Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): Eu quero publicar um artigo no jornal. - I want to publish an article in the newspaper.

add slight emphasis on I (e.g., contrast: Eu quero publicar, ele não quer.), or
just sound neutral in everyday speech (Brazilians do use eu quite a lot).

So yes, you can omit eu here, and it’s very common to do so.

What’s the difference between quero and something more polite like gostaria?

Eu quero publicar um artigo no jornal.
- Literally “I want to publish an article in the newspaper.”
- Direct and neutral, often used in speech: very common and not rude in Brazilian Portuguese.
Eu gostaria de publicar um artigo no jornal.
- “I would like to publish an article in the newspaper.”
- More polite, softer, more formal, often used in writing or in more formal situations (email to a newspaper, official requests).

Both are correct; quero is everyday normal; gostaria (de) sounds more careful and courteous.

Why is it publicar and not something like postar? Are they different?

Yes, they’re related but used differently:

publicar
- Cognate of “to publish.”
- Used for articles, books, research, official documents, etc.
- Fits perfectly with artigo and jornal.
postar
- More like “to post” (online): postar uma foto, postar no Instagram.
- Used mostly for social media / online posts.

So:

publicar um artigo no jornal = “publish an article in the newspaper” ✅
postar um artigo no jornal would sound odd; you don’t “post” in a newspaper.

Why is it um artigo and not o artigo?

um artigo = a(n) article, non‑specific, any article.
o artigo = the article, a specific one that speaker and listener already know.

Eu quero publicar um artigo no jornal.
→ “I want to publish an article in the newspaper.” (not specifying which one)

If you already have a specific article in mind, you could say:

Eu quero publicar o artigo no jornal.
→ “I want to publish the article in the newspaper.”

What exactly is no in no jornal? Is it one word?

No here is a contraction of:

em (in / on / at) + o (the, masculine singular)
= em + o → no

So:

no jornal literally = “in the newspaper”
em + o jornal → no jornal

Other common contractions:

em + a → na (na escola = in the school)
de + o → do (do jornal = of/from the newspaper)
a + o → ao (ao jornal = to the newspaper)

Could I say em um jornal instead of no jornal? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can say em um jornal, and there is a nuance:

no jornal = in the (a particular) newspaper
- em + o jornal (specific, known to both speakers)
em um jornal = in a newspaper (non‑specific; some newspaper)

So:

Eu quero publicar um artigo no jornal.
→ “I want to publish an article in the (that) newspaper.”
Eu quero publicar um artigo em um jornal.
→ “I want to publish an article in a newspaper.” (doesn’t matter which one)

How do you pronounce this whole sentence naturally?

In Brazilian Portuguese (general Rio/São Paulo style), IPA:

Eu quero publicar um artigo no jornal.
→ [ew ˈkɛ.ɾʊ pu.bliˈkaʁ ũ aʁˈt͡ʃi.ɡʊ nu ʒoʁˈnaw]

Pronunciation tips:

Eu ≈ “ehw” (one syllable, not “ee‑oo”).
quero – stress on que: KÉ‑ro.
publicar – stress on last syllable: publiCAR.
um – nasal sound: lips almost closed, like “oo(n)” through your nose.
artigo – in Brazil t before i often sounds like ch: arCHIgo.
no – like English “no,” but shorter.
jornal – j like French “jour”: zhor‑NOW (nasal on -nal).

Is artigo only “article,” or can it mean other things?

Artigo has several meanings, depending on context:

Newspaper / magazine / academic article
- um artigo no jornal / na revista / científico
Grammar term “article” (like a, an, the)
- artigo definido, artigo indefinido
Law – article / clause in a law or code
- o artigo 5 da Constituição

In Eu quero publicar um artigo no jornal, it clearly means a written text in a newspaper.

Could I change the word order, like Eu quero no jornal publicar um artigo?

Portuguese word order is fairly flexible, but not all orders sound natural.

Most natural:

Eu quero publicar um artigo no jornal. ✅
Eu quero publicar no jornal um artigo. ✅ (slightly more emphasis on “in the newspaper”)

Possible but more unusual or marked:

No jornal, eu quero publicar um artigo. (topicalizing “in the newspaper”)

Eu quero no jornal publicar um artigo is grammatically possible but sounds awkward and unnatural in everyday Brazilian Portuguese.

Stick with Eu quero publicar um artigo no jornal.

In English we usually say “publish an article in the newspaper.” Is no jornal closer to “in” or “on”?

no here corresponds to English “in the”:

publicar um artigo no jornal
→ publish an article *in the newspaper*

But be aware: em / no can sometimes be translated as in, on, or at, depending on context:

no jornal – in the newspaper
no site – on the website
no Brasil – in Brazil
no trabalho – at work

The preposition em is flexible; English makes a clearer distinction between in / on / at.

Can I replace jornal with something like revista or site? Does anything else change?

Yes, you just change the noun (and possibly the article):

revista (magazine) – feminine: a revista
- Eu quero publicar um artigo na revista.
  (em + a revista → na revista)
site (website) – masculine: o site
- Eu quero publicar um artigo no site.
blog – masculine: o blog
- Eu quero publicar um artigo no blog.

So you adapt the contraction according to the gender of the noun (no / na).

Is quero present tense? How would I say “I wanted to publish an article in the newspaper”?

Yes, quero is present tense, 1st person singular of querer:

eu quero – I want
eu quis – I wanted (simple past, completed action)
eu queria – I wanted / I used to want / I was wanting (imperfect, ongoing or more polite/soft)

Examples:

Eu quis publicar um artigo no jornal.
→ I wanted to publish an article in the newspaper. (at a specific point in the past)
Eu queria publicar um artigo no jornal.
→ I wanted / I would like to publish an article in the newspaper.
(can be past or a very soft, polite present wish, depending on context)

Is this sentence more written or spoken style? Would Brazilians actually say it like this?

The sentence is very natural and works in both speech and writing.

In casual spoken Brazilian Portuguese, you’d commonly hear:

Quero publicar um artigo no jornal. (dropping eu)
Or, in a more informal context, maybe with extra words:
- Eu quero publicar um artigo no jornal local.
- Eu tô querendo publicar um artigo no jornal. (“I’m wanting to publish…”, very colloquial)

But Eu quero publicar um artigo no jornal is perfectly normal, natural Brazilian Portuguese.