Word
Eu costumo ler o jornal à noite, mas hoje vou descansar.
Meaning
I usually read the newspaper at night, but today I will rest.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Lesson
Breakdown of Eu costumo ler o jornal à noite, mas hoje vou descansar.
eu
I
hoje
today
mas
but
a noite
the night
Questions & Answers about Eu costumo ler o jornal à noite, mas hoje vou descansar.
Why does Portuguese use eu costumo ler instead of just eu leio?
Eu costumo ler uses the verb costumar to explicitly mean to usually do / to be in the habit of doing something.
- Eu leio o jornal à noite can also imply a routine, but it can sound more like a simple present statement (which may or may not be habitual depending on context).
- Eu costumo ler... makes the “habit” meaning unmistakable.
How is costumar conjugated here, and what tense is it?
It’s present tense, 1st person singular: (eu) costumo.
Conjugation (present):
- eu costumo
- você/ele/ela costuma
- nós costumamos
- vocês/eles/elas costumam
It’s followed by an infinitive: costumo + infinitive → costumo ler.
Is costumar used in Brazil the same way as “usually” in English?
Mostly yes, but it’s closer to to be accustomed to / to tend to / to have the habit of. It focuses on a repeated pattern.
Common equivalents:
- I usually read... → Eu costumo ler... / Eu geralmente leio...
- I’m used to reading... (habit) → Eu costumo ler... / Eu estou acostumado(a) a ler... (slightly different nuance)
Why is there an in ? Is it “the newspaper” or “newspaper” in general?