Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): Para mim, não importa o preço, eu quero este curso. - For me, the price doesn’t matter; I want this course.

In Portuguese, after a preposition (like para, de, com, por), you normally use the stressed pronoun (mim, ti, ele, nós, vocês, eles), not the subject pronoun (eu, tu etc.).

So you say:

para mim = for me
de mim = from me
por mim = by / for me

Using para eu is only accepted when the pronoun actually becomes the subject of a verb in the infinitive that follows, e.g.:

É importante para eu estudar. (more formal, “It is important for me to study.”)

In your sentence, there is no verb right after mim, so para mim (not para eu) is the correct form.

Is para mim necessary? Can I just say Não importa o preço, eu quero este curso?

Yes, you can omit para mim.

Para mim, não importa o preço, eu quero este curso.
Não importa o preço, eu quero este curso.

Both are correct.

Para mim adds the nuance “for me / from my point of view / as far as I’m concerned.” It emphasizes that you are giving your personal opinion or priority.

Without it, the sentence is still natural and very common; it just sounds a bit more general and slightly less explicitly personal.

Why is it não importa o preço and not o preço não importa? Is there a difference?

Both orders are correct:

Não importa o preço.
O preço não importa.

They mean the same thing: “The price doesn’t matter.”

The difference is mostly word order and emphasis:

O preço não importa. – more neutral, standard order (subject first).
Não importa o preço. – starts with the verb, so it can sound a bit more emphatic or more “spoken,” like you’re saying “It doesn’t matter, the price.”

In everyday speech, both variants are used a lot; the choice is stylistic, not grammatical.

Why is the verb importa singular? Shouldn’t it agree with preço somehow?

It does agree with preço:

(O preço) não importa.
3rd person singular of importar → importa.

Portuguese allows the subject (o preço) to appear after the verb:

Normal order: O preço não importa.
With subject after the verb: Não importa o preço.

In both cases, subject = o preço (singular), verb = importa (3rd person singular), so the agreement is correct.

Why is it o preço and not just preço without the article?

Portuguese uses definite articles (o, a, os, as) much more often than English does.

o preço literally = “the price.”

In English, you say “price doesn’t matter” (no “the”) but in Portuguese the natural, idiomatic version is “o preço não importa.”

You could say “preço não importa” without the article, but it will often sound slightly more telegraphic or headline-like, not like normal speech. The version with o is more natural in most contexts.

Why is the pronoun eu used in eu quero este curso? Could I just say Quero este curso?

Portuguese is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person:

(Eu) quero este curso. – both are correct.

Quero este curso is perfectly natural and maybe even more common in everyday speech.

Including eu usually:

adds emphasis (“I want this course”), or
helps avoid ambiguity when context is unclear.

In your sentence, eu highlights your personal will, especially after saying the price doesn’t matter. It subtly strengthens “I (personally) want this course.”

What is the nuance of eu quero? Is it like “I want” or “I would like”?

Eu quero is closer to a direct “I want”. It is:

clear and straightforward
perfectly normal in many informal and neutral contexts

However, just like in English, “I want” can sound too direct or demanding in some situations. For extra politeness, Brazilians might say:

Eu gostaria deste curso. – “I would like this course.”
Eu queria fazer este curso. – literally “I wanted to take this course,” but often used as a softened present request.

In your sentence, eu quero este curso shows strong, clear desire rather than polite hedging.

Why is it este curso and not essa curso or aquela curso?

There are two separate issues here: which demonstrative and gender agreement.

Demonstrative choice
- este = this (near the speaker / something just mentioned or about to be mentioned)
- esse = that (near the listener / something already known in the conversation)
- aquele = that (far from both speakers; more distant or abstract)

In practice in Brazil, este and esse are often mixed, and esse is very frequently used. So you might hear:

Eu quero esse curso. – also very natural.

Este curso can feel a bit more “textbook,” but it is grammatically correct and can imply a course that is right here / being shown / about to be selected.

Gender and agreement
- curso is masculine, so you must use the masculine demonstrative:
  - este curso (this course)
  - esse curso
  - aquele curso

Essa curso is wrong because essa is feminine and curso is masculine; they must agree in gender and number.

How do I know it should be este curso (masculine) and not esta curso (feminine)?

You have to know the grammatical gender of the noun:

curso is masculine → o curso, um curso, este curso
A feminine noun would take: a, uma, esta, essa, aquela etc.

Examples:

este livro (masc.) – this book
esta mesa (fem.) – this table

So with curso, the correct forms are este, esse, aquele curso – never esta curso.

Is the punctuation with two commas okay: Para mim, não importa o preço, eu quero este curso?

In relaxed, everyday writing (messages, social media), many Brazilians will write exactly like that, and everyone understands it.

From a more careful writing point of view, it’s better to separate the two main clauses more clearly, for example:

Para mim, o preço não importa; eu quero este curso.
Para mim, o preço não importa. Eu quero este curso.
Para mim, o preço não importa, eu quero este curso mesmo assim. (adding something like mesmo assim, “anyway,” helps the connection)

So:

The first comma after para mim is fine: it marks an introductory phrase.
The second comma between não importa o preço and eu quero este curso is a kind of comma splice; acceptable in informal writing, but in formal contexts, you’d usually use a semicolon or a period, or add a conjunction.

What is the function of para mim at the beginning? Is it like “in my opinion”?

Yes, very similar. Para mim at the beginning works like:

“For me,”
“As for me,”
“As far as I’m concerned,”

It frames the sentence as your personal stance or criterion:

Para mim, não importa o preço, eu quero este curso.
→ “As far as I’m concerned, the price doesn’t matter, I want this course.”

So it introduces a personal perspective rather than a universal truth.

Can I say pra mim instead of para mim?

Yes, very commonly, especially in spoken and informal written Brazilian Portuguese:

Pra mim, não importa o preço, eu quero este curso.

pra is just the spoken contraction of para:

para → pra (very common in Brazil)

It’s informal but extremely frequent and perfectly natural in everyday conversation, chats, and casual writing. In more formal writing (essays, official documents), para mim is generally preferred.

Is this sentence formal or informal? Would it sound okay in any context?

The sentence is basically neutral, leaning a bit informal because of its directness:

Para mim, não importa o preço, eu quero este curso.

Points to note:

The structure and vocabulary are standard; there are no slang words.
Eu quero is quite direct, which is fine among friends, in ads, in conversation, etc.

In very formal contexts (e.g., writing to a university or HR), you might soften it:

Para mim, o preço não é o mais importante; eu gostaria de fazer este curso.
(“For me, the price is not the most important thing; I would like to take this course.”)

But as a general sentence, it’s natural and widely acceptable in spoken Brazilian Portuguese and in semi‑informal writing.