Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Ela guarda o anel numa caixa quando veste o pijama. - She keeps the ring in a box when she puts on her pyjamas.

Here, guarda is the third-person singular of guardar, which in European Portuguese often means “to put away,” “to store,” or “to keep.” The idea is that she puts the ring safely inside the box.

Why is numa used instead of em uma?

numa is simply the contraction of em + uma. Contractions like num, numa, no, and na are very common in spoken and written Portuguese to make the language more fluid.

Could you explain the preposition em here?

The preposition em means “in” or “inside.” When combined with uma, it becomes numa and indicates location: “inside a box.”

Why is the present tense used in quando veste if it’s referring to a habitual action?

Portuguese often uses the simple present for habitual actions (much like English: “She keeps the ring in a box when she puts on her pajamas”). It’s understood that this is something she regularly does.

What does veste mean, and how does it differ from coloca?

veste is the third-person singular of vestir, meaning “to put on (clothing).” colocar means “to place” or “to put” in a more general sense. You’d say ela veste o pijama (“she puts on her pajamas”) rather than ela coloca o pijama.

Why is there a definite article o before anel?

In Portuguese, it’s normal to use definite articles before possessive or body-part nouns and also when you’re talking about something already known: o anel (“the ring”). If you said um anel, it’d mean “a ring,” as if it were introduced for the first time.

Is it okay to omit the subject pronoun ela?

Yes. Portuguese is a pro‑drop language, meaning the verb ending often tells you who the subject is. You could simply say Guarda o anel... and context would tell you it’s “she” (or “he,” “you,” etc.).

Why is pijama masculine even though it ends in ‑a?

Some Portuguese nouns ending in ‑a are masculine by convention. pijama is one of them: o pijama. Unfortunately, you have to memorize these exceptions.

Could you translate quando veste o pijama as “when she is wearing her pajamas”?

Yes, that’s a natural way to render it in English. In Portuguese, the simple present veste covers both “puts on” and “is wearing” in contexts like this.

What’s the word order rule for placing numa caixa after o anel?

Portuguese generally follows Subject–Verb–Object–Adverbial order. Here, numa caixa is an adverbial phrase of place (“in a box”), so it comes after the direct object o anel.