Hoje eu vou pagar no débito porque não tenho moedas.

Vou pagar is the very common near future construction in Brazilian Portuguese: ir + infinitive.

• eu vou pagar = I’m going to pay / I will pay
• It is often more natural in everyday speech than the simple future pagarei

So in conversation, Brazilians usually prefer:

• Vou pagar no débito.

instead of the more formal/literary:

• Pagarei no débito.

Both are correct, but vou pagar sounds much more natural in daily speech.

Yes, you can absolutely omit eu.

Brazilian Portuguese often includes subject pronouns more than European Portuguese does, but eu is still optional in many sentences when the subject is clear from context.

So both are natural:

• Hoje eu vou pagar no débito porque não tenho moedas.
• Hoje vou pagar no débito porque não tenho moedas.

Including eu can add a little clarity or emphasis, but it is not required.

No débito means by debit card or using the debit option.

This is a very common Brazilian payment expression. In stores, restaurants, and cafés, people often say:

• No débito
• No crédito

to mean:

• on debit
• on credit

So pagar no débito is a very natural way to say pay with a debit card.

A longer version would be:

• pagar com cartão de débito

But in everyday Brazilian Portuguese, no débito is shorter and very common.

Because no is a contraction of:

• em + o = no

This kind of contraction is very common in Portuguese.

Examples:

• em + a = na
• em + os = nos
• em + as = nas

So:

• pagar no débito literally comes from pagar em o débito, but the uncontracted version is not how people normally say it.

Here porque is written as one word because it means because and introduces an explanation:

• ...porque não tenho moedas.
• ...because I don’t have coins.

This is the standard form used in answers and explanations.

Portuguese also has related forms such as por que, por quê, and porquê, but in this sentence the correct one is porque = because.

Tenho is the first-person singular form of the verb ter, which usually means to have.

Conjugation of ter in the present:

• eu tenho = I have
• você tem = you have
• ele/ela tem = he/she has
• nós temos = we have
• eles/elas têm = they have

So:

• não tenho moedas = I don’t have coins

This is very straightforward for English speakers: ter is usually the main verb used for possession.

Moedas specifically means coins, while dinheiro means money in general.

So:

• não tenho moedas = I don’t have coins
• não tenho dinheiro = I don’t have money

The sentence is specifically talking about not having coins, probably meaning the speaker cannot pay with cash or exact change.

Also, in everyday Brazilian Portuguese, moedas can sometimes suggest small change or loose coins in your pocket or wallet.

Sometimes, yes, depending on context.

Literally, moedas means coins. But in real-life situations, if someone says they do not have moedas, the natural idea may be:

• they do not have coins
• they do not have small change
• they do not have the right cash amount

So the exact translation depends on the situation. Grammatically, though, the word itself is coins.

In Portuguese, não normally goes directly before the verb it negates.

So:

• tenho = I have
• não tenho = I do not have

This is the standard way to make a sentence negative.

Examples:

• Eu falo português. = I speak Portuguese.
• Eu não falo português. = I do not speak Portuguese.

Hoje means today.

At the start of the sentence, it sets the time frame right away:

• Hoje eu vou pagar no débito... = Today I’m going to pay by debit...

Portuguese word order is fairly flexible with time expressions, so you could also hear:

• Eu vou pagar no débito hoje porque não tenho moedas.

That is also correct. Putting hoje first often gives it a little more prominence.

Yes. In Brazil, pagar no débito is much more idiomatic.

Natural options include:

• pagar no débito
• passar no débito
• pagar com cartão de débito

Less natural in everyday Brazilian Portuguese:

• pagar com débito

If you are actually at a checkout, a very common sentence is simply:

• No débito, por favor.

The original sentence is already natural, but in real conversation Brazilians might shorten it a bit.

Very natural versions include:

• Hoje vou pagar no débito porque não tenho moedas.
• Vou pagar no débito hoje porque não tenho moedas.
• No débito hoje, porque estou sem moedas.

A very common alternative is:

• estou sem moedas = I’m out of coins / I don’t have any coins on me

So another natural everyday version would be:

• Hoje vou pagar no débito porque estou sem moedas.

Débito is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable:

• DÉ-bi-to

Important points:

• é is an open vowel here
• the stress is on DÉ
• the final o in Brazilian Portuguese often sounds close to oo in unstressed position, depending on accent

A rough English-friendly approximation would be:

• DEH-bee-too

But it is best to remember that the real Portuguese vowels are not exactly the same as English ones.