Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Costumo encomendar peixe fresco no mercado ao fim de semana. - I usually order fresh fish at the market on the weekend.

Costumo is the first person singular form of the verb costumar, which means “to usually do something” or “to be in the habit of.” In this sentence, it translates to “I usually…” indicating that ordering fresh fish is a regular habit.

What is the meaning of encomendar here?

Encomendar means “to order” (as in placing an order, not buying on the spot). It indicates that the speaker typically arranges for fresh fish to be provided, perhaps by pre-ordering from a vendor, rather than selecting it spontaneously.

Why is there no explicit subject pronoun in the sentence?

In Portuguese, the verb conjugation usually makes the subject clear. Since costumo is conjugated in the first person singular, it implicitly means “I.” Therefore, the subject pronoun is omitted, which is common in the language.

How does the adjective fresco work in the phrase peixe fresco?

In Portuguese, adjectives like fresco (meaning “fresh”) typically follow the noun they describe, in this case peixe (“fish”). This word order is standard for objective, descriptive qualities. Additionally, fresco agrees in gender and number with peixe, which is masculine singular.

What do the contractions no and ao signify in this context?

The contraction no is formed from em + o, meaning “in the” or “at the” (as in no mercado – “at the market”). Similarly, ao comes from a + o and is used with the expression fim de semana (“weekend”) to mean “at the weekend.” These contractions show how prepositions combine with definite articles in Portuguese.

Why is the phrase ao fim de semana used instead of, for example, no fim de semana?

In European Portuguese, ao fim de semana is the standard expression to refer to “on the weekend.” While in some varieties of Brazilian Portuguese you might hear no fim de semana, in Portugal the idiomatic choice is ao fim de semana, reflecting regional usage and grammatical conventions.