Na praça de alimentação do shopping, minha filha quer pipoca e eu quero sorvete.

Na is the contraction of em + a.

• em = in / at
• a = the

So:

• na praça = in the / at the square / court
• literally: em a praça → na praça

Portuguese uses these contractions all the time, and they are required in normal speech and writing.

Related examples:

• no shopping = em + o
• da praça = de + a
• do shopping = de + o

Praça de alimentação is the usual Brazilian Portuguese term for a food court.

Word by word, it looks like:

• praça = square / plaza
• de alimentação = for eating / of food

But as a fixed expression in Brazil, praça de alimentação means the food court in a mall or similar place.

So na praça de alimentação do shopping means at the mall food court.

Do is the contraction of de + o.

• de = of / from
• o = the

So:

• do shopping = of the mall

In the full phrase:

• a praça de alimentação do shopping = the food court of the mall
• in natural English: the mall food court

This kind of contraction is extremely common in Portuguese:

• da escola = of the school
• do carro = of the car
• dos meninos = of the boys

Yes, but in Brazilian Portuguese shopping is a very common borrowed word that means shopping mall or simply mall.

So in Brazil:

• shopping = mall
• vou ao shopping = I’m going to the mall

This may sound strange to English speakers, because in English shopping usually means the activity, not the building. But in Brazilian Portuguese, shopping as a noun is completely normal.

You may also hear:

• shopping center, but shopping is more common in everyday speech.

Both are possible in Brazilian Portuguese.

• minha filha = my daughter
• a minha filha = my daughter

In Brazilian Portuguese, possessives often appear with or without the definite article, depending on region, style, and rhythm.

So these are both natural:

• Minha filha quer pipoca.
• A minha filha quer pipoca.

In many parts of Brazil, omitting the article is very common, especially in simple, direct statements like this one.

Because the verb querer changes depending on the subject.

Present tense of querer:

• eu quero = I want
• você quer = you want
• ele/ela quer = he/she wants
• nós queremos = we want
• vocês querem = you all want
• eles/elas querem = they want

So:

• minha filha quer = my daughter wants
• eu quero = I want

This is normal verb conjugation in Portuguese.

Very often, yes. In this sentence, querer is exactly the right verb.

• minha filha quer pipoca = my daughter wants popcorn
• eu quero sorvete = I want ice cream

But like English want, querer can sound either neutral or strong depending on context. In a food-ordering situation, Brazilians also often use softer alternatives, such as:

• Eu vou querer sorvete. = I’ll have ice cream.
• Eu gostaria de sorvete. = I would like ice cream.

Still, in this sentence, quero is completely natural.

Portuguese often omits the article when talking about food in a general sense, especially after verbs like querer, comer, comprar, etc.

So these are natural:

• quer pipoca
• quero sorvete

This feels similar to English:

• I want popcorn
• I want ice cream

But Portuguese can also use articles in some contexts:

• Quero a pipoca. = I want the popcorn.
  (a specific popcorn)
• Quero um sorvete. = I want an ice cream / an ice cream cone / one ice cream.
• Quero sorvete. = I want ice cream.
  (the food in general)

So the version in your sentence is broad and natural.

The difference is similar to ice cream versus an ice cream in English.

• sorvete = ice cream in a general, mass-noun sense
• um sorvete = an ice cream / one serving of ice cream

Examples:

• Eu quero sorvete. = I want ice cream.
• Eu quero um sorvete. = I want an ice cream / one ice cream.

The sentence uses sorvete without an article, which sounds natural if the speaker is just saying what they feel like eating.

Yes, Portuguese often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject.

So both are possible:

• ... e eu quero sorvete.
• ... e quero sorvete.

Why include eu here? Usually for one of these reasons:

1. Clarity

   • It clearly contrasts my daughter with I.

2. Emphasis

   • My daughter wants popcorn, and I want ice cream.

3. Rhythm / style

   • Sometimes speakers simply choose to say the pronoun.

In this sentence, eu sounds very natural because it helps set up the contrast between the two people.

Yes, but it changes the nuance.

• e eu quero sorvete = and I want ice cream
• mas eu quero sorvete = but I want ice cream

With e, the sentence simply lists two preferences.

With mas, it sounds more contrastive, as if there is some opposition:

• My daughter wants popcorn, but I want ice cream.

So e is the neutral, straightforward choice here.

The comma separates the opening location phrase from the main clause.

• Na praça de alimentação do shopping, = At the mall food court,
• minha filha quer pipoca e eu quero sorvete. = my daughter wants popcorn and I want ice cream.

In English, this kind of comma is also common after an introductory phrase.

In Portuguese, the comma here is natural and helpful, though in some short sentences writers may omit commas more freely in informal writing. In a standard written sentence, the comma is a good choice.

A broad, learner-friendly pronunciation guide might look like this:

Na praça de alimentação do shopping, minha filha quer pipoca e eu quero sorvete.

Approximate pronunciation: nah PRAH-sah djee ah-lee-men-tah-SOWN doh SHOP-ing, MEE-nyah FEEL-yah kehr pee-POH-kah ee EH-oo KEH-roh sor-VEH-chee

A few important points for Brazilian Portuguese:

• praça
  The ç sounds like s.

• de
  In many Brazilian accents, especially before vowels or in unstressed positions, it may sound close to djee.

• minha
  Sounds roughly like MEE-nyah.

• filha
  The lh sound is like the lli in million for many English speakers: FEEL-yah.

• quer
  Often sounds like kehr.

• sorvete
  In many Brazilian accents, final te sounds like chee, so sorvete may sound like sor-VEH-chee.

Pronunciation varies by region, but this is a useful Brazilian-style approximation.

Yes, Portuguese word order is flexible, but this sentence uses the most neutral and common order:

subject + verb + object

• minha filha = subject
• quer = verb
• pipoca = object

Then:

• eu = subject
• quero = verb
• sorvete = object

This is the clearest everyday order.

Other word orders are possible, but they usually add emphasis or sound more literary:

• Pipoca minha filha quer...
• Sorvete eu quero.

Those versions are not the neutral default. The original sentence is the most natural basic structure.

Here pipoca means popcorn in a general sense, like a food item, not one single kernel.

So:

• quer pipoca = wants popcorn

In Portuguese, food words are often used in the singular for the general substance:

• gosto de pão = I like bread
• quero café = I want coffee
• ela quer pipoca = she wants popcorn

If you wanted to be more specific about a portion, you might say:

• um pacote de pipoca = a bag of popcorn
• pipocas can mean different popcorn portions or types, but that is less neutral here.

It sounds perfectly natural in real Brazilian Portuguese.

A Brazilian might absolutely say something like:

• Na praça de alimentação do shopping, minha filha quer pipoca e eu quero sorvete.

It is clear, everyday, and idiomatic.

That said, in spontaneous speech, people might shorten or reshape it a little:

• No shopping, minha filha quer pipoca e eu quero sorvete.
• Na praça de alimentação, minha filha quer pipoca, e eu, sorvete.
• Minha filha quer pipoca e eu quero sorvete.

But the original sentence is fully natural and not awkward.