Tu precisas de café esta manhã?

you

Breakdown of Tu precisas de café esta manhã?

• o café: the coffee
• precisar de: to need
• esta: this
• a manhã: the morning

Questions & Answers about Tu precisas de café esta manhã?

Why do we use "tu" instead of "você" in this sentence?

In European Portuguese, tu is the informal second-person singular pronoun used among friends, family, or in casual contexts. Você is either more formal or distant. In some parts of Portugal people may also use você, but tu is most common in informal settings.

Why is the verb "precisar" conjugated as "precisas"?

The conjugation precisas matches the second-person singular form of tu in the present tense. If you used você, the form would be precisa instead.

Why do we say "precisar de café" instead of just "precisar café"?

In Portuguese, the verb precisar is usually followed by de plus a noun (object). So you say precisar de algo (“to need something”), making it "Tu precisas de café".

Is "esta manhã" the only way to say "this morning"?

Esta manhã is common in European Portuguese. Some speakers might use de manhã to mean “in the morning,” but esta manhã specifically highlights “this morning.” Both are correct, but esta manhã is more precise about the time.

Can "precisar" mean both "to need" and "to require"?

Yes, in Portuguese, precisar can mean "to need" or "to require," depending on context. For example, "Os alunos precisam de livros" can be interpreted as "The students need books."

Could I say "Tu necessitas de café esta manhã?" instead?

Yes, you could use necessitas instead of precisas, as necessitar is a valid synonym for precisar (meaning “to need”). However, precisar is more commonly used in everyday conversation.

Do I always need to include "tu" in the sentence?

You can omit tu and just say "Precisas de café esta manhã?" because Portuguese verb endings usually indicate the subject. Including tu can add clarity or emphasis, but it's not mandatory.