Breakdown of Eu tenho o mesmo problema que você tem.
Questions & Answers about Eu tenho o mesmo problema que você tem.
Can I omit eu and just say Tenho o mesmo problema que você tem?
Yes. In Brazilian Portuguese, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb form already tells you who the subject is.
- Eu tenho o mesmo problema que você tem.
- Tenho o mesmo problema que você tem.
Both are natural.
Including eu can add:
- emphasis
- contrast
- clarity
For example, if you want to stress I have the same problem, you might keep eu.
Why is it você tem and not você tens?
Because você uses third-person singular verb forms in Brazilian Portuguese.
So:
- eu tenho = I have
- você tem = you have
Even though você means you, grammatically it behaves like he/she for verb conjugation.
If you use tu, the standard form would be:
- tu tens
But in Brazil, usage of tu varies a lot by region, and many speakers mix tu with third-person verbs in everyday speech.
What does o mesmo problema mean exactly?
O mesmo problema means the same problem.
Breakdown:
- o = the
- mesmo = same
- problema = problem
So mesmo here means same, not even or really.
It also has to agree with the noun:
- o mesmo problema = the same problem
- a mesma ideia = the same idea
- os mesmos problemas = the same problems
- as mesmas ideias = the same ideas
Why does mesmo come before the noun here?
Why is problema masculine if it ends in -a?
What is que doing in this sentence?
Here, que connects problema to the clause você tem.
So:
- o mesmo problema que você tem
literally works like:
- the same problem that you have
In this sentence, que is functioning like that in English.
It introduces extra information about problema:
- which problem?
- the problem that you have
Do I need to repeat tem at the end, or can I say Eu tenho o mesmo problema que você?
Both are possible, but they are slightly different in feel.
Full version
This is fully explicit and very clear.
Shorter version
- Eu tenho o mesmo problema que você.
This is also very natural in conversation. The final tem is understood and often left out.
So:
- with tem = a bit more complete or careful
- without tem = very common in everyday speech
Can que be translated as than here?
Not really in this sentence.
In English, same often appears with as or a clause like that you have. Portuguese uses que here in a structure that links the noun to the clause:
- o mesmo problema que você tem
A more natural English match is:
- the same problem that you have
- or simply the same problem as you
So even if the overall meaning matches English comparison structures, que here is not literally functioning as than.
Is você formal or informal in Brazilian Portuguese?
In most of Brazil, você is the normal everyday singular word for you. It is usually neither especially formal nor especially informal; it is just standard spoken Brazilian Portuguese.
Other possibilities are:
So this sentence sounds like normal everyday Brazilian Portuguese.
Could I say this in another natural way?
Yes. Some common alternatives are:
- Tenho o mesmo problema que você.
- Eu tenho um problema igual ao seu.
- Estou com o mesmo problema que você.
These are all natural, but they are not identical in structure.
Differences
- o mesmo problema que você tem = the same problem that you have
- um problema igual ao seu = a problem equal/similar to yours
- estou com = literally I am with, but often used in Portuguese for temporary conditions or issues
The original sentence is completely correct and natural.
Is this sentence natural in Brazilian Portuguese?
Yes, it is natural and correct.
Eu tenho o mesmo problema que você tem is a normal way to say this in Brazilian Portuguese.
In very everyday speech, many people would shorten it to:
- Tenho o mesmo problema que você
- Eu tenho o mesmo problema que você
But the full sentence with both verbs is absolutely fine.
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