Log inSign up

Hoje eu preciso pagar o aluguel, mas a fatura de internet ainda não chegou.

Hoje eu preciso pagar o aluguel, mas a fatura de internet ainda não chegou.
Today I need to pay the rent, but the internet bill still hasn’t arrived.

Breakdown of Hoje eu preciso pagar o aluguel, mas a fatura de internet ainda não chegou.

eu
I
não
not
hoje
today
precisar
to need
mas
but
de
of
chegar
to arrive
pagar
to pay
ainda
still
o aluguel
the rent
a fatura
the bill
internet
internet
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Portuguese grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Portuguese now

Questions & Answers about Hoje eu preciso pagar o aluguel, mas a fatura de internet ainda não chegou.

Why does Portuguese include eu here? Can I drop the subject pronoun?

Yes, you can often drop subject pronouns in Portuguese because the verb ending already shows the person.

  • Hoje eu preciso pagar o aluguel... is perfectly natural and slightly more explicit/emphatic.
  • Hoje preciso pagar o aluguel... is also correct and common in conversation.
    People tend to keep eu more when contrasting ideas, clarifying who, or sounding more deliberate.
What does preciso mean here, and what verb is it from?

preciso is the 1st person singular (I) present tense of precisar (to need).
So eu preciso = I need / I have to (depending on context). In this sentence it’s essentially I need to / I have to pay.

Why is it preciso pagar (verb + infinitive)? Do I need de after precisar?

Both exist, but they’re used differently:

  • precisar + infinitive (no de) is the most common way to say need to do something: preciso pagar (I need to pay).
  • precisar de + noun/pronoun is used for need something: preciso de dinheiro (I need money). So here preciso pagar is the expected structure.
Why is there o in o aluguel? Is the article required?

Portuguese uses articles more consistently than English. o aluguel literally means the rent, and it’s the normal way to refer to rent as a specific bill/obligation.
You can sometimes omit articles in certain styles (headlines, notes), but in everyday speech pagar o aluguel is the standard phrasing.

Is aluguel the same as European Portuguese renda?

In Brazil, aluguel is the common word for rent (the payment) and also for rental in general.
In Portugal, renda is very common for rent (payment), though aluguer also exists. So for Brazilian Portuguese, aluguel is exactly what you want.

What’s the role of mas in the middle of the sentence?

mas means but and introduces a contrast:

  • Obligation 1: Hoje eu preciso pagar o aluguel
  • Contrast / complication: mas a fatura de internet ainda não chegou
    It’s the same logic as English but.
Why is it a fatura de internet and not a fatura da internet?

Both can work, but they mean slightly different things:

  • fatura de internet = an internet bill (type of bill/service category). Very common.
  • fatura da internet = the bill of the internet (service you have), with a more specific/definite feel.
    For general “internet bill,” de internet is the most straightforward.
What’s the difference between fatura, conta, and boleto in Brazil?

They overlap, but typical usage is:

  • conta = very common everyday word for a bill (utilities, etc.): conta de luz, conta de água
  • fatura = often used for an invoice/statement, especially credit card (fatura do cartão) or formal billing
  • boleto = the payment slip/document (very Brazil-specific), not the “bill” concept itself
    So fatura de internet is natural, especially if you receive a formal invoice/statement.
What does ainda não mean as a unit?

ainda não means not yet. It’s a fixed, very common combination:

  • ainda = still / yet
  • não = not
    Together: still not → not yet.
Why is it não chegou and not something like não tem chegado?

não chegou is simple past (pretérito perfeito) and is the most natural way to say it hasn’t arrived (yet) in this context.
não tem chegado (has not been arriving) suggests a repeated or ongoing pattern (like “it hasn’t been showing up”), which is a different meaning.

Is chegou past tense even though this relates to “up to now”?

Yes. Portuguese often uses the simple past (chegou) where English uses the present perfect (has arrived / hasn’t arrived).
So ainda não chegou maps neatly to English hasn’t arrived yet, even though the verb form is past in Portuguese.

Could I also say a fatura de internet não chegou ainda? Does placement matter?

Yes, that’s also correct. Placement affects emphasis:

  • ainda não chegou = very common, neutral, flows well
  • não chegou ainda = also common; can feel slightly more emphatic on ainda at the end
    Both mean hasn’t arrived yet.
Why does the sentence start with Hoje? Could it go elsewhere?

Hoje (today) is a time adverb, and Portuguese often places time expressions at the beginning to set the scene:

  • Hoje eu preciso pagar... (most natural)
    You could also say:
  • Eu preciso pagar o aluguel hoje...
    Both are correct; sentence-initial Hoje is just a common, clear framing.
How would pronunciation work for tricky parts like hoje, preciso, and internet?

Key points in Brazilian Portuguese:

  • hoje: the j sounds like the s in measure (a voiced “zh” sound).
  • preciso: stress is pre-CI-so (middle syllable).
  • internet: commonly pronounced close to in-ter-NET (final t may sound softer depending on accent).