Eu não coloco açúcar no café, mas minha mãe coloca açúcar no bolo.

That is true: Portuguese often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

• coloco = I put / I add
• coloca = he/she/you put(s) / add(s)

So Eu não coloco açúcar no café could also be just Não coloco açúcar no café.

Here, Eu may be included for emphasis or clarity, especially because the sentence contrasts I with my mother:

• Eu não coloco...
• minha mãe coloca...

So it sounds natural and helps highlight the contrast.

In Portuguese, the normal way to make a sentence negative is to put não directly before the conjugated verb.

• Eu coloco açúcar. = I add sugar.
• Eu não coloco açúcar. = I do not add sugar.

That is the standard pattern in simple sentences:

• não + verb

The verb is colocar, which often means to put, to place, or to add, depending on context.

In this sentence it is conjugated in the present tense:

• eu coloco = I put / I add
• você/ele/ela coloca = you/he/she put(s) / add(s)

So:

• Eu não coloco... = I do not add...
• minha mãe coloca... = my mother adds...

The different endings show different subjects:

• -o for eu
• -a for ele/ela/você and nouns like minha mãe

Yes. In food and drink contexts, colocar is very commonly used where English would often say add.

Examples:

• colocar açúcar no café = to add sugar to coffee
• colocar sal na comida = to add salt to food
• colocar leite no chá = to add milk to tea

So the basic idea is still put, but in natural English translation, add is often better.

No is a contraction of em + o.

• em o → no
• em a → na
• em os → nos
• em as → nas

So:

• no café = em o café
• no bolo = em o bolo

Portuguese normally uses these contractions, not the separated forms.

In this sentence:

• açúcar no café = sugar in the coffee
• açúcar no bolo = sugar in the cake

Good question. Portuguese is focusing on the idea of adding sugar as an ingredient to the cake mixture or recipe, so no bolo makes sense as in the cake.

If you mean sugar physically on top of the cake, Portuguese would more likely use something like:

• açúcar sobre o bolo
• açúcar em cima do bolo

So coloca açúcar no bolo usually suggests sugar is part of making the cake, not just sprinkled on top.

Because açúcar is being used in a general, non-specific sense.

• coloco açúcar no café = I add sugar to coffee
• coloco o açúcar no café = I put the sugar in the coffee

The version with o açúcar usually refers to a specific sugar already known in the conversation, like the sugar on the table or a particular amount.

Without the article, it means sugar in general, which is the natural choice here.

Both can be correct in Portuguese, but usage varies by region and style.

In Brazilian Portuguese, it is very common to say:

• minha mãe
• meu pai
• minha irmã

You may also hear:

• a minha mãe
• o meu pai

Adding the article can sound a little more specific or natural in some regions and situations, but in Brazil, leaving it out is extremely common and perfectly correct.

So:

• minha mãe coloca açúcar no bolo and
• a minha mãe coloca açúcar no bolo are both possible.

Mas means but.

So here:

• ..., mas minha mãe coloca... = ..., but my mother adds...

This is a very common point of confusion because mas and mais sound similar.

• mas = but
• mais = more

Examples:

• Eu quero café, mas sem açúcar. = I want coffee, but without sugar.
• Eu quero mais café. = I want more coffee.

It most naturally sounds like a habit or general fact.

The present tense in Portuguese can express:

• habitual actions
• general truths
• present actions, depending on context

So this sentence is most naturally understood as:

• I do not put sugar in coffee, but my mother puts sugar in cake.

That sounds like a general preference or usual behavior.

If you wanted to make right now very clear, you would usually add context, such as:

• Agora eu não coloco açúcar no café... = Right now I am not putting sugar in the coffee...

Yes, that is possible and sounds natural.

• Eu não coloco açúcar no café, mas minha mãe coloca no bolo.

Here, coloca still means puts/adds it, and açúcar is understood from the first part.

Repeating açúcar is also completely fine. Repetition can make the sentence clearer for learners or for emphasis.

So both work:

• ...mas minha mãe coloca açúcar no bolo.
• ...mas minha mãe coloca no bolo.

A few important ones:

• açúcar

  • The ç is pronounced like s, never like k.
  • So it sounds roughly like ah-SOO-kar or AH-soo-kar, depending on accent.

• café

  • The final é is clearly stressed.
  • Roughly: ka-FEH

• mãe

  • This has a nasal sound, which English does not really have in the same way.
  • The ãe is nasalized, roughly something like maing without fully pronouncing a final g.
  • It is better to think of it as a nasal vowel rather than a normal English vowel plus consonant.

Also:

• minha
  • The nh sound is like the ny in canyon.
  • So minha mãe sounds roughly like MEE-nya maing.

These are only approximations, but they help at first.

In simple statements, yes. Portuguese often uses a word order very similar to English:

• subject + negation + verb + object + complement

So:

• Eu não coloco açúcar no café matches:
• I do not add sugar to coffee

And:

• minha mãe coloca açúcar no bolo matches:
• my mother adds sugar to cake

Portuguese can be more flexible than English in some situations, but this sentence uses a very normal and straightforward structure.

Not with the same meaning.

• no café = in the coffee
• para o café = for the coffee

If you are talking about what you physically add to the coffee, no café is the natural choice.

Compare:

• Coloco açúcar no café. = I add sugar to the coffee.
• Compro açúcar para o café. = I buy sugar for the coffee.

So no café is about where the sugar goes; para o café is about purpose.