Reduzi a dívida.

Reduzi is the 1st person singular form of the verb reduzir in the pretérito perfeito simples.

So it means I reduced.

• reduzir = to reduce
• eu reduzi = I reduced

This tense is used for a completed action in the past.

In Portuguese, the subject pronoun is often left out when the verb form already makes it clear who the subject is.

So:

• Reduzi a dívida.
• Eu reduzi a dívida.

Both are correct. The first is more natural in many contexts because reduzi already tells you the subject is I.

You might include eu for:

• emphasis
• contrast
• clarity

For example:

• Eu reduzi a dívida, mas ele aumentou as despesas.

Portuguese often uses the definite article more than English does.

So a dívida means the debt.

In a sentence like this, using the article is very normal because you are usually talking about a specific debt already known in the context.

Compare:

• Reduzi a dívida. = I reduced the debt.
• Reduzi dívida. = much less natural here in standard usage

The infinitive is reduzir.

It is mostly a regular -ir verb, but there is a small spelling point to notice:

• infinitive: reduzir
• preterite, eu form: reduzi

The z stays:

• eu reduzi
• tu reduziste
• ele/ela reduziu
• nós reduzimos
• vós reduzistes
• eles/elas reduziram

So the form reduzi is something you simply learn as part of the past tense pattern.

This is the pretérito perfeito simples, the normal tense for a finished past action.

Reduzi a dívida. means the action was completed: the debt was reduced.

This is different from other past forms, for example:

• Reduzia a dívida. = I was reducing / I used to reduce the debt
• Tinha reduzido a dívida. = I had reduced the debt

So if you want to say a single completed action in the past, reduzi is the right choice.

This is a very common question.

• reduzi = I reduced

  • completed action
  • a specific finished event

• reduzia = I was reducing / I used to reduce

  • ongoing action in the past, or habitual past action, or background description

Examples:

• Reduzi a dívida no ano passado. = I reduced the debt last year.
• Reduzia a dívida aos poucos. = I was reducing the debt little by little.

So in your sentence, reduzi presents the reduction as a completed fact.

Yes, absolutely.

Both are correct:

• Reduzi a dívida.
• Eu reduzi a dívida.

In European Portuguese, it is very common to omit the subject pronoun unless there is a reason to include it.

You would often say eu when:

• you want emphasis
• you are contrasting with someone else
• you want to avoid ambiguity

Example:

• Eu reduzi a dívida, não foi o banco.

Dívida has a written accent because the stress falls on the first syllable:

• DÍ-vi-da

The accent mark tells you that the stress is not in the default place.

In European Portuguese, the pronunciation is roughly:

• dívida → DEE-vee-duh
  though the unstressed vowels are often weaker than in English.

The important point for a learner is:

• stress the first syllable: DÍvida

In European Portuguese, Reduzi a dívida is pronounced approximately like:

• rdu-ZI a DI-vi-da

A slightly more precise approximation is:

• reh-doo-ZEE ah DEE-vee-duh, but with weaker unstressed vowels than in English

A few useful notes:

• reduzi is stressed on the last syllable: -zi
• dívida is stressed on the first syllable: DÍ-
• the article a is usually very short and unstressed

If you want a more technical version, in European Portuguese it is roughly:

• [ʁɨðuˈzi ɐ ˈdiviðɐ]

Yes, depending on context.

A common alternative is diminuir.

For example:

• Reduzi a dívida.
• Diminuí a dívida.

Both can mean I reduced the debt, but reduzir is often the more direct and typical choice in financial or formal contexts.

Reduzir can sound slightly more precise or formal, while diminuir is also very common and natural.

There are two main things learners often notice:

1. reduzi ends in -zi

   • from reduzir
   • do not write reducí or redusei

2. dívida has an accent on í

   • dívida
   • not divida

Be careful, because divida without an accent can be a verb form of dividir, so the accent matters.

So the correct sentence is:

• Reduzi a dívida.