Não quero endividar-me.

Quero means I want.

It comes from the verb querer = to want.

So:

• eu quero = I want
• tu queres = you want
• ele/ela quer = he/she wants

In this sentence, Não quero... means I don’t want...

Não is the normal word for not in Portuguese, and it usually goes before the verb it negates.

So:

• Quero = I want
• Não quero = I do not want / I don’t want

This is the standard way to make a sentence negative in Portuguese.

Endividar-me means to get myself into debt or more naturally in English, to get into debt.

It is made up of:

• endividar = to put into debt / to indebt
• -me = myself / me

So literally, it is something like to indebt myself.

In natural English, though, you would usually translate the whole sentence as:

• I don’t want to get into debt.

In European Portuguese, object/reflexive pronouns are often attached to the verb with a hyphen when they come after the verb.

So:

• endividar-me
• levantar-me
• chamar-se

This is standard spelling.

The hyphen shows that -me is a clitic pronoun attached to the verb.

This is a very common question, especially for English speakers.

In European Portuguese, when you have an infinitive like endividar, the pronoun often comes after the verb:

• quero endividar-me
• vou levantar-me
• preciso sentar-me

So endividar-me is the normal European Portuguese order here.

This is different from Brazilian Portuguese, where people often prefer:

• me endividar

In Portugal, endividar-me sounds more standard and natural.

Yes, you can.

Both of these are possible:

• Não quero endividar-me
• Não me quero endividar

They are very close in meaning.

However, in European Portuguese, Não quero endividar-me is a very natural and standard structure with the infinitive + pronoun after it.

Não me quero endividar is also understandable and correct, but the first version is often the one learners are taught as the clearer standard pattern.

Because -me is the correct object/reflexive pronoun to use with the verb.

Portuguese distinguishes between forms like:

• me = me / myself as an object pronoun
• mim = me after certain prepositions

So:

• quero endividar-me = correct
• para mim = correct after a preposition
• quero endividar mim = incorrect

A simple way to remember it:

• use me with verbs
• use mim after prepositions such as para, sem, de, etc.

Yes, in this meaning it is commonly used as a reflexive/pronominal verb: endividar-se.

That means the person affected by the action is also the subject:

• Eu endivido-me = I get into debt
• Ela endivida-se = She gets into debt

Without the pronoun, endividar can be used more transitively, with the sense of causing someone to be in debt, but for everyday use when talking about yourself getting into debt, endividar-se is the normal form learners should focus on.

It is basically neutral and perfectly natural.

Não quero endividar-me is a normal, standard way to say I don’t want to get into debt.

It would sound fine in:

• conversation
• writing
• advice about money
• personal statements

A more conversational alternative could be something like:

• Não quero ficar cheio de dívidas.
• Não me quero meter em dívidas.

But your original sentence is clear, correct, and natural.

In European Portuguese, the pronunciation is roughly:

nãw KÉ-ru ẽ-di-vi-dar-m(ə)

A few useful points:

• Não has a nasal sound, not a clear now
• quero is roughly KÉ-ru, with a reduced final vowel
• endividar-me often has reduced unstressed vowels in European Portuguese
• the final -me may sound like a very weak muh or even just a reduced vowel sound

If you want to sound more European Portuguese, remember that unstressed vowels are often much weaker than in Brazilian Portuguese.

Because after quero (I want), Portuguese commonly uses another verb in the infinitive.

This is the same pattern as in English:

• I want to eat
• I want to leave
• I want to sleep

Portuguese:

• Quero comer
• Quero sair
• Quero dormir

So here:

• Quero endividar-me = I want to get into debt
• Não quero endividar-me = I don’t want to get into debt

The first part changes with querer, and the pronoun changes too if needed.

Examples:

• Não queres endividar-te. = You don’t want to get into debt.
• Não quer endividar-se. = He/She/You (formal) doesn’t want to get into debt.
• Não queremos endividar-nos. = We don’t want to get into debt.
• Não querem endividar-se. = They/You plural don’t want to get into debt.

This is a useful pattern to memorize:

• endividar-me
• endividar-te
• endividar-se
• endividar-nos
• endividar-vos
• endividar-se

It means to get into debt, not simply to borrow money.

You can borrow money without necessarily sounding heavily in debt, but endividar-se specifically focuses on becoming indebted.

So:

• pedir dinheiro emprestado = to borrow money
• endividar-se = to get into debt / become indebted

That is why Não quero endividar-me has the idea of avoiding a financial situation, not just avoiding borrowing in general.