Vimos o navio do miradouro.

Here, vimos is the 1st person plural form of ver (to see) in the pretérito perfeito: we saw.

So the structure is:

• vimos = we saw
• o navio = the ship
• do miradouro = from the viewpoint / lookout

In European Portuguese, this tense is used for a completed action in the past.

Yes. Vimos can also be the present form of vir (to come), meaning we come.

So out of context, vimos could mean either:

• we saw ← from ver
• we come ← from vir

But in this sentence, we saw is the correct reading, because o navio works naturally as the thing being seen.

Because Portuguese often omits subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

• vimos already tells you the subject is we
• so Nós vimos o navio do miradouro is possible, but not necessary

Adding nós usually gives extra emphasis or contrast, for example:

• Nós vimos o navio, eles não.
  We saw the ship, they didn’t.

This is very normal in European Portuguese.

Portuguese uses the definite article much more often than English.

So:

• o navio = the ship

In English, sometimes you can say We saw ship(s) only in special contexts, but Portuguese normally wants the article here if you mean a specific ship.

Also:

• navio is masculine singular
• so the article is o

If it were feminine, the article would be a.

Do is a contraction of:

• de
  • o = do

So literally, do miradouro is of/from the viewpoint.

In this sentence, it means from the viewpoint, not possession.

A very important point for English speakers: Portuguese uses de in many ways that English translates differently, including:

• of
• from
• sometimes other expressions depending on context

So here, do miradouro is best understood as from the viewpoint.

Both can be possible, but they are not exactly the same.

• do miradouro highlights the point of view / place from which the ship was seen
  → from the viewpoint
• no miradouro highlights the location where we were
  → at the viewpoint / in the viewpoint area

So:

• Vimos o navio do miradouro.
  = We saw the ship from the viewpoint.

• Vimos o navio no miradouro.
  would more naturally suggest seeing the ship at the viewpoint, which is a different idea and may sound odd depending on the situation.

If you want to stress the viewing position, do miradouro is a good choice.

Because Portuguese commonly uses the definite article with a specific place.

So:

• de + o miradouro → do miradouro
• meaning from the viewpoint / from the lookout

Without the article, de miradouro would usually sound incomplete or unnatural here.

Compare:

• do miradouro = from the viewpoint
• de um miradouro = from a viewpoint

So the sentence suggests a specific, identifiable viewpoint.

In normal interpretation, it describes where we saw it from — so it goes with the action vimos.

That is:

• We saw [the ship] [from the viewpoint].

In theory, a phrase with de can sometimes attach to a noun, but here o navio do miradouro would suggest something like the viewpoint’s ship or the ship of the viewpoint, which does not make much sense in most contexts.

So learners should read it as:

• Vimos = we saw
• o navio = the ship
• do miradouro = from the viewpoint

Yes, miradouro is especially common in Portugal for a scenic lookout or viewpoint.

A native English speaker learning Portuguese from Portugal should definitely know this word. In Brazilian Portuguese, other words such as mirante may be more common in many contexts.

So this sentence sounds very natural for European Portuguese.

Yes. Portuguese allows some flexibility, especially for emphasis.

For example:

• Vimos o navio do miradouro.
  neutral order

• Do miradouro, vimos o navio.
  puts more focus on from the viewpoint

The original sentence is perfectly natural, but moving do miradouro to the front can make the location/source stand out more clearly.