Breakdown of Hoje eu não tenho nem moeda nem troco, então vou pagar pelo aplicativo.
Questions & Answers about Hoje eu não tenho nem moeda nem troco, então vou pagar pelo aplicativo.
Yes, eu is often optional in Portuguese because the verb ending already shows the subject:
- tenho = I have
So Hoje não tenho... would also be correct.
However, speakers often include eu for one of these reasons:
- to make the subject clearer
- to add emphasis
- simply because it sounds natural in conversation
So Hoje eu não tenho... and Hoje não tenho... both work. The version with eu feels a little more explicit.
This is a very common negative structure in Portuguese.
- não = not
- nem = neither / nor / not even, depending on context
In this sentence:
- não tenho nem moeda nem troco
- literally: I don’t have neither coin nor change
- natural English: I don’t have any coins or any change / I have neither coins nor change
Portuguese commonly uses não together with nem in this kind of sentence. That is normal and correct.
A useful pattern is:
- não + verb + nem X nem Y
Examples:
- Não gosto nem de café nem de chá.
- I like neither coffee nor tea.
They are related to money, but they mean different things.
- moeda = coin
- troco = change
So:
- moeda refers to the physical coin itself
- troco refers to the money you get back after paying, or small change in general
In this sentence, the speaker is saying they have neither:
- coins
- nor change
That suggests a situation like paying for something small, such as on a bus, at a kiosk, or somewhere that expects cash or exact change.
Good question. In many cases, Portuguese uses the singular where English might naturally prefer a plural.
So nem moeda nem troco can mean:
- not even a coin nor any change
- or more naturally, no coins and no change
Using the singular here sounds natural and idiomatic. It emphasizes the total absence of that kind of money.
You could also hear nem moedas nem troco, but nem moeda nem troco is very common and sounds perfectly natural.
Here, troco most likely means small change / change money available for payment.
In real life, troco can mean:
change received after paying
- Paguei com 20 reais e recebi o troco.
- I paid with 20 reais and got the change.
small bills/coins used as change
- Você tem troco?
- Do you have change?
In your sentence, it means the speaker does not have the kind of cash needed to pay conveniently.
Here então means something like:
- so
- therefore
- in that case
In the sentence:
- Hoje eu não tenho nem moeda nem troco, então vou pagar pelo aplicativo.
- Today I don’t have any coins or change, so I’m going to pay through the app.
So yes, então can mean then, but in this sentence so is the best translation.
Vou pagar is the near future structure:
- vou + infinitive
- literally: I am going to pay
This is extremely common in Brazilian Portuguese and often sounds more natural in everyday speech than the simple future:
- pagarei = I will pay
So:
- vou pagar = everyday spoken Brazilian Portuguese
- pagarei = correct, but more formal, literary, or less common in casual speech
Both are grammatical, but vou pagar is what learners will hear much more often in Brazil.
Because pelo is a contraction:
- por + o = pelo
This is a very common contraction in Portuguese.
Other examples:
- por + a = pela
- por + os = pelos
- por + as = pelas
So:
- pagar pelo aplicativo = pay through/via the app
You should learn pelo/pela/pelos/pelas as normal everyday forms, because native speakers use them constantly.
In this sentence, it means:
- pay using the app
- pay through the app
That is because pelo aplicativo here expresses the means or channel used to make the payment.
Compare:
Vou pagar pelo aplicativo.
- I’m going to pay through the app.
Vou pagar o aplicativo.
- I’m going to pay for the app.
So the preposition matters a lot. Here, pelo aplicativo does not mean buying the app itself.
Sometimes yes, but the nuance is a little different.
- pelo aplicativo = through/via the app
- com o aplicativo = with the app
In many situations, both can be understood. But pelo aplicativo often sounds more natural when you want to emphasize the method or platform used for payment.
So in this sentence, pelo aplicativo is a very natural choice.
Hoje means today, and placing it at the beginning sets the time frame right away.
- Hoje eu não tenho... = Today I don’t have...
This is very common in Portuguese. Time expressions often come at the beginning for emphasis or clarity.
You could also say:
- Eu não tenho nem moeda nem troco hoje...
That is also correct, but it changes the rhythm slightly. The original sentence sounds very natural.
Yes, but the meaning would be broader.
- dinheiro = money
- moeda = coin
Compare:
não tenho dinheiro
- I don’t have money
não tenho moeda
- I don’t have coins
The original sentence is more specific. It suggests the speaker may not have the right kind of cash for the situation, especially coins or small change.
So moeda is not just a general word for money here; it specifically points to coins.
Yes. In Brazilian Portuguese, aplicativo is the standard full word for app.
You may also hear:
- app
Many Brazilians use both, especially in casual speech. For example:
- Vou pagar pelo aplicativo.
- Vou pagar pelo app.
Both are common. Aplicativo is a bit more complete and neutral, while app is shorter and very common in everyday conversation.
A Brazilian speaker might say something a little shorter, for example:
- Hoje não tenho moeda nem troco, então vou pagar pelo app.
- Hoje tô sem moeda e sem troco, então vou pagar pelo app.
Notes:
- dropping eu is common
- app is very common in speech
- tô sem... is a very conversational way to say I don’t have... / I’m without...
But the original sentence is already correct and natural. It just sounds a bit more full and clear.