Ela abriu o próprio negócio.

Abriu is the preterite form of abrir (to open).

• abrir = infinitive
• ela abriu = she opened

In Brazilian Portuguese, the preterite is used for a completed action in the past. So this sentence presents the action as something finished:

• Ela abriu o próprio negócio. = She opened / started her own business.

It is not describing an ongoing action. If you wanted something like she was opening or she used to open, Portuguese would use different structures.

Yes. Even though abrir literally means to open, it is very commonly used for starting or setting up a business.

So:

• abrir um negócio
• abrir uma empresa

can both mean to start a business.

This is very similar to English, where open a business can also mean start a business.

Próprio adds the idea of one’s own.

So:

• seu negócio = her business / his business / your business
• o próprio negócio = her own business

In this sentence, próprio emphasizes that the business belonged to her, not someone else.

Also, seu/sua can be ambiguous in Portuguese because it can mean:

• his
• her
• your (formal)
• sometimes even their, depending on context

Using próprio can help make the idea of her own feel stronger and clearer.

Because próprio agrees with negócio, not with ela.

• ela = feminine
• negócio = masculine singular
• therefore: o próprio negócio

Agreement follows the noun being described:

• o próprio negócio
• a própria empresa

So if the sentence were:

• Ela abriu a própria empresa.

then própria would be feminine, because empresa is feminine.

Because Portuguese often uses a definite article in noun phrases where English may not.

Here, o próprio negócio is a natural noun phrase meaning her own business.

Compare:

• Ela abriu o próprio negócio. = She started her own business.
• Ela abriu um negócio próprio. = She started a business of her own.

Both are possible, but they are structured differently.

The article o is not there because English would say the; it is there because Portuguese grammar naturally allows and often prefers articles in expressions like this.

Yes, absolutely. That is also natural.

There is a small nuance:

• Ela abriu o próprio negócio.
  This can sound a bit more like she opened her own business as a specific idea.

• Ela abriu um negócio próprio.
  This can sound more like she started a business of her own.

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, both are understandable and natural.

Yes, you can, if the subject is already clear from context.

Portuguese often drops subject pronouns because the verb form already gives some information. However, abriu can refer to:

• he
• she
• you (formal)

So without context, it is not fully clear who did it.

That is why Ela abriu o próprio negócio is helpful as a standalone sentence.

All three can be used in business contexts, but they are not identical.

• abrir um negócio = to open/start a business
  Very common and direct.

• montar um negócio = to set up a business
  Often suggests building or putting the operation together.

• começar um negócio = to start a business
  Very understandable, a bit more general.

Examples:

• Ela abriu um negócio.
• Ela montou um negócio.
• Ela começou um negócio.

All are possible, but abrir um negócio is especially common.

No. Negócio is a very flexible word in Portuguese.

It can mean:

• business
• deal
• matter
• thing in informal speech

But in this sentence, because of abriu and the overall context, negócio clearly means business.

Examples:

• Ela abriu um negócio. = She started a business.
• Foi um bom negócio. = It was a good deal.
• Que negócio é esse? = What is that thing / what is going on?

In this sentence, it normally means she started/founded her own business, not that she physically unlocked a door.

Portuguese uses abrir in both senses, just like English can use open in both senses.

So context matters:

• Ela abriu a porta. = She opened the door.
• Ela abriu o próprio negócio. = She started her own business.

With negócio, the figurative business meaning is the natural one.

Yes, but it is not exactly the same.

• o negócio dela = her business
• o próprio negócio = her own business

O negócio dela simply identifies the business as hers.
O próprio negócio emphasizes that it was her own venture.

So:

• Ela abriu o negócio dela could sound more like she opened her business, possibly even for the day.
• Ela abriu o próprio negócio more naturally suggests she started a business of her own.

Because of that, próprio is a good choice here.