Não gosto de reclamar, mas preciso reclamar do barulho dessa obra.

Questions & Answers about Não gosto de reclamar, mas preciso reclamar do barulho dessa obra.

Why is reclamar used twice in this sentence?

Because the speaker is expressing two different ideas with the same verb:

  • Não gosto de reclamar = I don’t like complaining
  • mas preciso reclamar do barulho dessa obra = but I need to complain about the noise from this construction

So the repetition is natural. In English, we might also repeat complain in the same way:

  • I don’t like to complain, but I need to complain about...

Portuguese does the same here.

Why is it gosto de reclamar and not just gosto reclamar?

Because gostar normally requires de.

So:

Examples:

  • Gosto de café. = I like coffee.
  • Gosto de dormir cedo. = I like sleeping early.
  • Não gosto de reclamar. = I don’t like complaining.

So after gosto, the de is required.

Why is it preciso reclamar and not preciso de reclamar?

With precisar, Brazilian Portuguese commonly uses:

  • precisar + infinitive
    • Preciso reclamar.
    • Preciso estudar.

But with a noun, it often uses:

  • precisar de + noun
    • Preciso de ajuda.
    • Preciso de dinheiro.

So in this sentence, since reclamar is an infinitive verb, preciso reclamar is the natural structure.

Why is it reclamar do barulho? What does do mean here?

Do is a contraction of:

  • de + o = do

The verb reclamar, when it means to complain about, often takes de.

So:

  • reclamar de algo = to complain about something

Since barulho is masculine singular and uses the article o, you get:

  • de + o barulhodo barulho

So:

  • reclamar do barulho = complain about the noise

Other examples:

  • reclamar do trânsito
  • reclamar da comida
  • reclamar dos vizinhos
What exactly does obra mean here?

In this sentence, obra means construction work, building work, or a construction site/project.

In Brazilian Portuguese, obra is very common for things like:

  • roadwork
  • building construction
  • renovations
  • public works

So o barulho dessa obra means the noise coming from that construction/renovation work.

Why does it say dessa obra instead of da obra?

Dessa means of this / from this / of that depending on context, and it points to a specific thing.

It is a contraction of:

  • de + essa = dessa

So:

  • o barulho dessa obra = the noise of this construction / the noise from this construction

Using dessa makes it more specific, like the speaker is referring to a particular construction project nearby.

Compare:

  • o barulho da obra = the noise of the construction
  • o barulho dessa obra = the noise of this specific construction
Why is there no eu in the sentence?

Because Portuguese often leaves out the subject pronoun when the verb already makes it clear.

Here:

  • gosto clearly means I like
  • preciso clearly means I need

So eu is unnecessary unless the speaker wants emphasis.

You could say:

  • Eu não gosto de reclamar, mas preciso reclamar...

But it is more natural to omit eu unless there is a special reason to stress it.

Is reclamar always the best translation for to complain?

Often yes, especially in everyday Brazilian Portuguese. Reclamar is very common and natural.

Examples:

  • Ele vive reclamando. = He’s always complaining.
  • Vou reclamar com o gerente. = I’m going to complain to the manager.
  • Ela reclamou do barulho. = She complained about the noise.

There is also queixar-se, but that is usually more formal or literary:

  • Ele se queixou da dor.

In everyday Brazilian speech, reclamar is usually the more common choice.

Can reclamar mean something other than to complain?

Yes. Depending on context, reclamar can also mean to demand, to claim, or to call for.

For example:

  • O cliente reclamou seu dinheiro de volta. = The customer demanded his money back.
  • A situação reclama atenção. = The situation calls for attention.

But in everyday conversation, the most common meaning is still to complain.

In your sentence, it clearly means to complain.

What is the grammar of Não gosto de reclamar? Is reclamar a verb or a noun here?

Reclamar is still a verb here, specifically the infinitive.

Portuguese often uses the infinitive where English might use either:

  • to complain
  • complaining

So:

  • Não gosto de reclamar literally looks like I do not like to complain
  • but in natural English it can also be understood as I don’t like complaining

This is very common in Portuguese:

  • Gosto de viajar. = I like traveling / I like to travel.
  • Ela odeia esperar. = She hates waiting / She hates to wait.
Could I say Não gosto de reclamar, mas tenho que reclamar... instead of preciso reclamar?

Yes. That would be very natural too.

Both work:

  • preciso reclamar = I need to complain
  • tenho que reclamar = I have to complain

There can be a slight nuance:

  • preciso can sound a little more like it is necessary
  • tenho que can sound a little more like I have no choice / I must

But in everyday Brazilian Portuguese, both are common and natural.

How do I pronounce não, barulho, and obra in Brazilian Portuguese?

A simple learner-friendly guide:

  • não: sounds roughly like nowng, with a nasal ending
  • barulho: roughly bah-ROO-lyu
  • obra: roughly OH-bra

A few helpful notes:

  • não has a nasal sound, not a clear final n
  • in barulho, the lh sounds like the lli in million for many English speakers
  • obra has the stress on the first syllable: O-bra
Is this sentence natural in Brazilian Portuguese?

Yes, very natural.

It sounds like something a Brazilian Portuguese speaker could really say in daily life, especially when trying to sound polite before making a complaint.

It has a common conversational pattern:

  • Não gosto de reclamar, mas...
    = I don’t like to complain, but...

This softens the complaint and makes it sound less aggressive. After that, the speaker explains the problem:

  • preciso reclamar do barulho dessa obra

So the whole sentence sounds natural, polite, and realistic.

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