Breakdown of Eu preciso contestar esta cobrança indevida.
eu
I
precisar
to need
esta
this
a cobrança indevida
the improper charge
Questions & Answers about Eu preciso contestar esta cobrança indevida.
Why is eu included here? Can I leave it out?
Yes, you can usually leave it out.
Portuguese often drops subject pronouns when the verb form already makes the subject clear. So both of these are natural:
- Eu preciso contestar esta cobrança indevida.
- Preciso contestar esta cobrança indevida.
Including eu can add emphasis, contrast, or just make the sentence a little more explicit. In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, both versions are common.
What does preciso mean here?
Here, preciso is the first-person singular form of the verb precisar, which means to need.
So:
- precisar = to need
- eu preciso = I need
Be careful not to confuse this with the adjective preciso, which can mean precise or exact in other contexts.
In this sentence, it is clearly the verb:
- Eu preciso contestar... = I need to dispute/challenge...
Why is contestar in the infinitive?
Because after precisar, Portuguese normally uses another verb in the infinitive.
Structure:
- precisar + infinitive
Examples:
- Preciso sair. = I need to leave.
- Preciso estudar. = I need to study.
- Preciso contestar esta cobrança indevida. = I need to dispute this improper charge.
This works much like English need to + verb.