu – my (masculine singular)
minha – my (feminine singular)
meus – my (masculine plural)
minhas – my (feminine plural)

Since erro (error, mistake) is masculine and plural (erros):

meus erros = my mistakes ✔
minhas erros ✘ (wrong gender)

Could I also say os meus erros? What’s the difference?

Yes:

Eu quero corrigir meus erros.
Eu quero corrigir os meus erros.

Both are correct and common.

os meus erros includes the definite article os:

Sometimes it adds a small nuance of emphasis or specificity, like “my (own) mistakes”.
In many everyday contexts, meus erros and os meus erros are interchangeable, and the difference is very subtle or nonexistent in practice.

Do I need a preposition after corrigir? Like corrigir de or corrigir em?

No preposition is needed here. Corrigir takes a direct object:

corrigir algo – to correct something

So:

corrigir meus erros – correct my mistakes ✔
Not corrigir de meus erros ✘
Not corrigir em meus erros ✘

Examples:

O professor corrigiu a prova. – The teacher corrected the test.
Preciso corrigir esse texto. – I need to correct this text.

What’s the difference between erro, engano, and falha?

They overlap but are used in slightly different ways:

erro – mistake, error (most general/common)
- Fiz um erro de gramática. – I made a grammar mistake.
engano – mistake in judgment, misunderstanding, wrong person/number, etc.
- Foi engano. – It was a mistake / you’ve got the wrong person/number.
falha – failure, flaw, breakdown (often technical or structural)
- Houve uma falha no sistema. – There was a failure in the system.

In Eu quero corrigir meus erros, erros is perfectly natural and the most common choice.

Can I change the word order, like Meus erros eu quero corrigir?

Yes, but the nuance changes.

Eu quero corrigir meus erros. – neutral, most natural order.
Quero corrigir meus erros. – same meaning, without eu.
Meus erros eu quero corrigir. – possible, but sounds more emphatic or stylistic, as if you’re stressing my mistakes (e.g., contrasting them with other things).

For everyday speech and writing, stick to:

(Eu) quero corrigir meus erros.

How would I say “I wanted to correct my mistakes” or “I will want to correct my mistakes”?

Using querer in other tenses:

I wanted to correct my mistakes.
- Eu queria corrigir meus erros. (imperfect; also often used as a polite present)
- Eu quis corrigir meus erros. (preterite; a completed past desire)
I will want to correct my mistakes.
- Eu vou querer corrigir meus erros. (common, using ir + infinitive)
- Eu quererei corrigir meus erros. (future simple; grammatically correct but sounds formal/rare in speech)

Could I say Estou corrigindo meus erros instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, but it changes the meaning:

Eu quero corrigir meus erros.
= I want to correct my mistakes (it’s my wish/intention).
Eu estou corrigindo meus erros.
= I am correcting my mistakes (I’m doing it now / in progress).

So:

quero corrigir – talks about desire or intention.
estou corrigindo – talks about an action in progress.

Does this sentence imply I want to correct my mistakes now, or in general?

It can mean now, soon, or in general, depending on context:

Without extra context, Eu quero corrigir meus erros usually means a general intention: I want to fix my mistakes (in my life, my work, etc.).
If you’re talking about something specific (like a test you just took), it can mean now/soon.

Portuguese present tense is flexible and often covers present and near-future intentions.