Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): Eu quero incluir este curso no meu plano de estudo. - I want to include this course in my study plan.

In Portuguese, the verb ending already shows the subject, so Quero incluir… is grammatically complete and very common in speech and informal writing.

Eu quero = I want (with extra emphasis on I).
Quero = I want (the eu is understood from the verb ending -o).

You use eu when:

You want to emphasize who wants it:
- Eu quero incluir este curso, não você.
The context isn’t clear and you want to avoid ambiguity.

So both Eu quero incluir este curso no meu plano de estudo and Quero incluir este curso no meu plano de estudo are correct. The version with eu feels a bit more explicit or emphatic.

Why is it quero and not quer or querer?

Querer is the infinitive form: to want.
Portuguese verbs change their ending to agree with the subject:

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

Because the subject is eu (I), you must use quero, not quer or querer:

Eu quero incluir… = I want to include…

If you used quer, it would mean você quer or ele/ela quer (you/he/she wants), not I want.

What is the difference between incluir, adicionar, and colocar here?

All three can sometimes translate as to add / to put, but they’re used a bit differently:

incluir – to include something in a list, plan, system, group, etc.
- Eu quero incluir este curso no meu plano de estudo.
adicionar – to add, often in a more neutral or technical sense (numbers, ingredients, options).
- Adicionar este curso ao meu plano de estudo (also understandable, but less idiomatic than incluir here).
colocar – literally to put/place; sounds more physical or casual.
- Colocar este curso no meu plano is understandable but less natural in the context of a study plan.

For a study plan, incluir is the most natural and formal-sounding choice.

Why is it este curso and not esse curso or aquele curso?

Portuguese has three main demonstratives:

este / esta / estes / estas – this (near the speaker)
esse / essa / esses / essas – that (near the listener, or just mentioned)
aquele / aquela / aqueles / aquelas – that (far from both, or more distant in time/space)

In real Brazilian Portuguese usage, este and esse often overlap, and many Brazilians use esse much more than este in speech.

In this sentence:

este curso can mean this course (maybe one you’re pointing at, or that’s clearly in focus).
esse curso would also be very natural, especially if you and the listener already know which course you’re talking about.

So:

Eu quero incluir este curso no meu plano de estudo.
Eu quero incluir esse curso no meu plano de estudo.

Both are okay in modern Brazilian Portuguese. Este sounds slightly more “textbook,” esse sounds more everyday.

Why is it este curso (masculine) and meu plano (also masculine)? How do I know the gender?

In Portuguese, nouns have gender, and related words must agree:

curso is masculine → este curso (this course)
plano is masculine → meu plano (my plan)

Common pattern (not a perfect rule, but helpful):

Nouns ending in -o are usually masculine:
- o curso, o plano, o estudo
Nouns ending in -a are usually feminine:
- a casa, a mesa, a prova

So:

curso → o curso, este curso, meu curso
plano → o plano, meu plano

You must match the possessive to the noun, not to the person:

meu plano (plan = masculine)
minha casa (house = feminine)

Why is it no meu plano de estudo and not em meu plano de estudo or ao meu plano de estudo?

No is a contraction of the preposition em + the article o:

em + o = no
em + a = na
em + os = nos
em + as = nas

So:

em o meu plano → no meu plano

Em is the right preposition here because you’re including something in a plan.

in my plan → no meu plano

Ao is a + o, and usually corresponds to to the, not in the:

adicionar algo ao plano = add something to the plan (slightly different picture)
incluir algo no plano = include something in the plan

In practice, no meu plano de estudo is the natural way to say in my study plan in this sentence.

Why is it plano de estudo, not plano de estudos? Are both correct?

Both exist and are used:

plano de estudo (singular) – study plan, focusing on the abstract idea of study.
plano de estudos (plural) – also “study plan,” but implicitly about multiple studies/subjects.

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, you will see both, and they’re usually interchangeable in this context. For an individual learner, plano de estudo (singular) is quite common.

Examples:

Eu quero incluir este curso no meu plano de estudo.
Eu quero incluir este curso no meu plano de estudos.

Both sound natural. Don’t worry too much about the singular vs plural here; it doesn’t change the meaning significantly.

Could I just say plano without de estudo?

Yes, if the context is clear.

Eu quero incluir este curso no meu plano.

This would usually be understood as my plan (and if you’re already talking about study plans, people will infer it’s a study plan).

However, plano de estudo is more explicit and precise, especially:

In formal contexts (school, university, advisor).
When it might not be obvious which kind of plan you’re talking about (study plan, career plan, financial plan, etc.).

Why is it meu plano de estudo and not o meu plano de estudo? Can I use o meu?

Brazilian Portuguese often omits the article before possessives, especially in speech:

meu plano de estudo
o meu plano de estudo

Both are correct. In Brazil:

meu plano sounds very natural and is extremely common.
o meu plano can sound a bit more emphatic or a bit more formal depending on context.

In European Portuguese, using the article (o meu plano) is more frequent, but in Brazilian Portuguese, both patterns are fine.

Can I change the word order and say Eu quero incluir no meu plano de estudo este curso?

Yes, that word order is grammatically correct:

Eu quero incluir este curso no meu plano de estudo. (more neutral, most common)
Eu quero incluir no meu plano de estudo este curso. (slightly different focus, often used when contrasting with other courses)

The version in your sentence is the most typical and natural:

[verb] + [direct object] + [prepositional phrase]
incluir
- este curso
  - no meu plano de estudo

Is Eu quero incluir… too direct? How would I say this more politely?

Eu quero incluir… is direct and neutral. It isn’t rude, but it can sound a bit blunt in formal situations (e.g., speaking to an administrator or professor).

More polite or softer options:

Eu gostaria de incluir este curso no meu plano de estudo.
- I would like to include this course in my study plan.
Queria incluir este curso no meu plano de estudo.
- Literally “I wanted to include…,” but often used as a softer I would like to…
Será que eu posso incluir este curso no meu plano de estudo?
- “Is it possible for me to include this course in my study plan?”

For everyday situations among friends, Eu quero incluir… is totally fine.

How do I pronounce the whole sentence naturally in Brazilian Portuguese?

Very roughly in English-like sounds (Rio/São Paulo type accent):

Eu – like “eh-oo” but quickly, almost like “eo”
quero – KEH-roo (the r is like a soft h or guttural, depending on region)
incluir – een-kloo-EER (final r often sounds like h in Brazil: een-kloo-EEH)
este – ESH-chee / ES-chee (the s between vowels often sounds like sh)
curso – KOOR-soo (the r is a bit guttural in many accents)
no – like noh
meu – like meh-oo, blended: meu (one syllable, similar to “mayw” in English)
plano – PLAH-noo
de – often like jee in Brazil
estudo – es-TOO-doo or ees-TOO-doo; in casual speech the first e can be very weak

All together, more connected:

Eu quero incluir este curso no meu plano de estudo.
Approx: Eo KEH-roo een-kloo-EER ESH-chee KOOR-soo no meu PLAH-noo jees-TOO-doo.

Listening to native audio (e.g., Forvo, YouTube, language apps) will help tune your ear much better than any written approximation.