Breakdown of Eu recebo cartas pelo correio todos os dias.
eu
I
o dia
the day
receber
to receive
por
by
a carta
the letter
o correio
the mail
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Questions & Answers about Eu recebo cartas pelo correio todos os dias.
Do I always have to include eu in a Portuguese sentence like this?
Subject pronouns such as eu are optional in Portuguese because the verb ending already tells you who’s doing the action. Recebo clearly means I receive, so in everyday speech you’d often drop eu: Recebo cartas pelo correio todos os dias. You only keep eu if you want to emphasize the subject or avoid ambiguity.
Why is there no article before cartas? Shouldn’t it be as cartas?
When you talk about letters in general (not specific ones), you omit the article. Recebo cartas means I receive letters (any or some letters). If you mean particular letters (for example, the ones you sent me), you would use the definite article: recebo as cartas.
What does pelo correio literally mean, and why not just por correio?
Pelo is the contraction of por + o, literally “by the.” Pelo correio means “by mail” or “through the postal system.” In European Portuguese, this is the idiomatic way to say “via post.” Saying por correio (without the article) is less common in Portugal, though you might encounter it in Brazilian Portuguese.
I’ve heard of os Correios as the postal service. Why is it singular correio here?
In Portugal, correio (singular) refers to mail in general or the mail system. In Brazil, os Correios (plural) is the name of the national postal company. So you say pelo correio (singular) to mean “by mail,” whereas os Correios (capitalized) is a proper name in Brazil.
Why is it todos os dias and not todos dias or todo dia?
The standard European Portuguese pattern is todos os + plural noun, so todos os dias means “every day.” Dropping os (as in todos dias) is ungrammatical in Portugal. Todo dia (singular) is common in Brazilian Portuguese and informal registers, but in Portugal you should stick with todos os dias.
Are there alternative expressions for “every day,” like diariamente or cada dia?
Yes. Diariamente is a formal adverb meaning “daily.” You can also say cada dia (“each day”), though it’s a bit less frequent in European Portuguese. Todos os dias remains the most natural choice in speech.
Why is the simple present recebo used for a habitual action? Can I use a continuous form instead?
European Portuguese normally uses the simple present for habitual or repeated actions. Recebo works perfectly for “I receive every day.” If you want to emphasize that it’s happening right now, you could use the continuous structure estou a receber: Estou a receber cartas pelo correio. However, that sounds like it’s occurring at this very moment, not as a routine.
Can I move todos os dias to the beginning of the sentence for emphasis?
Yes. Portuguese word order is flexible. Todos os dias recebo cartas pelo correio is perfectly correct and simply highlights the frequency. The core meaning remains the same.