Eu quero comprar um livro novo no mercado.

I want to buy a new book at the market.

Breakdown of Eu quero comprar um livro novo no mercado.

• eu: I
• um: a
• querer: to want
• novo: new
• comprar: to buy
• o livro: the book
• em: at
• o mercado: the market

Questions & Answers about Eu quero comprar um livro novo no mercado.

Why is Eu included if it's often left out in Portuguese?

In Portuguese, the subject pronoun (eu, tu, ele, etc.) can be omitted because the verb endings often make it clear who is performing the action. However, sometimes people add eu for emphasis or clarity. In writing, including it can also sound more formal or personal.

Why do we say quero comprar instead of something like quero para comprar?

In Portuguese, when one verb follows another directly, you usually don’t need an extra preposition. Quero comprar literally translates to “I want to buy.” Adding para would change the meaning and isn’t the standard construction.

What is the difference between um livro novo and um novo livro?

Both phrases mean “a new book,” but um livro novo emphasizes that the book is brand new or recently purchased. Um novo livro can sometimes imply it’s “another book,” possibly new to you, but not necessarily fresh off the press. In everyday speech, these two expressions are used somewhat interchangeably, though the subtlety remains.

Why do we say no mercado instead of em o mercado?

Em + o (in Portuguese) contracts into no. So em o mercado becomes no mercado. This contraction is mandatory in Portuguese whenever the preposition em meets the definite article o (masculine singular form) or a (feminine singular form), turning into no or na, respectively.

Why is it um (masculine article) instead of uma (feminine article)?

Livro is a masculine noun in Portuguese, which is why we use the masculine article um. Nouns in Portuguese have genders assigned to them, and in this case, livro is always masculine, so we must match it with the masculine article.